Comparison of Dental Specialties

[Senators]

Hi, I am a dental student in 3rd year and somewhat confused about which specialty to pursue.

Could someone make an ordered list of which specialties are the busiest and also which earn the most?

From what I hear pedo is the busiest, followed by OMFS, then ortho, endo, perio, prostho? is that true?

As for salary? 1. OMFS, 2. Endo, 3. Ortho, 4. Prostho, 5. Pedo, 6. Perio?

Thanks

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[Typo]

(grabbing popcorn)

 

[Squished Rat]

Hi, I am a dental student in 3rd year and somewhat confused about which specialty to pursue.

Could someone make an ordered list of which specialties are the busiest and also which earn the most?

From what I hear pedo is the busiest, followed by OMFS, then ortho, endo, perio, prostho? is that true?

As for salary? 1. OMFS, 2. Endo, 3. Ortho, 4. Prostho, 5. Pedo, 6. Perio?

Thanks

Let me see if I can rephrase what i think you are asking. "I am not sure where I will make the most money. Can someone tell me where all the money is?"

If you are a third year, you are in clinic now. Do things you enjoy. Do you like SS Crowns, doing a root canal, etc? If you like them all, do general, cherry pick the easy cases and send out the stuff you don't want to do. Don't try to do a specialty for what you think will be more money. Once you get some experience, you'll learn things about yourself. For example, I wouldn't do molar endo if it paid twice as much, etc.

 

[brycethefatty]

Hi, I am a dental student in 3rd year and somewhat confused about which specialty to pursue.

Could someone make an ordered list of which specialties are the busiest and also which earn the most?

From what I hear pedo is the busiest, followed by OMFS, then ortho, endo, perio, prostho? is that true?

As for salary? 1. OMFS, 2. Endo, 3. Ortho, 4. Prostho, 5. Pedo, 6. Perio?

Thanks

Here's my list based on a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study that I just barely completed with some of my collegues. Here's the results of that study:

Busiest*:
1. Perio (our data was strong on Perio as the most busy, for sure)
2. Endo
3. Prosth
4. Pedo
5. Ortho
6. Pedo

*NOTE: Our researchers found that the clinical skills of the clinician, friendliness of the practitioner, location of clinic, business saavy or efficiency of the clinic had no effect whether a practice was busy or not. Only the type of specialty correllated with "being busy" or not. Perio and endo were always the most busy specialties and the bottom 4 on the above list cannot do anything about it. So ha-ha.

Here's the list for salaries**:
1. Ortho - Endo (tie)
2. Pedo
3. OMFS
4. Perio
5. Proths

**NOTE: Our researchers saw that even if a Periodontist or Prosthodontist had great skills, an efficient practice, outstanding advertising, they could NEVER make as much money as Ortho, endo, Pedo or OMFS. It's impossible. It goes against the laws of the universe. The top 4 earning specialities spit on the bottom two because it is impossible to earn as much as them no matter what. Even if an OMFS sits in his office all day slowly infusing Propofol into his veins and only seeing one patient for a post-op, he will make twice the combined salary of a Periodontist and Prosthodontist after a month of work. The authors of this
study suggest that everyone goes into the one of the top 4 on the above list, otherwise you will starve with your family out on the streets. Even if you hate it, just do it, because having a Beemer means you have a big thingy.

 

[AGAPE4U]

A GP who loves his work and is intimate with every restoration that he places will be more successful (money and reputation) than some orthodontist who just did it for the money. My advice future doctors and collegues is to please do what you love and are most passionate about, then you will never have to work another day in your life and you will be extremely successful. And above all, be compassionate, teach and love your patients and they will love you back (at least most of them).

 

[Senators]

Thank you for the reply Bryce, very funny 😀

I meant on average, not like crazy cases where one guy works 16 hours a day and the other one works 3 hours a day.

I was just wondering for an average specialist with 40 hours a week working schedule in a moderately busy neighborhood. Say, each of these specialist offices were in the same building (each on a different floor) and they all worked 40 hours per week.

And as for busiest, I just mean which is the most in demand. Which gets reffered out on average the most.
😎

 

[Pedo Unicorn]

Senators,
Great questions. Your heart is obviously in the right place. Be sure to put your quest for untold riches in your PASS applications to..... whatever specialty you end up deciding will make you the most money. Unfortunately, you list is not complete. The correct answer is DENTAL RADIOLOGY. Mark my words on this one. My cousin's ex-boyfriends' uncle is a dental radiologist and he made $965,000 last year, and he only worked Tuesday mornings from 9:45 to 11:15. So there you go. Apply to as many Dental Radiology programs as you can, and retire at the age of 40 with millions and millions of dollars in the bank. Just don't tell too many people about it, or the secret will be out of the bag.
As a side note, I wonder if dentistry is really for you. It sounds like you should be the CEO of Time Warner instead. Maybe you should apply for that. Lots of money and not very busy.

