dentistry saturation...what if I have little debt?

[RedPill1785]

There's an in-state dental school that would amount to around $134,797 in cost of attendance - not including cost of living. COI won't be that high.

If I get in, would dentistry still be worth it under these circumstances? I would graduate on time(4-years) at the age of 22 or 23(depending on if I take a gap year for something like TFA, Peace Corp etc). No debt from undergrad.

Would that little debt be able to counteract the effects of dental therapists, medical tourism, lower insurance reimbursements, market saturation(which will only get worse by the year), dental chains and group practices?

I would want to specialize, but I'm questioning if it's worth it anymore.

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[coolslugs]

There's an in-state dental school that would amount to around $134,797 in cost of attendance - not including cost of living. COI won't be that high.

If I get in, would dentistry still be worth it under these circumstances? I would graduate on time(4-years) at the age of 22 or 23(depending on if I take a gap year for something like TFA, Peace Corp etc). No debt from undergrad.

Would that little debt be able to counteract the effects of dental therapists, medical tourism, lower insurance reimbursements, market saturation(which will only get worse by the year), dental chains and group practices?

I would want to specialize, but I'm questioning if it's worth it anymore.

Research more about the dental profession. Talk to some real life dentists and dental students. Graduating dental school with $134,797 in debt is a bargain. Definitely worth it.

 

[lwen5]

There's an in-state dental school that would amount to around $134,797 in cost of attendance - not including cost of living. COI won't be that high.

If I get in, would dentistry still be worth it under these circumstances? I would graduate on time(4-years) at the age of 22 or 23(depending on if I take a gap year for something like TFA, Peace Corp etc). No debt from undergrad.

Would that little debt be able to counteract the effects of dental therapists, medical tourism, lower insurance reimbursements, market saturation(which will only get worse by the year), dental chains and group practices?

I would want to specialize, but I'm questioning if it's worth it anymore.

You are on the low side. Most grads will have double what you owe in terms of debt.

Let me guess, Texas resident?

 

[RedPill1785]

You are on the low side. Most grads will have double what you owe in terms of debt.

Let me guess, Texas resident?

I have coolslugs.

The thing is last year tuition was like 114k, this year it's 134k, next year it'll probably rise again. By the time I graduate in 2015 tuition may be much higher.

I'm not worried about other grads, I'm worried about myself! Glad to know it'll be manageable.

 

[sacapuntas]

I have coolslugs.

The thing is last year tuition was like 114k, this year it's 134k, next year it'll probably rise again. By the time I graduate in 2015 tuition may be much higher.

I'm not worried about other grads, I'm worried about myself! Glad to know it'll be manageable.

You are referencing tuition for all 4 years, correct?

 

[RedPill1785]

You are referencing tuition for all 4 years, correct?

Yup, all four years.

 

[Shunwei]

Yup, all four years.

You ought to include the cost of living as well to get you the full picture, and include maybe a modest increase in tuition as well. That way you have a more complete picture.

 

[Bereno]

For someone who says they have researched the dental profession, it should be clear that it is a real bargain to get in and out for about $200k (with cost of living). Its such a bargain that I know a few people reading the OP thread might be smelling a troll, just a heads up. Medical tourism is not a large issue to worry about as many have found that they are getting business fixing what was done abroad. Dental therapists are currently not taking work away from dentists, so once again, no work lost there either. Lower insurance reimbursements are a bit finicky, but if you don't take those insurances you have nothing to worry about. Long story short, most dentists could tell you the same thing I just said - if you can get in for that price, you are golden; more golden than most.

 

[RedPill1785]

You ought to include the cost of living as well to get you the full picture, and include maybe a modest increase in tuition as well. That way you have a more complete picture.

Cost of living is super cheap. My parents will be willing to cover that while I'm in school, so no worries there. My concern is tuition increase. I would be matriculating in fall 2015. This year tuition went up from 113kish total to 136kish total. Will it go up next year? How about the year after?

Bereno, no troll. So at what point would you say will it not become worth it? With the insurance reimbursements, won't market saturation force that upon new grads? What about dental chains?

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[sacapuntas]

Cost of living is super cheap. My parents will be willing to cover that while I'm in school, so no worries there. My concern is tuition increase. I would be matriculating in fall 2015. This year tuition went up from 113kish total to 136kish total. Will it go up next year? How about the year after?

Bereno, no troll. So at what point would you say will it not become worth it? With the insurance reimbursements, won't market saturation force that upon new grads? What about dental chains?

Thanks for everyone's input.

So your question is if you get into one of the cheapest dental schools and your parents pay your living expenses, will it be financially beneficial to go to dental school? Is this a question you really need help with?

 

[Daurang]

Do it because you like it and not because of the money because you'll bore out and burn out quickly even if you make the money. I remembered back in the 1995 when all the literatures were touting we'd all be swimming in gold now cause of all the old dentists retiring. No one can predict the future but looks like you got a great gig going; so jump in if that's what you want to do. If you want sure money, be a policeman instead and retire after 20 years with 90% pension/benefit in the $200K range; no need to go into massive debt.

