I'm Not Really That Jazzed About Dentistry

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
i really hope you are kidding...

Members don't see this ad.
 
OP, getting into dental school is very competitive. The truth is that there are a hundred other applicants equally as qualified as you (and some more so) who did not get in last year, this year, and may not next year either because of the sheer volume of applicants alone.

Not only do these people have the potential to be great dentists (like you do as well) but they are excited and interested in this field. If you are truly not interested in dentistry, or you are doing it just for the money, then you should consider that carefully before entering dental school.

Now, no one can know for certain whether they want to do this for the rest of their lives since we haven't actually practiced yet. Shadowing can only show you so much and lets face it, it is quite boring. But you can have a pretty good idea that this is something you want to do.

Do you want to?

-Run a business
-Be your own boss
-Work with your hands
-Perform surgery
-Interact with and help people

I personally think that seeing procedures up close when shadowing should have made you more excited about the field, but that's just me.

If there are procedures that you do not like, you don't have to do them. You can find something you like and limit your practice to that, or specialize in a certain area. You can teach, work in public health, or do research. There are alot of options.

If all that you have is cold feet at the prospect of diving into 4 years of school and $$$,$$$ in debt, then that's understandable. I am sure everyone goes through that at some point.

Many of us wanted to go into medicine originally and found dentistry after doing some homework. What you need to do is think back to what it was that made you choose dentistry to begin with.

If you are already unhappy with your choice, it will only get worse and you should probably do something else.

But if you are just a little nervous then don't worry. :)

Well put :thumbup:
 
It is quite enlightening to me how many of you are passionate about dentistry as pre dents. This is because I know so many dentists who wish every day that they had chosen some other field. This has been the blight of my classmates for many many years ( I have been a dentist for 26 years). Dentistry is a tough job (I happen to like it, but I am definitely in the minority of dentists I know). The procedures are highly technical, and the patient management aspect can be difficult. With that said, dentistry has given me a great lifestyle and an opportunity to be both self employed and creative.
There are many other fields where one can do this. Certinly the health career path is not the most lucrative and in reality costs far more than many other jobs which will in the long run be more financially rewarding. Pay your dues and anyone can have a career in film (not in front of the camera, but certainly in production). Culinary school is 2 years and then you are a chef...and can cook all over the world (no licensure restrictions). I have always felt (IMHO) that anyone smart enough to complete dental or Med school is probably capable of being successful at anything they put their mind to.
Dentists and physicians in my town are the working class people. The really wealthy are doing something else. Do not become a dentist for the money. Do it to make a difference, or you will be continually disappointed.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
It is quite enlightening to me how many of you are passionate about dentistry as pre dents. This is because I know so many dentists who wish every day that they had chosen some other field. This has been the blight of my classmates for many many years ( I have been a dentist for 26 years). Dentistry is a tough job (I happen to like it, but I am definitely in the minority of dentists I know). The procedures are highly technical, and the patient management aspect can be difficult. With that said, dentistry has given me a great lifestyle and an opportunity to be both self employed and creative.
There are many other fields where one can do this. Certinly the health career path is not the most lucrative and in reality costs far more than many other jobs which will in the long run be more financially rewarding. Pay your dues and anyone can have a career in film (not in front of the camera, but certainly in production). Culinary school is 2 years and then you are a chef...and can cook all over the world (no licensure restrictions). I have always felt (IMHO) that anyone smart enough to complete dental or Med school is probably capable of being successful at anything they put their mind to.
Dentists and physicians in my town are the working class people. The really wealthy are doing something else. Do not become a dentist for the money. Do it to make a difference, or you will be continually disappointed.

:laugh: Are you comparing film production and the culinary world to dentistry? It's not like they are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum or something.
Working class... yeah so.... That would be most of the people in the US. And being a part of the working class or middle class is nothing to be ashamed of.
If anyone thinks that you will become a dentist and life becomes a vacation supplemented by the occasional dentistry seriously needs to open their eyes. Those student loans, practices, cars, houses, and kids cost money.

