DDS vs DMD, do you think it makes a difference salary/income wise?

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dr786

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What are your thoughts?
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Absolutely it does.:uhno:
 
well to which advantage? which is known to make more? and why?
 
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There is no difference in the two degress, save for the name.

I beleive this is also mentioned in the sticky FORUM rules post.
 
absolutely it does not ... they are equivalent
 
I was told by an Ortho professor (DDS) who teaches at MUSC which awards the DMD, That the newer schools tend to give the DMD, because some dentist somewhere got this stigma about having MD in the Title and ppl have caught on.. Who knows??
 
I think that DDS - doctor of dental surgery may be misleading to the everyday patient. I dont think that people outside of the field believe that a GP dental is capable of performing surgery as the name implies. I think DMD - doctor of dental medicine is a better fitting name.
 
people are saying read the FAQ before posting, am i missing something here?
 
I think if you had done a bit of research before posting you would have eliminated the need to post ... a simple search for DDS or DMD states that the degrees are equivalent ... I believe this topic has been covered many times before as well
 
well it has been covered quite a bit, but interestingly enough, a friend of mine asked me when i would get my DDS degree, and i replied i was getting a DMD...

most people don't know that they are the same, and like so many I've talked to, they think DDS is for dental surgeons while DMD is for general dentists.

i guess blame Harvard for starting this DMD vs DDS controversy
 
Plopper said:
well it has been covered quite a bit, but interestingly enough, a friend of mine asked me when i would get my DDS degree, and i replied i was getting a DMD...

most people don't know that they are the same, and like so many I've talked to, they think DDS is for dental surgeons while DMD is for general dentists.

i guess blame Harvard for starting this DMD vs DDS controversy
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There is not really any controversy.
 
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i think some people are misunderstanding my question, i know that both degrees are equivalent and they are both the same, however, I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of any trends or studies done that compare the salaries between DMD's and DDS's
 
I bet a lot of patients do not even know what DDS or DMD represents- let alone that it takes 4 years post undergraduate.
 
DrReo said:
I bet a lot of patients do not even know what DDS or DMD represents- let alone that it takes 4 years post undergraduate.
Click to expand...

Exactly what my experiences have been. Most people are completely clueless and think dentistry is just like any other specialty in medicine, which I personally think should be considered as such, but they don't realize our path is a bit different from other specialties.

Take this for instance, I quote, " Pro-active Solution is developed by Dermatologists so you don't have to waste hundreds on Doctor visits." uhhh yea...

Just goes to show that even dermatologists aren't considered as "real" doctors.
 
The original poster isn't asking if they've equivalent degrees, just if it affects perception of competence enough to affect income.

I personally would rather have a dmd, because you have the md in their making it sound like you're a physician of dentistry, whereas most people don't know what dds stands for. I'm glad I will be going to a dental school that awards a DMD.
 
diplo123 said:
The original poster isn't asking if they've equivalent degrees, just if it affects perception of competence enough to affect income.
Click to expand...

If the 2 are equivalent .... which they are why would there be any difference in salary???
and as most have stated ... most people dont know or care what they mean

I find it hard to believe that most people dont understand the level of commitment required to become a dentist ... I am continuously asked "so youre going to dental school, what is that like a 2 year program?"
 
It's quite possible that various regions will have vastly more DMDs or DDS depending on the schools present in the region... Likewise, you'll see payscale variations to that effect. Though, I've never heard of anyone picking dentists based on degree type, or even school.
 
eldirty said:
If the 2 are equivalent .... which they are why would there be any difference in salary???
and as most have stated ... most people dont know or care what they mean

I find it hard to believe that most people dont understand the level of commitment required to become a dentist ... I am continuously asked "so youre going to dental school, what is that like a 2 year program?"
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hahaha.. I get that a lot too.
but we can't blame on them, you know it's like I have no idea how long it takes to get a ph.d in management. 😀

to the op!
this thread is not very useful. don't worry about it. you'll be a dentist, that's what matters..
 
