Is dentistry a saturated field?

[UnicornDemon]

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I've heard rumors that dentistry has become a saturated field. As I drive around my hometown (Tampa, Florida), I see dental offices on nearly every block. There are 61 dental schools in the US, and apparently more are opening up. Meanwhile, there's only 9 podiatrist schools.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatric_medical_school

Are toothaches really that much more common than ankle sprains?

Perhaps this is due to the fact that Florida is simply a desirable place to live. If I move to, say, Ohio, can I still be successful as a dentist?

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter). I was mainly interested in pursuing the profession for the good salary and work-life balance. Plus, my dad's a successful dentist and he can help me get into school, establish a practice, etc. However, if other careers offer a similar salary and work-life balance I may consider them instead.

 

[ChuckDAT]

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter).

Why would anyone is this forum want to answer your question when you make a statement like that. Be passionate about some career and make a difference.....you can make money, have a outside life, and be passionate about a career.

Decide what to be and go be it. This country is saturated with comments like "I am not passionate about a career."

 

[Shunwei]

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter).

Why would anyone is this forum want to answer your question when you make a statement like that. Be passionate about some career and make a difference.....you can make money, have a outside life, and be passionate about a career.

Decide what to be and go be it. This country is saturated with comments like "I am not passionate about a career."

Actually, chuck, you don't need to be "passionate" about a career in order to do well at it. I personally like dentistry, enjoy being a dentist and do well at it, but am I passionate about the field in the sense that I want to think about it all the time? Hell no. Dentistry is just a job to me to bring home the bacon and live the life I want. A means to an end. "Passion" is more attractive to someone who is young and naive; when you become older, your priorities will be much more different.

 

[Silent Cool]

Actually, chuck, you don't need to be "passionate" about a career in order to do well at it. I personally like dentistry, enjoy being a dentist and do well at it, but am I passionate about the field in the sense that I want to think about it all the time? Hell no. Dentistry is just a job to me to bring home the bacon and live the life I want. A means to an end. "Passion" is more attractive to someone who is young and naive; when you become older, your priorities will be much more different.

+1. Yup.

As long as you can tolerate the job, preferably don't hate it, and are good at it, that's what matters most. I seriously doubt most dentists are passionate about teeth. That's ridiculous. My dentist went to dental school to avoid the draft during the Vietnam war.

 

[Silent Cool]

I've heard rumors that dentistry has become a saturated field. As I drive around my hometown (Tampa, Florida), I see dental offices on nearly every block. There are 61 dental schools in the US, and apparently more are opening up. Meanwhile, there's only 9 podiatrist schools.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatric_medical_school

Are toothaches really that much more common than ankle sprains?

Perhaps this is due to the fact that Florida is simply a desirable place to live. If I move to, say, Ohio, can I still be successful as a dentist?

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter). I was mainly interested in pursuing the profession for the good salary and work-life balance. Plus, my dad's a successful dentist and he can help me get into school, establish a practice, etc. However, if other careers offer a similar salary and work-life balance I may consider them instead.

Certain regions are saturated (read: CA, NYC, and lots of FL and Utah). But there are many good spots, too. Also, you have to consider that the population is expanding, so eventually dental schools and their spots will, too. Boomers are living longer also. I think business will be there. When the economy turns dentists are always hit hard. Several of my friends moved to Maine to find good work in dentistry. There's quite a need up there, apparently. My Mother always reminded me of her father saying, "You go where the jobs are." Still true.

 

[johnho771]

Yeah I agree that about the population expanding aspect. Go on wikipedia and look at how much the population has grown and continues to grow. California and other states show a similar case. Also the expected growth of dental care over the next decade. There are going to be more dentists where there are more people, just like there will be more of everything else like restaurants, MD's, lawyers. I do not think that just because one see a lot of dentist they should assume it is a case of saturation. Competitive market ?yes. Saturated? not necessarily.

 

[Localnative]

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter).

Why would anyone is this forum want to answer your question when you make a statement like that. Be passionate about some career and make a difference.....you can make money, have a outside life, and be passionate about a career.

Decide what to be and go be it. This country is saturated with comments like "I am not passionate about a career."

I don't agree. What's wrong with being pragmatic?
I like oral surgery (well, on the good days), but love my life outside of the office. I'm passionate about my free time with family. As I approach 40, I realize those ideals served me well as a pre-dent, but now I enjoy the freedoms my profession allow even more.

 

[UnicornDemon]

Btw, I'm not passionate about dentistry (or any career for that matter).

Why would anyone is this forum want to answer your question when you make a statement like that. Be passionate about some career and make a difference.....you can make money, have a outside life, and be passionate about a career.

Decide what to be and go be it. This country is saturated with comments like "I am not passionate about a career."

Well, I've taken two philosophy classes in college and I loved them. Nonetheless, the only tenured professors in my college graduated from Harvard or Oxford. If I pursued a PhD in philosophy I would end up teaching at some unranked state school or Community College making ~$45,000 a year (if I was lucky).

There aren't many careers I'm passionate about that pay enough to raise a family. There are also careers that pay well but that I'd dread waking up every day to go to (law, accounting). Dentistry is a middleground- a career that pays well and that, while I may not have a burning passion for it, I could see myself enjoying the work and living a happy life as a dentist.

 

[ChuckDAT]

I don't think I ever said to be more passionate in your career than anything else. I am much more passionate about an array of things. Y'all make good points, because I know plenty of practitioners who aren't passionate and make a good living. However, the best are normally what the ones who love what they do. They may not love it all the time, they probably have many other interest that the enjoy just as much, but they certainly like it more than just showing up to support a family.

I apologize for being condescending towards you. I am in dental school and can say that a majority of the people I knew in undergrad had the attitude that you can't find a career that you enjoy and that is profitable.....and that is a huge misconception. You can make plenty of money in ANY field that you enjoy being involved in....you just have create your niche.