Two quick questions for you:
What do the wealthy people in your town do?
Where do you live?
 
Last edited:
I'm saying that you can make a comparable living doing those two things as you would as a dentist. You can certainly make a great living as an executive chef or by owning your own restaurant (as compared to owning your own practice). The investment in education is far less and the post college training is paid. You start earning money earlier in life, and do not have the licensure restrictions of dentistry.
As far as a film career, after college (do not have to be a film major) you can get a job as a production assistant and work your way up the ladder (paid). In a few years you can be an asst director, locations manager, POC, and get paid fairly well. 1st AD's, Loc Managers, and UPM's get residuals, which add up and is money for work already done. Not a bad deal. I wish crowns I put in 5 years ago were still paying off. There is also the DGA trainee program which puts you into the DGA after paid training.
When you look at the time and expense a dental or medical education costs, it just does not make sense financially. Just my 2 cents.

oh BTW, this nonesense about being a professional and some prestige that you may feel is attached to it is just that. We are all just people, and what service we perform does not make us better than the next person.
 
If I was a chef I could cook myself some super awesome meals, which would rock because I'm pretty hugry...
 
the grass always seems greener on the other side.
 
This is because I know so many dentists who wish every day that they had chosen some other field. This has been the blight of my classmates for many many years ( I have been a dentist for 26 years). Dentistry is a tough job (I happen to like it, but I am definitely in the minority of dentists I know). The procedures are highly technical, and the patient management aspect can be difficult. With that said, dentistry has given me a great lifestyle and an opportunity to be both self employed and creative. Culinary school is 2 years and then you are a chef...and can cook all over the world (no licensure restrictions). I have always felt (IMHO) that anyone smart enough to complete dental or Med school is probably capable of being successful at anything they put their mind to.

After 26 years of your colleagues wishing they had chosen some other field, one might be tempted to conclude that your friends love to hear themselves moan and groan. The true measure of unhappiness with the profession is the attrition rate of practitioners yet you do not mention a single case where a friend bailed out of dentistry. Next time you hear them complain perhaps you should mention your culinary arts idea.
 
One of my classmates graduated OKU, went on to ortho training, and then summarily quit dentistry for the entertainment industry. Several of my other classmates left dentistry as well, some for medicine, some for finance. Those who did not leave immediately were the not so wealthy (family wise), were too heavily in debt to bail on dentistry, and had to work in order to pay off sallie mae or whomever. Once you start d school and stay past a year, it is tough to get out of financially.
Most dentists I have met, both from my era and the residents I train now have very little idea what is out in the real world, as they have spent the majority of their adult lives training to be dentists and have not had time to explore other options. Those dentists I have met who chose dentistry as a new or second career did not generally come from high paying jobs previously, so dentistry was an attractive choice.
All I am saying is that from a financial standpoint, dentistry is a very expensive training, and one must put off a great deal during early adulthood to go through this training. There are many other choices which will over time pay the same amount of money, incur less overall debt, and allow for a good lifestyle as well. Choosing dentistry must be for some other reason than money, and for those who truly like people and like taking care of people (strangers), it is a rewarding career.
 
One of my classmates graduated OKU, went on to ortho training, and then summarily quit dentistry for the entertainment industry. Several of my other classmates left dentistry as well, some for medicine, some for finance. Those who did not leave immediately were the not so wealthy (family wise), were too heavily in debt to bail on dentistry, and had to work in order to pay off sallie mae or whomever. Once you start d school and stay past a year, it is tough to get out of financially.
Most dentists I have met, both from my era and the residents I train now have very little idea what is out in the real world, as they have spent the majority of their adult lives training to be dentists and have not had time to explore other options. Those dentists I have met who chose dentistry as a new or second career did not generally come from high paying jobs previously, so dentistry was an attractive choice.