If you plan on owning your own practice like me, how could there be any difference in salary? Your the man, if you don't produce, you don't get paid, plain and simple.
 
dr786 said:
i think some people are misunderstanding my question, i know that both degrees are equivalent and they are both the same, however, I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of any trends or studies done that compare the salaries between DMD's and DDS's
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Post after post after post. Only one person demonstrated that he understood your question. Extended or abstract thinking isn't strong in dentistry. 😱
 
jaypea65 said:
If you plan on owning your own practice like me, how could there be any difference in salary? Your the man, if you don't produce, you don't get paid, plain and simple.
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good point ... same here. OP this is what im going to do ... my girlfriend is getting her DDS and ill be getting a DMD ... if it works out and we open a practice together, ill let you know who does the most business. Check back in about 5
 
i know they are equivalent... but i really think DMD sounds cooler. 🙂
 
me to ... im glad Tufts awards the DMD
 
Lalumandier JA. Pyle MA. Sawyer DR. Public perception of DDS versus DMD degrees. [Journal Article] Journal of the American College of Dentists. 66(3):29-37, 1999.
UI: 10612944

There are currently two degrees awarded to dental graduates from U.S. dental schools. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to determine the level of confusion among lay personnel concerning these degrees and (2) to identify and explore any basis for any public opinion. Five hundred and twenty-four lay persons were interviewed in Cleveland and the surrounding area. Chi-square analyses were employed to determine the effects of gender, frequency of dental visits, types of dental insurance, education level, age, income, and race on public perception of the DDS and DMD degrees. Fewer than 20% of those interviewed knew that a DDS and DMD received the same level of training. Of those who indicated there was a difference in training, 69% felt that DMDs had more training than DDSs. Since the majority of lay persons were confused about the two degrees, the establishment of one unified dental degree may contribute to a better public understanding of the education and capabilities of dentists.

It's important to note that Cleveland has a DMD awarding dental school, and all the investigators in this research study are DDS's
 
Odds are four factors will effect your salary more then anything.

1) location of your practice
2) you ability and interpersonal relationships with other dentists to get referrals.
3) you ability to market and sell yourself to your patients. This doesn't mean you post 1000's of ads but rather when you sit down with a patient and have a consult you can make them believe that you are capable of doing your job and that you treat them with respect.
4) your relationship with your labs (if doing pros or cosmetics) you depend on the lab. How you prep your samples and make the lap techs life easier will significantly improve what you get back. If you can't communicate to the lab what your trying to do your screwing yourself.

But bottom line if your great at what you do and are not like House MD then odds are you will earn repeat customers and referals from your peers.

My father told me above all if your great at what you do you'll get paid.
 
spike201 said:
i know they are equivalent... but i really think DMD sounds cooler. 🙂
Click to expand...

Which is really interesting because when I was accepted to VCU, I was very happy that they awarded a DDS over a DMD. I guess it's just personal preference. My cousin had to ask me what a DMD was the other day. I think now, most know.
 
armorshell said:
Lalumandier JA. Pyle MA. Sawyer DR. Public perception of DDS versus DMD degrees. [Journal Article] Journal of the American College of Dentists. 66(3):29-37, 1999.
UI: 10612944

There are currently two degrees awarded to dental graduates from U.S. dental schools. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to determine the level of confusion among lay personnel concerning these degrees and (2) to identify and explore any basis for any public opinion. Five hundred and twenty-four lay persons were interviewed in Cleveland and the surrounding area. Chi-square analyses were employed to determine the effects of gender, frequency of dental visits, types of dental insurance, education level, age, income, and race on public perception of the DDS and DMD degrees. Fewer than 20% of those interviewed knew that a DDS and DMD received the same level of training. Of those who indicated there was a difference in training, 69% felt that DMDs had more training than DDSs. Since the majority of lay persons were confused about the two degrees, the establishment of one unified dental degree may contribute to a better public understanding of the education and capabilities of dentists.

