Going to be real here, should I go into dentistry if my main motive is money?

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Jack8276

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My prime goal in being a dentist is to be wealthy. It may be hard, but it seems like it is easiest to become wealthy in dentistry as opposed to most professions.

I am a straight A student. I have no passion, I really don't, yet. So I am just following the money. Give me the real deal guys.

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there's a chance you're gonna kill yourself cuz teeth can get real freakin boring
 
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I mean....Ask yourself. Will you be all right trying to memorize every nook and cranny of teeth if you have no passion pushing you towards the books? If the goal of money is enough to fuel your fire, go ahead, but what kind of dentist will you be?

Ethically, would you overcharge your patients, or recommend a more expensive procedure? Dentists like that ruin the field and can actually end up harming their patients. As a healthcare provider, your goal should always be in the best interests of your patients; you should still be able to maintain your lifestyle and practice, but the patient should always be high on the priority list.

If you think you could still be an ethical and good dentist, without any passion or drive, and think you could get through school, I would go for it. The financial flow is nice, the hours are nice, and you are essentially your own boss. If not, I would stay far, far away.
 
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OP, you seem like a sharp kid. If making fat stacks is really what you want to do...you can stay in college I guess, but I'd recommend going to trade school with a strong preference for plumbing or HVAC. Work that angle for a little while before starting your own business. People don't think twice about dropping cash when their heat goes out in the middle of winter or their septic tank bricks on them.

Anyway, what's "wealthy" to you?

Also: ^^^ everything she said
 
there're people who are only doing this for the money...they're not uncommon...hang out with some folks who love dentistry or whatever specialty so much that they're willing to do it for almost free...go volunteer at an outreach event and you can find these types of people...surround yourself with people who you want to become...if you're around classmates who are complainers or are people want to do just the bare minimum to get by, you're probably going to start complaining just like them and maybe become uninitiated...
 
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Not the profession for you. There's fine lines in treatment planning when it comes to money. Money should be secondary to wanting to be a dentist. I'm not saying it isn't important or it is wrong to want to make a lot of money, but it would sadden me to know there will be one more dentist out there that doesn't have the patient's best interest at heart. That being said, if you practice ethically, the money follows.
 
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Spending almost a decade in school and racking up well over a quarter million in debt is your idea of a profession that makes bank? You will also have to buy a practice eventually if you really want to make big bucks so that's another huge loan.

Eventually you will be able to do very well for yourself but if you are only in it for the money I don't think it will be a satisfying career for you. Also, ethically you will be doing the profession a disservice so you should probably turn around.
 
My prime goal in being a dentist is to be wealthy. It may be hard, but it seems like it is easiest to become wealthy in dentistry as opposed to most professions.

I am a straight A student. I have no passion, I really don't, yet. So I am just following the money. Give me the real deal guys.

Read dental town and you will find that A LOT of dentists are there only for the cash. Plenty. A lot of people just sorta "fell into" it or they did it because it is a good job. My dentist did--he went to dental school to avoid the Vietnam draft. This passion nonsense is just that--nonsense. Understand the costs and the demands, make sure you are OK with that, and if you are then being 'practical' about your career choice is perfectly fine.

good luck.
 
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I would say stay away from the health field. Even though you have the drive to makes lots of money, we are dealing with the well being of others and their health is what should come first, not the money. Of course money is important, I'm not saying it isn't, I'm just saying it shouldn't be number 1, maybe number 2 or 3, but not one.

If money is number 1 on your list, go into general business. Something where, if for some reason, you aren't motivated or not putting 100% you don't risk someones health.

You should import/export cloths from china, yea, that's it! Stay away from the slave labor though
 
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if only people genuinely passionate about dentistry could be dentists, i don't think we'd have enough dentists

you don't have to love dentistry but integrity is a requirement...the same doesn't go for teaching because passion is required to be a good professor...unfortunately, we'd have an even greater shortage of dental professors if only passionate dentists could become instructors
 
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If your primary motivation is money, then as long as you're ethical, professional and place your patients' interests before your own, then there's still good motivation and incentive to become an autonomous, health care professional. However, if you have no interest in actually helping people or improving the oral health of your community, then you will be an exceptionally unfulfilled individual and definitely burn out over time. That being said, no one says you have to be a dentist forever, either. Personally, I would hate my career choice if all I cared about was money.

There are a LOT easier ways to become wealthy. Taking out $250k-$500k in loans (unsubsidized at 7+%) plus 4+years of opportunity cost isn't exactly a wise investment if all you want to do is make money. Not to mention healthcare is rapidly evolving, and while the future currently remains bright for the dental profession, one never knows how long it will remain a financially lucrative field.
 
