dental student experience!

[DrNo72]

i've been lurking around this site for a while. for lack of sleep and frustration at ppl who don't see dentistry and their future with it, i am offering my opinion. if you want to ask me any questions regarding dental schools in general, i will be happy to reply with my witty sarcasm. i've had 2 different friends who went to different dental schools, and i am in my 4th yr. so, i have some insights into different dental schools. if anybody wants to discuss residency options or associateships, or gripe about regional boards and state licensing exams, i have a gripe too!
anyways, let's see how many ppl reply!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Sterichind]

Hello Doc,

I am interested to hear what dental school you are currently attending. Please, fill me in on your experiences from the time you entered dental school. Where do your friends go to school? Tell me what clubs or organizations you are involved in while in dental school. Plus, how did you study for the NDB's. Did you use any specific books or dental decks. Where can I purchase those NDB decks? What residency are you interested in? Would like to hear more!

Sterichind

 

[turtleboard]

I'd like to know how important the NDBs are in comparison to the USMLEs, how many parts there are to the NDBs, what options are there after graduating with a DDS/DMD (right into practice vs. residency), any fellowships or other such postgraduate opportunities available to the newly-minted dentist, and why you chose dentistry over medicine.

Thanks! I know a few people who are currently in dental school (at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Buffalo, NYU, Columbia, and Harvard), but they're never around long enough for me to ask them these basic questions. I'll gladly return the favor if you'd like to know anything about mathematics and the wonderful career opportunities one has after getting a BA.

Tim W. of N.Y.C.

 

[DrNo72]

sterichind, thanks fer your questions.
first, i do not want to mention where i am going to dental school cuz i want to keep some anonymity.(hope you can understand) but, i will say that i am in the northeast regional board area.
i had 2 friends, one went to BU dental and subsequently went into army to pay off some of his huge debt. another went to columbia, hated it, and went to a foreign medical school, thinking its better than being treated as 2nd class citizen at columbia by the medical profession.

now, as for me, i am in 4TH yr, not in a residency, and not planning on residency.
when i first entered dental school, i was coming from an engineer major. i was used to equations, problems, and staying up all night to study for a test given 2/sem with all 4 test questions on it.
in dental school, its 100 question or more, multiple guess questions most of the time, and it was every 2-3 days in our fist 2 yrs.
it got much better in our clinical yrs in our 3rd and 4th yr. in dental school, it seems like its easy to get b, but very hard to get an A. i'd say the difference is between 3 hrs/wk/subject for B, 8 hrs/wk/subject for an A. and that's coming from me, the biggest slacker. so, for all you hopeful ortho and endo wanna-be's, get ready to forfeit your social life.
As for me, i was content w/ B cuz i had a life and i knew i wasn't going to specialize.
come on, endo-i can file so many teeth a day for the rest of my life before i crack. and perio? you gotta be anal to spend 3 more yrs of your life studying the smallest amount of tissue in the whole body. ortho? **** bending wires for a living.. if no machines involved, then i aint kosher w/ it. i considered oral surgery, but 6 yr more of studying? to extract what.. impacted 3rd molars? 98% of the times? ahh... i woulda just went to med school to specialize in ortho surgery so i can use the cool bone filers and drills. general dentistry has some more excitement- (extraction here and there, composite- cool light, amalgam-poison yourself and your patients, bridge, partial, esthetic dentistry, you name it, i'll do it! super GP as its called.hehehe)
anyways, i digress but then again there's no point in this post.
First day of dental school-i arrived approx, 8:30, 30 min later for the orientation. 2nd and 3rd day, you get your 3000 bucks worth of equipment which consists of an articulator, slow speed hand piece, lots and lots of burs, lots of dental stone and plaster, and a set of dentoform that's crooked for 500 bucks. and rest are some worthless yet required stuff. then, as the classes started.. ****in' 8 till 5. like worse than highschool, same lecture hall, same lab, same anatomy lab. i dont know how i got thru the first 2 yrs without going nutty. if i have to do it all over, i'd probably wouldn't.. not.. i would.
oh yeah.. i'll tell you more about this if you are interested.. i think i am boring myself actually.
the national boards... 1st part consists of biochem/physiology/anatomy/head and neck/dental anatomy/somethin' i am forgetting. anways, there are dental decks..
and old copies of exams for sale by asda, but many ppl usually just get them from juniors, or buy it from them. i studied(perused) both dental deck and exam for part 1 for about 2 weeks. i passed.. the tests questions repeat, about 50%. you are stupid if you can't even get 75% to pass. in our class, none failed the part 1. as for the part 2, its more dental, oral diagnosis/perio/pedo/endo/fixed/removable prosthodontics/ etc. we just took that one, and should be getting the results soon.
i really didn't study for that one, although the school gave lots of useless reviews, and i didn't go to single one.. duh.. that's waste of good tuition money. no time to study or willingness cuz seeing one too many patient to try to get enuff requirement for graduation is tiring. total time spent was maybe 1 week on borrowed dental deck from a friend, and 2 previous test. i think i did okay... mostly stuff that i used and knew anyways.

