Is there an oversupply of dentists in California, USA?

[Judgment Dragon]

Is there an oversupply of dentists in California, USA?

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[dentistrydmd]

Short answer is yes.

http://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2014/dentistspb-mar2014.pdf

" There were 3.9 actively practicing dentists per 5,000 population in 2012, or one dentist per 1,282 persons in California (Exhibit 2). This ratio is higher than the national estimate of 3.1 dentists per 5,000, or a dentist for every 1,602 persons, and it is also higher than the 3.5 figure in 2008 in California."

...and this is a study from 2012. I would assume the same trends are getting worse (as well as with more and more dental schools recently having opened up). 1 dentist per 1,282 pop is not a good ratio if you are starting up as a dentist.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

It's super sad to be a dentist in Cali. I googled about 743 results for Rowland Heights, a town about 50k averaging 1 dentist for 67 people. In San Gabriel, there are 1559 results for a town of 40k (a lot of Asians don't fill out the Census). In Cupertino, there are 1477 results for a town of 60k. When my wf and I went for visits almost 20 yrs ago, she asked if dentists were starving since you see dentist offices everywhere. In any area with a hint of desirability, there will be too many dentists. However, the Asian food at those locations are incredible. My town of 100k in the Pacific NW has 1091 results including specialists. I believe there are many repeated names and included those of nearby communities.

 

[rippedbx]

The joke where I am in southern California is that there's more dental offices than taco shops.
Some dentists do well, but most would do a lot better somewhere else.

 

[allDAT]

California’s problem is the shrinking middle class, not the sheer number of dentists. You only need 1 thousand active patient charts to make a good living if you have a cash/ppo mix. The trouble is that the cost of living is so high and the number of people depending on an HMO or medicaid - you can’t make an honest living serving these patients so the number of qualified patients shrinks while the number of dentists continues to grow.

There are many dentists in CA who are successful, there are many who are struggling, and by definition most are average.

 

[allDAT]

California’s problem is the shrinking middle class, not the sheer number of dentists. You only need 1 thousand active patient charts to make a good living if you have a cash/ppo mix. The trouble is that the cost of living is so high and the number of people depending on an HMO or medicaid - you can’t make an honest living serving these patients so the number of qualified patients shrinks while the number of dentists continues to grow.

There are many dentists in CA who are successful, there are many who are struggling, and by definition most are average.

I should add...being a dentist in CA is not for the faint of heart. You have to have a certain amount of grit to make it here, especially in Southern California. There are more opportunities in Central and Northern California as long as you are open to living out of SF/San Jose/Berkeley.