It sounds like the adcoms of the early eighties at your school were asleep at the wheel.
 
There are many other fields where one can do this. Certinly the health career path is not the most lucrative and in reality costs far more than many other jobs which will in the long run be more financially rewarding. Pay your dues and anyone can have a career in film (not in front of the camera, but certainly in production). Culinary school is 2 years and then you are a chef...and can cook all over the world (no licensure restrictions). I have always felt (IMHO) that anyone smart enough to complete dental or Med school is probably capable of being successful at anything they put their mind to.
Dentists and physicians in my town are the working class people. The really wealthy are doing something else. Do not become a dentist for the money. Do it to make a difference, or you will be continually disappointed.

The "really wealthy" may have inherited their money, or climbed the corporate ladder for 30 years to become CEO's and CFO's. Even in the end, as big bad CEO's, they are usually not their own bosses because of a board of directors (or all of the shareholders).

The "blue collar" men and women who built a company from the ground up and became wealthy did it against incredible odds. I think over 90% of businesses fail in the first year.

With dentistry, less than 10% fail in the first year.

A Chef has the same problems when trying to start a restaurant, and the hours are outrageous, I know because I did consider going into the food industry.

Sure there are other things you can do and make money at, but which of those careers compensates you $100,000+ out of school and $200,000+ on average when you set up your own shop?

Everyone I know who is going out into the workforce now can barely find a job and the ones that they are offered pay $40-50K

If you are careful with how you spend your money, you can become one of those "wealthy" people too. And you will be your own boss as well.


Of course I agree with you on this: you definitely shouldn't go into this field if you are doing it just for the money. And it is a shame that you know so many dentists who are unhappy in their field.

Also don't assume that if you can get into dental or medical school you can do "anything". I could not act in front of a camera, or read all the case law and torts(?) in law school. I enjoy science, and I assume most other people going into the healthcare field like science as well, otherwise it would be brutal and most likely near impossible.
 
Dentistry has a combination of benefits unlike almost any other profession:

-Security: Esp. for general dentists (need-based), you will ALWAYS have business.

-You are your own boss: Hours, pay, expenses, employees, time off, bonuses... etc etc etc it is all up to you! You have complete freedom!

-Compensation: The average dentist is compensated more than the average medical doctor.

-Doctor: You are a knowledgable doctor, whom ppl look up to and will come to for much more than dental related issues (esp if you are open to it).

+a lot more

...What other profession offers that array of benefits?
 
I was in your shoes a few years ago. Shadowing helped me find that excitement and motivation for dentistry though.

And for myself, I still need to shadow specialty dentists, but my mind is pretty much made up after 50 hours of shadowing 3 dentists. I hope you find out soon that this is for you. If it isn't, I know there's something out there for you. I wish you the best of luck!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Dentistry has a combination of benefits unlike almost any other profession:

-Security: Esp. for general dentists (need-based), you will ALWAYS have business.

-You are your own boss: Hours, pay, expenses, employees, time off, bonuses... etc etc etc it is all up to you! You have complete freedom!

-Compensation: The average dentist is compensated more than the average medical doctor.

-Doctor: You are a knowledgable doctor, whom ppl look up to and will come to for much more than dental related issues (esp if you are open to it).

+a lot more

...What other profession offers that array of benefits?

Your kidding right? Plenty of work maybe in North Dakota where no one wants to go. My residents are having a tough time finding good jobs. They will not be their own bosses for several more years, at the very least, and what do they know about running a business anyway? They will need some real world experience for a while.
People look up to you? Maybe in 1958. Don't go into this to be held on a pedestal, you will be disappointed.
The freedom you describe comes with owning any business, so why just dentistry?
 
The "really wealthy" may have inherited their money, or climbed the corporate ladder for 30 years to become CEO's and CFO's. Even in the end, as big bad CEO's, they are usually not their own bosses because of a board of directors (or all of the shareholders).

