General dentists now earn more than doctors

BU Medical Sciences
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There are lots of doctors that make over a million, and I would think that most make around 500k or so in private practice. Dentists might make as much as a normal internist working at a hospital and some specialized dentists make more, but for the most part doctors make a lot more.

my dad has an insurance company so i know all about what kind of compensation a doctor makes. he has many kinds of coverage, i don't know the specifics nor do i care, but he does give me advice and stuff. of course, there isn't as much money in medicine as a private business, but there is enough to live a very good lifestyle. ANd derms don't make the most...they have the best lifestyle, but the specialities you'd expect to make a whole lot of money do. Of course, they work harder.

a specialist winds up getting 1000 bucks or so for every patient that visits, more if they do procedures and less if they just do testing. A doc sees about 10- 20 patients a day a couple days a week, and the other days they do procedures or whatever. They have 2-3 employees that make less than 100k a year together. A lease won't be more than 4-6 grand. There are other expenses, but on the whole medicine is still very profitable. If it weren't i wouldn't be allowed to do it at all.

Dentists make good money and work less. But don't get it mixed up. And there are not many orthodontists out there, its like getting a derm residency. Neurosurgeons make a whole lot.

If you don't think so, look at classfied ads for doctors. Most offer specialists pay from 300 to 450k a year starting, and that is low considering that the only reason they hire you is so they can make even more money.

It would be sad if dentists made more. Fortunately, that is not the case.
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I think that when you compare the amount of stress doctors have and the amount of training and responsibility they have to that of dentists (even though dentists can make a lot of $), dentists have a pretty good situation. My mom and aunt are both dentists and pressured me to go into dentistry for 4 years of college. It's definitely true that a lot of dentists don't work nearly as much as some doctors (my dad is a surgeon who works 70-80 hrs/week). So you have a better lifestyle. Dentists don't get paged in the middle of the night and have to go into the hospital at 4am like some specialists do. And it was already mentioned that malpractice is lower. But it just didn't interest me to do dentistry, so I'm going with med school because I'm going to be much happier from the standpoint that medicine just plain interests me a lot more. Just my thoughts on this issue...
 
aphistis said:
I'm glad your dad does so well, but if his overhead is nearly 80%, he REALLY needs to examine his office practices. He's pissing away a ton more money than he needs to.
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The poster that you are talking about said his pops took home 250k after taxes. That is a salary of about 450k/yr, no? That would mean his overhead is not nearly 80%, but still high, I would say.
 
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I disagree with you, bearpaw. I think you're overlooking some important distinctions between the practice of dentistry and that of medicine, as well as the difference between gross and net income. The fact of the matter is that dentists work fewer hours than doctors, yet the former makes as much, if not more than the latter. The average general dentist works 4 days/wk, which translates into 40 hrs./wk of professional activity; moreover, a typical general dentist will gross approximately $400,000/yr and net around $200,000 (obviously there is a tremendous range in income for general practitioners, depending on practice arrangements, business savvy of the dentist, etc., but I already commented on this issue in a previous post). The only specialty in medicine that is remotely comparable to general dentistry, in terms of number of hours worked and compensation, is dermatology. The average dermatologist works 42 hrs/wk and nets around $200,000/yr. However, it's important to keep in mind that dermatologists have to undergo 3 postgraduate years of training, whereas general dentists need only complete dental school, which is four years. General dentists and generalist physicians differ considerably from the vantage point of income per hour--generalists in medicine, with few exceptions, have to work their butts off to net 200K/yr. The average generalist in medicine works well over 50 hrs/wk.

