Lifestyle of a General Dentist and a Orthodontist?

[hs2013]

Do the lifestyles of the 2 differ much? Does one have harder work or work more?

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[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

Do the lifestyles of the 2 differ much? Does one have harder work or work more?

That is what shadowing is for.

 

[dentalWorks]

Do the lifestyles of the 2 differ much? Does one have harder work or work more?

If your only looking at salary averages, orthos make about twice as much as General dentist.

 

[YoHomey]

I plan on being the exception. I will be a general dentist and will dwarf every ortho punk in town in earnings. They will all be scratching their heads lol.

 

[dentalWorks]

I plan on being the exception. I will be a general dentist and will dwarf every ortho punk in town in earnings. They will all be scratching their heads lol.

You won't be the exception.... Matter of fact, many dentists I personally know pull figures higher than any ortho average I've seen (yes well above 300k).... But then again, I don't know any orthodontists, so I really dont' know what they make

 

[DentalJedi]

They both have good hours and they both make enough to put food on the table and a roof over your head.

 

[herkulease]

that depends on the lifestyle one leads.

If you live an extravagant lifestyle and just throw money at things without a thought you're gonna have to work more to have that.

If you live just a comfortable one and buy nice things here and there then you could work less.

 

[2th Doc]

Do the lifestyles of the 2 differ much? Does one have harder work or work more?

From the shadowing I've done at my orthodontist, much of the work seems so easy it's almost boring (my personal opinion, of course). Yes, you have the milestone appointments of putting braces on and then taking them off, but all the many visits in between seem monotonous. He sees 2-3 patients every 15 minutes, and for most of them he just takes off the rubber bands, sets a new wire, and has his assistants put new rubber bands on (after he anchors the wire with two rubber bands in the back). Today he mentioned he's only working 2 days a week, while another guy in his office works two other days (I'm not sure of what kind of income they pull in @ only 2 days/wk)

Granted, these observations aren't based on hundreds of hours of shadowing, so I can't say it's a very diverse exposure to the profession, but it is my impression nonetheless. Personally, I would prefer to see fewer patients for a longer duration, and I would like to have more involved procedures that will get my hands dirty.

 

[dmdluffy]

You won't be the exception.... Matter of fact, many dentists I personally know pull figures higher than any ortho average I've seen (yes well above 300k).... But then again, I don't know any orthodontists, so I really dont' know what they make

Is that a Game of Thrones reference dentalWorks?

 

[UltimateHombre]

Lifestyle of General Dentist = Pretty damn good
Lifestyle of Orthodontist = Pretty damn good

The difference... well general dentists like doing general dental procedures.... orthodontists like doing orthodontics....

 

[iralex801]

Orthodontist > General Dentist in terms of money made and the actual work they do IMO. If you ever got braces, you would know that the actual orthodontist does not put braces on your teeth. He sets the plan and his assistants put it on. As a general dentist, you have to perform all your procedures. There's a reason why ortho is the hardest specialty to get into (oral surgery might be the hardest, I'm not sure).

That being said, the life of a general dentist is great. Just that I think orthodontists got it better.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

Orthodontist > General Dentist in terms of money made and the actual work they do IMO. If you ever got braces, you would know that the actual orthodontist does not put braces on your teeth. He sets the plan and his assistants put it on. As a general dentist, you have to perform all your procedures. There's a reason why ortho is the hardest specialty to get into (oral surgery might be the hardest, I'm not sure).

That being said, the life of a general dentist is great. Just that I think orthodontists got it better.

That's all a matter of personal preference in my opinion...

Garbage to one, may be treasure to another.
Point being, pick something that you like doing because regardless of what it is, you will have a blast doing it simply because you like it.


@OP
Really man! Don't go comparing lifestyles to use as a decision maker for what you want to do. This is dentistry we are talking about! Compare the procedures, and make a decision based upon that!

 

[dentalWorks]

Is that a Game of Thrones reference dentalWorks?

yes

 

[2th Doc]

That's all a matter of personal preference in my opinion...

