If you want to “help people”, why not a career in social work, law, or teaching?

[harveydent]

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Just trying to gauge other predents around here. I'm still debating whether dental or medical and I'm leading towards Medicine. Why do you guys choose dental instead of just social work if you want to "help people"?

 

[Svart Aske]

For most people, helping others isn't the only motivation for going into dentistry.

 

[smiles123]

Law: too much arguing...blah
Teaching: fun but I'd rather interact with people one-on-one instead of an entire classroom
Social Work: boring, lots of red tape, even with good intentions you can't help everyone (whereas if you own your own dental practice you can do some free work to help especially needy people).

Plus, I'm a total science nerd! 🙂

 

[tinman831]

Saying "I want to help people" is a very cliche answer to the question of why do you want to become a dentist since many other careers help people in some form or another. You really need to have a passion for dentistry itself or at least have a good idea of what you're getting yourself into.

 

[harveydent]

Saying "I want to help people" is a very cliche answer to the question of why do you want to become a dentist since many other careers help people in some form or another. You really need to have a passion for dentistry itself or at least have a good idea of what you're getting yourself into.

See that's the thing, I don't believe anybody (unless they have grown up with a close relative as a dentist) develops a passion for dentistry until they are already in dental school or become a dentist.

 

[sfrice80]

See that's the thing, I don't believe anybody (unless they have grown up with a close relative as a dentist) develops a passion for dentistry until they are already in dental school or become a dentist.

I think a ton of pre-dents on this forum would disagree with that, including myself. You would have to have a passion for it otherwise you wouldnt have gone through all this work to get there and many of us dont have dentists in the family.

 

[Oracle DMD]

See that's the thing, I don't believe anybody (unless they have grown up with a close relative as a dentist) develops a passion for dentistry until they are already in dental school or become a dentist.

that's just not true. i understand and agree that living comfortably is definatly a big attraction to the field, but there are many professions and careers that make more money if that's your main goal. if you just want to help people, there's other fields that do that better too. money is a big factor with many jobs, but it can't be considered without taking all the other "pros and cons" into account.

 

[komradrobot]

I've never heard of anyone wanting to become a dentist just so they could "help people".

 

[sirdeadcat]

See that's the thing, I don't believe anybody (unless they have grown up with a close relative as a dentist) develops a passion for dentistry until they are already in dental school or become a dentist.

I totally have a fetish for the mouth. It turns me on.

 

[Vicviper]

"Helping people" is probably only one of the many reasons why I want to go into dentistry, probably higher up on the list, but yeah, one of many. Wanting to work with my hands, having enough time to have a family, good hours, being your own boss, not the same type of stress, and most importantly, that it's something I can imagine myself enjoying for the rest of my life, or as long as it takes to retire, haha. When I assisted on my first root canal back in high school, I had the striking feeling of, "wow, this is awesome!" Haha, I was hooked after that.

 

[alanan84]

Since when do lawyers help people?

 

[Gallix23]

"Helping people" is probably only one of the many reasons why I want to go into dentistry, probably higher up on the list, but yeah, one of many. Wanting to work with my hands, having enough time to have a family, good hours, being your own boss, not the same type of stress, and most importantly, that it's something I can imagine myself enjoying for the rest of my life, or as long as it takes to retire, haha. When I assisted on my first root canal back in high school, I had the striking feeling of, "wow, this is awesome!" Haha, I was hooked after that.

Exactly, those are pretty much my reasons as well.

As far as helping people in other careers:

Law: Would never want to be a lawyer, and law enforcement has to deal with too much of society's dark side...I hear it really turns you into stone a majority of the time.

Teaching: Too boring for me, I could never sit in one classroom teaching the same exact things every single day.

Social Work: again you deal with the most grim things all the time, and the pay/job outlook is HORRIBLE. I mean money isn't everything, but most social workers don't even make enough money to get by themselves let alone support a family.

 

[sfrice80]

since when do lawyers help people?

lol

 

[harveydent]

I think a ton of pre-dents on this forum would disagree with that, including myself. You would have to have a passion for it otherwise you wouldnt have gone through all this work to get there and many of us dont have dentists in the family.