The difference in lifestyle and earning potential is particularly striking in the case of specialists. While it is true that many medical specialists make enormous amounts of money, this fact overlooks the number of hours that they work per week. A typical neurosurgeon can gross over a million dollars/yr and net approximately $500,000/yr; but do you know how hard neurosurgeons work? These guys' schedules are truly backbreaking--they work 100 hr weeks, and that's no exaggeration. They work their asses off. Consider another example: cardiologists make a lot of money (depending on the subspecialty--interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, etc.--and a number of other factors such as location, cardiologists can net anywhere from $250,000/yr to $600,000/yr), but they have to work so hard to earn this much. I used to volunteer at a heart hospital, and pretty much every cardiologist on staff, including the senior attendings, worked approximately 80 hrs/wk. Many of them slept at the hospital a couple of nights every week. So many of the lucrative medical specialties are like cardiology and neurosurgery--long, hard work schedules to earn a lot of money.

The profiles of medical specialties starkly contrast those of dental specialties. The average orthodontist works 32 hrs/wk (it's a fact) and will NET $420,000/yr. Endodontics is the same way--most endodontists only work 3 days a week, which translates into approximately 30 hrs/wk; yet they're net income is outrageous, well over $300,000/yr. I won't even bring up the figures for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, those guys make some serious bank.

The bottom line is that YOU SHOULDN'T GO INTO MEDICINE FOR THE LIFESTYLE, because there are better options out there, including dentistry. The training period for dentistry is shorter, regardless of specialty, and the net earning potential is considerably higher, a fact that translates into a more comfortable lifestyle overall.




I don't doubt the fact that many doctors produce close to a million dollars of income, the problem is the NET income and other overhead costs. The fact of the matter is that doctors contribute a significantly higher proportion of their income to malpractice premiums than dentists. Moreover, medical specialists tend to have much higher premiums than generalists (e.g., orthopaedic surgeons often have malpractice insurance that costs them more than 100 grand/yr); so the monetary benefit of specializing is somewhat offset by the higher liability incurred. The overhead for physicians tends to be higher also, in part because medicine is much more of a team effort than dentistry--a lot of nurses, assistants, etc., are involved in the care of a patient and this ancillary staff has to get paid.

Most general surgeons gross around a million dollars, BUT they only take home around 200K/yr. on average (before taxes)--that's a good indicator of just how much overhead and malpractice insurance cuts into the take-home income of medical doctors.

Doctors used to make more than dentists, but that's not the case anymore.
 
elias514 said:
I disagree with you, bearpaw. I think you're overlooking some important distinctions between the practice of dentistry and that of medicine, as well as the difference between gross and net income. The fact of the matter is that dentists work fewer hours than doctors, yet the former makes as much, if not more than the latter. The average general dentist works 4 days/wk, which translates into 40 hrs./wk of professional activity; moreover, a typical general dentist will gross approximately $400,000/yr and net around $200,000 (obviously there is a tremendous range in income for general practitioners, depending on practice arrangements, business savvy of the dentist, etc., but I already commented on this issue in a previous post). The only specialty in medicine that is remotely comparable to general dentistry, in terms of number of hours worked and compensation, is dermatology. The average dermatologist works 42 hrs/wk and nets around $200,000/yr. However, it's important to keep in mind that dermatologists have to undergo 3 postgraduate years of training, whereas general dentists need only complete dental school, which is four years. General dentists and generalist physicians differ considerably from the vantage point of income per hour--generalists in medicine, with few exceptions, have to work their butts off to net 200K/yr. The average generalist in medicine works well over 50 hrs/wk.

The difference in lifestyle and earning potential is particularly striking in the case of specialists. While it is true that many medical specialists make enormous amounts of money, this fact overlooks the number of hours that they work per week. A typical neurosurgeon can gross over a million dollars/yr and net approximately $500,000/yr; but do you know how hard neurosurgeons work? These guys' schedules are truly backbreaking--they work 100 hr weeks, and that's no exaggeration. They work their asses off. Consider another example: cardiologists make a lot of money (depending on the subspecialty--interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, etc.--and a number of other factors such as location, cardiologists can net anywhere from $250,000/yr to $600,000/yr), but they have to work so hard to earn this much. I used to volunteer at a heart hospital, and pretty much every cardiologist on staff, including the senior attendings, worked approximately 80 hrs/wk. Many of them slept at the hospital a couple of nights every week. So many of the lucrative medical specialties are like cardiology and neurosurgery--long, hard work schedules to earn a lot of money.

