Asian as a Dentist

[wwkkim]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

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[dudewhensmydat]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

Dude...

First of all, with all respect, that's a stupid question. You'll find racist people almost everywhere, but for the most part, patients want a dentist b/c of his/her skills (clinical and personal).

If you are amicable, knowledgable, and honest, most people will want you as your dentist...if they choose another b/c of race, that's their problem.

Man...you crack me up (in a good way)...I can't believe you're concerned about that...maybe I'm just naive...oh well.

I wish you the best in your pursuit of dentistry...

- The dude/perronsky.

 

[dentalcn]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

Yes, you're right. Most asian dentists struggle hard....and only have asian visitors

 

[Firm]

Some stereotypes work for people. Not only will you have the Asian community coming to you, but white people are going to think your smart. Just make sure the whole staff isn't asian, white people hate being in the minority.

 

[djeffreyt]

asians make up a huge portion of the dental pie nowadays.

last time I checked...the asian dentists weren't all lined up on street corners panhandling to make enough money to put food on the table.

 

[Catfish]

That's a really interesting question. I'm Asian. I've never thought of that kinda of problem. I guess if it happens, we can always pair up with a White dentist to work together, if that helps I agree not to have the whole clinic full of Asian staff, but other than that, I don't see any problem. But I'm just a first yr, don't know how hard it is out there yet Actually some Asians dentists prefer to treat mostly Asian patients. I have a girl friend, who's also Asian. She said she'll take over her old dentist's clinic once she graduates. Of course her dentist is Asian too, and they mainly treat Asian patients. They said most the patients pay cash, so no trouble with insurance. But I personally don't want to be in an Asian community. That's just personal opinions.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

more like

Is it difficult for Asians to

find any non-Asian

dentists? Would some American (white people) despise

non-Asian dentists?


The answer to both is yes!

You will definitely not be the minority....

 

[dentwannabe]

Okay, be forewarned, this response contains HEAVY STEREOTYPING:


Well, I don't think you need to be worried, just pull it off the "smart asian" approach. Appear tech-savy, smart, trendy. Your white patients will think you're a smart ass asian who KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING.

Your asians will be impressed because they'll be like, aww look how far our boy made it!

Its a win-win situation! GO ASIAN!

 

[wwkkim]

Good God...

That relieves me a lot..

I just heard my friend (Asian) telling me that white people only going for white dentists and we have no hope or sth.

Heheh,, anyways.. thanks folks!

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

I think they go for the dentist that their insurance covers? Or do insurances usually not cover dentists..

 

[QCkid]

Good God...

That relieves me a lot..

I just heard my friend (Asian) telling me that white people only going for white dentists and we have no hope or sth.

Heheh,, anyways.. thanks folks!

Give me a break, anyone with intelligence will go to the best doctor that they can afford regardless of race or color. If their stupid enough to base a decision on someones color or race then trust me you don't want them.

 

[fightingspirit]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

this is a very interesting question but you need to present it with different (less extreme) wording.

in general, east or west, north or south, earth or mars, people tend to be subconciously attracted to their own and mostly economically supportive of their own, whether they are white or purple. however, insurance issues and merit do make it a bit more complicated. still, it is very likely that if two dentists have the same credentials and the same prices, the white one would get most of the white patients, and maybe even the nonwhite patients.... hahahha. therefore, you must market yourself sensibly and in the right place. you certainly wanna stick to the big cities. but why are you concerned about this? why must you get white patients? you're asian so why not serve asian patients? after all, the asian american community is large and wealthy, and thus asians can pay you well for your services.

 

[fightingspirit]

Give me a break, anyone with intelligence will go to the best doctor that they can afford regardless of race or color. If their stupid enough to base a decision on someones color or race then trust me you don't want them.

yeah, but most people have options within the same service cost bracket and so that's where personal preference comes into play...

 

[caltech2004]

Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried [/QUOTE]

Americans come in all races. I assume you are not an US citizen or born in this country. Open your mind, my friend
I guess you don't have experience with people. Attitude and personality is key or no one will appreciate you.
I know many asians, expecially Indian Americans doing great. My opinion from experience: Those who struggle usually
have a narrow minded and racist attitude.

 

[djeffreyt]

okay...this is kinda dumb.

first, there are racist and non-racist people in EVERY RACE. There are some white people who will prefer only white dentists, and if that is their decision, well, I don't really think you, as an asian, would want them as patients anyway. But there will be plenty of white, black, brown, red, yellow, albino and fuschia people who could care less what race you are, and there are enough of them that if you are a good dentist and a decently intelligent business person, that you will have enough patients.