You have a passion for wanting to become a dentist, but how can you say you have a passion for dentistry when you have never filled in a single cavity or lived in the shoes of a dentist? Shadowing would be the closest anybody can get.

I mean sure people have other reasons, like wanting to work with their hands but how can you honestly say you have a passion for dentistry? You could say that you have a passion for what dentistry represents and encompasses like helping people, respect, autonomy, working with technology, continuing education, leading others, etc.

 

[ncdentist711]

Dumb thread.

 

[armorshell]

Saying "I want to help people" is a very cliche answer to the question of why do you want to become a dentist since many other careers help people in some form or another. You really need to have a passion for dentistry itself or at least have a good idea of what you're getting yourself into.

I don't think this is ever anyone's main reason for getting into dentistry, it's just what they say when questioned because it sounds the most altruistic.

I simply don't understand why the answer "I did some shadowing and thought about it a lot and I can see myself doing this forever" isn't a good enough answer for students or admissions folk.

 

[PaulieGualtieri]

I totally have a fetish for the mouth. It turns me on.

awesome! perfect job

 

[sfrice80]

You have a passion for wanting to become a dentist, but how can you say you have a passion for dentistry when you have never filled in a single cavity or lived in the shoes of a dentist? Shadowing would be the closest anybody can get.

I mean sure people have other reasons, like wanting to work with their hands but how can you honestly say you have a passion for dentistry? You could say that you have a passion for what dentistry represents and encompasses like helping people, respect, autonomy, working with technology, continuing education, leading others, etc.

Alright, well then if we use your criteria, then no one in any professional career has a passion for it prior to practicing in that career. People are simply aimlessly wandering around throwing darts at a career and going with it. I like to think I work my butt off simply for the title "dentist."

 

[coolslugs]

Just trying to gauge other predents around here. I'm still debating whether dental or medical and I'm leading towards Medicine. Why do you guys choose dental instead of just social work if you want to "help people"?

That's why it's a good idea to shadow a physician/dentist and/or volunteer in a medical/dental setting to see if this career is really for you. Even for any other jobs, it's always a good idea to do an internship first. If you just want to "help" people, you can just volunteer with a non-profit or donate to a charity of your choice...it doesn't have to be your career.

 

[doc toothache]

I've never heard of anyone wanting to become a dentist just so they could "help people".

That's probably because you have not read too many pss.

I totally have a fetish for the mouth. It turns me on.

That could present a problem when you are trying to do some dental procedures.

 

[Vaheb]

Not to sound like a jerk, but I can guarantee 98.9% of the reason why people want to be dentists are because of the pay, no one can deny that.

 

[doc toothache]

Not to sound like a jerk, but I can guarantee 98.9% of the reason why people want to be dentists are because of the pay, no one can deny that.

If the almighty is the only reason, many have apparently chosen the wrong career.

 

[harveydent]

Alright, well then if we use your criteria, then no one in any professional career has a passion for it prior to practicing in that career. People are simply aimlessly wandering around throwing darts at a career and going with it. I like to think I work my butt off simply for the title "dentist."

Is that not unreasonable? I wouldn't say any professional career because not all careers have the barriers and requirements of a career in dentistry.

 

[supraeli]

Not to sound like a jerk, but I can guarantee 98.9% of the reason why people want to be dentists are because of the pay, no one can deny that.

98.2% will be disappointed then, because the 90K starting pay of a dentist is pretty low for having gone through 4 yrs college, then 4 yrs dental school... lawyers intern in their 2nd yr in law school at $60/hr. real estate agents out of high school can pull in 100K in a year with some dedication. engineers start out of college at 80K. all of these professions dont have the 100-200K costs of dental school, then 200-500K investment into a private practice.

anyone who is in dentistry for $ has not done real research on what this profession holds in store for them, not to mention the sore backs and arthritis...

you need to be in dentistry because you at least THINK you have a passion for the work... anything else, and you will regret it.

helping people??? sometimes you will be working on patients who dont want you anywhere near their mouths, who clamp down on your fingers with their teeth or who vomit on your hands... be realistic, guys... you gotta love this work to do it for the rest of your life.

