Dentistry vs. Optometry

[Romey]

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Alright, I've thinking about dentistry for the past 5 years which includes 2 years of working in a dental office, but now because of my friends, I am considering optometry.

I've got a pro and cons list below, tell me what you guys think I should do:

Dentistry cons:
1) the rumours of poor posture (leaning forward) is bad for your lower back, neck and wrists.
-I've actually talked to a number of dentist who've confirmed this. Some say go to a chiro/massage therapist, some say if you workout it's fine and other say its not a problem.

2) the obvious high stress and having to be accurate to the mm all day.

3) having to rely on your hands. So if you wake up with a sore wrist, back or neck its going to bother you all day.
-I dont mind working with my hands, its just the fact that I'm relying on them to make a living.

4) dentist make a lot of money but they also have the highest overhead. That's why dental school is twice the amount of tuition than medicine or optometry (in Canada that is...not too sure about most of you in the states). For the office that I worked in, the hygienists were getting paid $50/hr, each chair initially cost $10k, staff, building rent was $10k/month....a lot of bills.
After awhile I know it doesn't really make a difference but for the new dentist with tuition loans, the cost of marriage, a new house all adds up quickly to about >2 mil in debt. So I'm trying to say that the con is that you won't make good money till maybe 10 years of practicing. The office I worked at, the associate dentist was making $150k after 7 years of working there.

Pro: you can have dentists work under you and you can really work the business side while still doing dentistry....I believe this rarely happens in optometry.

Optomtery Pros:
-in Canada, we charge about $75/patient, and most opt. only see their patients for about 5 mins so you can easily make $300/hr.
-low stress, low overhead, insurance rates are lower

The only major con I see is that it may get very repetitive.
-------------------------------------

Just wondering what you guys think.
this to note:
-I've talked to both dentists/optometrists and every one says a different thing
-I really enjoy both fields, helping people, yada yada yada...
-Money is not really an issue...cuz i know both fields can make about the same amount.

To sum it up:
dentistry I like but its very expensive, stressful, and dangerous (working with HIV patients. On the flip side its interesting and different and can have other dentists work under you.

Optometry is less stressful, less overhead, safer, nothing life threatening. However, it may be very repetitive and I dont believe most optometrists are willing to work under you.

what do you thinks better?

 

[Meatwad]

They are totally different, and I have no interest whatsoever in optometry, so I won't bother giving my opinion.

I take issue with this, though: "in Canada, we charge about $75/patient, and most opt. only see their patients for about 5 mins so you can easily make $300/hr."

$300/hr is about $500,000 per year (with 4 weeks vacation factored in). $300 / hour would be a huge anomaly, most likely; in the US, I think they make ~$100,000 and I'd assume Canadians are making similar bank. If it was "easy," to rake in $300/hour, it'd be a hell of a lot harder to get in.

 

[ucla2134]

Alright, I've thinking about dentistry for the past 5 years which includes 2 years of working in a dental office, but now because of my friends, I am considering optometry.

I've got a pro and cons list below, tell me what you guys think I should do:

Dentistry cons:
1) the rumours of poor posture (leaning forward) is bad for your lower back, neck and wrists.
-I've actually talked to a number of dentist who've confirmed this. Some say go to a chiro/massage therapist, some say if you workout it's fine and other say its not a problem.

2) the obvious high stress and having to be accurate to the mm all day.

3) having to rely on your hands. So if you wake up with a sore wrist, back or neck its going to bother you all day.
-I dont mind working with my hands, its just the fact that I'm relying on them to make a living.

4) dentist make a lot of money but they also have the highest overhead. That's why dental school is twice the amount of tuition than medicine or optometry (in Canada that is...not too sure about most of you in the states). For the office that I worked in, the hygienists were getting paid $50/hr, each chair initially cost $10k, staff, building rent was $10k/month....a lot of bills.
After awhile I know it doesn't really make a difference but for the new dentist with tuition loans, the cost of marriage, a new house all adds up quickly to about >2 mil in debt. So I'm trying to say that the con is that you won't make good money till maybe 10 years of practicing. The office I worked at, the associate dentist was making $150k after 7 years of working there.