Garbage to one, may be treasure to another.
Point being, pick something that you like doing because regardless of what it is, you will have a blast doing it simply because you like it.


@OP
Really man! Don't go comparing lifestyles to use as a decision maker for what you want to do. This is dentistry we are talking about! Compare the procedures, and make a decision based upon that!

Agreed. While lifestyle may be a legitimate (albeit small) factor to consider when choosing a career path, what you'll actually be doing on the job should have much more weight. If you hate what you do but make 200-300k/year, I don't believe the extra money will change your attitudes about your work. You may have a lot of other opportunities outside of work because of your cash flow, but you'll still hate going to work every day (even if it's only 3 days a week).

Choose something you enjoy. The money will inevitably follow, perhaps moreso because you'll find it easy to want to excel in your field and you may end up doing better than those who chose the money path but end up hating the work--these feelings will become apparent to your patients and in your quality of work most likely.

 

[mi2ni]

Agreed. While lifestyle may be a legitimate (albeit small) factor to consider when choosing a career path, what you'll actually be doing on the job should have much more weight. If you hate what you do but make 200-300k/year, I don't believe the extra money will change your attitudes about your work. You may have a lot of other opportunities outside of work because of your cash flow, but you'll still hate going to work every day (even if it's only 3 days a week).

Choose something you enjoy. The money will inevitably follow, perhaps moreso because you'll find it easy to want to excel in your field and you may end up doing better than those who chose the money path but end up hating the work--these feelings will become apparent to your patients and in your quality of work most likely.

I disagree with you. It IS a good idea to explore the differences in lifestyle for each pathway. In this case the difference in lifestyle may not be as broad, but I find it useful to know that an orthodontist can make as much as a general dentist while working 4 days a week (instead of 5 for the general dentist).

 

[qhorse]

Orthodontist > General Dentist in terms of money made and the actual work they do IMO. If you ever got braces, you would know that the actual orthodontist does not put braces on your teeth. He sets the plan and his assistants put it on. As a general dentist, you have to perform all your procedures. There's a reason why ortho is the hardest specialty to get into (oral surgery might be the hardest, I'm not sure).

That being said, the life of a general dentist is great. Just that I think orthodontists got it better.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal for assistants to bracket and deband.... Orthos are supposed to be the ones to bracket, deband, change wires, etc. If you are seeing otherwise, I'm a little concerned.

 

[UltimateHombre]

I'm pretty sure it's illegal for assistants to bracket and deband.... Orthos are supposed to be the ones to bracket, deband, change wires, etc. If you are seeing otherwise, I'm a little concerned.

Maybe laws very from state to state... Most offices i have seen in Phx, the assistants do all the bracketing, debanding etc.

 

[YoHomey]

I've only seen doctors bracket while assistants band/deband. What an easy job for both parties!

 

[itsallabout18]

@OP
Really man! Don't go comparing lifestyles to use as a decision maker for what you want to do. This is dentistry we are talking about! Compare the procedures, and make a decision based upon that!

It's got to be a balance in your decision. The procedures and the lifestyle. Maybe he was just curious about the stress an orthodontist is under, assuming they make a lot more money. Personally, the lifestyle of any dentistry was the leading factor for me to apply to dental school.

 

[qhorse]

Maybe laws very from state to state... Most offices i have seen in Phx, the assistants do all the bracketing, debanding etc.

Probably is state by state then! Because I know where I live it is definitely illegal! (having done some work assisting)

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

I disagree with you. It IS a good idea to explore the differences in lifestyle for each pathway. Many people downplay the importance of satisfaction with lifestyle by saying 'oh as long as you enjoy what you do, everything else will fall into place by itself'. I am saying that from experience, as I love what I do and I am successful doing it (according to my boss) in a prestigious institution, but I dislike the lifestyle so much that I am switching to dentistry. In this case the difference in lifestyle may not be as broad, but I find it useful to know that an orthodontist can make as much as a general dentist while working 4 days a week (instead of 5 for the general dentist).