The profiles of medical specialties starkly contrast those of dental specialties. The average orthodontist works 32 hrs/wk (it's a fact) and will NET $420,000/yr. Endodontics is the same way--most endodontists only work 3 days a week, which translates into approximately 30 hrs/wk; yet they're net income is outrageous, well over $300,000/yr. I won't even bring up the figures for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, those guys make some serious bank.

The bottom line is that YOU SHOULDN'T GO INTO MEDICINE FOR THE LIFESTYLE, because there are better options out there, including dentistry. The training period for dentistry is shorter, regardless of specialty, and the net earning potential is considerably higher, a fact that translates into a more comfortable lifestyle overall.




I don't doubt the fact that many doctors produce close to a million dollars of income, the problem is the NET income and other overhead costs. The fact of the matter is that doctors contribute a significantly higher proportion of their income to malpractice premiums than dentists. Moreover, medical specialists tend to have much higher premiums than generalists (e.g., orthopaedic surgeons often have malpractice insurance that costs them more than 100 grand/yr); so the monetary benefit of specializing is somewhat offset by the higher liability incurred. The overhead for physicians tends to be higher also, in part because medicine is much more of a team effort than dentistry--a lot of nurses, assistants, etc., are involved in the care of a patient and this ancillary staff has to get paid.

Most general surgeons gross around a million dollars, BUT they only take home around 200K/yr. on average (before taxes)--that's a good indicator of just how much overhead and malpractice insurance cuts into the take-home income of medical doctors.

Doctors used to make more than dentists, but that's not the case anymore.
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i don't know a single doctor making 200k a year. in my family's social circle or whatever, no one can only be making that much. does your father only make that much? do you know anyone personally? because all the doctors i know make significantly more. my father has the same accountant as many doctors we know as well and he told me about their incomes, and this accountant is like my dad's friend (wonder why haha).

and general surgeon's only bring home 200k before taxes? that is way too extreme. look at classified ads for docs, they over starting salaries over 350 starting, including malpractice. in business, if you hire someone, you only do so because they cna make YOU a profit. Clearly, the guy hiring him is getting some financial incentive to do so and can still pay his hiree 350k and benefits and malpractice.

medicine is a noble profession for sure. but it can also be a lucrative one. every year doctors raise their rates and they get compensated more. i asked my dad and he confirmed this...he certainly knows better than you, as his board does oversee all this. i also believe my father's accountant. my aunt was a surgical chief at JHU and my uncle has a big position at mount sinai tell me how much doctors can and do make. and the father/cardiologist that wants to hook me up with his daughter is very frank to me too (about me doing cards and how great his fugly daughter is). one of my closest friends, who is also going to med school, keeps me informed about the business state medicine through his father's internal medicine practice that makes near one mill a year. my best friend's mom is an immunoligist who makes over 250 k a year, works only a couple hours a day, and just got a raise. These are anecdotal, but nothing in my life's experience has convinced me of otherwise. All my friends at school who had doctor parents were very well off, if owning several 100k cars means you're well off (purchased by people who don't value status symbols mind you. when indians buy expensive things, its because the money means little to them, as indians tend to save and spend much less aggressively than americans). my dentist makes 400 k a year (he told me this, and judging by what he charges for a cleaning, i believe it, haha) but even he wants to make his kids doctors, and indian parents care more about their kids ability to make money than whether or not the work is "intellectually stimulating".

anyway, you can make a little if you want to.
 
bearpaw said:
i don't know a single doctor making 200k a year.
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You also live in DC. Try coming out to Utah, where it is realistic
 
After reading this thread, I've decided that when I go in for my dental cleaning on Friday, I'm gonna eat a whole bag of Oreos right before I go in.

Maybe scarf down a few garlic stuffed jalepenos after that too....
 