Money =>MD: Orthopedic surgery or Neurosurgery. If you really want to make money you wont be afraid of long hours / hustling.
 
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Damn, everyone must think OP is a money hungry heathen with no morals.

Dentistry provides a nice lifestyle with opportunities. It's a good career and will allow you to support your future family financially, as well as allow you free time to do what you like.

I have yet to meet anyone in my class that is going into dentistry because they have a passion for teeth. They all enjoy helping people, but I don't think people are choosing dentistry because they want to help people, they could just volunteer where ever. Many chose it because they're family was already in the field or because dentistry is able to provide them with certain things in life that aligns with their own goals.

Now, if OP does not care about the fact that you are performing treatment and surgeries on an actual person with thoughts and feelings, then yea dentistry is obviously not the right field.

It should be in a dentist's best interest to do what is right for the patient above all else. If you're good at what you do, then there will be plenty of wealth to come along.
 
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OP, you should go to one of the most expensive dental schools, because those schools will make you the best dentist, which will make you the most money. Then I would specialize in Orthodontics at USC--it is the best dental school, and Ortho is the best dental specialty.

Generally speaking, the more you owe in loans the better the dentist you will be and as such the more money you will make.

Good luck.
 
OP, que cahones! Really though, I applaud your honesty (though it's online, but still!). Many people probably are thinking exactly like you but say they're in it for the patients and for the love of teeth. While that is true, we are humans after all and money is in the top 5 things of everyones list, especially in the US. I myself am in the same dilemma, and considering Dentistry or Medicine, both lucrative and amazing fields, but Dentistry (for us) provides a path much quicker to being rich than being a Doctor.

Plus, to the people that say, "if you're in it to be rich, go find another job, there a plenty which are easier to be rich", really? Tell me one right now and I'll really really consider it.
Being a dentist almost surely means you will have a GREAT paying job, even at corporate or 1st year associate, you're making over 100k+ (the mean I am assuming), that's pretty insane, most jobs take 10+ years to get to that point, compare that to being a dentist and owning private practice (own boss) after a few years! Oh! And the hours! It's a great lifestyle for a person who love money, and trust me, wanting to be rich, nay, expecting to be rich, is the greatest motivation I have, and I LOVE sciences with a passion, but my first and foremost motivation is the idea of being rich.
And on top of ALLLL this crazy awesome stuff that follows the career, if you're financially literate (which you probably if you're like me and really really want to be rich) you will excel beyond your expectations, but that goes for any job, the difference here is that you'll have a salary of 100k+, and if you live moderately, not lavish, you'll have tons of money to INVEST!!!! In any means, that makes sense of course ha!

Being a Dentist to become rich should not be fround upon
 
Money =>MD: Orthopedic surgery or Neurosurgery. If you really want to make money you wont be afraid of long hours / hustling.
Yea after, 1 year of internship, and 4+ residency working 70+ hour weeks with a mere 50k a year, then a fellowship maybe, annnnnndd then the beginning of the big bucks career, not to mention that you need pretty great USMLE scores to match into the residency, so yea, Dentistry will give you better chances to make more money
 
I am not going to even discuss if you have the passion for it. Do you think you can handle doing basic sciences, wax-ups, drilling teeth, looking cadavers, stay weekends at school to finish your projects for the first 2 years and look at patients mouth for the rest of the career?
Just because one has passion for dentistry, doesn't mean he/she will be good. Just think from professional prospective and decide OP.
 
OP, que cahones! Really though, I applaud your honesty (though it's online, but still!). Many people probably are thinking exactly like you but say they're in it for the patients and for the love of teeth. While that is true, we are humans after all and money is in the top 5 things of everyones list, especially in the US. I myself am in the same dilemma, and considering Dentistry or Medicine, both lucrative and amazing fields, but Dentistry (for us) provides a path much quicker to being rich than being a Doctor.

Plus, to the people that say, "if you're in it to be rich, go find another job, there a plenty which are easier to be rich", really? Tell me one right now and I'll really really consider it.
Being a dentist almost surely means you will have a GREAT paying job, even at corporate or 1st year associate, you're making over 100k+ (the mean I am assuming), that's pretty insane, most jobs take 10+ years to get to that point, compare that to being a dentist and owning private practice (own boss) after a few years! Oh! And the hours! It's a great lifestyle for a person who love money, and trust me, wanting to be rich, nay, expecting to be rich, is the greatest motivation I have, and I LOVE sciences with a passion, but my first and foremost motivation is the idea of being rich.
And on top of ALLLL this crazy awesome stuff that follows the career, if you're financially literate (which you probably if you're like me and really really want to be rich) you will excel beyond your expectations, but that goes for any job, the difference here is that you'll have a salary of 100k+, and if you live moderately, not lavish, you'll have tons of money to INVEST!!!! In any means, that makes sense of course ha!

