GP versus Pedo ---Need Help Please!

[clowndoc]

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I'm entering into my final year of dental school, and I'm debating whether to pursue a career in Pediatric Dentistry or General. I really could use some solid advise as to the pros and cons of each!!!

I'm a 36-year-old married man with a newborn daughter, and I'm trying to figure out which field of practice would best suit me and my family. I've really struggled through dental school and would be relieved to begin practicing come next May, however, I also know that I really enjoy working with children, and also have heard that pedo can be much more lucrative.

Is it really true that Pedos make much more money than GPs?

Also, I have read many threads on this forum discussing the difficult patients that Pedos receive. Is this common?

Please, if you have any advice, I would really appreciate your thoughts!

Thank you,
K

 

[dWiz]

i believe peds do make more money than GPs based on the stats i've seen on ada......but go into pediatric only if you love working with kids so much that you don't mind them yelling/crying/screaming in your face on a daily basis.

 

[CorneliusFudge]

I will weigh in. Pedos can make a TON of money. But they work for it too. Every pedo office I have been in has been pretty frenetic with the dentist running around on roller skates. If you like that type of fast paced, noisy, hectic environment pedo could be for you.

I love kids too and have several of my own. I also have taught youth sunday school for many years and volunteer as a leader for the cub scouts. But there is a difference between working with kids and on kids. Pedos will tell you it is all about behavior management but in reality they just get used to the insanity that is a pedo office.

Personally, I couldn't deal with the tears, screaming and vomit of a pedo practice without getting seriously burned out. I plan on seeing a lot of kids in my general practice, but I will be more than happy to refer out the stinkers.

The other drawback for me would be limiting my professional development to amalgams and pulpotomy/SSC. I actually enjoy dentistry and the lack of variety would kill me. Just some thoughts.

 

[rarm1]

I would agree with what was said.. more money, but you work for it and must love being with kids.

You also must get into a program, which may be hard if you had problems in school. A one year program may help you decide - and AEGD or GPR. Some have more kids being treated, some less. A GPR will give you a taste of on-call and OR and not a multiyear commitment.

We have had 4 of our residents go on to peds... they love it.
This year, 5 of our 10 residents have kids.. as in the past and the on-call was no problems.

Think of what you want, ask questions.

 

[unlvdmd]

I've got some great advice: when it comes to pedo, run like hell. Those people have a "pedo gene." And you know it if you have it.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I've got some great advice: when it comes to pedo, run like hell.

Booooo. Pedo is great. The way I see it, you can either listen to adults bitch and moan all day long, or you can listen to kids whimper and then sedate them. 🙂 It's your choice.

But seriously, some good advice has already been given. Don't commit to something if you are unsure because you could be miserable in the long run.

How much pedo experience have you had in school? School doesn't really give you much true experience, in my opinion, so it would be worth your time to do externships or rotations off-site in pedo offices to learn more about it.

As was mentioned, a GPR then pedo is a good way to go, and for some of us it is probably the only way to go.

 

[orthogrl]

Booooo. Pedo is great. The way I see it, you can either listen to adults bitch and moan all day long, or you can listen to kids whimper and then sedate them. 🙂 It's your choice.

But seriously, some good advice has already been given. Don't commit to something if you are unsure because you could be miserable in the long run.

How much pedo experience have you had in school? School doesn't really give you much true experience, in my opinion, so it would be worth your time to do externships or rotations off-site in pedo offices to learn more about it.

As was mentioned, a GPR then pedo is a good way to go, and for some of us it is probably the only way to go.

I completely agree that pedo is great. I work primarily with kids at an ortho office, but let me tell you, I can take listening to kids whimper all day long, but I do not always have the tolerance for their parents! You have to listen to them bitch and moan AND you cannot sedate them!!

 

[unlvdmd]

Ha! My point exactly: you guys have the "kid tolerance" gene, whereas others just don't. And you will only know what I am talking about if you know you don't. Otherwise, kids are just little people and no big deal! Pedo is just something you CANNOT go into on a whim. If I were a program director, I would "require" externships like OMFS does. They both are grueling programs in their own ways.

 

[checkamundo]

The kid tolerance thing is right. The main reason that pedos make so much is the volume of kids they see (35-55 kids a day), with overhead being lower than most other specialties. You should look at dentaltown.com This question has been asked a lot on that site, and you'll get a lot of good info from current pedodontist along with other GPs opinions on the matter. Do a few searches or post a new thread on the site. If you still can't find any more info about it, PM and I'll help you find some. Hopefully you don't want to do it b/c of money though, b/c it can be a tough and stressful (though lucrative) lifestyle. Many of the GPs on dentaltown.com will tell you that you can end up making a good deal of money if you setup your practice the right way and focus on certain things. Don't let money be the deciding factor in what you do for the rest of your career.

 

[MD2b20004]

The kid tolerance thing is right. The main reason that pedos make so much is the volume of kids they see (35-55 kids a day), with overhead being lower than most other specialties. You should look at dentaltown.com This question has been asked a lot on that site, and you'll get a lot of good info from current pedodontist along with other GPs opinions on the matter. Do a few searches or post a new thread on the site. If you still can't find any more info about it, PM and I'll help you find some. Hopefully you don't want to do it b/c of money though, b/c it can be a tough and stressful (though lucrative) lifestyle. Many of the GPs on dentaltown.com will tell you that you can end up making a good deal of money if you setup your practice the right way and focus on certain things. Don't let money be the deciding factor in what you do for the rest of your career.

If its a financial concern I will tell you this. I know two best friends who did GP residencies at Loyola in Chicago, one accepted an offer in WI for 100K to start, the other in Chicago for 120K to start. My third best friend (from the same year as my other 2 friends is in a peds residency and she has 10 months to go and is getting offers as high as 350K 40 hours a week, well that was one offer in Detroit, she got a 275K one in WI too, she doesn't care about money so she will go with whatever is best for her and she deserves it, for she is very hard working and a sincere girl. But yes, big difference in money, not a lot of people can handle kids that drive you nuts when your already doing a stressful job. So the friend in Peds residency is having WAY more stress than my friends who did their GPR who actually enjoyed it. You get paid for the sacrifices and crap that comes with the job you do.