Dentistry is how long?

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FLVettrain

FLVettrain

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Hello, how long does dentistry take to complete? Tuition estimate?
What about for Cosmetic dentistry?

Like working on peoples teeth?

What about to work as an Orthodontist Assistant?
 
4 years to obtain DMD/DDS, average debt is $241,000. This value varies depending if you're an instate student vs private (a lot higher than 241k)
 
Dental school is 4 years to be a general practitioner. If you want to specialize, it's an addition 2 years depending on the program. In reality, you never stop learning as a dentist as there are continuing education classes you must take for life. These will improve your skills as a dentist.

If I am correct, cosmetic dentistry is NOT a specialty and a general dentist can do it. Like whitening.

State schools are generally much cheaper (300-350k) while private schools can usually go up to 500k overall.

Feel free to add on my fellow SDNers.
 
I've googled.. just meant how many years it took you. If it's the same time for everyone. Cosmetic would be an extra then?
I found a Dental Assistant with Expanded duties course including Dental Radiology and CPR. Dentrix Software & Digital Radiology. Is that helpful or needed?

Some dentists do hygiene cleaning and some do not. Greater procedures are for the Dentists.
 
FLVettrain said:
I've googled.. just meant how many years it took you. If it's the same time for everyone. Cosmetic would be an extra then?
I found a Dental Assistant with Expanded duties course including Dental Radiology and CPR. Dentrix Software & Digital Radiology. Is that helpful or needed?

Some dentists do hygiene cleaning and some do not. Greater procedures are for the Dentists.
Click to expand...

I just told you that cosmetic dentistry is NOT a specialty. A general dentist can do it.

Dentists don't do hygiene cleaning...that's why we have dental hygienists.

From what perspective are you asking these questions? Predent?
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
Dentists don't do hygiene cleaning...that's why we have dental hygienists.
Click to expand...

Some do their own hygiene to keep costs down.

DentalLonghorn2014 said:
Dental school is 4 years to be a general practitioner. If you want to specialize, it's an addition 2 years depending on the program. In reality, you never stop learning as a dentist as there are continuing education classes you must take for life. These will improve your skills as a dentist.
Click to expand...

Most dental residencies (endo, pedo, perio, ortho) are 3 years long. AEGD/GPR is typically 1 year and some are two. OMFS is 4 years or 6 years if you want an MD degree.
 
ncide said:
Some do their own hygiene to keep costs down.



Most dental residencies (endo, pedo, perio, ortho) are 3 years long. AEGD/GPR is typically 1 year and some are two. OMFS is 4 years or 6 years if you want an MD degree.
Click to expand...

Really?
I was always told that dentistshe nowadays would never do their own cleanings. My bad then.

Yeah, I was typing a little fast haha. 3 years for most specialties not including OMFS 🙂
 
FLVettrain said:
I've googled.. just meant how many years it took you. If it's the same time for everyone. Cosmetic would be an extra then?
I found a Dental Assistant with Expanded duties course including Dental Radiology and CPR. Dentrix Software & Digital Radiology. Is that helpful or needed?

Some dentists do hygiene cleaning and some do not. Greater procedures are for the Dentists.
Click to expand...

Surgical procedures are reserved for the dentist. That entails preparing teeth for cosmetic treatment (veneers, crowns, and composite). Some hygienists and even expanded function assistants can earn additional training (in WA) and place fillings after preparation has been done on the tooth.
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
Really?
I was always told that dentistshe nowadays would never do their own cleanings. My bad then.

Yeah, I was typing a little fast haha. 3 years for most specialties not including OMFS 🙂
Click to expand...

I know a dentist who does his own cleanings- his patients love it, his overhead is lower because of it, and his schedule is always filled.

His take-home last year? $400K on a 3.5 day week.

It is a FFS practice though, and those are a dying breed.
 
Incis0r said:
I know a dentist who does his own cleanings- his patients love it, his overhead is lower because of it, and his schedule is always filled.

His take-home last year? $400K on a 3.5 day week.

It is a FFS practice though, and those are a dying breed.
Click to expand...

Whats FFS? But that savings in overhead would probably be less than the amount he could earn with work on other patients, if he had a hygenist doing the cleanings. Right? Props to the dentist though
 
BeaverLover said:
Whats FFS? But that savings in overhead would probably be less than the amount he could earn with work on other patients, if he had a hygenist doing the cleanings. Right? Props to the dentist though
Click to expand...

