let's talk about saturation

[une]

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So i have been noticing a dental office on just about every block or so and at times almost right next to each other. I mean srsly i could walk to a do office if i wanted to and i live in an area thats 1 hour away from a big city( cant even imagin how it must be in cities) The problem i see here is more people are becoming dentists and in many places its already saturated, so i think that in 5-10 years dental salaries will be far less and also dentist will have less business. It seems like you almost need to go out in to nowheres land to be able to make a good salary. Just my thoughts after some research...what do you guys think of this problem?

 

[Bimmer boy]

So i have been noticing a dental office on just about every block or so and at times almost right next to each other. I mean srsly i could walk to a do office if i wanted to and i live in an area thats 1 hour away from a big city( cant even imagin how it must be in cities) The problem i see here is more people are becoming dentists and in many places its already saturated, so i think that in 5-10 years dental salaries will be far less and also dentist will have less business. It seems like you almost need to go out in to nowheres land to be able to make a good salary. Just my thoughts after some research...what do you guys think of this problem?

I'm from Los Angeles and this is very common for dentists I've seen quite a few shopping centers with 3 dental offices and across the strees there's literally another one lol.. They're basically everywhere, but I think this is where a persons business skills come in handy and how well you actually do your job to make your patients keep coming. Basically try being the best haha

 

[doc toothache]

There are many intersections where there is a gas station in each corner. Is there a "saturation" of service stations?

 

[une]

I'm thinking that after i get out of d-school and i am in 300k in debt...i am an average person and not very financially wealthy....i would def. not be able to spend another 700k on making my own practice so id probably have to be someones work horse, which is def. something i dnt want to be but am starting to realize if i chose this field now id have to, if i can find one, and by that time i just feel that a dentist will be making half of what they make today if even that. Its really not that hard to take care of your teeth and ppl are becoming smarter nowadays about oral care. But back to the main point saturation..there are already more than enough dentist with less retiring because of the economy. I am just having a hard time seeing any positive growth for dentistry due to this. And as for being the best sure you can try but so can/will another dentist next to you practice.

 

[gnleff]

Every dental clinic provides a different service. I'm sure that whoever started their clinic was well aware that there is another one close to them.

Just because you see a lot of clinics doesn't mean you're not going to make much money because there are a lot of clinics next to each other.

You also need to take into account on the population that surrounds each clinic. If there are hundreds of thousands of people then it would make sense to have a lot of clinics next to each other, if not, one very large practice. It would be stupid to just have one clinic caring for a hundred thousand people...

 

[squigloo]

I'm thinking that after i get out of d-school and i am in 300k in debt...i am an average person and not very financially wealthy....i would def. not be able to spend another 700k on making my own practice so id probably have to be someones work horse, which is def. something i dnt want to be but am starting to realize if i chose this field now id have to, if i can find one, and by that time i just feel that a dentist will be making half of what they make today if even that. Its really not that hard to take care of your teeth and ppl are becoming smarter nowadays about oral care. But back to the main point saturation..there are already more than enough dentist with less retiring because of the economy. I am just having a hard time seeing any positive growth for dentistry due to this. And as for being the best sure you can try but so can/will another dentist next to you practice.

Yep, you've figured it all out. In 10 years, dentists won't be driving ferraris, going yachting, or retiring at 30 any more. Why choose the plebeian lifestyle when you can go into something that will be so much more financially rewarding, like business or political science?

 

[gnleff]

This is the way i see it. If you're going into dentistry for the money and amenities then you might want to rethink becoming a dentist.

 

[Minion]

If you want money, you might as well be a hooker.

I mean, you are having fun and getting money right? Isn't that what you want?

 

[johnho771]

When talking about "saturation," you need to consider both the solute and the solvent, not just the solute. People are living longer and the population continues to expand at a decent rate. More people are making efforts to keep their teeth. A lot of dentists in an area does not equal necessarily mean saturation without considering other components.

