Can I do it? Is it fun being a dentist? What sucks? What is good about it?
I also heard that alot of your money goes to equipment. So If I make $130,000 a year, how much of that goes to equipment?
How long will Dental school take me?
I want to start making a living in a job I like before I'm 40.
Lastly - would you do it again knowing what you know now?
Almost anyone can do it. It just comes down to whether or not you are willing to put in the time. I know some dentists that love their jobs, and others that work as little as possible because they hate it so much. For me, I love the artistic aspect. I love the tiny dimensions and trying to get the perfect prep, resotration, etc and how awesome that looks when you are done.
You are a little off on your idea of the salary. Most dentists collect anywhere between $500,000 - $1,000,000 a year. BUT, like you said a lot of that money goes to pay rent, taxes, employee salaries, health insurance, other employee perks, instruments, supplies, etc. So you end up taking home around 35-40% of that, so your take home before federal/state income taxes is around $175,000-$350,000. The ADA says the average dentist income is $178,000.
Now that sounds like a lot of money, and it is, BUT it really isn't when you first graduate from school. You will have anywhere from $200,000-$300,000 in debt (unless your wife works/family can float you). As you probably know better than me, money goes fast after taxes, house payment, paying for kids, car, etc. Then throw a 30 year $2,000 a month student loan payment and that cuts into the money even more. So it sounds like a lot of money to make every year, but after your debt, you might not be making much more than you are right now. Just something else to consider.
Dental school is 4 years, with 2-4 years of pre-reqs (depending on how much you want to take at once).
Of course I would do it again. Taking all these classes every semester that really don't seem like they really apply to dentistry is a drag, but I hold out the hope that as we take more and more dental classes and I understand the big picture better, I will see the value of learning about the femoral vein, artery, and nerve. But other than that I love it. I love our pre-clinical days, and I spend as much time as possible observing local docs. I think dentistry is a great field, and other than the back and neck problems a lot of docs develop, I would say this is the perfect job for me.