It's important to note that Cleveland has a DMD awarding dental school, and all the investigators in this research study are DDS's
Click to expand...


nice. good work armorshell 👍
 
Not sure if this question has ever been answered in another thread, I don't go thread hunting...but, why is Doctor of Dental Medicine DMD and not DDM?
 
msavaya said:
Not sure if this question has ever been answered in another thread, I don't go thread hunting...but, why is Doctor of Dental Medicine DMD and not DDM?
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I'm guessing the same reason those who receive the Doctor of Medicine degree are MDs and not DMs.

Edit: a quick Wiki search shows it comes from Latin, Medicinæ Doctor.
 
I guess we may never know ...
 
eldirty said:
good point ... same here. OP this is what im going to do ... my girlfriend is getting her DDS and ill be getting a DMD ... if it works out and we open a practice together, ill let you know who does the most business. Check back in about 5
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So who did better?
 
Well, the answer to this question is no. There is no difference between these two. No matter whichever program you choose, you will go through almost same course and will receive about similar training. If you have any of the DMD degrees, you can start practicing as the general dentist. The only difference is that DMD is known to be Doctor of Dental Medicine while the DDS is known to be Doctor of Dental Surgery. Most dentists in the Indiana have D.D.S., but what is a D.M.D.?

In short, when we consider dds-vs-dmd, we find that there is no difference. The single difference that lies between both when we are talking about both degrees is that one is names as a doctor of dental medicine while the other one is known to be a doctor of dental surgery. There is no other difference and, therefore, you can opt for any degree that you like or think that is more suitable for you. After completion of any of these, you will be recognized as a dentist and can start your general practice without any obstruction. Read more here
 
Incis0r said:
When I become an owner and it's time to hire associates, I will pay those with a DDS $250K/yr starting, and those with a DMD $249,999/yr. There, thread settled.
Click to expand...

Dang, that DMD is getting jibbed with that associate salary.

You can hire me though in a couple years.
 
DrReo said:
I bet a lot of patients do not even know what DDS or DMD represents- let alone that it takes 4 years post undergraduate.
Click to expand...
I'm actually amazed by the amount of people who state "My friend is pre-med" Or "I'm pre-med" and therefore act as though they know everything about healthcare (lol).
Yet they assume, because I'm doing dentistry, that my schooling is only 2 years and not 4.
 
brigdawg521 said:
I'm actually amazed by the amount of people who state "My friend is pre-med" Or "I'm pre-med" and therefore act as though they know everything about healthcare (lol).
Yet they assume, because I'm doing dentistry, that my schooling is only 2 years and not 4.
Click to expand...

Definitely had this happen one too many times. Usually they are non-health/sciene professionals and will subsequently ask "why not just go to med school & become a real doctor since the schooling is the same?"

Me: :bored::boom::diebanana:
 
sweetpeeas said:
Definitely had this happen one too many times. Usually they are non-health/sciene professionals and will subsequently ask "why not just go to med school & become a real doctor since the schooling is the same?"

Me: :bored::boom::diebanana:
Click to expand...



Yup. Same.


Someone needs to post the physician vs dentist bears thing from YouTube


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
 
brigdawg521 said:
I'm actually amazed by the amount of people who state "My friend is pre-med" Or "I'm pre-med" and therefore act as though they know everything about healthcare (lol).
Yet they assume, because I'm doing dentistry, that my schooling is only 2 years and not 4.
Click to expand...
People think I'm going to become a hygienist when I say that I'm going to dental school. Then when I correct them, they usually ask "why tf would you want to do that, mouths are gross".

:bang:
 
fogorvostan said:
People think I'm going to become a hygienist when I say that I'm going to dental school. Then when I correct them, they usually ask "why tf would you want to do that, mouths are gross".

:bang:
Click to expand...

well, they aren't lying. Mouths are gross. Doesn't mean I still can't want to be a dentist.
 
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