Is Dentistry still worth it for all us pre-dents?

[themuffinman11]

Hey y'all, I'm applying this cycle and have interviews coming up but I came across a thread warning people not to go into dentistry on the dentaltown forums

Here is one post in it that describes the negatives:

"Here is what sucks:
-The current cost of a dental education is crazy. If you really want to do dentistry, go through the military or at least to a state school where you can finish with under 300K in student loans (less is obviously much better).
-Cost of equipment and everything else dental related and trying to keep up with the technology which becomes outdated---you can do a lot of fine dentistry without the latest and greatest equipment, but the pressure is there to get it.
-dealing with staff issues (hiring, firing, training people only to have them move or get pregnant, emotions, staff bickering, etc.)
-dealing with failures: if you have a 95% success rate in everything you see in dentistry and you see 20 patients a day, on average, you will see one of your failures every day. This is one of the hardest things to deal with in dentistry in my opinion. I'm not saying I see a failure every day, but the point is sometimes you do your best and things still don't work out and some of us beat ourselves up for it. If you think you might be the type to beat yourself up when things don't work out ideally, you may want to avoid this profession.
-Managing patient expectations
-Managing patients phobias
-Dealing with crappy insurance companies
-More corporate practices popping up all over the place which is leading to crappier re-imbursement
-Nobody wants to go to the dentist. They associate you with physical and financial pain.
-Chronic positions that often lead to neck and back pain.
-Your livelihood is completely dependent on your ability to remain healthy and to produce. My brother is a teacher and tore his ACL. He took his 3 months of paid leave for the injury, worked 2 more weeks, then it was summer break. If I break my arm and can't work for 8 weeks, I'm not sure what kind of practice I would have left and my staff would probably all be working somewhere else."

Here's another post about the financial investment:

"I guess to keep it simple: 8 years of intense school at 7% interest on 300-500k loans for an opportunity to buy a 500-1 mil practice that will help pay off loans in 10-20 years before having a positive net worth at the age of 40-50 on the average bell curve.. In a field that is becoming a commodity with corporate outside pressure."

I have interviews coming up and reading this thread really got my morale down and second guessing if dentistry really is the right career for me. What do you guys think?

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[Firik]

Yes, there are challenges in the profession, but with these set of mind, you will never go far. I strongly believe with positive attitude and desire to help others for the reward of your patients will satisfy you. This is a great profession! It is not a coincidence that it's ranked #1 top profession for a few years. As with the loans, I believe you can pay out in 10 years (max) even working in corporate dentistry and affording your basic needs. All I am saying your intentions to go into dental school will be the most important thing as you go further! Good luck!

 

[doktorinprogres]

I'd think carefully about where you're likely to get in and where you want to live/practice. If you don't want to be an owner, are not strong enough of an applicant to get into an in-state school with low tuition, and want to live in "nice" suburbs or major metro areas this profession will take a toll on you. If this is truly a dream job for you I don't think anyone should tell you not to pursue it. If it's a lifestyle/money thing be clear on the scenarios I mentioned above. Also be honest about what your alternatives are. On dentaltown there's a whole lot of "there are so many easier ways to make 100k/200k", honestly for a lot of us that's just not true.

Understand that when you first graduate your after tax money is ~84k. Then you get to subtract out loan payments, disability insurance, retirement contributions, you're really not making all that much money. The real money is in ownership or speed as a clinician. It'll be sometime before you reach an amount of money and have paid down loans enough that you can sit back and say life is good. If you really sit there and look at the numbers and honestly lay out what your life will look like and still want to pursue it then it's fine. You may be reading this and saying it's not just about the money or the numbers. Dentistry is a business. The great lifestyle you think of when you think about a dentist is a result of a lot of thought and effort into running a business. If this form of thinking is foreign to you and someone isn't paying for your dental school you're going to have a bad time.

There is no perfect profession. Unless you're a rare animal at some point dentistry regardless of what you write on your personal statement will simply be a job. That's not the end of the world. The lower debt you get yourself into the freer you'll feel. There's a difference in having to practice/produce dentistry vs choosing or getting to practice dentistry.

 

[2TH MVR]

The above post sums it up pretty well. Having graduated from DS in 1985 ... I can attest that the dental economic environment has changed tremendously .... at least in the urban, saturated areas where I practice.

Dentists are their own worst enemy in some respects regarding turning dentistry into a commodity. Look at all the advertisements touting free exams (orthos are guilty too). Free bleaching. $99/month braces. Invisalign. Perio Care. Implants in one day. Groupons. Valpack ads. Penny saver ads. These ads are EVERYWHERE. It's fricken ridiculous. You see a little of this in medicine, but not much. Medicine is still medicine. Dentistry is now marketing and advertising. We have discounted dentistry to a point that the public sees it as a commodity. Just like the insurance companies.

