Do NOT go into Dentistry - Trust me it is SATURATED

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
andreadds said:
This is a really good post. I will only respond to a portion of it because I have to get ready to leave in 10 minutes to make it to my massage appointment. The back and neck pain is real!
I'm really sorry you are fed up with this profession and I hope you can quickly find another one. Dentistry has its downs but no one should be in a job they hate so much. It's not good for you, for your family or your patients.
I think there are a lot of dentists but it depends where you are... in my city in the midwest I am doing well. I am booked out several weeks and honestly that is good and bad. Good because I'm extremely busy but bad because I can't get an emergency in. But yes you do have to try to get patients.. they don't just show up. I wish they did.
I'm not really sure why your friends work for the chains. More dentists need to not take those jobs and the chains wouldnt do as well.
I graduated and started at 140K doing 2.5 days in private practice. I then started working for a hospital and was making 200K. I know own my own office and make 360K on 3.5 days. My husband also a GP works 3.5 days and makes 500K.
I think the interest rates are ridiculous but that goes back to our government. Guys- think about who you are going to vote for next year! I wish I didnt pay 2K/month on loans but it is what it is...
If I remember I'll continue later...
Click to expand...



LOL these predents need to stop trollin....
Members don't see this ad.
 
AVB2104 said:
LOL these predents need to stop trollin....
Click to expand...

I know a few people that were making $300k right after graduation. They do things like put sealants on every tooth billed as 1 surf resins, scam medicaid, every MOD is a CEREC, endo w/no rubber dam, every occlusal is an OL. Truly disgusting and unfortunately there is alot of it out there. This is the side of the profession pre-dents do not realize.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
navydentist said:
I know a few people that were making $300k right after graduation. They do things like put sealants on every tooth billed as 1 surf resins, scam medicaid, every MOD is a CEREC, endo w/no rubber dam, every occlusal is an OL. Truly disgusting and unfortunately there is alot of it out there. This is the side of the profession pre-dents do not realize.
Click to expand...

Learned that one early on. Went to the dentist as a kid and he said I had 10 cavities. Then went to a pedodontist and he said I had 1 cavity on a loose tooth lol
 
Members don't see this ad :)
navydentist said:
So you need to figure out where you want to live and how you want to practice. If you're cool with living somewhere like Shreveport, LA or Lubbock, TX (random choices off a map), and quickly transition to ownership, you will probably do fantastic.
Click to expand...

Good points in your post.

Observation: Isn't it funny how both locations that were randomly chosen from a map have multiple corporations already present and dozens of dentists camping within a few blocks of each other?

The saturation is real.
 
navydentist said:
I agreed with the OP a few days ago and I feel it's worth an explanation.

This profession is extremely dependent on location. It is pretty great if you are willing to live in the more "boring" locales. The competition is low and the cost of living is cheap. Insurance is avoidable. You are one of the wealthy guys in town. But if you are intent on practicing in any "sexy" area such as Coastal Cal, NYC, Miami, NoVA, Chicago; basically all the nice Metro or vacation type areas, it is as the OP describes. .
Click to expand...

Did you just include Chicago as a nice metro area??
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Screwtape said:
lol both locations are far from rural though.
Click to expand...

You're right, but in the context of the post that I quoted, they were cited as areas where one could do very well as they were not the metros/urban hotspots that Houston, NYC, SF, etc. are.

My point is that even these "less desirable" locations are becoming saturated.
 
Incis0r said:
You're right, but in the context of the post that I quoted, they were cited as areas where one could do very well as they were not the metros/urban hotspots that Houston, NYC, SF, etc. are.

My point is that even these "less desirable" locations are becoming saturated.
Click to expand...
I swear every profession making decent money says desirable areas are saturated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Thank god for my love for the rural midwest
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Members don't see this ad :)
You guys do realize that complaining about being a dentist on the pre dent forum is like complaining to a person at a homeless shelter that your house payment is too high, right?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
GypsyHummus said:
You guys do realize that complaining about being a dentist on the pre dent forum is like complaining to a person at a homeless shelter that your house payment is too high, right?
Click to expand...