well, hope it satisfied some of your curiosity, and i know lots of bull****, but i can reply shorter ones if you want.. hahaha
later

Originally posted by Sterichind:
Hello Doc,

I am interested to hear what dental school you are currently attending. Please, fill me in on your experiences from the time you entered dental school. Where do your friends go to school? Tell me what clubs or organizations you are involved in while in dental school. Plus, how did you study for the NDB's. Did you use any specific books or dental decks. Where can I purchase those NDB decks? What residency are you interested in? Would like to hear more!

Sterichind

 

[DrNo72]

well, turtleboard,

NDB are 2 parts like usmle, other than that i really do not know too much about usmle. you can read the reply to the above post regarding ndb. i know usmle has gone pass or fail. i think that's pretty cool.. rather than use stupid curves like NDB. anyways, i am sure there are some logic to it.

after graduation, you have 3 options. residency, private practice, military.
in residency, you have specialty or GPR or AGD which is for advancing general dentistry stuff. in my opinion, these programs suck and are for ppl who are afraid of leaving school. specialty such as ortho, endo, and oral surgery-in that order- are the hardest to get in.. probably top 5-10% of graduating class. the rest-pedo, oral diagnosis, perio, and prosth are specialty... uh.. not competitive, not worth doing.. unless you are very anal-perio, lunatic-pedo(actually pedodontists are very good ppl, i'd go to one for myself), oral diagnosis-look at lesion, and send to oral surgeon for biopsy?, prosth-make ****ed up dentures for the rest of your frickin' life.
all the specialty, you have to go at least 2-3 yrs, you have to write a generic ******* of a thesis for a worthless master's degree, and best of all, you have to pay for it!
for ortho, oral surgery, endo, the reward is 3 day/wk practice w/ potential for 300G/yr... whatta life..
others are private practice and military.
if you wanna hear more, reply back to this post cuz i feel i am ranting on and on and on~
anyways, i chose dental instead of med cuz i knew i'd get into dental w/o too much trouble, its a good profession, i like working w/ my hands, and its not as LONG~ time wise. i woulda went for orthopedic surgery if i had gone to med school, but.. oh well.. maybe another life time.. not..i'd be an investment banker! yeah.. sell baby, sell!
lataz~

Originally posted by turtleboard:
I'd like to know how important the NDBs are in comparison to the USMLEs, how many parts there are to the NDBs, what options are there after graduating with a DDS/DMD (right into practice vs. residency), any fellowships or other such postgraduate opportunities available to the newly-minted dentist, and why you chose dentistry over medicine.

Thanks! I know a few people who are currently in dental school (at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Buffalo, NYU, Columbia, and Harvard), but they're never around long enough for me to ask them these basic questions. I'll gladly return the favor if you'd like to know anything about mathematics and the wonderful career opportunities one has after getting a BA.

Tim W. of N.Y.C.

 

[Sterichind]

Hello Doc,

How are you? I have some more questions about dental school. I also thank you for answering my questions and your time. Did you have classes with dental students only or a mix of dental and medical students, and what did you think of the experience? Also, did your school's financial aid office help with your financial aid package? What do you expect your debt to come to over the four years? Do you recommend any studies or anything six months before entering dental school? Do you know of any sites on the internet or books that might be helpful to a dental student or might be of interest? Where did you live in dental school and was it difficult to find housing and a person to room with? Do you own a car? How did you manage the payments for insurance while in school? What did you do during your summers as a dental student? Thats just some questions I have. Hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks a bunch for your time,
Sterichind

 

[DrNo72]

sterichild,
howz it going? i am on my vacation in cali.. so the lovely weather is convincing me to move out here.. but all the dentists on every street corner and the strip plaza is annoying.

to answer your first question, our school does not have a class w/ med students. actually, we are on a separate building so that its hard to see a med student.

