Married couple practices

[dentcouple]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lemoncurry]

I've been treated at a husband and wife practice before. Seemed as if they had their own patients, or patients who preferred one over the other, instead of a first-come-first-served thing. I dunno. seems like a mixture of the two would probably work, unless one of you is way more popular than the other. that could be problematic 🙂

 

[tamkhan]

I know of one. They have clinics in 3 countries. The wife manages the one in the US, and the husband manages two others in Asia. They manage to divide their time well between work and family, though.

So, it's possible.

 

[CaliGirl15]

I intern once a week for a husband and wife team. They share the practice (I think the husband handles more of the paper work though.) They work really well together though. It can definitely work.

 

[dentcouple]

good.....I was sure that there were plenty out there, I just don't happen to know any myself. I'm excited though, it'll be fun. 3 practices in three countries.....that's crazy!! I don't know how they could pull that off. pretty sweet though.

 

[tamkhan]

good.....I was sure that there were plenty out there, I just don't happen to know any myself. I'm excited though, it'll be fun. 3 practices in three countries.....that's crazy!! I don't know how they could pull that off. pretty sweet though.

Yeah, must be managing themselves pretty darn well. Sometimes, it gets awfully hectic, though. I mean, the guy spends three days in Islamabad (Pakistan), then flies to Dubai and handles things over there for the remaining 4 days. And this is his routine for about 6 months out of the year. I never asked him when he spends time in the US. I guess his wife is pretty much in charge in the states.

 

[denticus]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

I'm pretty sure Hermione's parents were both dentists. (I know, I'm a nerd 🙄)

 

[Cymbidium]

My parents ran/owned their practices. They've been happily divorced for over a decade now.

 

[Danny0230]

My dentists and his wife both practice in the same office, I think they met at Maryland. Seem to get along great, she's nuts though.

 

[ucla2134]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

Believe me working together kills the relationship.

 

[CaptnChewbacca]

I would think working together is a horrible idea.

 

[golfer]

Try being the other's boss. That can get tricky!

 

[Fonz]

Believe me working together kills the relationship.

I agree with you guys. I think there is such thing as spending TOO much time together.....

 

[NewMexDent]

My dentist back home is a wife/husband duo. The husband works 4-5 days each week and the wife works 2-3. They have a great relationship and working together hasn't hurt them at all. They do have a good office manager and that helps out a ton.

Contrary to what some people are saying I think that you can run a succesful practice without putting strain on your relationship. If you have a good office manager then, as dentists, you will have little interaction with your wife. You could totally make it work.

 

[cskpeter]

Believe me working together kills the relationship.

Maybe or maybe not. I mean if you are creative enough.

My dentists are wife/husband team who used to be classmates. They are great dentists and share the office but don't work together exactly in terms of working hours. If wife works in the morning, husband takes care of afternoon patients. They don't work on Friday so each works only 2 days a week.

 

[ChilliCheeseDog]

the suicide and drug abuse rate are high enough in this profession, don't go compounding that by working with your wife!!! I don't know how people do it.....as my good friend Egon would say, "don't cross the streams".....work and personal life are 2 things I feel should be kept separate..........that's just how I roll I guess....it works well for many others though, in many professions....although I don't know of a lot of husband and wife pimp-hooker duos..😎

 

[toothfairy85]

The dentists I shadowed were a husband/wife team. From my point of view, it doesn't appear to be putting any strain on the relationship. They met in undergrad... she's a bit older than him. She went to dental school at UTHSCSA, and when she graduated, he started dental school at Houston. They have had a practice together since he graduated in 2002... and they have 3 kids. So I think the relationship is just fine. You just have to figure out how to make it work. They are open 4.5/week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays they each work a half-day, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. And they are always very busy... from what I noticed, they only really saw each other between patients (maybe) and during lunch.

 

[charlestweed]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

Most couples I know don’t work together. One works at his/her own office. And the other spouse usually works as an associate dentist for a dental mill or another private practice.

It’s cool that you guys start dental school together. It’s gonna be fun doing lab works together. I dated my wife who went to a cross-town rival dental school, USC. During my 3rd and 4th years, I spent more time doing lab works at USC than at my own dental school.

We are both specialists so we have 2 separate offices.

 

[dentaljon]

We are both specialists so we have 2 separate offices.

This is a good idea.

 

[dentaljon]

My dentist back home is a wife/husband duo. The husband works 4-5 days each week and the wife works 2-3. They have a great relationship and working together hasn't hurt them at all.

It seems weird to me that you can be so sure of this. Are they your parents? Do you spend time with them out of the office? Or is it that they just aren't at each others throats in the office in front of patients, therefore they have a great relationship?

 

[denticus]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

Who will raise your kids? Are you planning on having one stop practicing once you have kids or are you going to put them into day-care? 1) It's hard for me to imagine a kid being raised in a dental office. 2) I can't imagine that you'll need more money then 1 dentist can make in order to support the entire family. I've always wondered about this and kind of day-dreamed that dental couples don't really talk to each other about this...kind of on purpose...because both are sort of exptecting the other one to stop while the other one continues with the practice. Are you going to switch roles every once and a while? Seriously though, what will you do once you have kids?

