I am applying for pedo this year, but as the time approaches, I am starting to wonder if it is worth the time and money I am putting into this. Yes, I love kids, and yes, I know pediatric dentists have great life style. But I also want to be a dentist who can do it all. implant, crowns, 5-unit bridges... all of them. Moneywise, is it possible to earn more than pediatric dentist as a general dentist?
Can general dentist make more than pediatric dentist?
- Thread starter hirohero
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Of course it is possible, the question is how probable is it.
What difference does the answer make, you already said that you want to do it all (bridge, implant...) if you have a bunch of people here saying that a GP can make more, would you forfeit your application?
If Pedo gets more "votes" that makes more money would you then invest the time and money trying to get in. If you don't get in, would you keep trying over and over?
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Hey, there's this amazing specialty out there that does just this!!! It's awesome, you can see kids, place dental implants, restore crowns, 5-unit bridges, and heck, even root canal procedures!! It's a huge secret though because it's an exclusive program that requires 4 years of post-undergraduate education and is highly respected amongst professionals. You know what, if you try hard enough, you too can become apart of this special group of professionals.
It's called general dentistry.
If you want do do nothing more in your life than treat kids and are happy whether you make more money or less money, can wake up every day knowing that you will be seeing 20-40+ kids a day, doing simple restorative procedures and lots of behavioral management. ONLY do pedo if you can answer, "yes, that sounds like what I want!!" Then the money will come.
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Can a plumber make more than a dentist? And can a carpenter make more than an electrician? Ridiculous!
What you said is so amazing, in my case, that's like my dream, really 🙂
I wouldn't mind to see up to 40 kids everyday, and the money will come whenever he wants to come lol bastard """
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I think the question by Hiro was pretty shameful and shows this person's inexperience.
The fact is that a well rounded GP that does well can easily make more money than a pedodontist. Plus a GP can do just about everything a pedodontist does. However, pedodontist do on avg, make more money than GPs.
While in school did you like pedo? I'm talking not just a morning or afternoon but could you handle a whole day, week, year, lifetime?
And remember that GPs usually keep the good kids, so you'll probably end up getting the really tough ones that are gonna take much time and patience to manage.
Take it from most of us that have been in dentistry (or even working) for a while. You NEVER want to be in a position where you hate your career choice, or hate going to work in the morning. If doing bridges, implants, etc is what you like than don't waste your time doing pedo for more money.
It's a poor thought process and one that you will regret.
The fact is that a well rounded GP that does well can easily make more money than a pedodontist. Plus a GP can do just about everything a pedodontist does. However, pedodontist do on avg, make more money than GPs.
While in school did you like pedo? I'm talking not just a morning or afternoon but could you handle a whole day, week, year, lifetime?
And remember that GPs usually keep the good kids, so you'll probably end up getting the really tough ones that are gonna take much time and patience to manage.
Take it from most of us that have been in dentistry (or even working) for a while. You NEVER want to be in a position where you hate your career choice, or hate going to work in the morning. If doing bridges, implants, etc is what you like than don't waste your time doing pedo for more money.
It's a poor thought process and one that you will regret.
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I have to agree the nkgdds. I have always been troubled with threads of this subject matter, i.e. who makes more.... No matter how well intentioned the original poster may have been, choosing a career path based on compensation is always going to lead to eventual disatisfaction and compromised ethics and patient care. A great golden rule to live by is if you put the patient and your care for the patient first, the money will follow, no matter what specialty or type of practice you chose.
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I think it's a fair question. I wouldn't do it if you don't like it, but if you do, apply. Starting my residency at the end of next month. Can't wait and I'm going to my #1 choice too. GO RAMS! 👍
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Unless you practice medicaid... the money will come, but at 25% per patient. Then you might as well be doing this:
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Of course you think it's a fair question......look at the wise choice of your screen name.
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A GP making more than a specialist?! Impossible. If I was a pedodontist and I found out one of my referring docs was making as much as I was, I would probably charge one of my patients 1 penny more to prove that my extra 2-3 years of schooling made me superior to all GPs.
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I know lots of GPs making more than their fellow specialists. I think there's a lot more involved than how much you charge for a procedure.
what nkgdds and OMSKooK said is right on though. two thumbs up all the way. 👍 👍 If you do something for the money, you are going to be one sad, sad person and your work is going to be so sad sad too.
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I disagree
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I participated in research and was paid extremely well compared to other opportunities. I despised the project, and it definitely was not fun/mentally stimulating. I'm sure my work wasn't to the caliper as my other, exciting research was. Money on the surface sounds fun. As a lot of GPs if they'd be happy to deal with screaming kids daily if they got paid significantly more. I guarantee that not many would do it. Look on dental town, they call pedodontist "angels".
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I was joking.
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A Generalist CAN make more than a specialist.
It really depends where you live,if you know how to bill,your patient base,if you're fast enough(if you can fill a cavity in 15 minutes for 80 bucks each+a great patient base,200k/year assured.)