financial aid package for dental students are great.. the banks, govt, and private lending groups are willing to bend over backwards to lend you money...(tells you how much we will make in return..puahaha~~)

if you are weak academically, i am sure there are post-bac courses that you can take. however, to excel in most dental schools, you need the talents of your HANDS!
cuz if you study while you are here, you can get good grades. fixed, remo, operative lab courses however, you cannnot study for..and even if you did, you will not improve overnight. you just need experience. if you could work part-time, full-time for a lab technician, or a dental lab for at least 6 month, you'll do great on all these courses.

the answers to the other questions are specific for each school. however, i can tell you that after the first summer at dental school, there are no summer vacations! as for me, the first yr, i did research at NIDCR, national institute of dental and cranial research, branch of NIH... made good money, had good time. (looks great if you wanna specialize!!)
like i said, i had a social life, so i did have a car, i have my own apt, paid insurance, bills, etc w/ my student loans.
i think i'll be 120G in debt when i graduate. not much if you compare to others, but heck of lot if you are starting off as an associate dentist.
anyways, ask for some more if you wanna~
lataz

 

[Sterichind]

Hello Lataz,

Happy New Year! THanks for all of the information. I guess I will shoot some more questions. I am curious about that research you completed at the NIDCR. What kind of research? How did you get that research position? Can you give contacts? What was your stipend? Where did you stay while at the NIDCR for the summer?

Was your dental school class very large or small? How cooperative are the dental students at your school? Did your school start that new DVD textbook program? If so, how are the students that are using the program? Did you have a relationship during your dental school experience? If so,how did that hold up? Thank you so much for your responses.

Later,
Sterichind

 

[FutureMD]

What are the ages of the oldest and youngest students in your class?

 

[DrNo72]

sterichind,
NIDCR has a program for dental students in their first yr to do research over the summer. and whole yr in junior yr if they choose. i gotta say, the process was a bit dry, and competitive, but on the whole, a good experience and a resume booster. if you check their web site, there are plenty of info. i applied cuz i had a friend who already worked at NIH (where i mooched for 2 months) and pointed out for me to make some good bucks in the summer. it's called intramural research scientist award? and it was 450? a week minus tax, (you get money for degree you have earned. b.s., m.s., dds, or md.) for spending 10-5, lunch off, classes or lectures you can take, friday party, birthday party, etc.. (no wonder they don't get any work done)
in NIDCR, there are no research directly related to dental, unless its clinical, and then you won't be involved as a dental student. i worked in a oral cancer division, where i cultured tissues,(grew crap in petri dish), western, southern blot (don't remember a thing, except for pipetting small blue stuff on a gel and going to lunch), and some other stuff on oral epithelial cells to express oncogenes.
anyways, not enuff time over the summer(2 mo?) to get any real work done. i coulda stayed couple of months to finish and publish, but i didn't think it was worth my while. the researchers at nidcr love to have dental students working in their labs. its their trophy for doing charity work. anyways, its all good. i encourage everybody to do it.

our dental class was medium size, about 100, cooperative? in what sense? like, sharing equipments? pts? everybody is nice.. except few of ppl who are annoying as ****, but i am sure there are few of those everwhere.
no, we are not using the dvd textbook program. and yeah, i had sex w/ 20 female dental students while i was in school and that's why i am the pariah in school.. NOT~, i wouldn't recommend casual sex within dental(professional) school cuz its so small but i've seen lots of casual dates. however, most are married or engaged or have bf/gf. look far, and yonder for your mate.. there is always pharm, med, law students~ who are much prettier in my opinion.
lataz,
DrNo

 

[DrNo72]

futureMD,
ages of students vary. but if you think that you have to complete a b.s., then you are at least 21, and at most, what.. 40? i think was the oldest incoming first yr student.
lataz,
DrNo

 

[Sterichind]

Hello Lataz,

How are you? I'm good. I was wondering about your opinion on something. Do you believe the name of a school is important? Do you believe that the name of the school is going to benefit you in someway?

In my personal opinion, the school name may be important if you want to specialize but it ends there. General dentist usually stay in one spot, open a business and act as a solo practitioner. Specialist get around and get hired. The name may count there, but do you believe it to be true?