Bearpaw, my overall point was essentially that dentists have a greater NET income/hr. than doctors, NOT that doctors don't make a lot of money. Both dentists and physicians earn substantial amounts of money, it's just that dentists on average work LESS and the earn the same or more than their physician counterparts. It sucks ass, but it's true. My point has both an anecdotal (my dad, his friends, and my family members who are either dentists or physicians) and a statistical basis (information from the web and various books that I've read about medical and dental specialties, e.g., How to Choose a Medical Specialty).

And, by the way, I start medical school in the fall, so I'm not a biased, pre-dent. I wish doctors made more money. I certainly think that doctors fully deserve very high incomes, because the training is so protracted and rigorous, not to mention the fact that the average medical student incurs approximately $100,000 of debt. I guess our (we pre-meds, that is) only hope is that health care reforms are on the horizon--managed care needs to go and something needs to be done about the malpractice insurance crisis. With reforms, the golden age of medicine might be restored, in which case doctors will once again earn what they deserve (which is more than dentists' earning potential).
 
To refer back to the suicide "myth" that I brought up- I haven't seen any statistic about dentists having the #1 highest suicide rate; however, it is a proven fact that people in positions like dentists (where you have alot of freedom- no boss to answer to) have higher suicide rates. I can look for the study if no one believes this. With that said, doctors in private practice probably have a similar rate.

As far as salaries being an issue with the medical profession, the medical profession is still a high paying one. Making 200k is still good money (unless you live in San Francisco.) Doctors do deserve more money but I don't think they all need to be rollin down the street in an Enzo. As people are pointing out on this thread- there is nothing wrong with the gross earnings. In increasing doctor salaries, the liability costs should be dropped.

Bearpaw- what do the primary care docs earn?

and in general- shouldnt location of a practice be important here when comparing salaries of "people you know"? I mean a dentist in Mill Valley CA will probably earn alot more than one in Montana.
 
Arktik said:
how about Vets?

veterinarians-- pet owners love their animals, no malpractice, cash business and if you live in LA or NYC or other big city you can make some big bucks... best part...

I think their salaries trend higher than what was reported in that chart... but then again individual cases may vary, in any profession!
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Yes a Vet in LA area can make in excess of $500k a year... that's where I'd be but I can't stick thermometers up a dog's ass everyday.
 
There's something else that I'd like to add to this conversation: my dad once told me that dentists and physicians don't get rich due to their professional work per se. On the contrary, dentists and doctors get rich from their investments, which suggests that economic success is largely dependent on business savvy not various professional factors (e.g., reimbursement rates for procedures). This piece of advice, of course, is partly why anecdotal evidence for the income of physicians is inherently flawed--we don't know about the physicians' investment history and portfolios. For all we know, the family with 100K cars that bearpaw mentioned had a particularly lucrative investment portfolio, inherited a huge sum of money or some choice real estate...who the hell knows?
 
elias514 said:
There's something else that I'd like to add to this conversation: my dad once told me that dentists and physicians don't get rich due to their professional work per se. On the contrary, dentists and doctors get rich from their investments, which suggests that economic success is largely dependent on business savvy not various professional factors (e.g., reimbursement rates for procedures). This piece of advice, of course, is partly why anecdotal evidence for the income of physicians is inherently flawed--we don't know about the physicians' investment history and portfolios. For all we know, the family with 100K cars that bearpaw mentioned had a particularly lucrative investment portfolio, inherited a huge sum of money or some choice real estate...who the hell knows?
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Yeah that is something to consider- especially the inheritance part. I know someone going into med school that is getting everything paid for by his dad who's an internalist. He will likely inherit his dad's practice as well. Doesn't really apply to those of us that have to make it on our own.
 