Once you graduate .... hopefully you were smart enough to graduate with low debt. Then you have two options. Associate/work for a Corp or buy a practice. When you buy a practice (as I did 26 years ago) you are essentially "buying yourself a job". You are a small business owner now. Well .... like most small business .... you have to run it like a business. How many dentists are equipped to do this? The business needs constant attention and you will work more days and hours than if you were a simple employee. Of course ...if your "business" is doing well ... you will do well. If not .... well .... you still have to pay the bills. Again ... medicine is medicine. Dentistry is ...... business and marketing.

On the bright side ... if you graduate will little debt, practice in the RIGHT location, enjoy practicing dentistry and meeting new people, have some business sense ..... dentistry can be very rewarding.

 

[Pearl E. White]

On the bright side ... if you graduate will little debt, practice in the RIGHT location, enjoy practicing dentistry and meeting new people, have some business sense ..... dentistry can be very rewarding.

This is the part that I look forward to the most! Everything is what you make it out to be. In my opinion (not that it matters much 'cause I'm pre-dent), there are plenty of jobs that are far less rewarding. I have found that perspective and attitude make a HUGE difference in pretty much everything.

 

[2TH MVR]

This is the part that I look forward to the most! Everything is what you make it out to be. In my opinion (not that it matters much 'cause I'm pre-dent), there are plenty of jobs that are far less rewarding. I have found that perspective and attitude make a HUGE difference in pretty much everything.

Very true. We can all complain, but there are far worse jobs in the world. Lots of pride in practice ownership and helping people with their dental needs.

 

[Stanelz]

another one of these? we should make sticky thread about the future of dentistry

To summarize the last 100 threads about "is dentistry worth it": yes it is, is it as lucrative as it once was? No. It is better than 99% of the alternative jobs out there? Yes. Will you make a comfortable living? Yes.

 

[princeafrica]

lol if you wanna see what a real profession crisis looks like, go check out the pharmacy threads

 

[Pearl E. White]

lol if you wanna see what a real profession crisis looks like, go check out the pharmacy threads

Or better still - work in a pharmacy. That made my decision quick and easy.

 

[wengerout]

Honestly a lot of posters are overtly negative while making good points. In terms of it being worth it I feel like it comes down to three key decisions:

1: Will you specialize?

If you specialize in my opinion it's 100% worth it especially as an OMFS.

2: Will you be a practice owner/partner?

IMO dentistry only really makes sense rn if you intend on becoming an owner or even better a partner. Being an associate forever is not worth the cost of the schooling.

3: Where do you want to live?

While in theory possible, there are some places where it sucks financially to do dentistry. California and NYC being prime examples. Higher cost of living, lower salary, higher cost to open and run a practice including higher wages for your staff, and of course saturation. It all adds up and if you are hell bent on living here, I would realllly consider your plan before pulling the trigger on going to school.

One thing to note though, a lot of posters here fail to realize a lot of dentist are making 200,300,400,500K+ and are bit disconnected from just how rare that is in most jobs in the US. It's easy to say, "Don't go to Dental School!!!!" but unless you have another job that is paying at least six figures, I would be hard pressed to say straight up "It's bot worth it". Plus a job where you can earn six figures AND you have job security no matter your age AND you have decent hours. Just my two cents.

 

[Auntymarkovnikov]

Any profession will ultimately only be "worth it" if you love what you do. If you love dentistry then it's worth it. If not, then nah.

 

[Judajudo]

Any profession will ultimately only be "worth it" if you love what you do. If you love dentistry then it's worth it. If not, then nah.

Speaking as someone who is currently in a career making 200k+ a year and looking to make a career change as a dentist, there is a lot of truth to this. Its not necessarily about love but finding what works for you and how this choice fits your future. I know after over a decade of working in my industry that I don't see myself doing what I do forever, and I will become unhappy in the future if I stay in my current career. Dentistry does fit my goals and the type of work that I want to do, even if it might mean going into debt initially and taking a pay cut for the first few years as a new dentist.

 

[lwergod]

this kind of negativity is not just exclusive to dentistry. Ask lawyers, physicians, and engineers and you will hear about their complaints in their respective fields. I think people need to stop placing super high expectations on everything.

 

[miamimami]

Speaking as someone who is currently in a career making 200k+ a year and looking to make a career change as a dentist, there is a lot of truth to this. Its not necessarily about love but finding what works for you and how this choice fits your future. I know after over a decade of working in my industry that I don't see myself doing what I do forever, and I will become unhappy in the future if I stay in my current career. Dentistry does fit my goals and the type of work that I want to do, even if it might mean going into debt initially and taking a pay cut for the first few years as a new dentist.

Damn, kudos to you! You'll make one heck of a convincing case when you're asked "why dentistry?" in your interviews. Wishing you the best and rooting for ya!

 

[ChewyDrop]

be in 400k in debt, live w/ your parents for 4-6years. Pay off loan. Easy.

 

[princeafrica]

be in 400k in debt, live w/ your parents for 4-6years. Pay off loan. Easy.

my parents mentioned this option to me lmao