I have this funny case when I went to Columbia for my interview. Regardless that I got in, I met this interesting first year dental student who came to talk to the group. I asked him about what were his plans for the future. He said he wanted to be a general dentist and open his own office. I said to him then why did you come to Columbia? I told him as a New Yorker he could have gone to a public dental school and saved himself almost $80 - $100, 000. He told me that he's planning to open a office in Long Island, put the Columbia name all over the office, and he believes that it will get him more patients than somebody at a public dental school. Do you agree with him? I laughed! He got a little angry and even cursed. Think about this! Putting the name of the dental school where you went outside your door to attract patients! Do patients even really ask or care where their dentist learned his stuff. The average layperson has no idea about where there are dental schools.
There was even another Columbia student at the interview who believed that the educational system is light-years superior to every other dental school and that's why their NDB scores are so high. As he was convincing a student to not consider Temple dental school because their board scores are not as high indicating a poor educational system, I told both of them that the only reason Columbia's scores are so high is because the school attracts the best test-takers. The material in a Columbia textbook is the same as it is at Temple or another dental school. If a student does his homework he will succeed. I have seen some stupid applicants with great DAT scores/GPA but no common sense. Most are coming to decisions about where they want to go based on board scores. The students sit there in a circle at interviews and discuss how they are going to choose a school. So many say but they are number such and such so they can really teach. I really don't see the board score's average for a school as a definite way to judge a school's educational system. Some schools attract great test-takers like Harvard because of the name. I don't really think they're that great. They might have great research facilities but like I said the information students learn at Harvard is the same as any other school. Many think that they are going to get something extra that will give them the edge but society's scientist do not hold back information just to give it to students at these schools. I interviewed there and saw the same thing.

Plus, how far away are the other graduate schools of the university from your dental school.

later,
Sterichind

 

[turtleboard]

Going to a school with a good reputation does wonders if you're going into academia, seeking fellowship training, and looking for that elusive "wow" factor from your friends and neighbors.

I'm not sure how Stony Brook DDS is compared to Columbia DDS but if we were talking about their medical schools, while the students do learn the same stuff, Columbia students will have an easier time finding their academic careers, getting highly competitive fellowships, and "wowing" their friends and neighbors. Now these aren't the only things you should consider in choosing a professional school, but these are among more important of the bunch (with the exception, of course, of the "wow" factor).

My perspective is from the world of medicine and not necessarily dentistry, although I can't imagine they'd be too far apart.

If a future professional thinks his school's name will attract patients, then that's silly. But if he thinks his school's name will get him places, I've seen it happen.


Tim W. of N.Y.C.

 

[Sterichind]

Lataz,

I was wondering at your dental school how do they determine competency in order to pass on to the later years and graduate?

I agree with Tim a bit about the name for academia, fellowship and the "wow" but let me just say that the reason there are is such a shortage of dental faculty is because academia does not pay even half of what a real practice pays. We have to survive in this expensive world and going to a big name school for a high price for a lower paying job is totally not appealing. However, I would teach a bit during my career to build up my knowledge and sense of accomplishment.

Sterichind

 

[DrNo72]

tim and sterichind,
quite a discussion we have going.
for one thing, i do attend a public university dental school program. i DID attend a prestigious private university for undergrad.
for one thing, you can argue for both and i also think that not one is better than other.
for dentistry, as well as medicine, i agree w/ tim, that it doesn't matter where you graduate, as long as you have the skills. now, columbia might prepare you better to become a researcher/ "scientist" like u Penn, but some ppl are not into that. like moi, they are into general practice, or just enjoy working on regular patients. as for specialty, if you are top of upenn or utenn dental, then you will get your choice. how hard of a time you will have when you get to your specialty, though is another story. some specialty might require more experience than academic, while other program might be vice-versa. regardless, if you are top of your school's dental program, i am sure you can adapt to the new specialty program.
as to selling your school's name to increase your practice, its a marketing ploy. if you want to scream "Columbia Dental Group" across your neon dental sign, then be it. if you wanna spend 100,000 more bucks to put up that sign, that's his decision. i've talked to many practicing dentists, and the patients do not really care what school you graduated from as long as you are competent and smart. dentistry is a referral game w/ most of your pts coming from other patients. so, i think they already know about you b4 coming in.
and for a fact, columbia NDB part I is higher, but ask about the actual licensing exam and its failure rate. that will be alaraming. each schools do not do a very good job preparing the students for these boards. they have stupid review sessions that don't amount to much. anyways,
"I WOULDN'T WANT A FRESH COLUMBIA DDS TOUCHING MY MOUTH~, DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT HARVARD.~!" actually, none of the 2-3 yr graduates unless i know their skills.
anyways,
competency in our school is measured by tests and cumulative points.
let's say you have to have certain amount of competency tests similar to the class II and III tests on the board, and the fixed and remo. same for perio. in addition, for graduation requirements, you need to have certain amount of cases finished and points earned in our school. by the senior yr, you need to have all of it completed, or you will not graduate.

anyways, its good to see ppl discussing aspects of dental school~
peace~~
lataz,
DrNo

 

[stdent9972]

DrNo72,

Please tell us all about social life in dental school. Obviously this will differ from school to school, but I have a ton of questions.