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in case i don't respond anymore, its because i got sick partying too hard so i might die, haha. i look kind of strong, but i am so so weak i can't handle anything.

i have some bookmarks with average saleries i got a long time ago:

http://www.physicianssearch.com/physician/salary2.html
http://www.allied-physicians.com/salary_surveys/physician-salaries.htm

these are after malpractice. i know a lot of docs work many hours, but i am pretty sure most work about 60 a week, including rounds and stuff. i think any job that pays over 400k requires you to work at least that much. working as a doctor is not like moving bricks, you just have to be lucid, not breaking your back. my aunt who did a 9 year surgical residency at JHU recently told me it was a lot of hours, as you would expect, but she did get weekends off. Not everyone is a complete psycho gunner like her either.

i think if you want to kill yourself in medicine by working hard, you can do that really easily. but if you want to make a low key life, with a practice and all, its not hard to do. residency will be tough in no matter what, but actual practice is not that bad if you decide it not to be. the people that kill themeselves with work are also raking it in usually.

anyway, i don't really care that much about the money, i am really lucky in many ways, but still, i want don't like the way premeds here advocate the notion that medicine is a dead end financially. i think all people studying medicine should be proactive on making more income instead of the mentality "this is the way it is...if you don't like medicine for the sheer beauty of it, get out." Doctors, medical student, resident's should be active in their fight for fair compensation.

Demorcrats fight against tort reform because they are funded by trial lawyers. They also are against having a panel of doctors evaluate malpractice cases because they prefer having joe shmo doing it. Insurance companies would rather pay off 200k to some jerk who is suing than risk losing 4 million. This is the stuff that needs to be reformed. I think these changes will happen, as we're not going to stand for it. If insurance does not pay my bill, i'm sending it home to my patients. That might not work if you're a primary doc because you need to have people coming in over and over, but if you're a surgeon it could. If they don't pay it, that is on THEIR credit (i think people forget that you HAVE to pay bills, no matter who writes them, unless you don't care about having credit).

If a job at a hospital does not pay enough, people will open their own practice. Thats the bottom line. There is not an excess of healthcare in this country, as people in PA are finding out.

I think the older generation does not care enough to work to fix medicine as their careers are almost over, but i feel in our time that medicine will be fine. No profession in this country is marginalized over time, and medicine will not be either. Unless people are willing to work for much less, and i don't know about you, but i am not. When people get sick of the lowered quality of healthcare, things will change. That is the nature of capitalism, as something better will come along. Paying doctors less will work, if YOU take it. If things get too bad, i would not be surprised to see doctors strike in some form or another. Salaries go up in this country, no doubt. My parents parents will be spending a half a million bucks on my education by the time i am finished. I won't be working for a 200k a year. That is an insult.
 
Sorry, this may sound like a naive question....but if cardiologists, neurosurgeons etc are working 60 hrs/wk for $400,000, couldn't they half their hours and cut their pay? What I mean is, it seems hours like that are the result of a will to work that much, not a requirement.

As for dentists making more than doctors.......since dentistry is still more of a cottage industry with most dentists in private practice, it stands to reason that some would be really, very successful. But since it's only be recently that physician salary has been surpassed by dental salaries, it is a sign that HMOs are really eating into physician salary.

But I believe this country's physician won't stand for seeing continued decreased reimbursement, there will either be a decrease in providers, or in the quality of students, or there will be something done to stem the money flow.

As for dentists making money etc, well, if i was a dental student, I would be worried that society will deem dentistry to be a necessity and regulate it to the extent that it has been done in medicine. I disagree with the assertion that a more cohesive group such as dentistry will prevent it simplying by putting their foot down. Medicine, for all it's problems, has not been effective against the HMOs and insurance companies, even AFTER it's seen its effect and the medical lobby is the second most powerful lobbying group. If society decides dentistry to be a right, rather than a luxury, systems will develop to widen access to dentistry.

Society wants less restriction to health care and has found it, and have consider any perceived decrease in quality to be acceptable (thus far). Eventually, if things do continue to go downhill, some providers will start asking for cash upfront or quality or perhaps patient care will begin to suffer. Whatever happens, society will decide at a point they do not want to sacrifice quality for money and will rectifiy that.