Dental spending is predicted to expand by about $ 75 billion over the decade.
http://www.ada.org/news/7173.aspx

Also, the dental workforce is changing. More women are entering the profession and are less likely to own their own practice, and tend to work less hours than their male counterparts.
http://www.jcda.ca/article/c1

I think what makes dentistry look very saturated is that many dentists work in solo or small group practices. Hence there are going to be many dental practices to accommodate the dental workforce. This is unlike many other professions where you may have hundreds of similar professional working in one office. Hypothetically imagine a suburban town of 20 dentists each with their own dental practice and another town of 20 dentists who all work for the same office. Driving through the town with 20 practices it will appear more saturated than the other town despite the same number of dentists.

Finally, even though the number of dental graduates has increased over the years. The growth has been controlled more than other professions. People often cite careers in law or more traditional business as an alternative to dentistry. But those fields are very competitive. Think about all the law graduates and the explosion of people getting MBAs. The number of MBAs graduating each year is almost the same number as the entire dental workforce. You can get MBAs online now!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronaldyeaple/2012/05/30/is-the-mba-obsolete/

I tried to cite article to back up my points. So often people make statements about dentistry concerning saturation without any supporting evidence.

 

[suarez 7]

When talking about "saturation," you need to consider both the solute and the solvent, not just the solute. People are living longer and the population continues to expand at a decent rate. More people are making efforts to keep their teeth. A lot of dentists in an area does not equal necessarily mean saturation without considering other components.

Dental spending is predicted to expand by about $ 75 billion over the decade.
http://www.ada.org/news/7173.aspx

Also, the dental workforce is changing. More women are entering the profession and are less likely to own their own practice, and tend to work less hours than their male counterparts.
http://www.jcda.ca/article/c1

I think what makes dentistry look very saturated is that many dentists work in solo or small group practices. Hence there are going to be many dental practices to accommodate the dental workforce. This is unlike many other professions where you may have hundreds of similar professional working in one office. Hypothetically imagine a suburban town of 20 dentists each with their own dental practice and another town of 20 dentists who all work for the same office. Driving through the town with 20 practices it will appear more saturated than the other town despite the same number of dentists.

Finally, even though the number of dental graduates has increased over the years. The growth has been controlled more than other professions. People often cite careers in law or more traditional business as an alternative to dentistry. But those fields are very competitive. Think about all the law graduates and the explosion of people getting MBAs. The number of MBAs graduating each year is almost the same number as the entire dental workforce. You can get MBAs online now!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronaldyeaple/2012/05/30/is-the-mba-obsolete/

I tried to cite article to back up my points. So often people make statements about dentistry concerning saturation without any supporting evidence.

The population is growing indeed, but when you actually look at the numbers most of the population growth in this country is coming from immigrant and minority groups, population groups that really can not afford dental treatment anyways.

Women tend to work less than men, yes. But that doesn't really change employment figures. But I did read a statistic from the ADA in hours worked for male vs female dentists. I think the figure was 37 hrs/wk for males, and 34 hrs/wk for females. Not very significant at all.

From an ADA article:
The percent of general practice dentists reporting that they are not busy enough and can see more patients increased from 20 percent in 2007 to 39 percent in 2011, based on dentists surveyed across the country.

A similar increase was seen among specialist dentists.

Wait times for appointments also decreased steadily during the past decade from an average of 10 days in 2001 to five days in 2011, according to HPRC. The decline started well before the recent economic downturn.

"This data clearly indicates that at the national level there is significant capacity within the dental care delivery system to treat more patients and suggests that additional providers may not be needed," said Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., managing vice president of HPRC.

There are many intersections where there is a gas station in each corner. Is there a "saturation" of service stations?

No there is not. There is always going to be a higher need for gas. People can't choose to prolong filling their tank, but they can choose to skip out on hygiene checks if they can't afford it.