The "blue collar" men and women who built a company from the ground up and became wealthy did it against incredible odds. I think over 90% of businesses fail in the first year.

With dentistry, less than 10% fail in the first year.

A Chef has the same problems when trying to start a restaurant, and the hours are outrageous, I know because I did consider going into the food industry.

Sure there are other things you can do and make money at, but which of those careers compensates you $100,000+ out of school and $200,000+ on average when you set up your own shop?

Everyone I know who is going out into the workforce now can barely find a job and the ones that they are offered pay $40-50K

If you are careful with how you spend your money, you can become one of those "wealthy" people too. And you will be your own boss as well.


Of course I agree with you on this: you definitely shouldn't go into this field if you are doing it just for the money. And it is a shame that you know so many dentists who are unhappy in their field.

Also don't assume that if you can get into dental or medical school you can do "anything". I could not act in front of a camera, or read all the case law and torts(?) in law school. I enjoy science, and I assume most other people going into the healthcare field like science as well, otherwise it would be brutal and most likely near impossible.

Been a dentist a long time, 26 years. Graduated d school at 24, been doing this all of my adult life (started d school at 20). I own or work in several non dental related businesses, so I have seen things from the other side. All I am saying is that most d students and pre dents like yourself come from a narrow perspective. You could read all the case law and torts in L school if you had to and could be successful. You have discounted a career which could be extraordinarily exciting. After all, not all lawyers are litigators, ambulance chasers, and public defenders. Some are Jerry McGuire, and I have seen that life and it is exciting.
Just saying it is a big world with lots of opportunities. And the world needs plenty of good dentists too!
Oh, and one more important thing, perhaps the most important. It's nice to like science, I did too, but it is vital if you want to be happy as a healthcare provider to like people. That's who you will be dealing with, not microscope slides. Unless you are a pathologist.
 
Your kidding right? Plenty of work maybe in North Dakota where no one wants to go. My residents are having a tough time finding good jobs. They will not be their own bosses for several more years, at the very least, and what do they know about running a business anyway? They will need some real world experience for a while.
People look up to you? Maybe in 1958. Don't go into this to be held on a pedestal, you will be disappointed.
The freedom you describe comes with owning any business, so why just dentistry?

As far as need-based work, business has hardly dropped in my area. I'm talking about dentists already in their own practice, not residents. I'm sure it is much harder to find a place to practice at someone elses's practice.

Again, I'm talking about dentists who are already in their own practice--they are their own boss.

Dentists don't know anything about running a business?! THey have to, in order to keep their business running. Sure, they can higher managers, bookkeepers, a CPA etc., but if they didn't know anything themselves they would not be in good shape.... They do business paperwork nearly, if not, every single weekend. Of course they learn by experience, but I am positive most practicing dentists know a great deal about running a business.

People do look up to good dentists. I've seen it first hand more times than I can count. Why wouldn't they? I'm not saying they should be held on a pedestal like you say--I never said that, but just as ppl look up to MD's ppl look up to DMD's more or less. And they should, especially if the dentist has good morals.

And sure, other businesses give you the same freedom, but like I said in my original post, not many other professions provide this array of benefits.
 
it is vital if you want to be happy as a healthcare provider to like people. That's who you will be dealing with, not microscope slides. Unless you are a pathologist.

Yeah that's true. You have to be a good people person.
 
My point is where do dental students or residents learn how to run a business? Certainly not is school or residency. It takes some real world experience to run a successful money making operation. Dentists are trained to perform procedures, which is why dentistry can be lucrative, it is procedure based. But the business side of things seems to be a mystery to most new grads, from my experience as a PD.

If you are in a part of the country where business has not fallen off, and there are vast opportunities for new grads to work or open new practices, then you are lucky and should keep this info under wraps, as I have many new grads who are looking earnestly for these opportunities and will be fierce competition as they are bright and well trained.
 
The "really wealthy" may have inherited their money, or climbed the corporate ladder for 30 years to become CEO's and CFO's. Even in the end, as big bad CEO's, they are usually not their own bosses because of a board of directors (or all of the shareholders).