My point is, sometimes, there is no way to stem the tide no matter how much we dont' want it, but our system is self-correcting. Artificially high salaries will not be maintained, whether in dentistry or medicine, if there is a demand for lower salaried services, there WILL be a way to find it. When society deems the cost (lower quality service) to be too low, salaries will raise (new system of reimbursement).
 
kinetic said:
Hey, the solution is simple. We just have to start organizing rallies about all the people who can't get dental care and demand universal dental care. Then we would force dentists to treat any and all comers and reimburse them a fraction of the cost to see indigent patients.

I can't wait for the health care system to collapse under its socialist weight. Thanks to our ******ed system, we have chased all the best physicians into ***** specialties like dermatology and cosmetic surgery, where the money is. Whatever. Welcome to the People's Republic of America.

P.S. If being a plumber leads to instant fortune, why don't you go be a plumber? Everyone always like to talk crap about how the top two highest paid professions in America are 1) plumber and 2) auto mechanics. Yet for some reason people aren't mobbing these jobs. Go figure.
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Heh... some plumbers and automechanics do make very good money that affords a nice lifestyle. Just as some denists do. I have both in my family and having done both for 2 summers I can tell you why. You obviously have never worked as a plumber or automechanic. The reason people aren't "mobbing" these jobs are because they are physically tough and grueling! It is a workout to workout side all day and dig holes, cut and sand pipe, and make it all fit into a house. It is a lot of work working on cars as well. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be working this physically hard when I am 50.

Another thing is that to do financially well in both jobs you must own your own business which means you have to have great people skills and street smarts. To be successful as a plumber you have to know the right building contractors to get those million dollar homes that have 40,000 worth of plumbing in them. Not only must you have people skills with customers, but more important of all with the builders and electricians. Its all about who you know. The average plumber or automechanic only make a moderate income.

Although I do not know how much my dad makes, I know that as a plumber he has been able to pay for all of my tuition and books, owns 200 acres of land, 3 motorcycles, 2 story house on lake, and biannual trips to the carribian, motorcycle ralleys, and you name it. Plumbing has afforded him a nice lifestyle and he now only works 30-40 hour weeks and takes about a month off for hunting in the fall. He may not drive a BMW (that is not his style), but he drives a huge diesal ford pickup with all the options. My step mom who is an accountant for the Red Cross (nonprofit organizations=****ty pay) drives a 2003 bonneville. But, as I said above, the thing he regrets is how hard the work is now hard on his 50 year old body.
 
oooo....a doctor's strike...that would turn some heads (especially if ER doctors threatened to strike). :laugh:
 
Scary!

I like how you guys are very disrespectful of your health professional colleagues. Have some respect for Dentists, they work very hard during dental school and after (alot harder than you do in med school), they accrue alot of debt (more than you guys in med school), they are very intelligent and artistically talented (avg GPA's compare to yours), and they don?t kill themselves more than you do (like you think).

You all are no Gods on earth....have some modesty. People become Dentists because they like what they do. Dentistry is not easy like you tihink.

You sound like you've never been educated. Before you go off and start judging other professionals, stop (at least pause) to judge yourselves.

Not just Dentists, but have respect for everything on this earth.

I would hate to go to a physician that has your attitude.
 
Hey Third_Molar, give your self a shot o' Lido and snort some happy gas!!! 😉

I don't believe anyone here is seriously knocking dentists. However, if I may I would like to touch on subjects that were brought up....

I have three dentists in my family and they collectively work 15 days a month. However my plastic surgeon relative puts in 50 between office and surgery not to mention on-call each week for face-mangling injuries (another ten hours) the kicker being that he/she often cannot bill the patient for on-call cause they end up being charity cases. Try working in an industry where the vise gets you from both ends...

Here is a description....

You treat a patient and bill them at a reasonable fee....then their insurance company reimburses you at 50% of the cost and tells you you are not allowed to collect the difference...all the while...your operating costs are increasing upwards or 20% a year but the reimbursment limits are only going up at less than inflation. Let's not mention the fact that if you do try to do as a dentist, and bill the patient at cash price, the world gives you a stink for doing it. If Exxon operated like this we would all be riding bicycles by mid-day. 😱

The point is that something needs to be seriously done about the health-care situation and it's OK for people to have/share a gripe about it even if they are loaded with generalizations, etc.
 
third_molar said:
Scary!