Pro: you can have dentists work under you and you can really work the business side while still doing dentistry....I believe this rarely happens in optometry.

Optomtery Pros:
-in Canada, we charge about $75/patient, and most opt. only see their patients for about 5 mins so you can easily make $300/hr.
-low stress, low overhead, insurance rates are lower

The only major con I see is that it may get very repetitive.
-------------------------------------

Just wondering what you guys think.
this to note:
-I've talked to both dentists/optometrists and every one says a different thing
-I really enjoy both fields, helping people, yada yada yada...
-Money is not really an issue...cuz i know both fields can make about the same amount.

To sum it up:
dentistry I like but its very expensive, stressful, and dangerous (working with HIV patients. On the flip side its interesting and different and can have other dentists work under you.

Optometry is less stressful, less overhead, safer, nothing life threatening. However, it may be very repetitive and I dont believe most optometrists are willing to work under you.

what do you thinks better?

I think you said it yourself. You like optometry better. Dentistry is stressful, expensive.....

My advice is that you should trust your gut. If you like dentistry, go for it. But if you dont like it enough to handle the stress, then you shoudnt be in this field.
I agree that optometrist is so much stress free.

 

[Fonz]

Yeah dental is more stress, 'dirtier', and a lot of overhead but there earning potential is still much more I believe.

 

[vize]

Do Optometry.

 

[Romey]

In response to Zolar Czakl (4 posts above)

Actually it is a whole lot harder to get into Optometry.
In canada, we only have 1 english optometry school (the other is french speaking) compared to about 14 dental schools.

And in the states there's only 17 schools of opt. comapraed to I'm guessing 50 dental schools.

I've heard a lot about Wal-mart taking over optometry in the states and that most optometrists have to work that fort company...not too sure.

But yeah, they can make $300/hr. as long as you have the clientèle.
I know of an optometrist here making $750k a year
And the opt. that i go to says he sees 30 patients a day at $75 an eye exam...do the math.

 

[997GT3]

I'd shoot myself if I chose optometry. What's great about being a surgeon is the satisfaction you get when a patient puts her trust in you and comes back to you for further work, even after being charged up the ass during the last visit.

 

[gochi]

$300/HR !!!

Would anyone actually go to an OD to get their eyes checked in 5 minutes !!!

Any idiot knows that it takes alot longer than 5 minutes to get a comprehensive eye exam. If Im spending 75 dollars for an exam, then I want the OD to do the BEST job possible, which should take between 30-45 minutes...

Also some CONS of optometry...

Its moving more towards the retail side, like pharmacy
US tuition 4yrs =approx 160-200k

In comparison to dentistry, optometry is more, perhaps 90% product based, while dentistry is, correct me if Im wrong, 99% service based.

Perhaps dentists should be compared with opthamologists, not optometrists ?

 

[Ething]

I dont know where you got your figures with optometry. They do not make 500K a yr. Optometry doesn't make that much if all you do is write prescriptions. The real money is in selling glasses. For this you can be an optician (or just a plain businessman). It is a waste of time to go to optometry school if you think you are going to make money by checking peoples eyes. My dad is an optometrist and he would disown me if I went into it. Obviously, its not all about the money and you have to figure out what you enjoy. But if you really enjoy the eyes and want to make good money while you're at it.....go the extra mile and get into med school and become an opthamologist.

 

[2quik]

if you really enjoy the eyes and want to make good money while you're at it.....go the extra mile and get into med school and become an opthamologist.

I agree! 👍 If you go to the optometry forums on SDN and read some of their "the way it is" threads, you'll see how (im just guessing) half of them are struggling to make ends' meet....And that's coming from some of the proclaimed well-established optometrists. Think about it, you rarely ever see anyone in the dental forums complaining about the dentistry profession or how they arent making good money to make a living.