Being a Dentist to become rich should not be fround upon

what is "rich"? genuinely curious to know what that means to you
 
what is "rich"? genuinely curious to know what that means to you
I don't have a number, it's just more...

No, but seriously, enough to be able to travel, have some toys, and a few small houses here and there. And, left over money to make more money, I don't plan on being my rich off of dentistry, I will be really well off from it though
 
I don't have a number, it's just more...

No, but seriously, enough to be able to travel, have some toys, and a few small houses here and there. And, left over money to make more money, I don't plan on being my rich off of dentistry, I will be really well off from it though

ok.

will you be heading straight into dschool from college?
 
If I choose dentistry and can manage interviews and get accepted, sure, why not.

so easy, even a caveman can do it.

good luck with your coming of age goals in 2015
 
so easy, even a caveman can do it.

good luck with your coming of age goals in 2015
just like the post before mine, i was being fascicous (butchered the spelling). I'm not naive at how difficult and tedious the process to both med school and dental school are, don't act so grandeur and demeaning
 
My prime goal in being a dentist is to be wealthy. It may be hard, but it seems like it is easiest to become wealthy in dentistry as opposed to most professions.

I am a straight A student. I have no passion, I really don't, yet. So I am just following the money. Give me the real deal guys.

don't do it. having passion for the field still makes dental school difficult. i've already had classmates leave because dentistry ''wasn't the fit for them''. they learned the hard way.
 
Yea after, 1 year of internship, and 4+ residency working 70+ hour weeks with a mere 50k a year, then a fellowship maybe, annnnnndd then the beginning of the big bucks career, not to mention that you need pretty great USMLE scores to match into the residency, so yea, Dentistry will give you better chances to make more money

No fellowship. Just the residency [5 or 7 yrs] then a career of making 700k-1.2mil+ with benefits and great job security. No ramp up is necessary like in dentistry either. So no, dentistry alone doesn't give you [ON AVERAGE] more money. If you're going for money, and want your effort and hard work to ensure your success, a lucrative specialty in medicine is a good career path.
 
i know two people who dropped out...one went into it thinking they'd love dentistry but found out they didn't...the other went into dentistry solely for the money and lifestyle and dropped out...money wasn't enough of a motivator
 
No fellowship. Just the residency [5 or 7 yrs] then a career of making 700k-1.2mil+ with benefits and great job security. No ramp up is necessary like in dentistry either. So no, dentistry alone doesn't give you [ON AVERAGE] more money. If you're going for money, and want your effort and hard work to ensure your success, a lucrative specialty in medicine is a good career path.
Those numbers seem a tad bit high, but i might be wrong. Anyways, I would rather be making really good money at 25 than wait until I am 32, burnt out from residency hours, and stacked debt because of the crappy pay so far. Plus, those years I have time and money with dentistry for great financial/investment opportunities that I would otherwise not have the time or money going MD route the first 10 years.
 
Those numbers seem a tad bit high, but i might be wrong. Anyways, I would rather be making really good money at 25 than wait until I am 32, burnt out from residency hours, and stacked debt because of the crappy pay so far. Plus, those years I have time and money with dentistry for great financial/investment opportunities that I would otherwise not have the time or money going MD route the first 10 years.
Not trying to start a war but...
Lifestyle issues are good to consider but the premise of my initial response was that the OP was concerned principally with money.
Once you account for the cost of dental education [vs the cheaper MD route], starting a practice, and the dramatically higher MD pay the only conclusion is that MD route is king for money.

***5 to 7 years. Not 10. Hell, I've even seen positions posted for in demand specialties that started off at 750k with loan repayment bonuses. It's a crazy world out there.

Cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.


OP: if your primary concern is money, and you're willing to hustle & delay gratification a few years, look into the MD -> highly paid specialist route.
 
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Not trying to start a war but...
Lifestyle issues are good to consider but the premise of my initial response was that the OP was concerned principally with money.
Once you account for the cost of dental education [vs the cheaper MD route], starting a practice, and the dramatically higher MD pay the only conclusion is that MD route is king for money.

***5 to 7 years. Not 10. Hell, I've even seen positions posted for in demand specialties that started off at 750k with loan repayment bonuses. It's a crazy world out there.

Cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.


OP: if your primary concern is money, and you're willing to hustle & delay gratification a few years, look into the MD -> highly paid specialist route.