Have some respect for Dentists, they work very hard during dental school and after (alot harder than you do in med school),
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I have nothing whatsoever against dentists (other than I can't imagine myself causing that much pain to people and being hated by just about everyone you see). However, your comment above is pretty funny. What basis do you have to conclude that dentist work "alot harder" than we do in medical school?
 
TRUE said:
I have nothing whatsoever against dentists (other than I can't imagine myself causing that much pain to people and being hated by just about everyone you see). However, your comment above is pretty funny. What basis do you have to conclude that dentist work "alot harder" than we do in medical school?
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Good post TRUE, he doesnt. He's just being a huge hypocrite with his post 🙄
 
I don't think anyone here is an Anti-Dentite
 
I don't have any beef against dentists; after all my dad, whom I respect tremendously, is a general dentist. So don't give me any crap about pre-meds in this thread bashing dentists.
 
ItsGavinC said:
Dental hygienists of course (because it sure as heck isn't dentists doing that). 😀
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The point was that dentists have to do a lot of gross things inside a person's mouth(much worse than what a hygenist would have to do in gunk off).

Of course the same point could be made about physicians and gross things, but this would be more specialty dependant.
 
It's not all about the money, guys.
 
After reading this thread I think I will drop out of med school now to become either a plummer or a dentist. 👎 :laugh:

I don't care that I'll be working my ass off for as much pay as a dentist. I DON"T WANT TO BE A DENTIST. I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR. I don't think anything could change my mind. I'm just not a tooth person.

BTW, I heard that cashiers at Walmart net 750k after taxes. (I'm not kidding)
 
I know this bum on Avenue B who nets 825K.

No joke.
 
I must agree with JPRO here. As future physicians we should know that we want to treat patients for various diseases that require quite a bit of problem solving. On a daily basis I would have to assume that a Gen. Prac. MD/DO will jog his brain a little harder than the Gen. Dentist...We (at least I) are looking for intellectual stimulation and Medicine probably provides more...Someone please try to back the claim of working harder in dental school than med school!
 
shocker said:
Someone please try to back the claim of working harder in dental school than med school!
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No one is going to touch that one with a 10 ft. stick. It's just an untenable argument.
 
Vets don't even come close to the salaries of doctors or Dentists, yet they incur comparable amounts of debt. Even if you own your own practice, I've read that you'd be lucky to break 100k after expenses.

-J
 
You know? I don't care how much they make, I could never be persuaded to be a dentist. It's high on my list of YUCK!! Strange, I can easily see myself helping/healing all other body parts and processes... but when it comes to digging in someone's mouth... Ewwwweee... I'm glad someone else gets paid to do it. They deserve it!
 
So what if they make more money, I could never look into damp, stinky holes all day. This is also a reason I'm probably not going into OB/GYN.
 
Wow, you pre-med kids are really cool. I wish I could be as cool as you.
 
umc27 said:
Wow, you pre-med kids are really cool. I wish I could be as cool as you.
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Yup. We're almost as cool at those kids who register for internet forums that have absolutely no relevance their lives. You don't have many friends, do you? It's ok, I'll be your friend ... maybe volunteering to "help the losers" will bolster my application.
 
Dear Mr. VFrank,
Thanks for helping me realize that I'm living a dead end life. On that note, I'm gonna have to take you up on that friends offer. Maybe we can hang out this weekend? We can watch the movie Ghosts and reruns of Full House... and then chat about how cool pre-med kids are. Please let me know. I anxiously await your reply.