First, tell us about the social life in general. Then, what are dental students like, are they a diverse lot of people? the public's general impression of a dentist is only (slightly) more appealing than an accountant.

And what about the women? Are they very attractive? If not do you ever take classes or have contact with other students at the university? Like could you date med students, nurses or even undergrads, PhD's?

Tell us everything you can. Thanks!

 

[stdent9972]

DrNo72,

Please tell us all about social life in dental school. Obviously this will differ from school to school, but I have a ton of questions.

First, tell us about the social life in general. Then, what are dental students like, are they a diverse lot of people? the public's general impression of a dentist is only (slightly) more appealing than an accountant.

And what about the women? Are they very attractive? If not do you ever take classes or have contact with other students at the university? Like could you date med students, nurses or even undergrads, PhD's?

Tell us everything you can. Thanks!

 

[DrNo72]

stdent9972,
well, social life in dental school is same as any grad school. its however you want to approach it.
classes are exclusively w/ dental school (esp, only your 100 or so classmates) not any from med, law, pharm, or undergrad.
there are organizations from christians to muslims to african americans to korean americans. if you decide to get involved, you can have lots of fun. classes as whole have sponsored events such as night out at the baseball, football games. all the professional schools in our community(dental, pharm, med, nurse, law) have their graduate school senate that sponsor events also. living in school housing is different from undergrad where you hang out w/ lots of your friends and get to know them well. over here, there aren't many socializing w/ the residents cuz i just don't know who they are~. if you are in nyu dental or some exotic locale, i hear dental school girls are HOT@!~! but most are taken by med school students? hmm.. anyways, in my school, most ppl are married or engaged. other "gurls" are not really datable. i really didn't go looking for pharm or law students, but i hear its about the same. i think its true of all professional schools. mostly married or engaged or taken..

oh, and on this campus, there are no undergrads.. so.. that's sad.. anyhoos, it differs from school to school, so find out datability factor b4 you attend a certain dental school.. if you are single.

p.s. don't be looking at juniors or seniors.. cuz they'd be gone b4 you even get to know them.
hope that helped
lataz,
DrNo

Originally posted by stdent9972:
DrNo72,

Please tell us all about social life in dental school. Obviously this will differ from school to school, but I have a ton of questions.

First, tell us about the social life in general. Then, what are dental students like, are they a diverse lot of people? the public's general impression of a dentist is only (slightly) more appealing than an accountant.

And what about the women? Are they very attractive? If not do you ever take classes or have contact with other students at the university? Like could you date med students, nurses or even undergrads, PhD's?

Tell us everything you can. Thanks!

 

[ilovinescu]

DrNo,
How does U Pitt compare with Tepm/UPENN, and have you heard anything about UF?

Thanks,
IRINA

 

[DrNo72]

ilovinescu,
hey, howz it going..
well, upitt vs temp/upenn... i really can't say anything about pitt cuz i never even looked into it. i despise the steel city where its so gloomy and the weather sucks. plus, i am korean, and when i stopped by to visit a friend one day, they really didn't even have a decent korean rest. now, how can i live in a city like that?
anyways, i know the upitt med is good.. so ? nah.. i wouldn't base anything on that.
temple <--- situated in the worst looking neighborhood. however, i hear that since the temple security cops carry gun, as to upenn who don't, there are less murder there.
i hear the clinical is good. they have lots of requirements for graduation, and lots of good clinical staff.
upenn <--- "we wanna make you a scientist" is great if you wanna be a scientist or if you wanna specialize. i think half the graduating class goes onto some kind of specialty. w/ all the great "research" institute, they kinda lack in clinical but are strong academically.
univ of florida... SUN~, BEACH, blonde chicks... what more can ya ask for?
state that has its own licensing exam to protect the old farty dentists who wanna protect their million dollar practice making dentures for all the foggys retiring...
actually, i think its a good school(dunno nothing about it) just cuz its easier to set up practice in florida once you graduate. plus, social life can't be all that bad w/ the beach, the sun.. the chicks.. did i mention? dunno about any asians there.. but i dunno if you are one.. oh well~
hope that helped.. if not, i am sure you can post it out there out of my this folder and get more replies~
lataz,
DrNo

Originally posted by ilovinescu:
DrNo,
How does U Pitt compare with Tepm/UPENN, and have you heard anything about UF?