 

[Endogirl]

Senators,
Great questions. Your heart is obviously in the right place. Be sure to put your quest for untold riches in your PASS applications to..... whatever specialty you end up deciding will make you the most money. Unfortunately, you list is not complete. The correct answer is DENTAL RADIOLOGY. Mark my words on this one. My cousin's ex-boyfriends' uncle is a dental radiologist and he made $965,000 last year, and he only worked Tuesday mornings from 9:45 to 11:15. So there you go. Apply to as many Dental Radiology programs as you can, and retire at the age of 40 with millions and millions of dollars in the bank. Just don't tell too many people about it, or the secret will be out of the bag.
As a side note, I wonder if dentistry is really for you. It sounds like you should be the CEO of Time Warner instead. Maybe you should apply for that. Lots of money and not very busy.

A Dental Radiologist?!? Working where and doing what, that any MD Radiologist could not do? I thought a dental radiologist pretty much ends up teaching in a dental school and/or possibly doing research!

 

[Typo]

Senators,
Great questions. Your heart is obviously in the right place. Be sure to put your quest for untold riches in your PASS applications to..... whatever specialty you end up deciding will make you the most money. Unfortunately, you list is not complete. The correct answer is DENTAL RADIOLOGY. Mark my words on this one. My cousin's ex-boyfriends' uncle is a dental radiologist and he made $965,000 last year, and he only worked Tuesday mornings from 9:45 to 11:15. So there you go. Apply to as many Dental Radiology programs as you can, and retire at the age of 40 with millions and millions of dollars in the bank. Just don't tell too many people about it, or the secret will be out of the bag.
As a side note, I wonder if dentistry is really for you. It sounds like you should be the CEO of Time Warner instead. Maybe you should apply for that. Lots of money and not very busy.

(grabbing dental radiology application)

 

[UBDENT2008]

A Dental Radiologist?!? Working where and doing what, that any MD Radiologist could not do? I thought a dental radiologist pretty much ends up teaching in a dental school and/or possibly doing research!

I dont think you caught the sarcasm associated with that statement....

 

[armorshell]

A Dental Radiologist?!? Working where and doing what, that any MD Radiologist could not do? I thought a dental radiologist pretty much ends up teaching in a dental school and/or possibly doing research!

Sometimes sarcasm that subtle is easy to miss, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[charlestweed]

As an associate orthodontist, I usually see about 70 patients in 7-8 hrs. At my own private practice, I see the same number (sometimes higher) of pts but in a much shorter amount of time (2pm-6pm on weekdays and 9am-1pm on Saturdays). The busiest hours are between 3-5pm (after school hours). Even with high number of patients, I think ortho is still the easiest specialty b/c RDAs and DAs do most of the hard works😀. This is just how I like to schedule my patients' appointments b/c I want to be constantly busy when I am at my office. I know a couple of orthodontists who only see 25-30 pts a day.

My wife, who is a periodontist, works 6-7 hrs a day, 3 days a week. She sees about 8-10 patients (including post op checks and consults) a day… this number is a lot less than what GPs normally see.

As for salary? 1. OMFS, 2. Endo, 3. Ortho, 4. Prostho, 5. Pedo, 6. Perio?

Thanks

I think your ranking is probably correct. Except for prosth, I don’t know how much prosth make so I cannot really rank this specialty.

 

[capisce?]

I think your ranking is probably correct.

Not according to the last release from the ADA.

 

[jcaxs]

Thanks Charles Tweed for answering the question.
It gets a little old (however sometimes funny I should agree) to see all the sarcastic comments, and then there's always the person who doesn't get the sarcasm, and then somebody says : Oh, I think you missed the sarcasm...

And then there's all the people who just do dentistry because they love it so much, you couldn't care less about the money, as a matter of fact, why don't you all just donate half of your income to charity every year, that would probably make you very happy. So what if he wants to pursue whatever specialty for the money. I agree he might be miserable doing something if he doesn't like it, but as long as he is competent, and treats his patients with respect, there's nothing wrong with it. Its really none of your business to judge anyone.

 

[Yahtzee]

Its really none of your business to judge anyone.

In short, I think what this guy is trying to say is that brycethefatty is an SOB (kudos on the hilarious post, though).

 

[Endogirl]

Relax...just trying to see what kind of comments I would instigate from a seemingly oblivious post!

I'm not a genius, but I'm not brain-dead either😉!

 

[Senators]

Hey,

I didnt say that I was going to pursue the one that makes the most money.

I just want to do some research about the dental specialties, and this question is one that rarely gets answered, so I just want to know.

I mean anyone pursuing any career should find out an average salary in their field, not cause they are greedy or in love with money, its just part of life, you need money to live, so you need to get a rough idea of how much you will make.

Is it true that periodontists are generally busy? cause I hear a lot of bashing of that specialty (in particular that its useless and any GP should be doing anything a periodontist does)?

 

[Pedo Unicorn]

........why don't you all just donate half of your income to charity every year, that would probably make you very happy.