 

[Bereno]

Cost of living is super cheap. My parents will be willing to cover that while I'm in school, so no worries there. My concern is tuition increase. I would be matriculating in fall 2015. This year tuition went up from 113kish total to 136kish total. Will it go up next year? How about the year after?

Bereno, no troll. So at what point would you say will it not become worth it? With the insurance reimbursements, won't market saturation force that upon new grads? What about dental chains?

Thanks for everyone's input.

Just as a clarification I am not saying you are a troll since I seem to give you benefit of the doubt. However, I am saying that this is a surprising enough post that many will not give you that benefit and thus throw down the troll card...

A 20% spike in tuition for a (assuming state) school is not all that worrisome after 4 years. You could literally triple that number ($136k) and still come out with less than many going to private schools. Those in the $400k+ mark have something to worry about - you do not. Please use the search feature regarding this issue since there are many great threads on this topic.

 

[Shunwei]

Do it because you like it and not because of the money because you'll bore out and burn out quickly even if you make the money. I remembered back in the 1995 when all the literatures were touting we'd all be swimming in gold now cause of all the old dentists retiring. No one can predict the future but looks like you got a great gig going; so jump in if that's what you want to do. If you want sure money, be a policeman instead and retire after 20 years with 90% pension/benefit in the $200K range; no need to go into massive debt.

My understanding of policemen compensation is that the median salary is 55k, with the top 10% of earners being ~78k. Pension-wise, pension is usually 50% of the last year of your earnings unless if you are disabled during service, which would jump the rate to 66%. So assuming a "regular" cop, the pension would only be 30k under normal circumstances. How did you come up with 200k?

And regarding money, I have to disagree with you here. While you don't want to do dentistry solely for the money (you will probably go onto the dark side soon), using the compensation as an important stimulus is fine. Even if you get burned out (and most of us will, at some point in time), you can afford to do something else. Imagine getting burned out in a field that pays like s**t, can you afford to do so?

 

[Daurang]

There was an article in the WSJ last week about cities trying to avoid the generous path of Detroit...

'The average San Jose police officer last year earned $203,211 in total compensation—more than many software engineers in Silicon Valley. The city is spending $45,263 each year per worker on pensions. Mr. Reed (mayor) notes that San Jose has boosted retirement benefits several times over the past decade. Police officers can retire at age 50 with up to 90% of their final pay.'

Of course the union will b!tch and sue and they'll probably get their way. Had I stayed in San Jose to be a police officer or continued working for GM in Fremont, I'd be retired now with a handsome pension and free Obamacare.

 

[sgv]

Had I stayed in San Jose to be a police officer or continued working for GM in Fremont, I'd be retired now with a handsome pension and free Obamacare.

...or shot and killed on the line of duty...

 

[Daurang]

...or shot and killed on the line of duty...

Half of cops death are result of traffic accident, just like 50,000 of us are killed on the road every year. It's never among the top ten most dangerous professions, falling well behind logging, fishing, driving a cab, trash collecting, farming, roofing, and truck driving. I have two friends in the San Jose PD and they bragged they don't do jack**** everyday. I checked their wage since it's public record and they do make $150K + benefits doing practically nothing. It's easier than a $500K debt and working for Smilecare or Western Dental in Norcal; most dentists quit after a few months with them.

 

[Silent Cool]

Half of cops death are result of traffic accident, just like 50,000 of us are killed on the road every year. It's never among the top ten most dangerous professions, falling well behind logging, fishing, driving a cab, trash collecting, farming, roofing, and truck driving. I have two friends in the San Jose PD and they bragged they don't do jack**** everyday. I checked their wage since it's public record and they do make $150K + benefits doing practically nothing.

Daurang, what would you suppose a typical, private practice dentist pulls down in SJ?

 

[Daurang]

Daurang, what would you suppose a typical, private practice dentist pulls down in SJ?

$10K-$50K monthly.

 

[Silent Cool]

$10K-$50K monthly.

LOL, that's a fairly broad range

 

[RedPill1785]

Just as a clarification I am not saying you are a troll since I seem to give you benefit of the doubt. However, I am saying that this is a surprising enough post that many will not give you that benefit and thus throw down the troll card...

A 20% spike in tuition for a (assuming state) school is not all that worrisome after 4 years. You could literally triple that number ($136k) and still come out with less than many going to private schools. Those in the $400k+ mark have something to worry about - you do not. Please use the search feature regarding this issue since there are many great threads on this topic.

Thanks for all the input.

Bereno, replying to you. I don't care about anyone going into private practice. Well actually I do, because won't those people be willing to accept a smaller salary? But anyways, the question has been answered. Thanks

 

[Cello]

The reason dentists can charge more in areas where police officers earn $100,000+ per year is because police officers can afford to pay more for dental treatment than they can in areas where police officers earn $50,000 per year. If dental salaries don't reflect the high cost of living in a particular region it's due to oversaturation. When firemen, cops, nurses, etc. are earning six figure salaries you can bet that dental care will be more expensive in those areas. That is, so long as there aren't too many dentists in that market.