Do not buy a house, it costs too much!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
GypsyHummus said:
You guys do realize that complaining about being a dentist on the pre dent forum is like complaining to a person at a homeless shelter that your house payment is too high, right?
Click to expand...
Eh, most homeless people aren't actively trying to buy a $500k house.
 
GypsyHummus said:
You guys do realize that complaining about being a dentist on the pre dent forum is like complaining to a person at a homeless shelter that your house payment is too high, right?
Click to expand...
As long as we're talking metaphors, I'd say it's more like complaining to a homeless person about a certain neighborhood... admonishing said homeless person to indenture themselves towards a different neighborhood.

Heh, indenture *snort laugh*
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
rxdmx372 said:
I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree with you on this one. Yes, there are many people who make unfortunate decisions when it comes to their teeth and overall health, who have the money to take care of themselves and simply choose not to. But you can't deny there are some people for whom dental care simply isn't an option. Feeding their kids and not missing work are more important than having to find someone wealthy enough to have a car that will drive them over an hour to the closest dentist. Someone raising a kid by themselves on $16k per year doesn't have much extra left over to take care of their own teeth.
Click to expand...
That is a rare occasion. Majority of people, claiming to not being able to afford a dentist spend their money on other nonessential things, like drugs and alcohol
 
.
 

Attachments

  • 3032414.jpg
    3032414.jpg
    82.7 KB · Views: 495
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
oralcare123 said:
That is a rare occasion. Majority of people, claiming to not being able to afford a dentist spend their money on other nonessential things, like drugs and alcohol
Click to expand...

or even less nefarious things like concert tickets, expensive shoes, vacations, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
ajj70 said:
or even less nefarious things like concert tickets, expensive shoes, vacations, etc.
Click to expand...
The problem is that people are not bombarded by messages from the government, that they have to take care of their teeth on a regular basis.
Apparently,mommy and daddy did not teach them, so they do not bother, until it becomes pretty expensive to fix. Still there are options. A lot of dentists offer payment plans. Watch on Friday how many people with bad teeth will be buying flat screen TVs
 
Oh look, another drive-by post from a disgruntled 'dentist' insisting that his regrets about this career field will undoubtedly be experienced by everyone else who pursues it.

Incredibly, not everyone loves being astronauts, firemen, or bankers either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users
Cello said:
Oh look, another drive-by post from a disgruntled 'dentist' insisting that his regrets about this career field will undoubtedly be experienced by everyone else who pursues it.

Incredibly, not everyone loves being astronauts, firemen, or bankers either.
Click to expand...

Well if you thought there were too many dentist, don't even look at astronaut saturation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
BYU4you said:
Well if you thought there were too many dentist, don't even look at astronaut saturation.
Click to expand...

Don't even get me STARTED on student astronaut network. Bunch of jerks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 13 users
You think your back and neck hurt? Wait until you float around in space for several months, dat muscle lose. Find a different job!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Let's withdraw our dental applications and go to chiropractic school. Saturation+Dentists= Lots of people with back pain.
$$$
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
EasTexan said:
You think your back and neck hurt? Wait until you float around in space for several months, dat muscle lose. Find a different job!
Click to expand...

Yeah but my deadlift will double up there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
For people who really want to be in metro areas(I could careless regardless ,I had no problem leaving NYC for Buffalo), wouldn't it be best to go to a less populated place for a few years, build up experience, and then move back a metro area? whats wrong with that?
 
I had posted a question earlier in the thread and it didn't get a response, so I wanted to ask practicing dentists again: Do you think specialists (ortho, endo, perio) have it significantly better in dentistry? Or is it just not worth specializing anymore? Which specialties would you consider to be slightly better? Thanks!!

@Dr. Tiffany if you could chime in as well that would be great!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Want to know why we're getting saturated? It's our own fault. Look at what an international dentist recently posted on the international dental forums:

cmt68708 said:
OK, this is not a good thing to hear. I feel as if my world is being crushed right now. I just recently got accepted into this school, of De La Salle, the only thing that i am counting on, is graduating here, then coming to the US to do an international program for 2 years, at one of the universities, and then be accredited by the ADA.