 

[jroque3313]

98.2% will be disappointed then, because the 90K starting pay of a dentist is pretty low for having gone through 4 yrs college, then 4 yrs dental school... lawyers intern in their 2nd yr in law school at $60/hr. real estate agents out of high school can pull in 100K in a year with some dedication. engineers start out of college at 80K. all of these professions dont have the 100-200K costs of dental school, then 200-500K investment into a private practice.

anyone who is in dentistry for $ has not done real research on what this profession holds in store for them, not to mention the sore backs and arthritis...

you need to be in dentistry because you at least THINK you have a passion for the work... anything else, and you will regret it.

helping people??? sometimes you will be working on patients who dont want you anywhere near their mouths, who clamp down on your fingers with their teeth or who vomit on your hands... be realistic, guys... you gotta love this work to do it for the rest of your life.

👍

 

[harveydent]

Not to sound like a jerk, but I can guarantee 98.9% of the reason why people want to be dentists are because of the pay, no one can deny that.

Haha, yeah right. You realize that you have to actually work to get case acceptance, patient referrals, maintain patients and consistently draw new patients? When you are starting out, you are busting tail to earn every penny. It's not like you graduate with a DDS/DMD and all of a sudden begin reeling in paychecks.

 

[harveydent]

98.2% will be disappointed then, because the 90K starting pay of a dentist is pretty low for having gone through 4 yrs college, then 4 yrs dental school... lawyers intern in their 2nd yr in law school at $60/hr. real estate agents out of high school can pull in 100K in a year with some dedication. engineers start out of college at 80K. all of these professions dont have the 100-200K costs of dental school, then 200-500K investment into a private practice.

anyone who is in dentistry for $ has not done real research on what this profession holds in store for them, not to mention the sore backs and arthritis...

you need to be in dentistry because you at least THINK you have a passion for the work... anything else, and you will regret it.

helping people??? sometimes you will be working on patients who dont want you anywhere near their mouths, who clamp down on your fingers with their teeth or who vomit on your hands... be realistic, guys... you gotta love this work to do it for the rest of your life.

Obviously you need the temperament for it, but the vast majority find this out IN dental school...not before dental school.

 

[sfrice80]

98.2% will be disappointed then, because the 90K starting pay of a dentist is pretty low for having gone through 4 yrs college, then 4 yrs dental school... lawyers intern in their 2nd yr in law school at $60/hr. real estate agents out of high school can pull in 100K in a year with some dedication. engineers start out of college at 80K. all of these professions dont have the 100-200K costs of dental school, then 200-500K investment into a private practice.

anyone who is in dentistry for $ has not done real research on what this profession holds in store for them, not to mention the sore backs and arthritis...

you need to be in dentistry because you at least THINK you have a passion for the work... anything else, and you will regret it.

helping people??? sometimes you will be working on patients who dont want you anywhere near their mouths, who clamp down on your fingers with their teeth or who vomit on your hands... be realistic, guys... you gotta love this work to do it for the rest of your life.

I just have to disagree with this statement. One of my best friend's wife is a 2L at Hamline law school and she is also an intern at a firm and believe me she doesn't make $60/hr! She probably wishes she did but not even close.

 

[Vaheb]

Haha, yeah right. You realize that you have to actually work to get case acceptance, patient referrals, maintain patients and consistently draw new patients? When you are starting out, you are busting tail to earn every penny. It's not like you graduate with a DDS/DMD and all of a sudden begin reeling in paychecks.

Where I'm from in LA, there are a lot of places hiring dentists starting off at 150-175K+ easy

 

[json896]

man this is the easiest question ever, MONEY.. being a lawyer who helps people, a public defender, youll make well below 100000 a year. As a dentist you can start off easy at 150000 if you pick the right location, and from there the skys the limit.

