Orthodontists

[DrStraggler]

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Just for curiosity's sake, I wanted to know what percentage of dental students actually get the opportunity to be a part of a orthodontist program, I've heard friends of mine say it's the upper 5%.

And I hear there isn't much of a salary difference between regular dentists and orthodontists, so, why do it at all?

 

[timwatley]

Just for curiosity's sake, I wanted to know what percentage of dental students actually get the opportunity to be a part of a orthodontist program, I've heard friends of mine say it's the upper 5%.

And I hear there isn't much of a salary difference between regular dentists and orthodontists, so, why do it at all?

From what I know Orthodontists can often find niche areas and make a good amount of money. Not always the case I'm sure. The motive is pretty clear though...tremendous satisfaction by turning knarly smiles into amazing smiles.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

And I hear there isn't much of a salary difference between regular dentists and orthodontists, so, why do it at all?

You heard wrong.

 

[goffdent]

I've been through one semester of ortho class and lab now and I can tell you IT IS BORING!!! If you're interested in helping people look better over a LONG SPAN of time... And you don't mind seeing 60 patients an afternoon, then this is for you. But if you want to actually get to know your patients and not kick them out the door after 15 minutes, general dentistry is more your cup of tea. You will make more money.. but it has to be what you want out of it... which seems to be the money for a lot of orthodontists. BTW, don't ever let a specialist make you as a general dentist feel less superior.

 

[y3nd0]

I've been through one semester of ortho class and lab now and I can tell you IT IS BORING!!! If you're interested in helping people look better over a LONG SPAN of time... And you don't mind seeing 60 patients an afternoon, then this is for you. But if you want to actually get to know your patients and not kick them out the door after 15 minutes, general dentistry is more your cup of tea. You will make more money.. but it has to be what you want out of it... which seems to be the money for a lot of orthodontists. BTW, don't ever let a specialist make you as a general dentist feel less superior.

That's exactly what the dentist I'm shadowing said. He said that all you do is sit around all day. The assistant asks him, "You don't like that, doctor?"
"No. That's boring." xP

But my orthodontist says the favorite part of her job is to see the result of her work. So if you like quick results, general dentistry seems like the deal. If you don't mind waiting 18+ months for your results, then orthodontics is for you. 🙂

 

[yappy]

I think there is more to ortho than just aesthetics. Not too long after I decided to go into dentistry a good friend of mine told me about how bad his TMJ and wear was on his teeth due to his poor occlusion or "bite" as he put it. He was told to get ortho when he was very young but forewent treatment due to the cost to his parents. Later in life he has got treatment and feels great about the results. His quality of life is greatly improved as his TMJ joint no longer hurts and he is getting full nights of sleep without jaw and dental pain.

I imagine it will also pay dividends down the road due to reduced wear on his teeth. Ortho is not for everyone but it is not simply making smiles look good.

 

[goffdent]

No it's not just making people's smiles look good, but it's a large part of it. It's also about treating malocclusions, class 2,3.. it's about maxillary expansion to correct x-bites, correcting severe over bites, underbites, and even helping with cleft-lip palate patients, obturators to help with speech and functionality.. and to improve esthetics and self-esteem. It's also working with a lot of children, so if you're one of those people who already thinks pediatrics is out of the question.... if you had ortho on your mind. think again. You'll be dealing with all kinds of space maintenance, sucking habits, and lack of compliance in general.

 

[road2dmd]

Typically students have to be in the top 10% of their class to have the best chances of getting into an ortho program. It is a very competitive field! In terms of money, orthodontists definitely make more than the average dentist! I'm not sure where you heard that, but part of the appeal of working as an orthodontist is both the money and also the fact that the work is much cleaner and in some way less physically demanding on a day to day basis. General dentists do it all, from crowns to RCT to fillings to cleanings, but that means in order to make the income match an orthodontist you must have that much more turnaround and be reaping in cases that are high in production. Both fields are great just depends on one's interest

 

[Tooth]

Just for curiosity's sake, I wanted to know what percentage of dental students actually get the opportunity to be a part of a orthodontist program, I've heard friends of mine say it's the upper 5%.

And I hear there isn't much of a salary difference between regular dentists and orthodontists, so, why do it at all?

Orthodontics is still very competitive. Even if the salary were the same as GP, the quality of life is far superior. No needles, and no mowing teeth down all day. It's eeeaaaasy. It's a great way to live. How often do you hear about an Orthodontist being sued for malpractice? Believe me, they are the "happiest" specialist, but that doesn't mean the richest.

Unfortunately, there are a gagillion orthodontists out there already. Many have multiple offices, 3+ is fairly common, and finding that niche is getting really difficult. Not to mention it's a very expensive residency program compared to others meaning more debt. Top that off with an ailing economy and you are set for a real struggle. With all that debt, how are you supposed to open 3 offices?

While there may be some locations throughout the US that actually need an Orthodontist, most decide they didn't go through all that schooling to then go and move to North Dakota. Everyone wants to move to San Diego or similar nice cities.

People who know this, and still go into Orthodontics, do it because the life of an Orthodontist is cush. They don't care if they make less than a GP.

Before you go into orthodontics, I challenge you to go to Google maps, zoom in on the city where you want to end up and type in "Orthodontist". You will see them everywhere. Then ask yourself, do they really need another orthodontist?