If anything, as an asian and possibly as an asian without English as a first language, I might worry that communication skills might hinder my ability to attract patients to me. If that's the case, you can always do what a bunch of asian dentists seem to be doing nowadays and open a dental spa with an asian sounding name like Sutra Dental Spa, FengSui Dental Spa, Chi Spirituality Dental Spa and put up some carved wood and painted paper dividers, hire a masseuse, play crappy oriental sounding music, put in a rock garden waterfall, and put paper lanterns on the walls with pictures of dragons and wind spirits and whatever. Then patients will think the accent is just part of the experience.

 

[qwopty99]

OP, u've addressed a relevant topic, but u miss the main problem.

the problem isn't that u are asian necessarily, the problem is HOW MANY asian dentists there are.

do u live in a big city? if so, the problem is even worse.

u might notice that in major cities, asian dentists are on every street corner the way 7-11s are. for some reason, asians just occupy like half of certain dental school populations. for any one of them to expect to graduate and "niche" on the asian population is being grossly naive. there's way too many asian dentists availble to serve only the asian population. the issue isn't racism, the problem is competition - with other asian dentists. i've met some 2nd, 3rd year asian dental students, and they were worried about their "job prospects" after graduation, because they knew how many others there were "like them".

dentistry is a great profession. i just would not like to be in the shoes of a recent-grad, in a big city, and asian, with an asian dentist on every street corner.

 

[TheNobleTooth]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

First of all, I'm Korean and Taiwanese, so I do understand the your opinion on the discrimination we face in this country.

However, to answer your question, it all depends on which city your practice is located in. If you open your practice in an Asian-dominated area in the US, then you're more than likely to have a decent amount of patients. Some of these places are:

* Bay Area California
* L.A. area
* San Jose
* Hawaii!!
* Seattle, WA
* Parts of Portland Oregon
* NYC
*Boston
* Chicago area
* Maryland/Virginia (fairfax) area

It also depends on which type of Asian you are. I speak Korean, so I know a lot of Korean patients will come to see me for treatment rather than seeing a white or black dentist who can't communicate with them. Same phenomenon for hispanic patients who prefer to see hispanic dentists that could speak Spanish.

Good luck with your dental endeavors!!

 

[lnsip9reg]

hah, if you're asking a question like this then most likely you will have a problem. if you're a fob or azn that's not willing to make an effort, then yes, you will struggle with attracting other patients.

you can overcome the color of your skin, but you need to not only be fluent in english but culturally fluent as well. can you talk sports, or pop culture, or be comfortable around different people?

i'm a korean-american, but i can be 100% comfortable around white, black or asian people, as long as they give me a chance. i've had the fortunate opportunity to interact with all three different groups, and i know we share a lot more in common than differences.

most importantly you have to remember it's not what makes you comfortable that matters, it's what makes the other person that you're trying to make a connection with comfortable. if you make the effort, they'll do the same.

finally i'm just tired of this whole "group identity politics" thing. it leads to the lessening of the individual

 

[jmick101]

If anything, as an asian and possibly as an asian without English as a first language, I might worry that communication skills might hinder my ability to attract patients to me. If that's the case, you can always do what a bunch of asian dentists seem to be doing nowadays and open a dental spa with an asian sounding name like Sutra Dental Spa, FengSui Dental Spa, Chi Spirituality Dental Spa and put up some carved wood and painted paper dividers, hire a masseuse, play crappy oriental sounding music, put in a rock garden waterfall, and put paper lanterns on the walls with pictures of dragons and wind spirits and whatever. Then patients will think the accent is just part of the experience.

I think you hit about every single asian stereotype in one sentence, thats impressive! Maybe we could find a Bruce Lee hygienist who could come out and kung fu the plaque off peoples teeth.

 

[OceanDMD]

If you are worried about patient boycotting you because of race, just take all the insurances. Patients will flock. Have fun dealing with the insurance companies!

 

[north2southOMFS]

First of all, I'm Korean and Taiwanese, so I do understand the your opinion on the discrimination we face in this country.