A lot of us already do that.... it's called taxes.

As far as the "busiest" and the "most income", this could be debated until we are all blue in the face. It all comes down to the need where you practice. In general, Ortho, Pedo, and OMFS are pretty busy, but if you set up shop in a small town with 10 other orthos, then you probably won't be as busy as you would want. So Bryce was right on the mark if you read his sarcasm in reverse. It depends on where you go and how you work things in your office. I know some Perios who are booked solid and work 5 days a week and do extremely well where they are. If you really want some solid numbers, then call up some dentists in the area where you want to end up, and ask them how busy they are and how much they make. Easy.
busy= depends
income= depends
Just my 2 cents....again.

 

[AGAPE4U]

LOL........While I support paying taxes, a lot of it is bascially forced charity support to those who don't really appreciate our care and services at all.

The Perio issue: Oral Surgeons are just trying to protect their turf by having a monopoly on dental implants. It is too late in the game now. However, as a future oral surgeon I respect what periodontists do, and we need to work together with respect as a health care team. There is plenty of work for everyone. But we should rather unite and get the insurance companies and the upcoming legistlations that are trying to destroy our income potential.

Thank you for your time.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Not according to the last release from the ADA.

Don't tell anyone.

 

[helico]

Not according to the last release from the ADA.

If you have the numbers will you please post them for the benefit of everyone else?

 

[capisce?]

If you have the numbers will you please post them for the benefit of everyone else?

No. There is no reason those numbers are needed. If you want them bad enough go shell out 250$ at the ADA site like everyone else.

 

[ItsGavinC]

If you have the numbers will you please post them for the benefit of everyone else?

You may purchase those numbers at: http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/publications_newreports.asp#privateprosthodontists.

The latest ADA data shows In the past five years, general practitioners net incomes have increased 11.7%, while specialists' incomes have grown by 20.6%."

 

[capisce?]

You may purchase those numbers at... (edited by administrator for content)

I don't get the point of you posting it. For those considering specialization, it's not of much benefit. To those considering specializing primarily for the increased salary, all it's going to do is add to that attitude.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I don't get the point of you posting it. For those considering specialization, it's not of much benefit. To those considering specializing primarily for the increased salary, all it's going to do is add to that attitude.

You're right, little benefit to posting it at this point. I'll edit my post (and the quote in your post) to eliminate the figures. Those figures are old data though, and it's been a sticky in the dental forums for nearly 3 years (since 1/27/05), for those truly interested.

 

[UBDENT2008]

Its really none of your business to judge anyone.

..i agree with jacass...

 

[TNF-alpha]

(grabbing typo)

 

[Dukie]

You're right, little benefit to posting it at this point. I'll edit my post (and the quote in your post) to eliminate the figures. Those figures are old data though, and it's been a sticky in the dental forums for nearly 3 years (since 1/27/05), for those truly interested.

While I may agree with you that people should chose their future based on what they enjoy and not money, who are you to judge him for wanting to know the salary numbers and such? In an ideal world, everyone would make decisions solely based on passion and the desire to help others, but this is clearly not the case. If senators wants to decide based on money and how busy the practice is, that is his choice and not yours. Climb down off the soap box.

 

[capisce?]

While I may agree with you that people should chose their future based on what they enjoy and not money, who are you to judge him for wanting to know the salary numbers and such? In an ideal world, everyone would make decisions solely based on passion and the desire to help others, but this is clearly not the case. If senators wants to decide based on money and how busy the practice is, that is his choice and not yours. Climb down off the soap box.

And who are you to judge him, for judging him?

You are on just as much of a soap box.

He doesn't have to agree with the reasons but he also doesn't have to give him the numbers. In fact, if we were really going to break this down, giving those numbers out is copyright infringement. If he wants them, he should buy them like everyone else has to. SDN frowns on copyright issues with board stuff, and this should be no different.

 

[Jaybe]

And who are you to judge him, for judging him?

You are on just as much of a soap box.

He doesn't have to agree with the reasons but he also doesn't have to give him the numbers. In fact, if we were really going to break this down, giving those numbers out is copyright infringement. If he wants them, he should buy them like everyone else has to. SDN frowns on copyright issues with board stuff, and this should be no different.

I hereby judge you, for judging him for judging the first guy.

What a bunch of tools.

Somebody kill this thread, please. 👎

 

[JMJRDH1]

I hereby judge you, for judging him for judging the first guy.

What a bunch of tools.

Somebody kill this thread, please. 👎

😆

 

[Doggie]

I hereby judge you, for judging him for judging the first guy.

What a bunch of tools.

Somebody kill this thread, please. 👎

Seriously. Anyone picking a specialty purely for the money shouldnt even be a dentist in the first place. There are a lot of other much more lucrative jobs out there than being a specialized dentist.

Dang, I'll kill to be a CEO or a rapper.

 

[armorshell]

Dang, I'll kill to be a CEO or a rapper.

Or just go the P. Diddy route and do both.