 

[une]

The population is growing indeed, but when you actually look at the numbers most of the population growth in this country is coming from immigrant and minority groups, population groups that really can not afford dental treatment anyways.

Women tend to work less than men, yes. But that doesn't really change employment figures. But I did read a statistic from the ADA in hours worked for male vs female dentists. I think the figure was 37 hrs/wk for males, and 34 hrs/wk for females. Not very significant at all.

From an ADA article:
The percent of general practice dentists reporting that they are not busy enough and can see more patients increased from 20 percent in 2007 to 39 percent in 2011, based on dentists surveyed across the country.

A similar increase was seen among specialist dentists.




Wait times for appointments also decreased steadily during the past decade from an average of 10 days in 2001 to five days in 2011, according to HPRC. The decline started well before the recent economic downturn.

"This data clearly indicates that at the national level there is significant capacity within the dental care delivery system to treat more patients and suggests that additional providers may not be needed," said Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., managing vice president of HPRC.



No there is not. There is always going to be a higher need for gas. People can't choose to prolong filling their tank, but they can choose to skip out on hygiene checks if they can't afford it.

Very nicely put and good check as well with the hours( men vs women)....now i just thought if there is a 55k projection of new dentists being added in the next ten years( currently there are (155k and there's a sat, problem already) there's no real positive growth for dentist salaries. And whoever said not to pursue something because of the money, keep telling your self that until you end up broke while doing what you 'love'.

Here is where i got the stats. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dentists.htm

dentist proj. growth 21% faster than national. & national rate for job growth is 14%, so for dentisty will grow by 35%...it's absurd tbh.

 

[Illfavor]

This is the way i see it. If you're going into dentistry for the money and amenities then you might want to rethink becoming a dentist.

Thank you.

FWIW, OP has NO IDEA what all the dentists in his area are making. Did you check the demos for your area? I noticed the same thing once, then actually checked the demos, and it was the case that that particular corner was high traffic, so naturally a bunch of docs wanted free advertising. If each of them is around the median, $150K+, seems like they're prolly pretty freaking happy. How much money does a person really need? God I hate these threads. Dentistry is a stupid way to try to become a millionaire. Picking a place to practice involves a ton of things. It's hard to own a small business, even in healthcare. Life is hard.

 

[NMC2010]

For every 5 dentists that retire, there are only 3 to replace them.

 

[sacapuntas]

Very nicely put and good check as well with the hours( men vs women)....now i just thought if there is a 55k projection of new dentists being added in the next ten years( currently there are (155k and there's a sat, problem already) there's no real positive growth for dentist salaries. And whoever said not to pursue something because of the money, keep telling your self that until you end up broke while doing what you 'love'.

Here is where i got the stats. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dentists.htm

dentist proj. growth 21% faster than national. & national rate for job growth is 14%, so for dentisty will grow by 35%...it's absurd tbh.

The BLS is predicting need for dentists will grow 21% over the next 10 years and that we will need to add a net of 32,000 dentists...What are you trying to say?

Also, I don't believe there is a saturation problem already as you state, but rather a geographical distribution problem. Seems like there are too many silly people that enjoy living on the coasts?

 

[Koalafied]

Uh-oh

 

[suarez 7]

For every 5 dentists that retire, there are only 3 to replace them.

Bold statement there, care to back it up with an actual source?

 

[sacapuntas]

Women tend to work less than men, yes. But that doesn't really change employment figures. But I did read a statistic from the ADA in hours worked for male vs female dentists. I think the figure was 37 hrs/wk for males, and 34 hrs/wk for females. Not very significant at all.

Bold statement there, care to back it up with an actual source?

🙂

 

[sacapuntas]

Women tend to work less than men, yes. But that doesn't really change employment figures. But I did read a statistic from the ADA in hours worked for male vs female dentists. I think the figure was 37 hrs/wk for males, and 34 hrs/wk for females. Not very significant at all.