 

[Vaheb]

man this is the easiest question ever, MONEY.. being a lawyer who helps people, a public defender, youll make well below 100000 a year. As a dentist you can start off easy at 150000 if you pick the right location, and from there the skys the limit.

👍

 

[tendram]

I had never even considered dentistry as a career until I saw a root canal video online and that drew me in closer. Now I have shadowed one dentist and I am going tomorrow to shadow another. I myself am not doing it just because I want to help people but because I like working with my hands and sculpting/shaping things interests me and I love drawing and building and fixing things. Plus the pay is pretty good and the hours most dentists work are hard to beat. And really going into ANY field for only the money is asking for trouble. There are lawyers out there that are millionaires and some that are broke and the same goes for architects, engineers, etc.. If you do what makes you happy and don't end up making the big bucks then you're still happy but if you are not doing what you want you are miserable unless you are making bank. And even if you're making the big bucks you may not really be happy just more or less putting up with the job for the money. I'd rather leave work happy with a decent check than miserable with a large one.

 

[Oracle DMD]

Where I'm from in LA, there are a lot of places hiring dentists starting off at 150-175K+ easy

man this is the easiest question ever, MONEY.. being a lawyer who helps people, a public defender, youll make well below 100000 a year. As a dentist you can start off easy at 150000 if you pick the right location, and from there the skys the limit.

you guys are really disillusioned about dentist salary. there might be a job starting at 150k somewhere but that is not a realistic picture to be painting for yourself or others around here. realistic starting salary for dentists is 100k-120k. lawyers on average start well below 100k but they aren't carrying the same academic debts that we will. my student loan payment will be about 4k/mo for 10 years. that really cuts into your new baller salary when you graduate so i hope you love what you do.

 

[peerless218]

Since when do lawyers help people?

Lawyers help people who can afford them.......

 

[salem21]

1) Making a lot of money is often times a prerequisite to helping people in an indirect way: giving them money. You can donate all the time you want, but to make a big difference it typically takes some cash. Dentistry offers the opportunity to help people directly, and provides enough money that a dentist can afford to donate to charity or even start his own program to help others.
2)You guys can complain about salary all you want, but you knew going in that it was an investment. Go ~250-350k in debt, work really hard for a few years, establish your practice, and have the prospects of making that back in a single year down the road off much reduced hours. The risk is that you end up not succeeding at the profession and it takes a lot longer to pay off the debt. The same goes for any entrepreneur. Dentistry is, after all, a business.

 

[FutureDent020]

You guys can complain about salary all you want, but you knew going in that it was an investment. Go ~250-350k in debt, work really hard for a few years, establish your practice, and have the prospects of making that back in a single year down the road off much reduced hours. The risk is that you end up not succeeding at the profession and it takes a lot longer to pay off the debt. The same goes for any entrepreneur. Dentistry is, after all, a business.

Agreed. And any profession you can start making 100 grand off the bat in, I'm happy with.

 

[Ninja9]

+1.....I think dentistry combines many of the aspects a lot of people look for in a career: you get to make a difference without working 60+ hours a week, and are compensated pretty well for doing it.

 

[Doctor PJ]

to the OP, why medicine for you?

 

[alanan84]

I just have to disagree with this statement. One of my best friend's wife is a 2L at Hamline law school and she is also an intern at a firm and believe me she doesn't make $60/hr! She probably wishes she did but not even close.

Your pay both as an intern during law school and right after graduation is totally dependent on 1) the prestige of your particular school and 2) your class rank.

 

[razorback2009]

you guys are really disillusioned about dentist salary. there might be a job starting at 150k somewhere but that is not a realistic picture to be painting for yourself or others around here. realistic starting salary for dentists is 100k-120k. lawyers on average start well below 100k but they aren't carrying the same academic debts that we will. my student loan payment will be about 4k/mo for 10 years. that really cuts into your new baller salary when you graduate so i hope you love what you do.

Tell that to my sister who's an L1 at Stanford Law staring at $70k in loans every year for the next 3 years.