A Pedodontist will will never starve,as long as halloween and coca cola are still legal!
A generalist will never starve as well,as long as he uses his brain,if he has an MBA degree,consider it a plus to make more money and be less stressed on running your practice.
It really depends where you live,if you know how to bill,your patient base,if you're fast enough(if you can fill a cavity in 15 minutes for 80 bucks each+a great patient base,200k/year assured.)
A Pedodontist will will never starve,as long as halloween and coca cola are still legal!
A generalist will never starve as well,as long as he uses his brain,if he has an MBA degree,consider it a plus to make more money and be less stressed on running your practice.
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The notion that you are superior to anyone only leads me to believe that you have no professional ethics or values. You may have indeed had extra training, but that does not make you a "superior " provider, only one with some specialty training. I am sure your GP's who refer to you would balk at this superiority complex, and think twice about sending you anyone. AS a GP, I can tell you that when I refer to a specialist, and this goes for all specialties, it is to complement my treatment plan and provide special services that I do not provide.
And btw, I have seen the work of some "specialists" that I would not want in my dog's mouth, so extra training does not always equate into superior product.
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I bet my lunch money he was joking. Simply because he said so in post #17🙂.
But he deserves it, nonetheless
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I bet my lunch money he was joking. Simply because he said so in post #17🙂.
But he deserves it, nonetheless
Apparently my attempt at obvious sarcasm has been a huge failure in this thread. 👎
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Shouldn't have pointed that out, now he won't take the bet.
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And I've seen more than my far share of work by "general dentists" that I wouldn't want in my mouth either.... I'll leave it at that!
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I think it is unfair to criticize someone elses works without knowing everything about the patient....things like TMD that prevents him/her from opening the mouth widely, patients limited financial resource that prevents him/her from getting the ideal tx etc.
Its sad when a non-referring GP told my ortho patient that I didnt do a good job when that GP didnt even look at the patients pre-treatment records and knew nothing about the patients poor compliance, excessive bracket breakages, skeletal discrepancy, late growth, refusal to get jaw surgery etc.
regardless of the fact whether you are a gp or a specialist, when it comes to making money , it has a lot to do whether you are employed or running your own business.If self-employed then money making capacity is hugely dependent on how good one is at extra-oral skills[business sense]
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We're so lucky to be in the dental field. We can all make good money doing general or specialty care. We are all hopefully going to do it for a good 20-30 yrs so I just hope that everyone chooses to practice what fulfills them most because choosing otherwise in hopes of MORE income may just bring a life that is unfulfillable and devoid of passion.
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I don't know what's funnier, the grammar or out of the blue links to hot tubs? XD
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a) if you are asking this question i dont think you have the right type of personality to do peds
b) if you want to do crowns and bridges and implants so badly, why are you considering peds? you should consider doing a GPR where you can get more exposure in the fields you are interested in and can make a more informed decision...based on your passion and interests and not on money.
b) if you want to do crowns and bridges and implants so badly, why are you considering peds? you should consider doing a GPR where you can get more exposure in the fields you are interested in and can make a more informed decision...based on your passion and interests and not on money.
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Me gusta.
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Thanks. Can't agree more. I think the thread of making more funny versus doing something one likes is like a perennial weed that pops up all the time.
I couldn't agree more. My husband and I are in private practice and the above is so true. I only see my pedo practice growing because there are not many pediatric dentist in our area. Also, a GP practice can be profitable too depending what you cater to ie a cosmetic practice. But I wouldn't choose the profession for the $ because unless you love children, can you stand them screaming all day? It's the parents that you have to deal with too once you're out in real life. My husband who's a prosthodontist would never ever bother to fill a cavity on a screaming kid as opposed to doing a roundhouse. Whereas in my case, I did not like doing C&B when I was in school. Truely, I never thought about income potential of doing pedo when I entered my residency. Because if $$$ was the deciding factor, endo is the way to go!
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So what your saying here is that I picked the wrong specialty 🙁
Honestly, I would rather be OMFS than endo. IMHO they have a lot more earning potential.
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NAVY DDS 2010
I know I am responding to a post from 4 months ago, but I do have to say it anyways - YES, a plumber can make more than a dentist - A LOT MORE! My neighbor has his own company. He was the first plumber in Texas to become certified in dealing with medical gases and owns a bunch of very large accounts. The guy rakes in the dough and his toys verify it. No - not ridiculous.
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NAVY DDS 2010
dude, yes, I know he was trying to joke about it. But he was using them as an example because pretty much everyone would believe there isn't a chance in hell that a plumber or electrician could make what a dentist could. So, that is why I said I just had to say it. To show that his funny, ridiculous, irr comment supposedly making fun of plumbers and electricians and their salaries was actually incorrect since there are plumbers who can make hell of a lot more money than a good portion of dentists.