The "blue collar" men and women who built a company from the ground up and became wealthy did it against incredible odds. I think over 90% of businesses fail in the first year.

With dentistry, less than 10% fail in the first year.

A Chef has the same problems when trying to start a restaurant, and the hours are outrageous, I know because I did consider going into the food industry.

Sure there are other things you can do and make money at, but which of those careers compensates you $100,000+ out of school and $200,000+ on average when you set up your own shop?

Everyone I know who is going out into the workforce now can barely find a job and the ones that they are offered pay $40-50K

If you are careful with how you spend your money, you can become one of those "wealthy" people too. And you will be your own boss as well.


Of course I agree with you on this: you definitely shouldn't go into this field if you are doing it just for the money. And it is a shame that you know so many dentists who are unhappy in their field.

Also don't assume that if you can get into dental or medical school you can do "anything". I could not act in front of a camera, or read all the case law and torts(?) in law school. I enjoy science, and I assume most other people going into the healthcare field like science as well, otherwise it would be brutal and most likely near impossible.

Care to cite some of those statistics?
 
Of course I agree with you on this: you definitely shouldn't go into this field if you are doing it just for the money. And it is a shame that you know so many dentists who are unhappy in their field.

I don't agree with this. some people are highly motivated at thier job because they wanna make the most amount of money. So what if you went into dentistry (or ANY other field just for the money) how do you know that this person is going to hate thier job in the long run?

Im gonna be the first to say this, if dentistry paid the same amount of money as, say an engineer (approx 50-60 k a year), MAJORITY of pre-dents would switch out before the week is over....
 
I don't agree with this. some people are highly motivated at thier job because they wanna make the most amount of money. So what if you went into dentistry (or ANY other field just for the money) how do you know that this person is going to hate thier job in the long run?

Im gonna be the first to say this, if dentistry paid the same amount of money as, say an engineer (approx 50-60 k a year), MAJORITY of pre-dents would switch out before the week is over....

I do agree with you on your last statement (only because you could not survive on 60K a year with 250K in student loans. However, I won't debate that topic with you as it is going on in another thread currently)

The reason why its a bad idea to go into this profession specifically for the money is the training it requires. 4 years of intense school and $200-$250K in debt. There are so many other careers (you mentioned engineer) where you don't have to put that kind of investment into it.

There is no guarantee the person will hate it, but there is no guarantee they will love it either. Why would you want to risk being miserable for the rest of your working life when you are going to basically be "trapped" in that career.

I say "trapped" because $200 grand is not easy to pay back if you decide you hate dentistry.

Another reason for not going into it just for the money is that if you don't have an interest you may not even make it through dental school. I know a couple of people personally who made money their only goal and couldn't cut it.
 
Im gonna be the first to say this, if dentistry paid the same amount of money as, say an engineer (approx 50-60 k a year), MAJORITY of pre-dents would switch out before the week is over....
I agree
 
The reason why its a bad idea to go into this profession specifically for the money is the training it requires. 4 years of intense school and $200-$250K in debt. There are so many other careers (you mentioned engineer) where you don't have to put that kind of investment into it.
True, 250k bites, but a dentist who is going to hate his job from day #1 can easily pay that 250k in approx 3-5 years if he/she dedicates most of his/her income to it.... So hate it for 3-5 years, then you can switch to another career.

There is no guarantee the person will hate it, but there is no guarantee they will love it either. Why would you want to risk being miserable for the rest of your working life when you are going to basically be "trapped" in that career.
Well, if they can't know wheather theyr gonna hate it or love it, how could anyone make the decision to go then? It seems to me that the only way to know for certain is to actually go through with it (get your DDS) and see what happens toward the end. There is no statistical measure that says "those who initially started dental school cause of thier love for the job actually loved working as dentists more than those who initially went into it for the $$$"

I say "trapped" because $200 grand is not easy to pay back if you decide you hate dentistry.
As I said above, as a working dentist, 200k is not hard to payback if you work fulltime.