 

[johntara04]

My father-in-law is an optometrist, and when I told him I was going into dentistry he said any health profession is better than optometry. In his eyes, optometry is a dying business.

 

[claugh]

its sounds to me like you find dentistry more intersting but youre just scared of the fact it might be more difficult and challenging. i would think that after a few years you could get used to the challenge and difficulty. plus, you can get HIV not even being a health professional if youre not careful.

another pro of dentistry, which is actually what pushed me towards it from optometry: you can specilize and there is much more room to grow!

good luck!

 

[NewMexDent]

It does sound like you personally would like optometry better, so go for that. But I have also heard that optometry is a dying profession. With lasik I would guess optometry is a very short future.

 

[DrSmiles12]

I would say, Shadow a dentist and shadow a optometrist and spend a lot of time doing both so you can see which seems to fit you better.

If your in it for just the money than why do either, do something more clever and make more money if thats what you want. Only do one or the other if your really care about the profession.

 

[vhh007]

my sister is an optometrist and she told me NOT to go into the profession. Optometry is a whole lot easier (workwise) but there are many more restraints as to what you can do and how you can practice. Could you image saying "better or worse" all day, i think not. haha

 

[DDSY]

An income of about $100,000 or slightly less is more reasonable for an optometrist. Actually, it's not a bad field. The stress level doesn't seem too high and it's seems like a satisfying career--you rarely have to deal with bad outcomes. . . just get the person the right glasses or contacts prescription and walah he/she can see. . . I would say that dentistry is harder to attain and the quality of living for an optometrist is probably slightly better, though dentistry is a slightly more prestigious field (from my subjective viewpoint):

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/best_careers_2007/careertable.htm

Of course, this is a dental forum, and thus you'd get slightly biased opinions. However, that said, I still prefer dentistry over optometry. There is a certain degree of creativity, business aspect, manual dexterity, income potential, and just like optometry, the ability to help others about dentistry---in short, dentistry blends art, science and people skills, a very satisfying combination indeed for a career. Plus, I don't like physics (lenses = concavity, convexity. . . 👎thumbdown)

 

[Fonz]

I dont know where you got your figures with optometry. They do not make 500K a yr. Optometry doesn't make that much if all you do is write prescriptions. The real money is in selling glasses. For this you can be an optician (or just a plain businessman). It is a waste of time to go to optometry school if you think you are going to make money by checking peoples eyes. My dad is an optometrist and he would disown me if I went into it. Obviously, its not all about the money and you have to figure out what you enjoy. But if you really enjoy the eyes and want to make good money while you're at it.....go the extra mile and get into med school and become an opthamologist.

yes good one. I was thinking that myself too as I was walking in the mall and saw a private optometry business and a Lenscrafters. I was thinking how can the private compete? As far as selection and price im sure the big name corporations have the little guys beat. As far as Romey saying optometrists make more money than dentists well here in the US wouldn't say so. I mean OD's are locked in the 75-90$ an eye exam where as dentists have big ticket services that can reach 1k

 

[dynein]

I love Canada!

Dentistry can be repetitive, too. Maybe that's a factor in the high suicide rates in dentistry? Probably. The big question I see is the business one. Would you rather be involved in a big business? If that is the case, then you'd have to collaborate with other people and deal with them. If you had your practice, then you wouldn't have to deal with anyone.. I guess it depends on what type of person you are.

 

[johntara04]

I would say that dentistry is harder to attain and the quality of living for an optometrist is probably slightly better, though dentistry is a slightly more prestigious field (from my subjective viewpoint):

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/best_careers_2007/careertable.htm

With the average dentist making almost double what the average optometrist makes, I would say the quality of living for a dentist is twice that of an optometrist.

 

[DDSY]

With the average dentist making almost double what the average optometrist makes, I would say the quality of living for a dentist is twice that of an optometrist.

