How possible is it to know you wanna specialize in endo straight out of school? Or would you recommend in most cases going to work first? Personally, I just can’t understand how someone who’s spent such little time in dental school doing a specific procedure can know they wanna do that the rest of their life, but maybe I’m missing something?
I suppose the same could be said of any dental specialty.
I could be wrong, but I thought both of these DSOs do not have "In-House" orthodontists. They have general dentists doing aligner treatment.
I could be wrong but I thought most endo programs want a few years of experience as a GP.
You're not wrong. Most programs do, but there are a few that take applicants right out of school.
There's no black or white answer. As with a lot of things in dentistry it varies. You could have made more as a GP or more as a perio. There is no clear cut answer.
not always. There are limits. For example, I wouldn’t spend a million dollars to become any one of them because you don’t know what life will bring your way.
Don’t forget that although statistically the past has shown that specialists on average make more than GPs. There are still GPs today that make more than specialists and we don’t know what the future will look like. Increased student debt burden is incentivizing GPs to refer less of their manageable endo, OS, and ortho. Maybe one of the older dentists here could chime in, but it is my impression that the average dentist today does more endo, OS, and ortho than dentists of the past?
I’ll have to disagree with you. I do the majority of my own endo to include molars and retreats. Firstly, I will absolutely refer a very difficult case to the specialist because it is what is best for the patient and for me. Tortuous, calcified canals, not for me. If I feel it’s something that I can do then I go ahead and do the nsrct myself. But I get paid more because I’m prepping the crown and doing the core and post (if necessary) at the same time. Specialist does get reimbursed more, but it’s not double.
Endodontists in town must love seeing your name pop up on the referral pad. Hopefully you are retreating cases with CBCT, microscope and a clear diagnostic understanding of why they initially failed.
they aren’t seeing any of my failed re-treats, because they aren’t failing. Like I said, case selection. It’s not that hard to diagnose a single canal that is barely halfway obturated. They are seeing the cases that I know I have no business touching in the first place.
But isn't that the job of the specialist to take the cases that the GP isn't comfortable doing?
I don’t disagree with any of that. I would add that any treatment carried out by a GP should be done so with the same quality of care that a specialist would provide. Regardless of price. But sure, there’s a balancing act and we play the game.
So you became a specialist that doesn’t want to do hard cases? You want the GP to just send you an easy case they can do themselves? Sure, I guess I could send the nonrestorable maxillary 2nd premolar with significant bone loss and mobility to OS because it’s easy and I want to cut them a break.
Ah so you lie to the patient that’s in pain and willing to pay you to spite the referring GP. Tell us all again how to make money. Did you forget that GP’s refer other GP’s to specialists?
I get what he is saying, basically he prefers to work with the GPs that refer the majority of their endo so he is willing to bend over backwards to keep those types of GPs referring to him, but if it's a GP that only refers really hard cases then he will still see their referrals, but isn't going to go above and beyond to keep that GP happy. Not ideal, but definitely understandable imo.
No we really are booked out that much. And your OS analogy and medical analogy don’t line up. We don’t expect easy cases. We just don’t ONLY want the “extremely tough cases” someone as qualified as yourself can’t handle. Which it sounds like you only send. And we have the ability to choose which referrals we prioritize just as you can prioritize which specialist you use. Plenty of GP’s refer all their Endo. And we take them out, on trips, shower them with gifts, etc. So I’m just telling you, you are not the type of GP we like to work with. Any Endodontist you use will never tell you and of course we will always do our best on your patient and would even squeeze them in if they are in pain. Because that’s what we do. I’m just telling you the side of it you’ll never here.
Fair enough. As long as the patient and the docs are all happy.
Sorry. Off topic, but ......
Could someone get in on this action if they sent out their pulpotomies on primary teeth? Asking for a friend...
Man, kids are the one population that a lot of Endo’s don’t budge on. I see them as the young and hungry guy, but some of older endodontists in my area cut it off at like 16. But I’ll take you to dinner and shower you with gifts if you promise to do your own pulpal treatments and never mention my name.
I’m aware of a dental school that’s looked into starting a 1-year endo fellowship for pediatric dentists because it’s so hard to find endos willing to see kids.
There a couple a dual endo-pediatric specialists out there. Honestly, I think that's a pretty smart set up. You can have a really good niche market. If I could manage kids better, I'd be all for that. Pulp chambers are large and you'd be doing a bunch of primary root canals instead of retreats and calcified canals. But then again you'd probably be doing more regenerations and things like that, which don't pay well at all. Still though, I think it's a pretty good setup if you can manage kids.
Anything in particular you did from the first time applying to the third time that you think made the difference??
experience, and what i heard from someone else: "make your resume scream endo", however you wish to do that