Another reason for not going into it just for the money is that if you don't have an interest you may not even make it through dental school. I know a couple of people personally who made money their only goal and couldn't cut it.
This is a valid point and I totally agree with you. However last time I checked the stats, majority of dental dropouts happen before first year is over. This is before you even get to interact with patients and get to experience what dentistry is all about. These people simply drop out cause the science curriculum was pretty heavy, they just didn't want to spend that much time with the books & labs, and IMO, this goes for both the dentistry "lovers" and those who just did it for the $$$

.
 
Ok, sure with an average associate position pulling in $7,000 a month post tax you can live off of $2,000 a month and pay off the loans if you hated dentistry that much I guess. But who would really want to do that? What would you do after? Go back to school? I feel like the person would just end up staying in a job they hate. Although hey, with the loans paid off in 5 years, they would be making some nice dough lol.

Obviously you will never truly know whether you will love or hate dentistry until you do it. I don't want to debate all day with you. And I am definitely not saying you should be one of those pre-dents obsessed with teeth. I am not at all lol, but what I am saying is that people should at least have some interest (besides money) in the field before making such a huge commitment.

I would say dropping out after the first year would be even worse than going the 4 years and hating it. Even though you will have substantially more debt, at least you have the degree and can get a well paying job.

Being in the hole after D1 year for $50-$60k after tuition, equipment, and living expenses (plus undergrad?) and NO job? I can't even imagine that.




Care to cite some of those statistics?

Ok so I exaggerated a bit, but it is about a 50% failure rate for new businesses.

"Seven out of ten new employer firms last at least two years, and about half survive five years. More specifically, according to new Census data, 69 percent of new employer establishments born to new firms in 2000 survived at least two years, and 51 percent survived five or more years."

http://web.sba.gov/faqs/faqindex.cfm?areaID=24

There was an article in a dental journal I read a few weeks ago that mentioned a failure rate of 10% in dental offices. Ok so 50<<<90 but it is still a much higher failure rate than the approx 10% of dental offices.
 
Last edited:
Ok, sure with an average associate position pulling in $7,000 a month post tax you can live off of $2,000 a month and pay off the loans if you hated dentistry that much I guess. But who would really want to do that?

Lol, people with debt (irrespective wheather you like or hate your job). You realize many people who only finish undergrad are between 20-40k in debt and most of them end up in jobs they don't enjoy. they stay in those jobs just to pay off the debt.

What would you do after? Go back to school? I feel like the person would just end up staying in a job they hate. Although hey, with the loans paid off in 5 years, they would be making some nice dough lol.
what would they do after? I dunno, I worked as a software engineer for 4 years before quitting and deciding to push for dentistry. I am not saying everyone is like me, but I was just an example of someone switching careers after paying most of my undergrad debt.

Obviously you will never truly know whether you will love or hate dentistry until you do it. I don't want to debate all day with you.
This isn't really a debate, we are just sharing our believes about how important should monetary gains be looked upon before pursuing a career in health care

people should at least have some interest (besides money) in the field before making such a huge commitment.
This is where we both agree to disagree. I am simply saying that if money is your number 1 reason for dentistry (or any health care field) then I am a 100% sure you WILL be happy with your decision cause you will make plenty of $$$

Being in the hole after D1 year for $50-$60k after tuition, equipment, and living expenses (plus undergrad?) and NO job? I can't even imagine that.

Well, no one forced you to quit, you made a committment to yourself to pursue dentistry, no one twisted your arm to quit. Sometimes life is not always about what you like or hate, sometimes its about obligations. You got your self into Dental school, you are obligated to finish.
 
Who said live on $2000 a month? Not in NYC you won't, and that is where I am. And plenty of my son's friends, not all, but the smart ones (hi grades, good internships, etc., something like a well qualified pre dent) are pulling down six figures out of college.
 