 

[tizom]

you guys are really disillusioned about dentist salary. there might be a job starting at 150k somewhere but that is not a realistic picture to be painting for yourself or others around here. realistic starting salary for dentists is 100k-120k. lawyers on average start well below 100k but they aren't carrying the same academic debts that we will. my student loan payment will be about 4k/mo for 10 years. that really cuts into your new baller salary when you graduate so i hope you love what you do.

as a gen dentist, owning your own practice, you can do very well... a close friend of mine makes just under 450k each year on his gen practice in the middle of NY (bing) .. salaries can vary, just like in every profession, and its a secure job.

 

[supraeli]

you guys are really disillusioned about dentist salary. there might be a job starting at 150k somewhere but that is not a realistic picture to be painting for yourself or others around here. realistic starting salary for dentists is 100k-120k. lawyers on average start well below 100k but they aren't carrying the same academic debts that we will. my student loan payment will be about 4k/mo for 10 years. that really cuts into your new baller salary when you graduate so i hope you love what you do.

👍

PLEASE, for all the predents, DONT LISTEN to ridiculous people who throw around numbers like 150K, 250K, 400K, ONE MILLION DOLLARS LOL

it takes decades to establish a practice that comes CLOSE to pulling in those kinds of numbers, and those usually arent even net figures (remember, dental practices have approx 65% overhead)

i seriously think people need to stop throwing around numbers here like confetti... starting in LA @ 150-175K? LA has been painted as one of the places in the US (along with NY) as being totally saturated with dentists... sure, one or two really good dentists who have spent 30 years building their customer base can probably pull in a ridiculous salary, but the rest of the hundreds of dentists will be fighting over patients... its a classic case of supply vs. demand... you only clean your teeth every 6 months, and some people (like me) have never gotten a cavity/filling in their entire life.

OTOH, starting somewhere rural, you may have a greater chance of pulling in more money, faster...

ANYWAYS, back on topic... sorry if i gave incorrect #s for lawyer salaries... i only know a few law students, and my classmate from berkeley went to hastings, and made 50K during her summer internship... almost paid for all her tuition that year LOL.... try doing that during dental school...

im definately not complaining about salary, because getting paid ANYTHING to do something i like to do, is great news to me... i just hate it when people are TOTALLY unrealistic about what a dentists finances are like... ALOT of people go to dental school totally unprepared for what kind of actual money they will be making when they come back out 250K underwater.

 

[Oracle DMD]

Tell that to my sister who's an L1 at Stanford Law staring at $70k in loans every year for the next 3 years.

i will tell that right to your sister's face as i take out my 3rd and 4th loan of $82K for dental school.

 

[Vaheb]

👍

PLEASE, for all the predents, DONT LISTEN to ridiculous people who throw around numbers like 150K, 250K, 400K, ONE MILLION DOLLARS LOL

it takes decades to establish a practice that comes CLOSE to pulling in those kinds of numbers, and those usually arent even net figures (remember, dental practices have approx 65% overhead)

i seriously think people need to stop throwing around numbers here like confetti... starting in LA @ 150-175K? LA has been painted as one of the places in the US (along with NY) as being totally saturated with dentists... sure, one or two really good dentists who have spent 30 years building their customer base can probably pull in a ridiculous salary, but the rest of the hundreds of dentists will be fighting over patients... its a classic case of supply vs. demand... you only clean your teeth every 6 months, and some people (like me) have never gotten a cavity/filling in their entire life.

OTOH, starting somewhere rural, you may have a greater chance of pulling in more money, faster...

ANYWAYS, back on topic... sorry if i gave incorrect #s for lawyer salaries... i only know a few law students, and my classmate from berkeley went to hastings, and made 50K during her summer internship... almost paid for all her tuition that year LOL.... try doing that during dental school...

im definately not complaining about salary, because getting paid ANYTHING to do something i like to do, is great news to me... i just hate it when people are TOTALLY unrealistic about what a dentists finances are like... ALOT of people go to dental school totally unprepared for what kind of actual money they will be making when they come back out 250K underwater.

Decades? Serious?