Just for fun:

Slightly more than half of all female and male dentists work full-time (between 32 and 42 hours per week). Women are somewhat more likely than men to work part-time: 28 percent vs. 15 percent, and are less likely to work overtime: 16 percent vs. 30 percent. A recent study indicated that marital status does not appear to have an impact on work hours among female dentists. However, having children reduces women’s work hours by nearly one workday per week, on average.*

Compared to their male colleagues, women are less likely to be in solo practices and more likely to be employees or independent contractors. Fifty-three percent of female dentists are solo practitioners compared to 75 percent of male dentists, and 29 percent of women are employees or independent contractors compared to 8 percent of men.**

* Walton SM, Byck GR, Cooksey JA, Kaste LM. Assessing differences in hours worked between male and female dentists: an analysis of cross-sectional national survey data from 1979 through 1999. J Am Dent Assoc May 2004; 135(5):637-45.

**American Dental Association. 1995 survey of dentists. A comparison of male and female dentists: work-related issues. 1997; Chicago, IL:ADA.

 

[helloworld9]

Thank you.

FWIW, OP has NO IDEA what all the dentists in his area are making. Did you check the demos for your area? I noticed the same thing once, then actually checked the demos, and it was the case that that particular corner was high traffic, so naturally a bunch of docs wanted free advertising. If each of them is around the median, $150K+, seems like they're prolly pretty freaking happy. How much money does a person really need? God I hate these threads. Dentistry is a stupid way to try to become a millionaire. Picking a place to practice involves a ton of things. It's hard to own a small business, even in healthcare. Life is hard.

I couldn't agree more. If you're out to make millions, why not set out to be an entrepreneur and invent something that will get you there? Because the chances of actually thinking of an idea, producing it, marketing it and generating profit from it is incredibly slim, high risk, and who says you're working any harder than becoming a dentist?

If you want to make money then of course being a dentist is a great option, but why do you think we go through all of these years of schooling? Because it's safe, smart and will have a tremendous return on investment. Think of your friends who may not be entering medicine, in a couple years (granted you play your cards right) I can guarantee you will probably be making almost twice if not more than they are. I don't mean to sound negative, but I'm sure at that point you will be glad you stuck with it.

How is this possible? Well you will be the dentist so as one of the earlier posters said, it relies on your business mind. Yes you may be working as an associate (not a "work horse") for some time, but isn't that how everyone in the film and entertainment industry started? And now most of them are millionaires.

Yes there will be debt involved, but you have gained an education, which is invaluable and growing harder to attain in this society.

Granted if all else fails, you can specialize. The demand for a specialist is always high. Problem solved 😉

Source: 8 dentists in my immediate and extended family...and then some
Good FAQ: http://www.ada.org/1444.aspx

 

[une]

I also agree there is a problem geographically and stand by my saturation statements, this is saying youd have to go to a place who knows how far to get away from saturation. And also for the person who didnt understand what i said the first time about 55k dentist being added to the field in the next ten years ill explain once more............the national job out for the next 10 years overall is 14% and dentistry itself will grow 21% faster than that rate....so =35% aka ~55k dentists bc you already have 155k now. And while there are dentists at many high traffic areas you can easily map the dentists in your area and see its not just high traffic area but theres saturation pretty much everywhere that is liveable.....meaning in the next ten years and so forth if you want to earn what dentists earn today you will have to go out in to nowheres land and open up an office. This is sad truth, not trying to down Dentists or anything just saying what seems to be the inevitable.

