Asian as a dentist

[t5012301]

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I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I'm Asian, and I want to become a dentist but my dad has been telling me that I wouldn't be successful because people wouldn't want to go to an Asian dentist due to some racial discrimination, and that I would only have Asian clients.

I also feel that it's kind of true because I personally know an Asian dentist and she said back when she didn't have her own practice the other dentists who she worked with were really rude and kind of discriminated against her. Even now when she has her own practice, she mostly have Asian patients, and a white patient specifically told her that white people wouldn't normally come to see an Asian dentist.

I know that there will always be racist people, but I don't want to waste so much money and effort to go attend a dental school and end up not being successful. So i would really appreciated if if there's any dentist or somebody who can tell me what I should do.

 

[J814]

It's truly sad that racism is still a concern for us minorities, but I want to assure you that you will be successful so long as you are a great dentist. I personally know a couple of Asian dentists who do very well for themselves. It's about not letting racism hinder us and pushing through. Your dad is probably speaking from personal experiences of discrimination - I know I've had negative experiences in my life. We can never let it hold us down because we are much stronger than societal oppressions. You got this. We got this.

 

[ushaseos]

I am in Cali and I shadowed a couple Asian dentists...they're doing just fine!

Maybe your region is a bit more xenophobic? I can't really see it being a huge issue...if your coworkers are being rude though, I'd strongly consider moving away from that particular job. If you don't get patients you can always move to a different area. We must always remember that America is a VERY large country with radically different outlooks and populations in different places. Know that you will be able to find a niche that works for you if only you're persistent and smart about it!

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I'm Asian, and I want to become a dentist but my dad has been telling me that I wouldn't be successful because people wouldn't want to go to an Asian dentist due to some racial discrimination, and that I would only have Asian clients.

I also feel that it's kind of true because I personally know an Asian dentist and she said back when she didn't have her own practice the other dentists who she worked with were really rude and kind of discriminated against her. Even now when she has her own practice, she mostly have Asian patients, and a white patient specifically told her that white people wouldn't normally come to see an Asian dentist.

I know that there will always be racist people, but I don't want to waste so much money and effort to go attend a dental school and end up not being successful. So i would really appreciated if if there's any dentist or somebody who can tell me what I should do.

Greetings,

This came straight from my Dentistry Mentoring Thread posted in 2007:

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 ethnic 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

Further more, being asian does have an advantage as it is percieved by the general public as being "smart" and not other way around. When an asian dentist failed to attract patients, it is likely due to other factors (poor clinical skill, language barrier...) rather than their ethnic background.

 

[Koalafied]

Here's my 2 cents:

I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I'm Asian, and I want to become a dentist but my dad has been telling me that I wouldn't be successful because people wouldn't want to go to an Asian dentist due to some racial discrimination, and that I would only have Asian clients.

Look, we're living in the 21th century where same-gendered marriage is apparently becoming more tolerated in society, and I highly doubt one's race has any significance towards one's ability to successfully practice dentistry and enjoy its reward. I can definitely attest to some Asian dentists having majority of their patients being Asians or even their own race, but that's mostly due to them marketing themselves to such groups.

I also feel that it's kind of true because I personally know an Asian dentist and she said back when she didn't have her own practice the other dentists who she worked with were really rude and kind of discriminated against her. Even now when she has her own practice, she mostly have Asian patients, and a white patient specifically told her that white people wouldn't normally come to see an Asian dentist.

That's just one dentist. There was this one Asian dentist I shadowed whose patient base is 90% her own race and there was this one non-Asian patient who would travel over 50 miles just to get her teeth cleaned by by this dentist, why? Because of trust. Again, that was just one dentist. If you're from where I'm from you'd be surprise how successful Asian dentists can be, probably too much.

I know that there will always be racist people, but I don't want to waste so much money and effort to go attend a dental school and end up not being successful. So i would really appreciated if if there's any dentist or somebody who can tell me what I should do.

Yes indeed racism/prejudice will always exist where people exist, but that's no reason to back down on an opportunity to pursue any career especially if it's your passion. In America, success, these days, will heavily be driven by one's intellect and ability to innovate, so if you're hard working this should be no problem.

 

[Pleonasm]

I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I'm Asian, and I want to become a dentist but my dad has been telling me that I wouldn't be successful because people wouldn't want to go to an Asian dentist due to some racial discrimination, and that I would only have Asian clients.

I also feel that it's kind of true because I personally know an Asian dentist and she said back when she didn't have her own practice the other dentists who she worked with were really rude and kind of discriminated against her. Even now when she has her own practice, she mostly have Asian patients, and a white patient specifically told her that white people wouldn't normally come to see an Asian dentist.

I know that there will always be racist people, but I don't want to waste so much money and effort to go attend a dental school and end up not being successful. So i would really appreciated if if there's any dentist or somebody who can tell me what I should do.

Be careful with anecdotal stories. They can make any fear become real. It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you move to a dentist saturated area b/c you desire the perceived, potential life style (like all the other dentists before you), and open an office that fails, you can blame it on anything (accept the real answer). The real answer is too many damn dentists. If you are abrupt, nasty and short tempered w/ staff and patients, you can say they don't like me b/c they just don't like my haircut. But, you know you wouldn't want your kids seeing some A hole as their dentist.