I am very scared, this freaking COUNTRY, the US is a freaking nightmare, why are the costs for dental work so expensive, why are all the dental schools so expensive. I mean, I myself, if I could rule the entire system of dental work, would not charge so much for many jobs. I mean, come on.
DO we all really need to make 150,000 to 200,000 a year.
Do we??
I mean I would be content with 100,000 per year....... I just feel like we over carhge so much for everything nowadays.
I still can't get over the fact that there a lobbyists out there who push for not allowing more dental schools to be made. And dental schools are thinking about cutting their staff and adding more students to the classrooms, its already happening. I heard USC is doing it already.
Click to expand...

Granted- this isn't the only reason we're getting saturated. But this kind of mentality isn't helping our profession either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Incis0r said:
Want to know why we're getting saturated? It's our own fault. Look at what an international dentist recently posted on the international dental forums:



Granted- this isn't the only reason we're getting saturated. But this kind of mentality isn't helping our profession either.
Click to expand...


If you ever wonder why dental school/care is so much more expensive in the US go shadow a dentist in Mexico.

I was shadowing in Tijuana and literally saw a dentist take his bloody surgical instruments into a backroom, wash them off with tap water (mexico tap water mind you) and Dawn dish soap, put them back their tray and use them on the next patient.

When it comes to my health, I'd gladly pay $300 for an extraction in the US vs a $100 extraction in Mexico.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Incis0r said:
Want to know why we're getting saturated? It's our own fault. Look at what an international dentist recently posted on the international dental forums:



Granted- this isn't the only reason we're getting saturated. But this kind of mentality isn't helping our profession either.
Click to expand...
This is just one of the gems. My favorites are about how to enter a dental school in the US with a GPA a little over 2.0
 
[QUOTE="cmt68708,]OK, this is not a good thing to hear. I feel as if my world is being crushed right now. I just recently got accepted into this school, of De La Salle, the only thing that i am counting on, is graduating here, then coming to the US to do an international program for 2 years, at one of the universities, and then be accredited by the ADA.

I am very scared, this freaking COUNTRY, the US is a freaking nightmare, why are the costs for dental work so expensive, why are all the dental schools so expensive. I mean, I myself, if I could rule the entire system of dental work, would not charge so much for many jobs. I mean, come on.
DO we all really need to make 150,000 to 200,000 a year.
Do we??
I mean I would be content with 100,000 per year....... I just feel like we over carhge so much for everything nowadays.
I still can't get over the fact that there a lobbyists out there who push for not allowing more dental schools to be made. And dental schools are thinking about cutting their staff and adding more students to the classrooms, its already happening. I heard USC is doing it already....[/QUOTE]

UMMM

you want to go to US dental school but seems not to have qualified enough for admission so

1. you want wages to drop and you, an unqualified dental applicant, is happy with 100k per year?
2.you want more schools to open so you can have a shot at getting in.

you are just being too selfish. why didn't you try to study harder and get like 3.4 3.5, do a postbach, do a SMP, do a master, retake the DAT and get in US dental school instead of wishing these bullcraps to happen to the profession.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
darknightzzz said:
[QUOTE="cmt68708,]OK, this is not a good thing to hear. I feel as if my world is being crushed right now. I just recently got accepted into this school, of De La Salle, the only thing that i am counting on, is graduating here, then coming to the US to do an international program for 2 years, at one of the universities, and then be accredited by the ADA.

I am very scared, this freaking COUNTRY, the US is a freaking nightmare, why are the costs for dental work so expensive, why are all the dental schools so expensive. I mean, I myself, if I could rule the entire system of dental work, would not charge so much for many jobs. I mean, come on.
DO we all really need to make 150,000 to 200,000 a year.
Do we??
I mean I would be content with 100,000 per year....... I just feel like we over carhge so much for everything nowadays.
I still can't get over the fact that there a lobbyists out there who push for not allowing more dental schools to be made. And dental schools are thinking about cutting their staff and adding more students to the classrooms, its already happening. I heard USC is doing it already....
Click to expand...