And i never said i wanted to be a millionaire, i just want a high paying career but dentistry isnt growing in a very positive rate as pointed out by multiple stats cited on this thread. Just take a second and think 55k being add in 10years---155k now then tell me you will still be able to live in a decent city and not have drive 1 hr+ to get to work or work for someone else since salaries probably wont be good enough even today theyre not that many dentist who open their own practices bc it takes 700k atleast for a decent one....and more hours to make up for less patients. Again this is a discussion so no one needs to be name calling or acting up just stick to the topic if you have something to contribute and provide stats that are within 5 years instead of 20yrs if you can,

 

[sacapuntas]

I also agree there is a problem geographically and stand by my saturation statements, this is saying youd have to go to a place who knows how far to get away from saturation. And also for the person who didnt understand what i said the first time about 55k dentist being added to the field in the next ten years ill explain once more............the national job out for the next 10 years overall is 14% and dentistry itself will grow 21% faster than that rate....so =35% aka ~55k dentists bc you already have 155k now. And while there are dentists at many high traffic areas you can easily map the dentists in your area and see its not just high traffic area but theres saturation pretty much everywhere that is liveable.....meaning in the next ten years and so forth if you want to earn what dentists earn today you will have to go out in to nowheres land and open up an office. This is sad truth, not trying to down Dentists or anything just saying what seems to be the inevitable.

And i never said i wanted to be a millionaire, i just want a high paying career but dentistry isnt growing in a very positive rate as pointed out by multiple stats cited on this thread. Just take a second and think 55k being add in 10years---155k now then tell me you will still be able to live in a decent city and not have drive 1 hr+ to get to work or work for someone else since salaries probably wont be good enough even today theyre not that many dentist who open their own practices bc it takes 700k atleast for a decent one....and more hours to make up for less patients. Again this is a discussion so no one needs to be name calling or acting up just stick to the topic if you have something to contribute and provide stats that are within 5 years instead of 20yrs if you can,

Stopped reading after this. Choose another profession UNE.

 

[sacapuntas]

2

I couldn't agree more. If you're out to make millions, why not set out to be an entrepreneur and invent something that will get you there? Because the chances of actually thinking of an idea, producing it, marketing it and generating profit from it is incredibly slim, high risk, and who says you're working any harder than becoming a dentist?

If you want to make money then of course being a dentist is a great option, but why do you think we go through all of these years of schooling? Because it's safe, smart and will have a tremendous return on investment. Think of your friends who may not be entering medicine, in a couple years (granted you play your cards right) I can guarantee you will probably be making almost twice if not more than they are. I don't mean to sound negative, but I'm sure at that point you will be glad you stuck with it.

How is this possible? Well you will be the dentist so as one of the earlier posters said, it relies on your business mind. Yes you may be working as an associate (not a "work horse") for some time, but isn't that how everyone in the film and entertainment industry started? And now most of them are millionaires.

Yes there will be debt involved, but you have gained an education, which is invaluable and growing harder to attain in this society.

Granted if all else fails, you can specialize. The demand for a specialist is always high. Problem solved 😉

Source: 8 dentists in my immediate and extended family...and then some
Good FAQ: http://www.ada.org/1444.aspx

Also, this post is as equally dismissible as the OP albeit on the other side of the spectrum.

 

[johnho771]

I also agree there is a problem geographically and stand by my saturation statements, this is saying youd have to go to a place who knows how far to get away from saturation. And also for the person who didnt understand what i said the first time about 55k dentist being added to the field in the next ten years ill explain once more............the national job out for the next 10 years overall is 14% and dentistry itself will grow 21% faster than that rate....so =35% aka ~55k dentists bc you already have 155k now. And while there are dentists at many high traffic areas you can easily map the dentists in your area and see its not just high traffic area but theres saturation pretty much everywhere that is liveable.....meaning in the next ten years and so forth if you want to earn what dentists earn today you will have to go out in to nowheres land and open up an office. This is sad truth, not trying to down Dentists or anything just saying what seems to be the inevitable.