Back to the OP and sorry for the tangent. The better socioeconomic am areas in the us are becoming more saturated. For instance, I have seen a big increase in the amount of orthodontist in suburbs of major cities.... Which makes sense, but it is still a larger increase than you would think.

 

[Shunwei]

You can make plenty of money in ANY field that you enjoy being involved in....you just have create your niche.

Actually, you are wrong again about this. Dentistry is popular because it is a field with a very high profit margin and success rate. You can be the most mediocre dentist but if you practice in the right area, you can still be very financially successful. However, say, if you are a realtor or a commercial fisherman, you have to be the top 0.1% to approach the earning potential of the aforementioned mediocre dentist. I think one of the biggest and most dangerous myths propagated to youths is the idea that "do what you love, and the money will come." There are plenty of vocations where you may love what you do and work your butt off, but the earning potential simply isn't there, due to saturation, inherent limitations, off shoring, etc.

 

[Localnative]

I don't think I ever said to be more passionate in your career than anything else. I am much more passionate about an array of things. Y'all make good points, because I know plenty of practitioners who aren't passionate and make a good living. However, the best are normally what the ones who love what they do. They may not love it all the time, they probably have many other interest that the enjoy just as much, but they certainly like it more than just showing up to support a family.

I apologize for being condescending towards you. I am in dental school and can say that a majority of the people I knew in undergrad had the attitude that you can't find a career that you enjoy and that is profitable.....and that is a huge misconception. You can make plenty of money in ANY field that you enjoy being involved in....you just have create your niche.

Love when Dental Students speak with the tone of someone with vast amounts of experience. Those are some sweeping generalization Chuckie. Do you have a family to support? I happen to LIKE my job but when real working men have responsibilities such as SUPPORTING A FAMILY, those become the priority. By the way most of us in the dental field don't just "show up". That sort of a lackluster attitude gets you in trouble. Speaking for many clinicians, we take a great interest in patient care and fostering a supportive environment for those we treat. And the "best" in clinical practice are usually the ones who are clinically competent who also have a knack for the business end of things. In terms of creating a niche, I'm sure if you marketed yourself upon graduation as a dental endovascular neurosurgeon you will bank. No worries Melvin.

 

[ChuckDAT]

I don't think I ever said to be more passionate in your career than anything else. I am much more passionate about an array of things. Y'all make good points, because I know plenty of practitioners who aren't passionate and make a good living. However, the best are normally what the ones who love what they do. They may not love it all the time, they probably have many other interest that the enjoy just as much, but they certainly like it more than just showing up to support a family.

I apologize for being condescending towards you. I am in dental school and can say that a majority of the people I knew in undergrad had the attitude that you can't find a career that you enjoy and that is profitable.....and that is a huge misconception. You can make plenty of money in ANY field that you enjoy being involved in....you just have create your niche.

Love when Dental Students speak with the tone of someone with vast amounts of experience. Those are some sweeping generalization Chuckie. Do you have a family to support? I happen to LIKE my job but when real working men have responsibilities such as SUPPORTING A FAMILY, those become the priority. By the way most of us in the dental field don't just "show up". That sort of a lackluster attitude gets you in trouble. Speaking for many clinicians, we take a great interest in patient care and fostering a supportive environment for those we treat. And the "best" in clinical practice are usually the ones who are clinically competent who also have a knack for the business end of things. In terms of creating a niche, I'm sure if you marketed yourself upon graduation as a dental endovascular neurosurgeon you will bank. No worries Melvin.

Again, I don't think I said that you can't have other priorities that come before your career. I actually do have a family local, I am "real man" that places things before dentistry. I do see what I am going into as a business and a way to provide. Here is the shocker.....I am pretty passionate about it. This entire thread is argumentative. My assertion is that you can be passionate about many things, and my opinion is that your career should be one. The ones that are passionate are normally the ones that make an impact both monetarily in their practice and educationally for the field. I was an office manager during a gap year before dentistry, and have been around the field since I was young. So, my "generalizations" due hold some validity. There are always circumstances that change your profit margin (in any field). The niche doesn't just mean the career, but rather a model of management within that career (location, socioeconomics, overhead management....etc).

So..."real man" lets not go back and forth. We could argue different circumstances for many different scenarios and both have solid points. It is what you make it, and that goes for an array of things!!

 

[ChuckDAT]

Actually, you are wrong again about this. Dentistry is popular because it is a field with a very high profit margin and success rate. You can be the most mediocre dentist but if you practice in the right area, you can still be very financially successful. However, say, if you are a realtor or a commercial fisherman, you have to be the top 0.1% to approach the earning potential of the aforementioned mediocre dentist. I think one of the biggest and most dangerous myths propagated to youths is the idea that "do what you love, and the money will come." There are plenty of vocations where you may love what you do and work your butt off, but the earning potential simply isn't there, due to saturation, inherent limitations, off shoring, etc.

I agree with most of what your are saying. You do have to be economical in searching for what you want to make your career,but it should be something you enjoy (you are doing it everyday). Essentially, I would rather see someone striving to do what they want then nothing at all. That is all I am trying to say. I have recently seen a lot of people striving for nothing, and waiting on a handout. That is not good for you, me or even Local 🙂.

Y'all have a good one. Lets get back to the OP

 

[UCSFx2017]

Dentistry is a changing field but dentists are trained to adapt to change, or at least they ought to be. Restorations and extractions have declined in frequency over the past few decades but other procedures have filled their place. If you can think of U.S. cities that you've never been to, they're probably the ones that are likely to be saturated; everywhere else is a different story. Some of your questions are impossible to answer without the use of a crystal ball.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291021.htm#st