All of the things that will attract and keep patients have nothing to do w/ race, religion, ect. There are so many people who have next door neighbors that they have never spoken to (for decades). You will know more about those people in 15 minutes than someone who sees them everyday. That is... if you learn to communicate w/ them. There are a lot of non Asian dentists that won't make it for all the aforementioned reasons, also.

People are looking for someone they can confide in, trust, who understands them, won't needlessly hurt or take advantage of them. Throw in good clinical skills. You have the recipe for a successful practice. An over-simplification of course, but the days of hanging out your "shingle" and you've got it made are over. You will need to market, but hopefully your biggest success will be through word of mouth. People want to refer to someone they like.

If you aren't capable of dealing w/ the social side of people, the clinical won't matter in a competitive market (no matter what your race is). If you don't have those skills spend time to develop them. Join Toastmasters. Join a bowling/softball/car club. Get honest feed back from people you trust to critique your delivery, perceived sincerity. All these things sound corny, but they're the first things that people see and judge you by.

There will always be somebody who won't patronize you for some reason. Those people are probably doing you a favor by not darkening your doorstep. Skip the drama and build a loyal patient base by being a good dentist who can relate to his/her patients.

 

[t5012301]

okay, thank you guys for your inputs and opinions! I'm less worried now 🙂

 

[briansle]

don't worry. I'm asian. And white people freakin love me.

I'd be more concerned if you are a dark-asian.
We all know there is this silent stigma.
Even asians discriminate against dark-asians.
life is so unfair.

 

[Localnative]

I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I'm Asian, and I want to become a dentist but my dad has been telling me that I wouldn't be successful because people wouldn't want to go to an Asian dentist due to some racial discrimination, and that I would only have Asian clients.

I also feel that it's kind of true because I personally know an Asian dentist and she said back when she didn't have her own practice the other dentists who she worked with were really rude and kind of discriminated against her. Even now when she has her own practice, she mostly have Asian patients, and a white patient specifically told her that white people wouldn't normally come to see an Asian dentist.

I know that there will always be racist people, but I don't want to waste so much money and effort to go attend a dental school and end up not being successful. So i would really appreciated if if there's any dentist or somebody who can tell me what I should do.

Hm, yeah I would try not to place alot of weight on stories like this.
A great way to break "perceived" barriers and stand out among the droves of dentists is by becoming very actively involved in your community... join the Chamber of Commerce, Young Businesspersons Organization, get on staff as an adjunct faculty at the local dental school, join your churchs/synagogues/etc Board of Officers, get involved with Community Outreach like volunteering at a local dental clinic, perhaps hosting a themed Open House at your office one Saturday, running for office in your local dental society.

When you get your name out there and market all of your positives, you may see that success has more to do with being community-minded than anything else.

 

[Shunwei]

Hmmm, I work in an area where it is 97% white. I rarely feel any discrimination. In fact my patients seem to like me a lot. I guess it's good to be in an area where my kind is rare.

 

[ktran17]

Let's be honest, if you want to attract a certain patient base, you'll have to relate to them. That's the most important thing, people are attracted to others that share similar interests.

What are some things you can do?
Participate in various community projects:
PTA for schools
Church
Different Clubs (gun,golf,tennis , etc)
Volunteer

Setting your office up properly:
Make sure your office is appealing to the community you're trying to market yourself to.
e.g If you're living in a very American/Patriotic Community, don't staff your office full of people that converse only in their native tongues.

This also applies to the decorum of the office and the topics you'll talk about with your patients

From my experience, the Asian dentist in my area that have mainly Asian patients, normally staff their office in a way that is not very welcoming to other ethnic groups.

So whats the key?: Make yourself known, show your patients you can relate to them, and above all else be honest and ethical.

I'm a predent that is applying to dschools this cycle, so take my advice for whatever its worth. I will note though that I helped start/market dental clinics in my area with my business background. (This was just a partime job for the summer) 😀

 

[Golfguy]

Greetings,

This came straight from my Dentistry Mentoring Thread posted in 2007:

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 ethnic 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

Further more, being asian does have an advantage as it is percieved by the general public as being "smart" and not other way around. When an asian dentist failed to attract patients, it is likely due to other factors (poor clinical skill, language barrier...) rather than their ethnic background.

Outstanding post.

We are taught in America to be overly sensitive to racial issues. So much that people are finding them where they don't exist. Do a great job for your patients and you'll have many of them, regardless of race.

I do find it interesting in these threads that it's acceptable for asians to select asian dentists (or any racial match for that matter), but caucasians selecting caucasian dentists is inherently racist. Lets just knock this off and be adults about this, and leave the baiters with no audience.

 

[Newgoalsdentdoc]

Let me add that I'm an African American and have practiced dentistry since 1998. I currently practice in Upstate New York and a lot of my patients are White and love me!!!! I treat Blacks, Hispanics and many other nationalities and let me say that people are only concerned about whether you're caring and whether you're good. You will be fine and this was an excellent post for you to start. Good topic.

 

[UCSFx2017]

I do find it interesting in these threads that it's acceptable for asians to select asian dentists (or any racial match for that matter), but caucasians selecting caucasian dentists is inherently racist. Lets just knock this off and be adults about this, and leave the baiters with no audience.

The motive of most foreign patients who seek dentists that speak the same mother tongue is purely for communication's sake. Their decision generally does not stem from racial discrimination. Choosing a dentist based on ethnicity alone due to some prejudice against other races would obviously be racist regardless of whether you're Caucasian or Asian. There's no double standard being preached here. 😀