It took my dad, my uncles, and family friends (all are gen dentists/ortho) about 5 years to reach a 5 thousand client base. And most of then are over 10 thousand now for being in private practice for 10-11 years. You just have to know where to open an office, and luckily they got the best locations possible.

You can't just open one in a deadbeat place.

 

[supraeli]

Decades? Serious?

It took my dad, my uncles, and family friends (all are gen dentists/ortho) about 5 years to reach a 5 thousand client base. And most of then are over 10 thousand now for being in private practice for 10-11 years. You just have to know where to open an office, and luckily they got the best locations possible.

You can't just open one in a deadbeat place.

awesome, you got some stats. thanks for posting that, its nice to get some concrete numbers.

unfortunately, you are saying yourself that your family is in "the best locations possible." this isn't going to hold true for every dentist, especially those with family because as i previously mentioned, dentist demands are greatest in rural regions, and least in urban/suburban regions i.e. NY, LA, SF etc where dentist pay is suffering.

 

[Vaheb]

awesome, you got some stats. thanks for posting that, its nice to get some concrete numbers.

unfortunately, you are saying yourself that your family is in "the best locations possible." this isn't going to hold true for every dentist, especially those with family because as i previously mentioned, dentist demands are greatest in rural regions, and least in urban/suburban regions i.e. NY, LA, SF etc where dentist pay is suffering.

All of the people I stated above are actually working in LA and NY. 🙂

 

[Oracle DMD]

Decades? Serious?

It took my dad, my uncles, and family friends (all are gen dentists/ortho) about 5 years to reach a 5 thousand client base. And most of then are over 10 thousand now for being in private practice for 10-11 years. You just have to know where to open an office, and luckily they got the best locations possible.

You can't just open one in a deadbeat place.

yes decades.

OK if you have super successfull family members who are dentists and specialists they might start you out on a big time salary and catapult your career into the stratisphere. if not, you'll probly make around 100-120k your first years out and go up from there.

are you one of those guys who were born on third base and act like they hit a triple? hahaha

 

[Vaheb]

yes decades.

OK if you have super successfull family members who are dentists and specialists they might start you out on a big time salary and catapult your career into the stratisphere. if not, you'll probly make around 100-120k your first years out and go up from there.

are you one of those guys who were born on third base and act like they hit a triple? hahaha

No.

 

[TexanGal]

Of course the salary issue comes up. 🙄

Anyway, to the OP, social work sounds boring, I'm not good enough of a liar to be a lawyer (no offense to anybody), and teachers (regardless of how much or how little a dentist will make) definitely make a lot less money than I would want to make as an adult. So that rules out all of those professions for me, personally.

Dentistry to me is a happy medium between still helping people, and still keeping a little bit of your sanity at the end of the day. You can lock up your office (or go home from working for somebody else) and enjoy the rest of your day. The stress level is low, and you still get patient contact/interaction. It's also FUN. You get to use your problem solving skills for hardcore cases, and you get to relieve pain (we all know how horrible a tooth-ache can be). It's just a well rounded career choice. You can be a baller, and you can be humble and still be in the upper middle class (which is more than 95% of Americans can say). So whether or not you're making 500,000 or 100,000... it's worth it.

 

[supraeli]

All of the people I stated above are actually working in LA and NY. 🙂

sorry vaheb, i think we veered off into different discussions.

my purpose of posting these general financial guidelines was so that newbs and predents wouldn't get confused and think that dentistry offers a way to get mad ballin rich (which much too many on sdn think).

you obviously come from a very well off family (and uncles and family friends) and money is probably not an issue to you for the 60-90K/yr tuition of dental school and 200-500K practice startup. thus for YOU, yes, dentistry will make you alot of money, congrats 🙂

OTOH, any of the rest of us saps will have to scout a NEW area to start a practice, take small business loans to start up, pay off dental school student loans over 10-30 yrs, find our own patient base etc. THIS will take time... decades? yes, very likely.

now, starting salary for MOST is STILL 100K avg, maybe 120K if you are lucky. ESPECIALLY in LA or NY etc. eventually, you will work your way up, but 400K/yr net is not realistic in most people's lives, again, especially in big cities.