Be FULLY aware of what you are doing before you go to dental school

[Msmouth]

I've been an RDH for 15+ years. I have worked in NY and NJ (probably the most saturated area for dentists) . Every office I've worked in (countless) appear to have been doing very well. As far as I can remember, every boss I've ever worked for lived in a nice town with great schools.
My current boss owns 5 homes. He works 4 days/week, plays golf, tennis, and vacations often.

You can't expect this life when you first graduate but if you want success you can build it.

I am older and I don't expect to become a millionare by becoming a dentist but I do expect to live comfortably and put my kids through college. My reasons for becoming a dentist is not money driven, it's for the love of dentistry and working with patients.

Yes, it will suck paying off a huge loan but for me, the benefits outweigh the risks.

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[LetsGo2DSchool]

There will always be a shortage of dentists, especially in the non-metropolitan areas. The annual population growth of this country far exceeds the number of dentists which is increasing slightly each year. Plus, according to ADA, if I can remember correctly, 45% of practicing dentists are age 55 or older, meaning there will be a huge shortage in the next 10 yrs due to retirement and baby boomers needing dental work as they hit their golden years.

 

[Riz0791]

i think you should go to law school and be miserable!

 

[little Buddy]

For anyone who wants a real view on what it is like to graduate dental school and have all that debt, see the following thread...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=739665&page=1

You may have to become an associate where the majority owner (the other dentist) is a real d**k. You may have to sign your soul over to corporate dentistry. If you want to buy a practice, you will need to get a lawyer and an accountant...anyone here already have one? If you go through a divorce, you face the reality of your spouse suing for half of your assets...yeah, that includes your practice. You're going to have to learn how to manage people.

It won't be easy for anyone, but it should be rewarding.

Honestly, who isn't looking forward to this ride!

 

[Bis-GMA111]

msmouth, if you think ny and nj are saturated, you should try going to california dude. it is crazy.

and being from a suburb in nj, there is clearly no shortage of dentists in my area..in fact i can name 6 practices on the same road on a 5-6 mile stretch

 

[toyotasupra]

Lets just hope the job market doesn't suck in the future. I know a lot of New Grad RN's can't find jobs since most of them require working experience.

 

[dantemac]

I saw a statistic, I think it was in ASDOH's dental school presentation, that reflected the state of the profession today: For every 4,000 or so dentists graduating from dental school every year, about 6,000 dentists are retiring.

I don't think that is a grim outlook for our career.

 

[KillaGorilla]

I enjoy 4 day work weeks and golf. That is why I'm in dental school.

I cant believe some these more expensive private schools don't have a golf pro on staff....shame really.

 

[wantveneers]

I desire great wealth. That is why I want to be a dentist!

 

[XelioSphere]

hmm sucks for you because I already made it to dental school, and have the luxury of an accepted deferral so I can make a better judgement. even with all the new schools opening, not even sure you'll make it

To the others, I understand this is a pre-dent forum, but look at some the the threads in the dent forum, research surveys, talk to other dentist, it won't do you harm.

Maybe the people who were in my pre-dental club and on my interviews were a lot different, but most of them made it seem like they did not want to or had no idea how to run a business or have any client services skills. This profession is denfinetly NOT all brains.

To anyone who finds my post depressing, I'm sorry just disregard it. but it was meant to pass along some good advice I received from recent dental grads and dentists.

Wow you guys are so mean to each other!