orthodream007
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- Jul 8, 2025
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Sorry to hear...why is it not worth it anymore for you? Wishing you all the best,good luck everyone - for me the ortho dream is over.. looks like it aint worth it no more.
Sorry to hear...why is it not worth it anymore for you? Wishing you all the best,good luck everyone - for me the ortho dream is over.. looks like it aint worth it no more.
Apparently you get paid 250 now. Not sure it’s worth it anymore with the opportunity cost. Sucks because I literally designed my dental school resume for this specialtySorry to hear...why is it not worth it anymore for you? Wishing you all the best,
I have heard the same but you do have to ask yourself how much money is enough for you. I do imagine to a certain degree it would be similar to going through dental school with your classmates. You have a pretty good gauge of who has really good communication skills from the start and who will excel quickly, hence the large variance in reported earnings. I'm getting deja vu of people telling me not to go through dental school because the golden age is over- which we now know to not be entirely true. Same probably goes with ortho. Good at business? Good area? Good communication and rapport? I would imagine you could easily be making more. For those orthos who are around I would love to hear some input regarding this. Please correct me if I am wrong. Lifestyle, and longevity, are major benefits as well.Apparently you get paid 250 now. Not sure it’s worth it anymore with the opportunity cost. Sucks because I literally designed my dental school resume for this specialty
For Sure lifestyle is superior. However, I have heard either there are no full time jobs or you’d be lucky to make 400k. Meanwhile there are other lifestyle specialties (ex. Anesthesia) that make more and are more less saturated.I have heard the same but you do have to ask yourself how much money is enough for you. I do imagine to a certain degree it would be similar to going through dental school with your classmates. You have a pretty good gauge of who has really good communication skills from the start and who will excel quickly, hence the large variance in reported earnings. I'm getting deja vu of people telling me not to go through dental school because the golden age is over- which we now know to not be entirely true. Same probably goes with ortho. Good at business? Good area? Good communication and rapport? I would imagine you could easily be making more. For those orthos who are around I would love to hear some input regarding this. Please correct me if I am wrong. Lifestyle, and longevity, are major benefits as well.
So you're doing this for the money? Why not own your own gen dent practice? You can make more money and have more control of your work life.For
For Sure lifestyle is superior. However, I have heard either there are no full time jobs or you’d be lucky to make 400k. Meanwhile there are other lifestyle specialties (ex. Anesthesia) that make more and are more less saturated.
I loved orthodontics but it’s sad what has happened to the field because of a couple of residency programs.
I love ortho - but at the end of the day finances are a thing right?So you're doing this for the money? Why not own your own gen dent practice? You can make more money and have more control of your work life.
Hello Kamsartipi,I love ortho - but at the end of the day finances are a thing right?
For sure thank you for the wisdom 🙂Hello Kamsartipi,
I hope your day is going great and that all is well. Usually, I read posts and try my best to learn without posting, but this time, I wanted to share something that might help anyone going through a similar thought process. Everyone in this thread is driven, hardworking, and focused on getting into the specialty of their choice- orthodontics in this case. I don’t mean to write this as the only truth—just an opinion that might offer some peace of mind.
Before I say anything, I want to preface this by acknowledging that we live in a time where general dentists have access to incredible continuing education and advanced courses. This has opened doors for GPs to confidently perform procedures once considered “specialist-only.” For example, many driven general dentists now provide excellent endodontic therapy, prosthodontic work, and even complex surgical extractions. These dentists bring tremendous value to patients and play an essential role in our profession. The reality is, from a craftsmanship perspective, you no longer have to be a specialist to deliver outstanding results, if you’re willing to invest the same time, effort, and dedication that specialists do. And that’s the challenging part. As your quote says, “at the end of the day, finances are a thing.” Many people probably have similar thought as you. Not every general dentist is willing, or able, to sacrifice time that could otherwise go toward earning additional income or spending with their family. Everyone has different priorities/situations, and that’s okay.
With that being said, if your primary reason for specializing(whichever specialty that might be) is purely financial, it’s worth pausing to think twice. If you think about it, the people who worked so hard to get into a competitive specialty aren’t suddenly going to slow down. They’ll continue pushing themselves just as hard, if not harder, during and after residency. Simply getting accepted into a specialty program does not guarantee financial success. Just like how getting into dental school did not guarantee any financial success. On top of that, from a financial standpoint you’re also sacrificing 2–3 years of income during residency. So when challenging moments inevitably arise during or after training, if money is your only motivation, it will be extra difficult to go through them which can lead to regret—and that’s not a healthy place to be
However, if you can envision yourself providing outstanding orthodontic care—and that vision excites you—knowing this is the path you want to take toward financial success and personal fulfillment, then this is the right field for you. Your future colleagues will be thrilled to welcome you, whether it’s in ortho, endo, perio, or whichever specialty you choose. So think about what you truly want and go for it. With passion and drive for excellence, you will be able to have great success wherever you go. We did not work this hard just to hesitate at the most important moments of our career.
I hope you are able to find the clarity you need to choose the path that will make you happy. Have a nice day.
I just kept mine to one page, I didn't even look at my work count till after since everyone said to just keep it around one page.Did everyone keep a limit of 3,500 - 3,800 characters in their personal statements, or just to the schools that explicitly said they had a limit? Ty I am having nightmares about not being given a chance because of some random word count that I overlooked... 💀
Smartest thing to consider. I always think it's insane when people apply to programs like NYU, GSO, Columbia, etc. for ortho. I don't think those people truly consider the financial debt they are incurring for the rest of their lives. No career is worth $500k-$1M of debt.I love ortho - but at the end of the day finances are a thing right?