Dentistry specialist outlook

[vividvirgo]

I'm a premed student at the moment but have thought about doing dentistry at some point or another (mainly due to myself and my family's issues with teeth) and have become interested in orthodontics. I've read recently that the dentist market has become a little oversaturated in certain parts of the country and was wondering what the future might hold for dental specialists (in particular orthodontists) and if there will be a demand for their services within the next 20 years or so. What do you guys think? Am I being misinformed or is their some validity to this? Also, would it be difficult to find a job? Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mike3kgt]

I'm a premed student at the moment but have thought about doing dentistry at some point or another (mainly due to myself and my family's issues with teeth) and have become interested in orthodontics. I've read recently that the dentist market has become a little oversaturated in certain parts of the country and was wondering what the future might hold for dental specialists (in particular orthodontists) and if there will be a demand for their services within the next 20 years or so. What do you guys think? Am I being misinformed or is their some validity to this? Also, would it be difficult to find a job? Thanks

Gasp! Another pre-med who is looking at the dental route to get into ortho? Maybe looking for the easy way out of getting into "tougher" residencies like derm or plastics?

Go to dental school with the intention of being a *great* general dentist. If you love bending wires to no end and reading cephs, then apply to ortho.

 

[Michael Scarn]

Gasp! Another pre-med who is looking at the dental route to get into ortho? Maybe looking for the easy way out of getting into "tougher" residencies like derm or plastics?

Go to dental school with the intention of being a *great* general dentist. If you love bending wires to no end and reading cephs, then apply to ortho.

You're dumb.

 

[OG1]

Go to dental school with the intention of being a *great* general dentist. If you love bending wires to no end and reading cephs, then apply to ortho.

This advice drives me crazy. If you go to dental school with the intention of doing ortho or any other specialty, you'll be more likely to get in. Maybe it's naive to go in set on a specialty, but it's also naive thinking the intention of being a "great general dentist" gets you good grades in science classes.

Virgo, it's a tough subject to summarize. I'm just a lowly resident, but my take is that there are too many orthodontists coming out of school, and with new advances in orthodontics (Invisalign, SureSmile) the ability of general dentists to do ortho is only going to increase. It's a fantastic specialty for lifestyle, but orthodontists are facing increased competition every year. Plus, in an economic downturn, a cosmetic procedure like ortho is going to get put off, so it's easier to face a hit during those times. When you come out of school you'll likely have a pile of debt, so it's not a golden paved road. But the potential to do extremely well and to have a less stressful lifestyle is there.

 

[vividvirgo]

This advice drives me crazy. If you go to dental school with the intention of doing ortho or any other specialty, you'll be more likely to get in. Maybe it's naive to go in set on a specialty, but it's also naive thinking the intention of being a "great general dentist" gets you good grades in science classes.

Virgo, it's a tough subject to summarize. I'm just a lowly resident, but my take is that there are too many orthodontists coming out of school, and with new advances in orthodontics (Invisalign, SureSmile) the ability of general dentists to do ortho is only going to increase. It's a fantastic specialty for lifestyle, but orthodontists are facing increased competition every year. Plus, in an economic downturn, a cosmetic procedure like ortho is going to get put off, so it's easier to face a hit during those times. When you come out of school you'll likely have a pile of debt, so it's not a golden paved road. But the potential to do extremely well and to have a less stressful lifestyle is there.

Thank you for the advice. I at least have a sense of what the future of orthodontics wil hold for the next few years. How will other specialties like peri or prosthodontics fare? Also, what other dental specialties will we see a demand in(if any)?

 

[charlestweed]

Go to dental school with the intention of being a *great* general dentist. If you love bending wires to no end and reading cephs, then apply to ortho.

This actually was my original intention when I first started dental school. Because of the P/F curriculum, there was no point for me to try to be on top of my class….honor passes were meaningless at our school. It was not very hard stay above the bottom10% and passed every class. However, I still studied very hard because I didn’t want to just pass every class and to be just an average general dentist.

At the end of my 2nd year, I came to realize that it was very stressful doing general dentistry and there was a huge problem with oversaturation of general dentists in Southern Calif. Therefore, I decided to specialize in ortho…and endo was my backup plan.

Back to the original topic. Having practiced orthodontics for 10 years, I can tell you that the demand for ortho treatments has not dropped. The problem with this specialty is the over-supply of orthodontists due to the addition of more new ortho programs….and older orthodontists don’t retire.

 

[mike3kgt]

This actually was my original intention when I first started dental school. Because of the P/F curriculum, there was no point for me to try to be on top of my class….honor passes were meaningless at our school. It was not very hard stay above the bottom10% and passed every class. However, I still studied very hard because I didn’t want to just pass every class and to be just an average general dentist.

At the end of my 2nd year, I came to realize that it was very stressful doing general dentistry and there was a huge problem with oversaturation of general dentists in Southern Calif. Therefore, I decided to specialize in ortho…and endo was my backup plan.