Fee for service.
 
BeaverLover said:
Whats FFS? But that savings in overhead would probably be less than the amount he could earn with work on other patients, if he had a hygenist doing the cleanings. Right? Props to the dentist though
Click to expand...

Fee-for-Service.

You're right- if he hired hygienists, he could do more. I asked him about this- and he said that, to him, building meaningful relationships + trust with his patients is much more important than earning more money, and hygiene appointments is how he chooses to build those relationships. He's already doing so well- now he's all about enjoying his practice.
 
Manic324 said:
Most dentists I've been to here do their own hygiene (I live in Chicago). I always find it strange but have never asked why- I'm assuming because it's saturated as f*** and they can't afford a hygienist haha. Otherwise why would they be spending 20-30 minutes/ patient cleaning teeth?

I for one don't want to spend 4 years in dental school to clean peoples teeth every day afterwards. But joys of saturation...
Click to expand...
Just add some double bonds and she'll be right. :laugh:
 
Manic324 said:
Most dentists I've been to here do their own hygiene (I live in Chicago). I always find it strange but have never asked why- I'm assuming because it's saturated as f*** and they can't afford a hygienist haha. Otherwise why would they be spending 20-30 minutes/ patient cleaning teeth?

I for one don't want to spend 4 years in dental school to clean peoples teeth every day afterwards. But joys of saturation...
Click to expand...

Oh interesting!
I live in Southeast Texas so I have never seen witnessed that before lol

So they just have assistants and a secretary or 2?
 
It depends whether you want to be a dentist or a dental assistant.
 
ncide said:
Some do their own hygiene to keep costs down.



Most dental residencies (endo, pedo, perio, ortho) are 3 years long. AEGD/GPR is typically 1 year and some are two. OMFS is 4 years or 6 years if you want an MD degree.
Click to expand...
Endo and pedo are 2 years usually.
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
Really?
I was always told that dentistshe nowadays would never do their own cleanings. My bad then.

Yeah, I was typing a little fast haha. 3 years for most specialties not including OMFS 🙂
Click to expand...

I live in a small town, and my dentist does all of the cleanings on his own. He could easily hire a hygienist or assistant, but it's just cheaper for him to do it on his own.
 
Samin23 said:
I live in a small town, and my dentist does all of the cleanings on his own. He could easily hire a hygienist or assistant, but it's just cheaper for him to do it on his own.
Click to expand...

This is interesting to know!
What is his schedule like? and does he work M-F?
 
If you're in a semi-populated area, hygiene is your bread and butter money maker. Keeping one or two hygiene chairs open, requiring you to only perform exams, should be a no brainer if you have the patients. It frees you up to practice advanced dentistry which in turn means more $. When we're all deep in debt, the money matters.
 
JLT223 said:
If you're in a semi-populated area, hygiene is your bread and butter money maker. Keeping one or two hygiene chairs open, requiring you to only perform exams, should be a no brainer if you have the patients. It frees you up to practice advanced dentistry which in turn means more $. When we're all deep in debt, the money matters.
Click to expand...

Bro, your profile pic. Wasn't that the kid that got in trouble for pretending to be a physician? lolol
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
I guess it depends on the program
Click to expand...
Yeah most likely.
What's interesting are the 2 year GPR's. There are only a few 2 full year GPR's, while the rest are a 1+1. It's weird, but it's a different curriculum.
I think each of the military branches are the only programs with full 2 year AEGD's. What's interesting is that they are considered specialists (comprehensive dentists). So for example, they can do a 1 year AEGD, do a tour somewhere as a GP, and then apply for a 2 year AEGD and receive the same specialty retention bonuses as the ortho and endo folks (OMFS is a different ball game). The 2nd year of the 2 year AEGD is not a continuation of the one year program.
I just thought that was interesting. I would love to do that program. It provides very advanced exposure to each of the specialties, but not quite at the specialist level. Less referrals out (unless the pt is a real PITA) while still maintaining the ability to refer, more revenue, wider scope.
In an area with little saturation, someone with that scope would probably make BANK.
 