I actually read some of the threads in the optometry forum. It seems like a lot of people worry about paying off their loans. Even a pretty seasoned optometrist wanted to switch profession. Hmmm. . . .

 

[evlyann]

With this new Lasic Eye surgery craze, my OD has cut his days from 6 days a week to 4 because he says he does not have the same patient load as he did ten years ago. Just my 0.02$. GL with ur decision.

 

[xenomblack]

Obviously, you've put enough of your time and effort to look both sides of professions.

Shadowed enough doctors, etc.

I've been in the same boat about a year ago, trying to decide which one to choose between optometry and dentistry.

I chose dentistry, because
1) Optometry is a dying profession.
2) Optometry seems to require alot of patience when practicing, because they look at a small hole all day long trying to find some errors on retina.
3) The amount of time and effort I put in applying for dental school was too great to be ignored.

I can understand your point of view about high stress level as a dentist, and having to rely on your hands for living.
But any profession will be stressful one way the other.
I think it is fortunate for dentists to have backproblems as one of physical problems they encounter. You see other jobs, physicians for example, suffer more severe physical damages. Physicians don't get to sleep regular hours, many of them have terrible marriage going on, etc. Physicians' are going to make alot of money have alot of respect from the others.
But look very carefully in choosing the profession you go into.. that's all I can say.

I personally think working out on your backmuscles for better posture, but have a quality family relationship, and low-mid 100 thousand salary would be good enough of a motivator for me to study everyday during school years.

Anyways, good luck!

 

[Pyriots]

I used to work in Optometry and a Dentist as well and I can tell you they are VERY different.
First off, our optometrist charged a lot more than the others in the area (which he was justified in doing bc he was much more knowledgable and provided better service than our neighbors, namely "walmart" and other cheap O.D.s). He was very efficient and high paced but only spending 5 minutes with a patient is a disservice to your field. I would be very angry if I went to a doctor and just got 5 min. The optometry practice was also an associateship and it is very easy to find other O.Ds to work for/under you. They also have high overhead with technicians and front desk and recently, vision insurance and the paperwork that comes with it have increased drastically. In five minutes, any idiot tech could run an autorefraction and get a glasses Rx but your job would be a LOT more than that if you plan on being a GOOD optometrist. Also, I one of the most important factors to keep in mind about optometry is that the business model is VERY different than dentistry or medicine. It varies by state however most doctors offices are associated, in the patients mind an in advertisement if not legally, with an optical office like Perl Vision, JCPenny, Lenscrafters, etc. Despite what your contract might say, they play a HUGE part in how you run your business. There are very few successfull independent optometry practices that don't fall in this model, mainly due to advertisement, convenience, and the lower cost of bulk sales. You would have more independence, and more risk as well, as an independent dentist. Optometrist are not as well respected in my experience either, whether or not they deserve it. They see more walk in traffic and lose a lot of money on low "allowable fees" implemented by insurance companies that haven't updated their fee tables in years. I really enjoyed working with O.D's bc they were very good people but if you're under the impression that its less stress, less cost, and less hassle, I can tell you right now thats only true in low budget, low service, routine only practices.
Dentists get more respect educationally speaking but people don't take their teeth as seriously as their eyes. Its generally considered a less enjoyable experience as well (compare an extraction to an intraocular pressure check, neither of which are actually painful when done properly but both have bad reps). I'd also like to point out that of my three direct family members who are dentists, only one even has a hygienist and the two that don't see higher patient volumes and make more money. You dont HAVE to pay 50/hr for hygienist. I know its not all that exciting to do your own fluoride treatments but you should know how to do them and its very practical to run the clinical aspect of your office alone for the first few years of practice. As far as discomfort, you don't bend quite as far as an O.D compared to a D.D.S but you definitely spend a lot of time bent in front of the phoroptor.
Anyway, this post has gotten extremely long but feel free to PM me with questions.