 

[sonylarkhi]

So both my wife and myself are attending dental school this fall and I was just wondering if any of you out there know of any Dentist couples. If so, do they run their practice any different than a solo practitioner? I know I'm jumpin the gun with this.....I have four years to think about how we will want to run our practice but just thought I'd ask if you all even know of any. Thanks!!

My husband is already a dentist and hopefully, in four years I will be one too....what makes sense though is that if two dentists are starting a practice together and are bringing one common income home, I would think that one person work in the new practice trying to build that up while the other work as an associate somewhere else to bring additional income home....it's difficult getting a practice off and running and I don't see the point of both dentists suffering financially...when there comes a point that the practice has enough of a patient load to support two dentists, then both dentists can share the same office...I don't know if that makes sense

 

[sonylarkhi]

..

 

[sonylarkhi]

I just realized I kinda just restated what "charlestweed" said before....sorry

 

[NewMexDent]

It seems weird to me that you can be so sure of this. Are they your parents? Do you spend time with them out of the office? Or is it that they just aren't at each others throats in the office in front of patients, therefore they have a great relationship?

You know, now that I think about it there was this one time when I saw them at a restaurant and they seemed to be arguing about something and the wife grabs a plate and crushes her husband's hand with it saying, "I'd like to see you do a better crown prep than me with a broken hand, b*#$ch!" So, maybe their relationship isn't that good.

Sorry, I just don't see how you could question my understanding of the situation…everything in this post has been opinion, I just lent mine. I do know the couple very well, by the way.

 

[denticus]

You know, now that I think about it there was this one time when I saw them at a restaurant and they seemed to be arguing about something and the wife grabs a plate and crushes her husband’s hand with it saying, “I’d like to see you do a better crown prep than me with a broken hand, b*#$ch!” So, maybe their relationship isn’t that good.

Sorry, I just don’t see how you could question my understanding of the situation…everything in this post has been opinion, I just lent mine. I do know the couple very well, by the way.

Hahaha!😆

 

[rollypolly]

Who will raise your kids? Are you planning on having one stop practicing once you have kids or are you going to put them into day-care? 1) It's hard for me to imagine a kid being raised in a dental office. 2) I can't imagine that you'll need more money then 1 dentist can make in order to support the entire family. I've always wondered about this and kind of day-dreamed that dental couples don't really talk to each other about this...kind of on purpose...because both are sort of exptecting the other one to stop while the other one continues with the practice. Are you going to switch roles every once and a while? Seriously though, what will you do once you have kids?

I understand what you're saying, but how would that be any different than a dentist married to a spouse that works in a non-dental related field? Also, remember that not everyone works for money to support their family. A lot of people really love to work for a variety of reasons. As far as raising children and putting them in daycare, that is a whole different debate, and is not limited to 2 dentists being married to each other.

 

[UNR.Grad]

I'm friends with a couple in a husband/wife practice in Reno; they both went to Pacific and not she practices 1 day a week/watches the kids and he practices 5 days a week. He likes to grumble that he has to pay off both of their massive debts from UOP

 

[Jem27]

You know, now that I think about it there was this one time when I saw them at a restaurant and they seemed to be arguing about something and the wife grabs a plate and crushes her husband’s hand with it saying, “I’d like to see you do a better crown prep than me with a broken hand, b*#$ch!” So, maybe their relationship isn’t that good.

Sorry, I just don’t see how you could question my understanding of the situation…everything in this post has been opinion, I just lent mine. I do know the couple very well, by the way.

that's too funny.

 

[sonylarkhi]

..

 

[usernametaken]

I would never want to work with my wife, let alone have her be my business partner.

 

[denticus]

I understand what you're saying, but how would that be any different than a dentist married to a spouse that works in a non-dental related field? Also, remember that not everyone works for money to support their family. A lot of people really love to work for a variety of reasons. As far as raising children and putting them in daycare, that is a whole different debate, and is not limited to 2 dentists being married to each other.

You're right! In the grander scheme of things I WOULDN'T be talking just about dental couples but rather all full-time working couples. However, this thread is about dentcouple and his situation with his wife. I ask out of sheer curiosity, not doubt; how will your kids be raised, seriously. I really would like to know how a dental couple can do this. One argument that I am not making is that the only reason why someone would want to work is for money. It is my ideal hope that all people find employment in an area that they thoroughly enjoy. However, this is besides the point made about children and who will be raising them. Who will? Just curious.

 

[toothfairy85]

The way the dentists I shadowed did it, was that they each worked a half-day in the middle of the week (Tuesday and Wednesday)... one came in the morning, the other in the afternoon. The other three days (Monday and Tuesday full days, and Friday mornings) they have a nanny who takes care of the kids when two of them get home from school, and the other one until mom or dad get home. There are days that if appointments cancel or they are not busy, one of them will go home to be with the kids. They have 3 kids... and they are doing just fine.

 

[lollipop999]

Vote me in for not working with my wife....I really do not see the advantage.... NOT one person so far has yet to mention that the divorce rate in the US is higher than 50%. Then what? What a mess! You will see each other all weekend... every morning... every night.... just work in different offices or something... and what would happen if a favorite dentist emerged from the practice.... say my wife becomes the "cool" dentist and no one wants to see me or the other way around. THe entire situation just spells drama.