And i never said i wanted to be a millionaire, i just want a high paying career but dentistry isnt growing in a very positive rate as pointed out by multiple stats cited on this thread. Just take a second and think 55k being add in 10years---155k now then tell me you will still be able to live in a decent city and not have drive 1 hr+ to get to work or work for someone else since salaries probably wont be good enough even today theyre not that many dentist who open their own practices bc it takes 700k atleast for a decent one....and more hours to make up for less patients. Again this is a discussion so no one needs to be name calling or acting up just stick to the topic if you have something to contribute and provide stats that are within 5 years instead of 20yrs if you can,

21% greater than a rate of 14% is not 35%. Thats not how that works. Nevertheless, I highly doubt the overall number of dentists increases by 55k over the next 10 years. 55k is probably closer to the amount that will graduate over that time, and then you have to factor in all the dentists that will be retiring and others who just plan to leave the profession.

 

[une]

21% greater than a rate of 14% is not 35%. Thats not how that works. Nevertheless, I highly doubt the overall number of dentists increases by 55k over the next 10 years. 55k is probably closer to the amount that will graduate over that time, and then you have to factor in all the dentists that will be retiring and others who just plan to leave the profession.

if a car1 is going 10 mph and another car2 next to it is going 20 mph faster than that car ... how fast is the second car going... 30mph. Same concept with 21+14= 35% now then tell me how i am wrong? since that is not correct according to you.

 

[NDPitch]

Just wanted to make a slightly off topic note. I frequently see people citing the BLS projections for economic growth. Keep in mind a few things.

1. They are projections, nothing more.

2. These projections have been very wrong in the past.

3. The federal government isn't very good at doing anything, never mind statistical analysis.

I guess all I'm saying is that we shouldn't use things like the BLS to make us feel better about the future, when in reality no one knows what will happen. For all we know, in three years we could be in the middle of World War 3, diving deep into the biggest economic depression on record. Extreme example, yes.

All we can really do is keep our finances in order, stay positive about our careers, and roll with the punches of change.

Alright, back to studying biochemistry and gross anatomy!

 

[ckgibbs115]

if a car1 is going 10 mph and another car2 next to it is going 20 mph faster than that car ... how fast is the second car going... 30mph. Same concept with 21+14= 35% now then tell me how i am wrong? since that is not correct according to you.

If the rate of job growth is 14% and the rate of dental job growth is at a rate 21% higher, you don't add the percentages together.

It becomes 21% of 14% added to the original 14%.

21% of 14% is 2.94%.

2.94% + 14% = 16.94% predicted dentist job growth rate

You might wanna start studying up for the QR section of the DAT now broski.

 

[SicEm]

if a car1 is going 10 mph and another car2 next to it is going 20 mph faster than that car ... how fast is the second car going... 30mph. Same concept with 21+14= 35% now then tell me how i am wrong? since that is not correct according to you.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the value that is 21% greater than 14%=16.94%?

It's been awhile since I studied my QR for the DAT but I don't think the percentage and car examples are analogous...

 

[sacapuntas]

While I love that everyone is busting his chops for doing percentages wrong, the link isn't even saying anything that complicated. It is merely stating that the BLS is predicting dentistry need will grow by 21% over the next 10 years which is faster than average. That's all, click the link.

 

[ckgibbs115]

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the value that is 21% greater than 14%=16.94%?

It's been awhile since I studied my QR for the DAT but I don't think the percentage and car examples are analogous...

They aren't lol

The cars are independent rates with no effect on each other, while the percent of dentist jobs is dependent upon the national rate

 

[SicEm]

They aren't lol

Haha didn't think so. Was trying to point it out politely.

 

[une]

My mistake on that but regardless, dentistry will grow by 21%. thats 32k + so i still see that as a huge problem.

 

[ckgibbs115]

More people in future = more dentists in the future.

Of course there will be more competition, but that may also lead to more innovation.

Keep in mind that 32,000 dentists from east to west coast. Your anecdotal evidence of seeing multiple offices in a small area holds little if any overall validity.

Ultimately its up to you to make your own money. If you are set on making a desired amount, do what it takes.