XOXO,
Mr. UMC27
 
"The question is, 'Do I have a God complex?' Which makes me wonder if this... lawyer... has any idea as to the kind of grades one has to receive in college to be accepted at a top medical school. If you have the vaguest clue as to how talented someone has to be to lead a surgical team. I have an M.D. from Harvard. I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery. I have been awarded citations from seven different medical boards in New England, and I am never, ever, sick at sea. So I ask you: When someone goes in to that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn't miscarry, or that their daughter doesn't bleed to death, or that their mother doesn't suffer acute neural trauma from post-operative shock, who do you think they're praying to? Now, you go ahead and read your Bible... Dennis, and you go to your church, and with any luck you might win the annual raffle, but if you're looking for God, He was in operating room number two on November seventeenth, and He doesn't like to be second guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex? Let me tell you something. I am God." - Alec Baldwin as Dr. Jed Hill, from the movie Malice

Hey Mcguyver this is the cooles signature I have ever seen, Can I make it mine?
 
TheFlash said:
So what if they make more money, I could never look into damp, stinky holes all day. This is also a reason I'm probably not going into OB/GYN.
Click to expand...

I swear. This has to be the 100th time I've heard this comparison between dentistry and OB/GYN. MAKE IT STOP. 😀
 
meanderson said:
The point was that dentists have to do a lot of gross things inside a person's mouth(much worse than what a hygenist would have to do in gunk off).
Click to expand...

Gross things such as what? There isn't much nastier than what hygienists do.
 
Eh. Being a dentist doesn't really appeal to me no matter how much they make. I want to be a doctor because I want to really make a difference in someone's life. I respect dentists, but I just don't feel as though I'd be as happy cleaning someone's teeth as I would be bringing someone back to life after getting a flat line.
 
Cleaning someone's teeth? That's the hygienists job, future emergency medicine physician jao86. Besides, bringing people back from flatline gets boring after awhile.
 
jao86 said:
Eh. Being a dentist doesn't really appeal to me no matter how much they make. I want to be a doctor because I want to really make a difference in someone's life. I respect dentists, but I just don't feel as though I'd be as happy cleaning someone's teeth as I would be bringing someone back to life after getting a flat line.
Click to expand...

Yea, you can become a neurosurgeon and REALLY make a difference in someone's life.

Sure, dentists cannot REALLY make a difference in someone's life.

Okay, as an aspiring dentist, I am offended by the comments like how career of dentistry is easy, how it is the grossiest thing to work as a dentist, how dental students are med-school rejects, etc.

Props to those who have respect for other health professions.
Good luck to those with arrogant attitudes.
 
Hey, dentists save lives too.
What do you think would happen if people started trying to fix their own tooth problems? I think you'd have a lot of seriously injured, badly hurt, and dead persons.
 
Hello SDN. This is my very first post ever. I felt like it'd be about time to contribute something since I'm constantly reading everyone else's posts.

SO, my story starts out when I first came into college as the typical stressed out, overly zealous pre-medical undergrad. I was freaking out about all the stats, and finding out about mdapplicants.com didn't make me feel any better. The appeal of going into dentistry captured me...I mean, who doesn't want to make more money in less time and face less competition getting into it in the first place? It sounded like a dream...especially when I got to thinking about how much better it could be for women. You get to run your own hours as a dentist and if I ever decide to be a mom one day, I wouldn't have to worry about finding time for my kiddies.

But it's just not for me. For months I was shadowing the coolest dentist ever. He's this jolly old guy who does it for fun and not for the money. He's actually a farmer on his side and takes in patients because it's what he likes to do. I hated it though...all that smelly dust that comes out when you put in fillings...cranky, grumpy old folks with gross dentures...little drill parts that all look the same...it's enough to drive someone crazy I tell you. Dentistry and medicine...I wouldn't say that one's better than the other, but it's basically whatever works for you.
 
where would we be without teeth? 🙂
 
ItsGavinC said:
Gross things such as what? There isn't much nastier than what hygienists do.
Click to expand...

I guess my take on 'oral nastiness' differs. Scraping Plaque in the mouth isn't nearly as gross to me as doing procedures inside the mouth. To me getting a cap is pretty nasty. I've seen a root canal done and thought that was nasty. Periodontics work would also seem like it would be nasty, but I've never actually seen any.
 
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