However, to answer your question, it all depends on which city your practice is located in. If you open your practice in an Asian-dominated area in the US, then you're more than likely to have a decent amount of patients. Some of these places are:

* Bay Area California
* L.A. area
* San Jose
* Hawaii!!
* Seattle, WA
* Parts of Portland Oregon
* NYC
*Boston
* Chicago area
* Maryland/Virginia (fairfax) area

It also depends on which type of Asian you are. I speak Korean, so I know a lot of Korean patients will come to see me for treatment rather than seeing a white or black dentist who can't communicate with them. Same phenomenon for hispanic patients who prefer to see hispanic dentists that could speak Spanish.

Good luck with your dental endeavors!!

Ok, this poster is a perfect example of the problem here. First of all, why on earth are you limiting yourself to certain area's of this country that are saturated with your own cultural background type people. Foreign immigrants in this country think that unless you are in a big city with "your own people" you will never get any respect, help, jobs...etc. That is your problem. If you leave the big city for more rural country i promise first of all they will not lynch you, second you'll find dentists are much more in demand.

I'm in Louisiana, which is in the south, which gets the bad stereotype(wrongly) of being very racist, yet at the hospital i'm at, the two best and most referred to surgical oncologists are a vietnamese and chinese guy, and my three attendings are an iraqi, a korean, and a black guy. They get tremendous respect from all of their patients and people in the community. You just need the courage to get out into mainstream america and get culturally diversified. All the libs out there love to bitch about amercians not being "culturally diversified" enough toward immigrants. Well guess what, if you come to live and work in america and want to interact with "mainstream americans" and have them as your patients, you need to become a little culturally diversified yourself as the previous poster said. Get into baseball, football, trucks, nascar, brittany spears, john denver, texas hold'em poker, etc..... so you can actually have something to talk about with your patient! Join the local towns clubs, groups, get involved so people know you. AND FOR GODS SAKE BUY AN AMERICAN CAR! Or at least a big foreign car. Take the big leap and forgo the damn kia or honda! And always remember to be a good dentist, call them at night to see how they are doing, make sure they know you actually care about them and not their money. If you do this kinda stuff, i guarantee you won't be quite so "discriminated against" as the poster above me says.

Ps. to make it easier for you....GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WEST COAST! Go to greener pasture in the middle of the country.




By the way, this is a ******ed thread. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this stuff.

 

[Mustt Mustt]

hah, if you're asking a question like this then most likely you will have a problem. if you're a fob or azn that's not willing to make an effort, then yes, you will struggle with attracting other patients.

you can overcome the color of your skin, but you need to not only be fluent in english but culturally fluent as well. can you talk sports, or pop culture, or be comfortable around different people?

i'm a korean-american, but i can be 100% comfortable around white, black or asian people, as long as they give me a chance. i've had the fortunate opportunity to interact with all three different groups, and i know we share a lot more in common than differences.

most importantly you have to remember it's not what makes you comfortable that matters, it's what makes the other person that you're trying to make a connection with comfortable. if you make the effort, they'll do the same.

finally i'm just tired of this whole "group identity politics" thing. it leads to the lessening of the individual

Dude you are wrong. there are many successful dentists out there that don't like sports or can't talk about some crazy shows on TV. If you have a good communication skills and really care about your patients and work hard you will be successful and color of your skin will not matter.

 

[lnsip9reg]

my apologies there. i only meant that as examples of what you could talk about. there are other things of course like family, food, whatever. i meant to say that it was about making connections. thanks for making me clear this up!

Dude you are wrong. there are many successful dentists out there that don't like sports or can't talk about some crazy shows on TV. If you have a good communication skills and really care about your patients and work hard you will be successful and color of your skin will not matter.

 

[enajmu]

.

 

[dl9006]

Ok, first of all, this thread is NOT STUPID SO U WHITE PEOPLE GET OUT. it is important to know who yoir main customers are in order to make a decent living. It is true that asian dentists usually get patients of all races EXCEPT WHITES because they think only white dentists are good enough to handle with. Hispanics and blacks usually believe the asian stereotype of smartness and go to asian dentists because hispanics/blacks/asians are all minority and dont feel superior to each other like whites.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that asian dentists will have a totally different customer base than white dentists. So, the list for the highest paying jobs will most probably only favor the white dentists, such as orthos or specialists making tons of money. Minority groups usually are uneducated about specialists and would not want to spend money on useless specialists, just the bare work of dentists relieving their pain. Also, minorities usually dont see doctors regularly, and their teeth conditions get terribly worse until the pain is unbearable. Then they spend thousands on root canal and such and dentists make the most money from those.