 

[yggdrasila]

It's funny most of the time I'm like a super liberal but in terms of thinking about my own business I'm kinda bootstraps.

I figure practicing dentistry will be just like getting into dental school, skills, planning, location and a little bit of luck. Supposedly the area I live in is already saturated but the office I'm at sees like 2 or 3 new patients a day at least. Other offices in the area are sitting stagnant and surviving of patient recalls. Just do it better/different, basically.

Wow cmon how come ckgibbs115 has to come in and steal my shine I guess they said it more concisely

I know stats are facts but anecdotes have a way of swaying people don't they hh

I think at this point it's very important to research existing businesses. I'm sure there are people on SDN who would help out as long as you aren't practicing in their area

 

[ckgibbs115]

It's funny most of the time I'm like a super liberal but in terms of thinking about my own business I'm kinda bootstraps.

I figure practicing dentistry will be just like getting into dental school, skills, planning, location and a little bit of luck. Supposedly the area I live in is already saturated but the office I'm at sees like 2 or 3 new patients a day at least. Other offices in the area are sitting stagnant and surviving of patient recalls. Just do it better/different, basically.

Wow cmon how come ckgibbs115 has to come in and steal my shine I guess they said it more concisely

I know stats are facts but anecdotes have a way of swaying people don't they hh

I think at this point it's very important to research existing businesses. I'm sure there are people on SDN who would help out as long as you aren't practicing in their area

Haha sorry about that man, I saw your post but I wasn't sure if he did.

 

[une]

If you could please list the state and if you want the city you live in, and tell us if there is a saturation problem in your area? this would be helpful thnx.

 

[helloworld9]

2



Also, this post is as equally dismissible as the OP albeit on the other side of the spectrum.

Sorry I didn't mean to sound arrogant 😳. That's just what I believe to be true and I can understand the concern the OP has, but in all honesty there aren't many other options out there that are as promising as dentistry for the goals that he/she has stated.

To answer the question though, I live about 20 minutes away from a health professional building which has a lab on the bottom floor. There are about 15 dentists in the building including a pedo office and all of them are doing pretty well actually. This is in San Francisco which is saturated with both dentists and people. Hope this helps your findings!

 

[Screwtape]

There will always be plenty of money to be made in dentistry. However, merely earning a DDS/DMD does not guarantee a high-earning career. Also to OP, this "saturation" problem is not isolated to dentistry. Talk to almost anyone in a profession that is known to do well historically, and ask them if saturation in big cities is a problem (PA, pharm, law, nursing, certain physician specialties, MBA).

To OP, out of curiosity. What high-earning potential profession do you think will not have to worry about saturation in the forseeable future?

 

[sacapuntas]

To OP, out of curiosity. What high-earning potential profession do you think will not have to worry about saturation in the forseeable future?

Though you are not addressing me, I thought I would chime in:

Family practice physicians will not have to worry about saturation in the near future, most everyone is predicting a serious shortage.

 

[sacapuntas]

Sorry I didn't mean to sound arrogant 😳. That's just what I believe to be true and I can understand the concern the OP has, but in all honesty there aren't many other options out there that are as promising as dentistry for the goals that he/she has stated.

To answer the question though, I live about 20 minutes away from a health professional building which has a lab on the bottom floor. There are about 15 dentists in the building including a pedo office and all of them are doing pretty well actually. This is in San Francisco which is saturated with both dentists and people. Hope this helps your findings!

You didn't sound arrogant, I only meant your bolded statement was off...where you said 'if all else fails, you can specialize'. It sounds good, but the facts are that it is difficult to specialize out of dental school and it is far from a guarantee of financial success.

 

[Dgeorg6]

Dentistry is becoming over saturated in certain areas. Dentistry as a profession is not becoming over saturated though. Anyone could move out of the big city and make quite a lot of money being a dentist. It's just that a lot of people dont want to do that.