Thanks,
IRINA

 

[bertman]

I'm curious,

Where does one find information about how individual schools do on the two parts of the Board exams. I've been looking around, and can't seem to find this type of information. If anyone would be able to help, that would be great

Thanks

 

[ilovinescu]

Where can i purchase dental decks?

 

[dds2b]

You can order the dental decks online or phone in your order. If you're a predent, I would suggest you go through your first year and see if any 2nd or 3rd or 4th year dental students have a set you can borrow or purchase from them...this will save you some money.

Here's the link to Dental Decks http://www.dentaldecks.com/order.htm

 

[makebuleeve]

just want to dig up some dirty secrets for those going to columbia.......

 

[al]

Hello

To those who are at columbia right now, or know A LOT about the program: I'm hearing a lot of negative things on this thread of the school, is it objectively "that bad"? I would like to specialize, should I believe the adcom people that columbia is the ideal place to specialize (majority of the class get placed in their desired specialties)? Are the negative views I've read so far a common belief amongst the columbia students? Even if it is "hell", in the long run, is it worth it if I want to specialize? I mean, I don't mind going thru hell if columbia will improve my chances of getting into a specialty versus going to another school. But if this just bs and theres not difference between schools, then going thru hell obviously is not something I desired.

Are there any good things about columbia? I'm kinda of worried right now. If my local dent school will not take me in, then I would've been more than happy to go to columbia (over upitt, which was the other school i got into so far). Now i'm not so sure anymore. Should I just head for upitt if my local dent school shows no love? HElp!

 

[tinker bell]

I heard that Pitt is great. Faculty is nice and they take good care of you. If u want name, then Columbia is better I guess. But I really like Pitt when I interview there. My friend is happy overthere. I don't know much about Columbia and not looking into it bc I don't want to pay too much..
If you want to specialize.... I would look into schools that have lots of research funding. So, you can do some research in your jr and sr year. And that will be a big plus for your specialty application. I know that ucsf even require you to enroll into a master program if you want to get into their specialize program like endo...
And to get into their master program means you have to have good research experience, publish papers if possible because it's highly competitive....
Best of luck to you
T

 

[xenos]

HI DrNO,
Please give your oppinion on these dental schools: Temple, Loma Linda, and Creighton. Do you know any pros and cons? Which one is better and why, and which one is best if one wants to specialize? Which one is more competitive? Thanks.

 

[applicant]

Hi.

I am just wondering how much dental students make right after graduating from dental school.

How much do they make on average? How much do people who specialize make?

Any input will be appreciated.

 

[cusp of carabelli]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by applicant:
•Hi.

I am just wondering how much dental students make right after graduating from dental school.

How much do they make on average? How much do people who specialize make?

Any input will be appreciated.•••••From the ADA career Fact Sheets web page:

Dental Economics

Dental offices were the third highest ranking category of start-up businesses most likely to survive, according to the most recent survey of nearly 1.5 million companies reported in Inc. magazine.

In 1995, the average net income of general practitioners was about $124,960; the mean net income of all dental specialists was approximately $196,670.

The average net income for dentists between 30 and 34 years of age was $104,790 and for those from 45-49 years of age it was $156,540 in 1995. Specialists in the 45-49 year old age group averaged $236,780 a year net income.

The average income of a dentist is in the highest 8 percent of U.S. family income.

Currently, approximately 100 million people are covered under dental benefit plans. According to a Gallup Poll, 57 percent of American adults are covered by a dental plan that pays for all or part of their dental expenses. In 1996, private dental insurance payments accounted for 48.7 percent of the nation's expenditures for dental care. Projections indicate that this percentage increased to 49.7 percent in 1998.

<a href="http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/careers/factsheets/dentistry.html" target="_blank">http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/careers/factsheets/dentistry.html</a>

 

[chouhan]

hi drno 72
i had a question. iam a foriegn trained dentist and would like to do y masters here.After i get that will i be able to visit clinincs as a specialist ?
thx