SO, it will be favorable for an asian dentist to NOT SPECIALIZE and to set up a business in an area consisting mainly of poor minorities that spend tons for root canals and crowns.

lol prompt reply

 

[noles]

Is it difficult for Asians to be successful as dentists? Would some American (white people) despise Asians and never go to Asian dentists' offices?

Haha,, I'm pretty worried

not reerry

 

[BlueToothHunter]

I went to UCLA dental school to visit. I was surprised to see so many Asian faculty and students (undergrads and postgrads)! Asians may be minority but in dentistry at least Asians are the majority it seems!!

 

[tinman831]

I went to UCLA dental school to visit. I was surprised to see so many Asian faculty and students (undergrads and postgrads)!

Pretty much true for all UC schools. and good job everyone for digging up a 5 year old thread.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Greetings to all,

This thread is something that I can relate to. This is a quote my my Dentistry Mentoring Thread #18:

This is a very good question as I can relate to it. When I started dental school 17 years ago, I have heard countless comments from my asian friends and family members that " Oh, you are asian, you will hard time having white patients... You better find a Vietnamese community or else you go broke.." or " People only like to go to their kind..". Well, what I found out is that was total total bunk! True, asian patients may feel more comfortable with asian dentists but that is NOT to say that asian dentists could only attract asian patients. When I had my faculty practice at the University of Tennessee at Memphis, my patients range from all races and ethenic backgrounds. What patients are looking for is somebody with reputation of doing excellent dentistry and not of skin color. When you set up a practice, find a location that allows you to be " a big fish in a little pond". If it happens to be in an asian community then be it. If not, then that's perfectly fine too. Do NOT get into the myth that "asian dentists could only attract asian patients" as I personally have dispelled that misconception. So the moral of story is race is not a factor. What factors in is what you can do for your patients. DP

In short, people choose their dentists based on reputation, cleanliness of the office, fees, doctor mannerism and most of all location. You can be the best dentist there is in your state, but if you set up your office next to Ming's Buffet or Viet Hoa Super Market, you are not going to get many white patients at all. I have seen this too often at asian districts. If you set up your office in a professional location along with other medical professionals, you WILL get patients from all walk of life even if you are asian. DP

 

[dort-ort]

Greetings to all,

This thread is something that I can relate to. This is a quote my my Dentistry Mentoring Thread #18:

This is a very good question as I can relate to it. When I started dental school 17 years ago, I have heard countless comments from my asian friends and family members that " Oh, you are asian, you will hard time having white patients... You better find a Vietnamese community or else you go broke.." or " People only like to go to their kind..". Well, what I found out is that was total total bunk! True, asian patients may feel more comfortable with asian dentists but that is NOT to say that asian dentists could only attract asian patients. When I had my faculty practice at the University of Tennessee at Memphis, my patients range from all races and ethenic backgrounds. What patients are looking for is somebody with reputation of doing excellent dentistry and not of skin color. When you set up a practice, find a location that allows you to be " a big fish in a little pond". If it happens to be in an asian community then be it. If not, then that's perfectly fine too. Do NOT get into the myth that "asian dentists could only attract asian patients" as I personally have dispelled that misconception. So the moral of story is race is not a factor. What factors in is what you can do for your patients. DP

In short, people choose their dentists based on reputation, cleanliness of the office, fees, doctor mannerism and most of all location. You can be the best dentist there is in your state, but if you set up your office next to Ming's Buffet or Viet Hoa Super Market, you are not going to get many white patients at all. I have seen this too often at asian districts. If you set up your office in a professional location along with other medical professionals, you WILL get patients from all walk of life even if you are asian. DP

Classic-- Ming's Buffet, Viet Hoa Super Market

other Classics -- Viet Hong Pho #21, Moo Goi International Buffet, or Ching's chinese express, how about -- Lo Lee Chinese food. just classics...

 

[Morsetlis]

Yes, you're right. Most asian dentists struggle hard....and only have asian visitors

My Asian dentist does NOT struggle, does NOT only have Asian visitors, now owns two different shops, and has a plethora of assistants/hygienists and just hired a new grad to work at his old office while he works at the new one. The old office is in an Asian plaza (in fact, right next to a Pho restaurant). The new office is somewhere upscale in La Jolla where the median home price is about $1 mil.

Granted, he does set up shop in San Diego, where there's a ton of Asians, and he speaks Vietnamese so that earns mucho points with the Vietnamese patients.

Sorry if that was sarcasm and I didn't catch it