Endodontics?

[GoBlue24]

I know endodontics is a pretty stable specialty nowadays (and for the forseeable future) with all the (minor) concerns with ortho, period, etc. But does anyone have any interest in endodontics?

I shadowed an endodontist for about 15 hours and literally all she did was root canal after root canal after root canal after root canal. Yes, some were slightly more complex and others were not, but the procedures were almost the exact same thing for all the cases. It's a pretty relaxed job and I know they get paid ALOT, however, I feel like it would get sooo boring doing the exact same thing over and over again after a while. Obviously this is my own opinion and I respect what they do but does anyone have any input on the field? Maybe some who's also shadowed an endodontist or has a different view on the field?

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[Mr. Thirsty]

I shadowed an endodontist as well, and yes it does seem like it would get boring. When I was shadowing him he talked a lot about how much of a variety I would have if I went into general dentistry. He gave a nice overview on endodontics and made it sound interesting, but you could definitely tell that he had second thoughts on his choice. This isn't to convince anyone not to go into it, because honestly there are tons of things that you could do outside of the office to keep yourself busy and your life exciting. He only did a couple root canals a day on average and was still making a ton of money. That being said, even if it did get repetitive, and boring, I feel like it could be less of a time commitment than general dentistry with the same or more financial benefits. I feel like after his 20 years of practice it is now just something that he spends a few hours a day to "get it over with" so that he can do other things. Then again, I think many other jobs that pay much less and require many more hours of work a day, have the "lets get this over with" type of attitude eventually.

 

[nad7vx]

how much do endodontists generally make?

 

[yappy]

I think the 2009 ADA survey pegged independent endodontists @ ~XXX.

EDIT: ~366k according to the 2009 ADA survey.

 

[Frank22]

Yappy do endodontists make more than orthodontists on average in your opinion?

 

[theleatherwalle]

Since when did Endos make 400K.....

Also, if you guys havn't noticed. Almost all those ADA articles state for people who are the sole owners of their practice. As in they own it! It will take you many years to pay off your practice. A more accurate example of how much dentists make would be bls.gov

Dentist are pegged at slightly under 150 under bls.gov

Endos for the most part make slightly under 300K.

Enjoy

 

[yappy]

lol. My opinion doesn't mean anything. However, according to the 2009 ADA survey they do not:

Practice Net Income:

General Practice Dentists: $233,200
Periodontists: $279,540
Orthodontists: $290,200
Pediatric Dentists: $346,070
Endodontists: $366,340
OMFS: $516,260

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

lol. My opinion doesn't mean anything. However, according to the 2009 ADA survey they do not:

Practice Net Income:

General Practice Dentists: $233,200
Periodontists: $279,540
Orthodontists: $290,200
Pediatric Dentists: $346,070
Endodontists: $366,340
OMFS: $516,260

So there are 2 places that lists average salaries for dentists and specialists. The ADA survey, which overstates the average, and the BLS, which understates the average.

The ADA is an optional survey that is biased towards dentists who have built the practice over decades and have time to do surveys. The young dentists, especially the ones working in chains, don't bother with these surveys.

The BLS averages only account for dentists who work in the public sector, and ignores the private sector dentists which make way more money. So the BLS totally understates the average salary. The BLS states that oral surgeons make around 220k for example.

The real average is in between the ADA survey and the BLS salaries.

Anyways, endodontists make tons of money. I shadowed a endodontist that makes an average of 1k for every root canal. He does around 5 a day. That's around 5k production a day. Works 4 days a week, so that's 20k/week, 80k/month and he takes 2 months off for vacation/CE a year, so that's like 800k production. 50% overhead leaves him with 400k. Sweet job. It took him 5 years to build his practice though, and during the first year, he was only doing 2k/day.

 

[Frank22]

If I recall correctly the 50% of the dentists surveyed by the ADA were older, but one has to remember that dentists make much more after paying off their practice. I wouldn't be surprised if the ADA number were somewhat understated. 400K a year is not exceptionally high for an endodontist.

 

[GoBlue24]

All I knew before putting up this post was that endodontists made the most money among specialties aside from OMFS. Anyways, does anyone else have any other thoughts or experiences on endodontics that they would not mind sharing?

 

[goffdent]

well... i'm learning endodontics right now. some parts of it are fun, but most of it just seems too repititious. I don't know how anyone could do that day in and day out without any other "Fun" work. Most endodontists don't even get to do the final restoration. aka.. you essentially don't help with esthetics. People go to you because they are in pain, or will be in pain, and it's an emergency. After you finish, you send them back to their dentist to have the filling done, or the crown placed, or the cast post/core etc.. I liken it to being an accountant... just boring repitition. * the one plus is the microscope... could totally save your back over the long haul...

 

[KentUT]

I personally think Endo is awesome. My father in law is an endodontist and I have been able to shadow him a ton . Yeah it can get a little repetitive but what fields of dentistry aren't? I mean general does a lot of different things but I would say the majority are fillings and crowns which are extremely boring to watch. In Endo, you at least get to have the occasional apico surgeries and the teeth keep you on your toes with their different # 's of canals. I don't know, maybe it just me but Endo seems WAY more interesting than ortho or general. Only specialty I think would be way more fun is oral surg.

And on another note endodontists have the ability to make a ton of money- the dentists makes the difference though. I know Endodotists that are struggling to make their bills and others who can't spend their money fast enough. Seems likes there is a wide spectrum of money making in all facets of dentistry. How aggressive the dentist is makes the difference.

Endo is SWEET!

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

I'd rather be an AWESOME expert at one thing, then okay/pretty good at a bunch of little things. That's just me though.

 

[rbmcmaha]

Endo is great for some people, miserable for others. I hate esthetic cases, dealing with labs, worrying if things are back from the lab, remembering to send lab orders out, paying lab fees (obama's medical device tax is affecting every crown/bridge/whatever we send out) dealing with patients unreasonable esthetic expectations, running around like a chicken with my head cut off doing hygiene checks in the middle of my procedures.
For me, endo or oral surgery is a better fit. I love the idea of waking up, going into the office, getting the patient out of pain, getting paid that day, and going home and not having to worry about restoring the tooth. Cone Beam CT is revolutionizing endodontics. You don't have to worry about finding canals, wondering if you missed a canal, or worrying if the PA radiolucency is healing or not. Also, Endo is on the forefront of regenerative therapy and even though its 10 or 20 years away the stuff they are working on is very exciting. OS is awesome but its 4-6 more years after dental school. Endo is 2 or 3.
For me, I'm choosing endo because I would rather start working and making money in 2 years as opposed to 4. Yeah you "basically" do the same thing over and over but the worst days I had in dental school were when I was doing a procedure for the first time or seeing a unique case that I had never seen before. I would much rather focus my efforts and become very proficient at one or two things. It just reduces my personal stress level. But again, thats just me.

 

[periopocket]

Anyone know of any endo + implant specialty programs?!