UMMM

you want to go to US dental school but seems not to have qualified enough for admission so

1. you want wages to drop and you, an unqualified dental applicant, is happy with 100k per year?
2.you want more schools to open so you can have a shot at getting in.

you are just being too selfish. why didn't you try to study harder and get like 3.4 3.5, do a postbach, do a SMP, do a master, retake the DAT and get in US dental school instead of wishing these bullcraps to happen to the profession.[/QUOTE]
The scariest part is that person does not even know, that De La Salle is accredited now
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
That person wrote that post in 2010 and is long gone from SDN
 
strep mutans said:
If you could do it all over again knowing what you know now, would you still go to dental school? If so, would you try to specialize?
Click to expand...
Not meant for me but..
I would not change being a dentist for anything. I would have liked to specialize but not for the money. I think I would just enjoy treatment more.
 
GypsyHummus said:
Hey,

Thank you for your opinion on the subject of dentistry and for the truth on the matter. I am Applying to Med school thinking about switching to Dental because of the lifestyle that comes with the job- less schooling, being your own boss, etc.

My question to you is why you think dentistry is going to end up like pharmacy, or worse, optometry, when D schools have been able to stem the rapid expansion of schools. For some reason, every other school is opening up like 5 new schools a year. D school doesn't seem to be following this trend, so I wonder why you feel that it is a race to the bottom. Even without dentists retiring, I find it difficult that it wouldn't be easy to snag a practice and make good money.

On the subject of debt and money, I agree with you that the cost of education seems almost unreasonable, especially at private institutions. so lets say for the sake of argument at the end of 4 years you have 500K in debt at 8% interest. You make what the average dentist makes, round 140K. take home is around 100K. Live off of 20K a year, pay 80 to the debt. Assuming no life altering thing happening, you can easily pay it off in 8 years. Continue that lifestyle, and the rest is all cash coming home. Assuming that the person is single that is. coming out at 26, you can be debt free by age 34. Not terrible, not great either I must admit.
Click to expand...
"Living on 20K a year"... enjoy your life. I didnt come from money like most of my dental school classmates so after being broke during undergrad and dental school.. I would rather take the traditional 10 years than continue living like I did while in school.
 
andreadds said:
"Living on 20K a year"... enjoy your life. I didnt come from money like most of my dental school classmates so after being broke during undergrad and dental school.. I would rather take the traditional 10 years than continue living like I did while in school.
Click to expand...

You can deff live off of 20k a year.
 
Dr. Tiffany said:
Holy Moley what do you guys do with your 860k and your combined 156 work days off a year?!? Have you guys started to play around with real estate yet?
Click to expand...
Dont forget taxes. Taxes suck but yes after that we are very comfortable. I wish we could travel more but even though we have 3 day weekends its still not enough time to take a Sandals trip. I haven't read your posts so I'm not sure if you own your place too but if you do, you probably know you cant just close the offices and take off. My husband has an associate at his office but she doesn't produce as much as he does so when he takes time off the numbers aren't as high.
To answer your question what do we do with the money? Well we bought our house a few years ago and we had a down payment for the that.. we bought my office cash and we just bought a lakehouse property cash.
What are the plans for the future? My husband currently is in a 5 OP office and wants to go to an 8 OP (plumbed for 9). So we will putting money for the down payment on the land and building. He put the offer on the land a few weeks ago and we are meeting with the contractor December 9 to go over the first set of plans.
I dont have a lot of OPs either and in 2 years I would like to move and have more OPs which will cost money but worth it.
We have a lot in retirement savings. We started a 401K for both of our offices this year. My husband wanted to do it for employee retention since several offices have it around our counties and he lost one good hygienist to a BAD office because they gave her a 401K. And of course by having the plan for our employees we get $ benefit.

Dr. Tiffany- by chance are you Dr. Manzo or Dr. Mitchell?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

V
Is Dentistry worth it anymore? CRNA vs Dentistry
Replies
7
Views
1K
Spahrtan
Spahrtan
futuredentalstudent1234$$
LOANS??? DENTAL SCHOOL
Replies
4
Views
843
BeculanMarshall
BeculanMarshall
ktboulevard
Advice on Dental School Loans and Debt
Replies
22
Views
3K
askadds
A
S
I'm 35 With $130K Debt. Is Dental School Even An Option?
Replies
13
Views
1K
macsak
M
M
everyone, please trust the process
Replies
0
Views
497
macsak
M
Top