Its a minimum of 7 years (med school + residency) the MD route all the way up to 14 potential years for neurosurgery. Thats not accounting for any fellowships, which allow for better jobs. Those surgical specialties are 10
 
Its a minimum of 7 years (med school + residency) the MD route all the way up to 14 potential years for neurosurgery. Thats not accounting for any fellowships, which allow for better jobs. Those surgical specialties are 10

We were comparing dentistry to medicine; therefore, the time 4 yrs spent in medical or dental school was not relevant. 7 yr residency is typical for neurosurg and 5 is for ortho. I've heard different things about fellowship in that it doesn't always translate to a better job depending on your goals... pp vs academics for example.

What is with the endless amount of strawmen arguments? Am I being trolled?

EDIT: This is going to be my last post on the thread. All I have to say is do your own research OP & GL.
 
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Not trying to start a war but...
Lifestyle issues are good to consider but the premise of my initial response was that the OP was concerned principally with money.
Once you account for the cost of dental education [vs the cheaper MD route], starting a practice, and the dramatically higher MD pay the only conclusion is that MD route is king for money.

***5 to 7 years. Not 10. Hell, I've even seen positions posted for in demand specialties that started off at 750k with loan repayment bonuses. It's a crazy world out there.

Cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.


OP: if your primary concern is money, and you're willing to hustle & delay gratification a few years, look into the MD -> highly paid specialist route.
i'll play captain obvious and just say that op could be a ******* so MD might not be the best alternative to dentistry for everyone wanting to get the most $$$ and time off from work...it's super hard matching into a specialty offering the same lifestyle as dentists
 
People like this and the system itself is why I will forever be a cynical person and scrutinize each and every person's motive for entering MD and Dent. Ive always wondered how many times people on adcoms laugh over dentistry personal statements. Ive even read dent statements that make me want to hurl because they are so fake.
 
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People like this and the system itself is why I will forever be a cynical person and scrutinize each and every person's motive for entering MD and Dent. Ive always wondered how many times people on adcoms laugh over dentistry personal statements. Ive even read dent statements that make me want to hurl because they are so fake.

Why do you apply such a rigid framework for what constitutes an acceptable motive to enter dentistry or medicine?
Dentistry and medicine are commerce - payment for services rendered is all that is required.

This man said it better than I can...
If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life. I would rather suffer evil the natural way. A man is not a good man to me because he will pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall into one. I can find you a Newfoundland dog that will do as much.

-Thoreau

Also, there are private practice positions in medicine that allow for a lifestyle different than you describe today - even in neurosurg.
 
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private practice is eroding to my knowledge because of the convoluted regulations imposed by obamacare.
 
I've read accounts of actual physicians in the news about this struggle. I know one family friend who is struggling to keep his practice alive. The future is only going to get worse for these types of people until they allll start working in hospitals.
 
my bro-in-law doesn't even wanna go near building a PP because he's a recent graduate and he knows how difficult it is now...it's a hassle for the newly minted physicians.
 
I know so many dentists and they have never spoke of this issue. Group practices are the rage now.
 
regulating a dental practice is different from regulating a medical practice. different paperwork.
 
How long does it take for a dentist to start making money? I heard somewhere 5-10 years after they finish school? Is that accurate?
 
Neuro..this thread has turned to an odd direction.
 
I am not sure that is relevant. Please stick to just dental guys.

Sorry if it didn't seem relevant to you but my point was that you said dentists don't speak of this issue that physicians speak and I was trying to justify that by saying that medical private practice is different in its setup and thus account for many of the differences in why it's so hard to have one now as physicians versus the relative ease for setting one up as a dentist. Not tryna go off tangent.
 
First of all I am totally surprised that you admitted openly. This is quite impressive for me. It is true that a number of people doing jobs just to earn money. I would rather advise you to be with some seniors who have spent time in this field and then let yourself decide either you should continue or not. Hope you get what you want.
 
Ill extend your logic further: its perfectly fine to have physicians, dentists, and other healthcare professionals that dont actually care about providing quality care. instead, its perfectly okay if they do it for the money and get in to school because they had an aptitude for playing the system or had great intelligence. Oh, hi malpractice, I didnt know you were going to be a big issue. Wait, so those patients in the hospital actually felt like they were products being fixed and the docs could care less about them? oh, so the hospital, dent office, ect. should be avoided at all cost because those professionals only have a money motive, and i should only go there if I KNOW something is wrong with my health.

Let's play a game: It's called don't take the humanity out of healthcare. Let's try to prevent it from becoming a production line.

You didn't extend my logic; instead, you committed a logical fallacy. There is no evidence that someone that is primarily interested in financial gain would be less of a doctor or that they would be unethical. Indeed, many very honest hard working people, who are extremely interested in their own personal success, capitalize on their self interest to drive themself to the top of their field. Fears of litigation, fraud charges, etc. prohibit them from acting in the way you described. I'm going to continue to agree with Thoreau and remain very skeptical of people who wish to "do me good" by going to dental or medical school.
 
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