If money is one's motivator then what's to stop them from over-diagnosing?

I have done countless "SRPs" on patients with light calculus, nothing more than a 4mm pocket, and little to no bone loss because their insurance covered perio maintenance every 3-4 months. As a hygienist I just had to carry out the treatment plan that my "business-minded" boss diagnosed. This was a major factor in my decision to go to dental school.

Private practice dentistry is fee-for-service. Many M.D.'s work for hospitals that are managed care and cost-controlling. It's a delicate issue, and I believe that greedy dentists are a minority, but the statistics that dentists make so much more than doctors may be skewed by this fact.

By the way, I only worked at that office for a few months until I found a practice with higher ethical standards.
 
Who said live on $2000 a month? Not in NYC you won't, and that is where I am. And plenty of my son's friends, not all, but the smart ones (hi grades, good internships, etc., something like a well qualified pre dent) are pulling down six figures out of college.

the 2 grand a month is referring to if you put most of your income to loan repayments.
 
You can't live on $2000 a month in NYC, so those loans will have to wait. Besides, and this goes to my previous point about business skills, holding down $7000 a month and only living on 2000, is that pre tax of after tax money, because that is a huge difference.
 
You can't live on $2000 a month in NYC, so those loans will have to wait. Besides, and this goes to my previous point about business skills, holding down $7000 a month and only living on 2000, is that pre tax of after tax money, because that is a huge difference.


Yes, in fact you are proving my point. It IS next to impossible to live on $2 grand a month.

I made the statement about the $2grand a month in reference to what I was speaking to dentalworks about. He seems to think that "true, 250k bites, but a dentist who is going to hate his job from day #1 can easily pay that 250k in approx 3-5 years if he/she dedicates most of his/her income to it.... So hate it for 3-5 years, then you can switch to another career."

lol..

Then what I said was:

Ok, sure with an average associate position pulling in $7,000 a month post tax you can live off of $2,000 a month and pay off the loans (edit: with the remaining $5,000) if you hated dentistry that much I guess. But who would really want to do that? What would you do after? Go back to school? I feel like the person would just end up staying in a job they hate. Although hey, with the loans paid off in 5 years, they would be making some nice dough lol.

I personally don't see how that would be an intelligent or reasonable thing to do.
 
All this argument is about a starting dentist making 7k a month.... HELLO ITS STARTING SALARY. After 2-3 years into the job, the dentist is going to start pulling 10-15k EASILY (assuming he/she knows how to job hunt around and look for better opportunities)
 
I am assuming $7,000 a month post tax (which works out to be approx $120k gross a year)

The reason for this is that the dentist in question is looking to "hate it for 3-5 years, then you can switch to another career".

I highly doubt any dentist in that situation would buy into or open his own practice.

I don't know where you are getting "10-15k easily" from. If you own your own practice, sure. But the average employed dentist salary is approx $120k, so I figured this would be a good number to use.
 
You can't live on $2000 a month in NYC, so those loans will have to wait. Besides, and this goes to my previous point about business skills, holding down $7000 a month and only living on 2000, is that pre tax of after tax money, because that is a huge difference.

Manhattan is an island in more than one way. I'm living in relative comfort in arguably the nicest neighborhood in San Francisco for $2000 a month, so I'm sure it's possible in NYC. Maybe not midtown, but somewhere.

As far as surviving as a dentist, I think it's about 3 things: location, location and location, but turned on the head of what your real estate agent looks for. I know some people nearly a year out of school still working hygeine because they "must" live in the OC or bay area, and I know people who haven't even graduated and have excellent offers. Why the difference? Apparently DFW, Austin and Oklahoma city don't have quite the allure. I guess it depends on what you're hoping to get out of life, but for the record I'll choose living comfortably, paying my loans quick and practicing the way I want over living in an area I can't fully enjoy. Every. Single. Time.
 
Top