Dentistry and possible flaws

[InfamousDoc]

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So I am relatively new to Sdn and I have been reading different threads about dental school debt, job market saturation, etc. I like to consider myself very passionate in dentistry and have researched many dental schools in my area. I am in NYC so my possible colleges can be NYU, Stonybrook, Colombia etc. All of these schools cost about 90k+ a year and that is quite expensive, especially if you seek to specilaize. How can you keep loans at a minimum so you don’t have to be at constant worry for them after graduation. PG programs are very expensive as well. Do graduates have a generally hard time paying off these debts which can predominantly be 500k+ after specialization? Some threads on Sdn recently about poor job market for dentists and some specilaists have sort of discouraged me and my passion for dentistry. Kind of just looking for some positive aspects of all this.

 

[Stanelz]

1. Shadow and assist (if possible) as much as possible to know what you are getting yourself into. Dentistry is not all sunshine, roses, ponies, and ice cream.
2. Choose a school that is not estimated over 400K (if possible), after accrued interest you will pay almost double the amount you borrow. Interest starts accruing when you are a D1, NOT when you graduate.
3. Those are ESTIMATES, you can absolutely cut out tens of thousands of dollars if you live frugally and choose a school that is not in an expensive area i.e NYU vs idk..OHSU? the difference in living cost will be dramatic even though the tuition might be lower for example. You don't need to live a celebrity lifestyle in dental school that most millenials demand.
4. Don't worry about market saturation..every market is saturated but even people with no education open up shop next to competitors all the time. If you are truly passionate about dentistry and are willing to take the steps to make yourself stand out i.e working on your business and communication skills, you WILL be successful. Don't let people scare you
5. Obviously don't open up a practice in a town of 500 people when theres 10 dentists already.

To summarize, there will always be naysayers. People are naturally pessimistic but you control your destiny a lot of the time. Is dentistry saturated and more difficult now due to corporate? ABSOLUTELY, but you control if it is going to stop you.
If you are going into dentistry for money and because its a "good job" you will fail but if you are truly passionate and want to be a health professional and a leader, and have a good work ethic you will be successful.

If you think you might fail, you most definitely will. Thats the way I see it.

 

[Daisonjohn]

👍

 

[2TH MVR]

I'll echo everything Stanelz posted. Look. Nothing is easy. Yes ... most here tend to complain (myself included). The real effort comes AFTER you graduate from DS. But it is obviously wise to minimize your debt and to locate in an area that is not completely saturated. That's just common sense. Enter dentistry with the proper mindset. Dentistry is not the path to unbelievable wealth. It's a path to owning your own business and taking care of your patients which will provide you with a better than average lifestyle. Your educational debt is the ticket for admission. We've all been there.