Well that is like comparing apples and oranges...

Comparing from within the dental field is more like different species of apples!

 

[quackwhacker]

Huge Difference. Orthodontists work 3-4 days and make about twice as much as a gen den who works 5 days. Also you dont have to deal with insurance and free dental care that Obama gives people.

 

[YoHomey]

It's a cleaner job for orthos too. They are mainly dealing with pre-teen and teenagers' mouths all day where the teeth and gums are young and fresh. Gen dentists have to deal with older people with serious issues and gross rancid saliva splattering all over their faces as they drill. Yuck.

 

[dentalWorks]

Don't forget guys, as an ortho, you will ONLY do ortho cases. !0,15,20,30 year career doing nothing but ortho..... Some people don't wanna do that, they'd rather have a variation of everything (such as GP).

As a GP, you will encounter, pretty much the whole spectrum, from cleanings, to basic restorations, to crowns / bridges / root canals, and yes, the basic ortho cases too especially with invisaline getting alot of attention these days.... There are plenty of GPs in almost every area thats handling ortho cases themselves instead of referring (I imagine this is lowering orthodontist business)

IMO, the BIGGEST advantage of an orthodontist is financial stability. If you have horrible business skills (I mean you can't even manage an ice cream truck), no personality, no customer service skills, chances are, your never gonna hit your GP potential, and in which case, you woulda been better served specializing in an area that naturally generates high income (even without owning your own practice). I think dental corporation chains in my area pay orthodontist like $800-1000 a day (vs a GP, they only pay them $400-500)....

 

[SLOBrule]

Being a GP or Orthodontist can have it's advantages if you have a good sense when it comes to business. Running a dental office is essentially running a small business, but in the two cases it is somewhat different.

In a GP office, your patients are repeat clients for a duration that will hopefully last a lifetime. Therefore, once a patient base is established, you would only have to worry about averaging a small number off new patients per month.

In ortho, you must constantly be sure your new patient base is increasing in number. Once treatment is complete, the patient will most likely never return. However, it is not to say that orthodontists do not make as much money as a GP, because they do not. They make way more than the average. They are usually much more business saavy and are good at what they do.

There will always be a give and take when comparing this topic, but in my opinion, if you're in it for the money, do ortho. If you want variety do general. One big thing for me will be that I get to see immediate results compared to how long ortho takes to go from before and after. Either way, dentistry is a great profession.

 

[YoHomey]

Being a GP or Orthodontist can have it's advantages if you have a good sense when it comes to business. Running a dental office is essentially running a small business, but in the two cases it is somewhat different.

In a GP office, your patients are repeat clients for a duration that will hopefully last a lifetime. Therefore, once a patient base is established, you would only have to worry about averaging a small number off new patients per month.

In ortho, you must constantly be sure your new patient base is increasing in number. Once treatment is complete, the patient will most likely never return. However, it is not to say that orthodontists do not make as much money as a GP, because they do not. They make way more than the average. They are usually much more business saavy and are good at what they do.

There will always be a give and take when comparing this topic, but in my opinion, if you're in it for the money, do ortho. If you want variety do general. One big thing for me will be that I get to see immediate results compared to how long ortho takes to go from before and after. Either way, dentistry is a great profession.

Each successful ortho case will yield at least 1 or 2 new cases from referrals so in a sense it's a growing pyramid business.

For example, in a family of four kids, after the oldest gets braces, the next ones get them too. That's 3 freebies. Add to that the mom's friends who have kids who need braces too.

 

[Flosstooth]

If you wanna do ortho.......you gotta do some brown-nosing with the local GPs. Some ortho guys aren't cut out for that.

 

[futuretoothdoc9]

ortho's boring do general

 

[youknowthedrill]

Another major difference is how hard you have to work in dental school. You need to be at the top of your class if you want to do ortho.