Back to the original topic. Having practiced orthodontics for 10 years, I can tell you that the demand for ortho treatments has not dropped. The problem with this specialty is the over-supply of orthodontists due to the addition of more new ortho programs….and older orthodontists don’t retire.

Extremely valid reasons for doing ortho. It's also important to know that if you matriculate in dental school and do not cut it academically or hand skills wise, general dentistry is an excellent career as "a back-up." It's like saying that you're going to med school ONLY to become a dermatologist. That's insanity and ludicrous. It's certainly OK to say that's what your goal is in life, but it's another to think somebody is "dumb" to recommend that you be happy being "just a general dentist."

It would be devastating emotionally and financially to be stuck in the position of hating your job without a backup and not having the marks to get into ortho anywhere. Do some legitimate research OP, rather than focusing upon SDN before making serious life-changing choices.

 

[DrReo]

How difficult is it to get into the ortho programs where tuition is 50-75k/yr for 3 years? That may be an expensive option who want to take the financial burden!

 

[flapaTron]

How difficult is it to get into the ortho programs where tuition is 50-75k/yr for 3 years? That may be an expensive option who want to take the financial burden!

with the slew of new ortho programs opening up it's gradually becoming a little easier.

 

[PharmaTope]

How difficult is it to get into the ortho programs where tuition is 50-75k/yr for 3 years? That may be an expensive option who want to take the financial burden!

wait you have to pay to do ortho? i thought it was a residency where you get cheap pay during that time to learn like in medicine.

 

[ToldYouSo]

wait you have to pay to do ortho? i thought it was a residency where you get cheap pay during that time to learn like in medicine.

Maybe there are some programs that pay you a stipend, but I'm sure that many programs are aware of the fact that orthos will make very good money and thus charge tuition accordingly.

 

[Tooth]

Extremely valid reasons for doing ortho. It's also important to know that if you matriculate in dental school and do not cut it academically or hand skills wise, general dentistry is an excellent career as "a back-up." It's like saying that you're going to med school ONLY to become a dermatologist. That's insanity and ludicrous. It's certainly OK to say that's what your goal is in life, but it's another to think somebody is "dumb" to recommend that you be happy being "just a general dentist."

It would be devastating emotionally and financially to be stuck in the position of hating your job without a backup and not having the marks to get into ortho anywhere. Do some legitimate research OP, rather than focusing upon SDN before making serious life-changing choices.

It's not ridiculous dude. I "only" went to college to get into dental school. I "only" went to dental school in Cleveland to get that degree. I "only" joined the military to get more experience before opening a practice of my own. These types of decisions are called "stepping stones". They are a means to an end. When one sets high goals, it helps them burn through the stepping stones. Don't tell me you've never had a stepping stone.

 

[charlestweed]

It's not ridiculous dude. I "only" went to college to get into dental school. I "only" went to dental school in Cleveland to get that degree. I "only" joined the military to get more experience before opening a practice of my own. These types of decisions are called "stepping stones". They are a means to an end. When one sets high goals, it helps them burn through the stepping stones. Don't tell me you've never had a stepping stone.

There are differences between college and dental school. It costs less to attend college (sometimes it’s free if you have grants and scholarships). The workload is less in college (3-4 classes per quarter/semester). The average cost for dental school is between $250k-300k and you have to spend 8-10 hours a day to attend classes and do lab works….it is a huge investment. I think it is foolish to spend so much $$$, time, and effort to go to dental school so you can specialize in ortho after dental school.

I was lucky to attend a dental school that gives every student the opportunity to specialize. What if the OP had to go to dental school like USC, where they don’t care if students can’t graduate on time? What if the OP had poor hand skills and did poorly in pre-clinical classes?

 

[Tooth]

There are differences between college and dental school. It costs less to attend college (sometimes it's free if you have grants and scholarships). The workload is less in college (3-4 classes per quarter/semester). The average cost for dental school is between $250k-300k and you have to spend 8-10 hours a day to attend classes and do lab works….it is a huge investment. I think it is foolish to spend so much $$$, time, and effort to go to dental school so you can specialize in ortho after dental school.

I was lucky to attend a dental school that gives every student the opportunity to specialize. What if the OP had to go to dental school like USC, where they don't care if students can't graduate on time? What if the OP had poor hand skills and did poorly in pre-clinical classes?

Dental school is expensive. If you can only get into an expensive school, go through the military. Yes, that's one more stepping stone. But you set your goal and go for it. So what if he has poor hand skills in pre-clinical classes. If his goal is ortho, he will compensate in other areas. If his grades suck, just stay in the military longer. Sooner or later, they will let him be an orthodontist if that's what he really wants. All that really matters is how much you want your goal and how much you are willing to work/pay for it. There's no problem keeping the end in sight at all times.

As far as college work load being less, I would have to say that depends. It was all downhill for me in dental school. College was the hardest thing I have ever done. I worked my "a" off for that 3.43 gpa. Dental school was a breeeeeeze by comparison.