JLT223 said:
If you're in a semi-populated area, hygiene is your bread and butter money maker. Keeping one or two hygiene chairs open, requiring you to only perform exams, should be a no brainer if you have the patients. It frees you up to practice advanced dentistry which in turn means more $. When we're all deep in debt, the money matters.
Click to expand...
HAHAHA your profile picture!
 
schmoob said:
Yeah most likely.
What's interesting are the 2 year GPR's. There are only a few 2 full year GPR's, while the rest are a 1+1. It's weird, but it's a different curriculum.
I think each of the military branches are the only programs with full 2 year AEGD's. What's interesting is that they are considered specialists (comprehensive dentists). So for example, they can do a 1 year AEGD, do a tour somewhere as a GP, and then apply for a 2 year AEGD and receive the same specialty retention bonuses as the ortho and endo folks (OMFS is a different ball game). The 2nd year of the 2 year AEGD is not a continuation of the one year program.
I just thought that was interesting. I would love to do that program. It provides very advanced exposure to each of the specialties, but not quite at the specialist level. Less referrals out (unless the pt is a real PITA) while still maintaining the ability to refer, more revenue, wider scope.
In an area with little saturation, someone with that scope would probably make BANK.
Click to expand...

My dentist did a GPR and I believe it was Hospital Dentistry which was 1 year (I may have gotten it confused with AEGD...). Is it necessary to do an AEDG nowadays?
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
My dentist did a GPR and I believe it was Hospital Dentistry which was 1 year (I may have gotten it confused with AEGD...). Is it necessary to do an AEDG nowadays?
Click to expand...
It's highly recommended. When we graduate we won't have the speed and skill set to really be profitable. I've heard from tons of dentists that they learned more working as a resident than in D3/D4 combined because it's pure dentistry.
 
JLT223 said:
It's highly recommended. When we graduate we won't have the speed and skill set to really be profitable. I've heard from tons of dentists that they learned more working as a resident than in D3/D4 combined because it's pure dentistry.
Click to expand...

I see!
Will we still be able to take out loans for that?
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
This is interesting to know!
What is his schedule like? and does he work M-F?
Click to expand...
I believe his schedule varies. His regular weeks are usually Monday thru Thursday. We only have about 1,500 people in the town so there's really no need for him to have too many employees.
 
Samin23 said:
I believe his schedule varies. His regular weeks are usually Monday thru Thursday. We only have about 1,500 people in the town so there's really no need for him to have too many employees.
Click to expand...

Oh wow 1500 lol
 
So true. I met a dentist w/ 3 hygienist, plus the dentist had them pushing sells like electrical toothbrush & teeth whiteners. I saw her number$ & I was impressed.


JLT223 said:
If you're in a semi-populated area, hygiene is your bread and butter money maker. Keeping one or two hygiene chairs open, requiring you to only perform exams, should be a no brainer if you have the patients. It frees you up to practice advanced dentistry which in turn means more $. When we're all deep in debt, the money matters.
Click to expand...
 
Samin23 said:
I live in a small town, and my dentist does all of the cleanings on his own. He could easily hire a hygienist or assistant, but it's just cheaper for him to do it on his own.
Click to expand...
contrary to popular belief, Houston isn't a small town.
 
DentalLonghorn2014 said:
My dentist did a GPR and I believe it was Hospital Dentistry which was 1 year (I may have gotten it confused with AEGD...). Is it necessary to do an AEDG nowadays?
Click to expand...
AEGDs and GPRs are usually 1 year. They aren't necessary, it depends on the program and it depends on you. Personally, I would want to do at least one year of post grad training if I want to be a GP.
Some states however, require at least one year of post-graduate training in order to practice in that state.
 
schmoob said:
AEGDs and GPRs are usually 1 year. They aren't necessary, it depends on the program and it depends on you. Personally, I would want to do at least one year of post grad training if I want to be a GP.
Some states however, require at least one year of post-graduate training in order to practice in that state.
Click to expand...

I see. Thanks bud!
 
clutchfans said:
contrary to popular belief, Houston isn't a small town.
Click to expand...

Lol, I don't actually live in Houston. I live in a small town just east of the city. But I was born in Houston and I am an avid Rockets/Texans/Astros supporter
 
Samin23 said:
Lol, I don't actually live in Houston. I live in a small town just east of the city. But I was born in Houston and I am an avid Rockets/Texans/Astros supporter
Click to expand...
no bro, just messing with you.
 
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