Oversaturation

[NewTab]

Ay vatos locos,

So I've been doing some research into dentistry because I'm considering switching from pre-med to pre-dental. I'm not going to lie, all I care about is the $$$ and lifestyle, and I happen to be reasonably good at upper-level science classes, and I love working with my hands, I love working as a part of a team, etc. I really would just love the job.

But..my question, jefes, is this: is the market becoming oversaturated, almost like pharamacy? I understand that right now, it may not be easy to get a job in a desireable location. Well in 5-10 years will that result in severe inability to find a job?

I'd hate to spend $200,000 and 4 years to end up unemployed....

gracias amigos chingados

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[oralcare123]

You would have to spend a lot more then $200,000 to become a dentist. It would still be hard to find a job in a desirable location with a desirable pay and, if you would have a desire to purchase a nice and profitable practice, you would have to pay an undesirable amount for it

 

[NewTab]

I don't care about living in a nice area right now. I'm just talking about ANY job in the 90,000+ range. Will that pretty much always be possible for a dental graduate?

 

[oralcare123]

If you want to know what would be "always", talk to a fortune teller. Now it is possible

 

[NewTab]

Is it very likely?

 

[oralcare123]

Sure

 

[THS]

I'm not going to lie, all I care about is the $$$ and lifestyle, and I happen to be reasonably good at upper-level science classes, and I love working with my hands, I love working as a part of a team, etc. I really would just love the job.

I have no problems with people pursuing a lucrative field and being honest about their intentions, really. In fact, it is refreshing to read these posts every now and then, because it is such a contrast from the "I want to help people" answer everyone gives at their interview.

I also chose this field because of the income potential, lifestyle, science interest, and hand skills. However, not once did you mention your patients. It's fine to put those other reasons ahead of "helping people", but the fact of the matter is if you don't care one way or another about the people you are treating, you shouldn't be a healthcare provider. It is far too easy in this business to overdiagnose and to overtreat, and that is downright unethical.

I am not trying to preach, but instead to hopefully make you ask yourself if this long process is worth it to you.

Good luck

 

[NewTab]

I have no problems with people pursuing a lucrative field and being honest about their intentions, really. In fact, it is refreshing to read these posts every now and then, because it is such a contrast from the "I want to help people" answer everyone gives at their interview.

I also chose this field because of the income potential, lifestyle, science interest, and hand skills. However, not once did you mention your patients. It's fine to put those other reasons ahead of "helping people", but the fact of the matter is if you don't care one way or another about the people you are treating, you shouldn't be a healthcare provider. It is far too easy in this business to overdiagnose and to overtreat, and that is downright unethical.

I am not trying to preach, but instead to hopefully make you ask yourself if this long process is worth it to you.

Good luck

What about overtreating as in...idk selling teeth whitening and cosmetic things. Is that "unethical" to you? I'm planning on buying billboards all over town offering "$99 30-minute teeth whitening!". I could work 8 hours/day and do 16 patients = $1600/day = >$400k working 5 days/wk. $w@ggin'

 

[THS]

What about overtreating as in...idk selling teeth whitening and cosmetic things. Is that "unethical" to you? I'm planning on buying billboards all over town offering "$99 30-minute teeth whitening!". I could work 8 hours/day and do 16 patients = $1600/day = >$400k working 5 days/wk. $w@ggin'

You know, I was thinking "this guy is trolling" but I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. My mistake.

If the patient wants a cosmetic treatment (whitening, veneers, etc), that is their choice and they are willing to pay for those things, and it is not unethical to provide those services. Patients do NOT want to hear that their $300 3-surface amalgam will instead be a $1000 crown because you wanted to "make sure you got all the decay".

Even if you had the patient capacity to fill 16 hygiene appts a day for 5 days per week (which by the way isn't the "lifestyle" you're looking for), you are not taking into consideration OVERHEAD. You know, the cost of running a business? Average overhead for a solo practice is somewhere around 65%, so that $400k drops to $140k, below the national average for dentists. And that's all hygiene production. Trust me when I say your hygienists will not like having 30 minute appts unless you pay them on production.

Now that your attitude is obvious to everyone, don't expect to be taken seriously here.

 

[NewTab]

You know, I was thinking "this guy is trolling" but I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. My mistake.

If the patient wants a cosmetic treatment (whitening, veneers, etc), that is their choice and they are willing to pay for those things, and it is not unethical to provide those services. Patients do NOT want to hear that their $300 3-surface amalgam will instead be a $1000 crown because you wanted to "make sure you got all the decay".

Even if you had the patient capacity to fill 16 hygiene appts a day for 5 days per week (which by the way isn't the "lifestyle" you're looking for), you are not taking into consideration OVERHEAD. You know, the cost of running a business? Average overhead for a solo practice is somewhere around 65%, so that $400k drops to $140k, below the national average for dentists. And that's all hygiene production. Trust me when I say your hygienists will not like having 30 minute appts unless you pay them on production.

Now that your attitude is obvious to everyone, don't expect to be taken seriously here.

Wow is overhead really 65%? Two hygenists at 60k each, 1 assistant at 30k, and rent for 30k. I don't understand....

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Wow is overhead really 65%? Two hygenists at 60k each, 1 assistant at 30k, and rent for 30k. I don't understand....

Dude, just do the cleanings yourself and save 120k/year.

 

[Mad Jack]

Dude, just do the cleanings yourself and save 120k/year.

Hygenists allow you to improve your income above what you can do yourself. You can only clean so many teeth in a day- if you hire a hygenist and they've got a full schedule, you can make a substantial amount of money off the top of what they are getting you for reimbursement. You may pay them 30 bucks an hour or more, but they can easily make you double that or more per patient.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Hygenists allow you to improve your income above what you can do yourself. You can only clean so many teeth in a day- if you hire a hygenist and they've got a full schedule, you can make a substantial amount of money off the top of what they are getting you for reimbursement. You may pay them 30 bucks an hour or more, but they can easily make you double that or more per patient.

what if you take a CE class on dental hygiene to work twice as fast as a regular hygienist? then you'd double the amount you can make on hygiene all by yourself!

 

[Mad Jack]

what if you take a CE class on dental hygiene to work twice as fast as a regular hygienist? then you'd double the amount you can make on hygiene all by yourself!

Yeah, but you can see more patients while your hygenists are doing their thing. My dentist has three working at once while he deals with the more complex patients. Each of them can do a cleaning in about half an hour, so he's getting paid for six cleanings plus a couple fillings or extractions or whatever the hell he's doing in the mean time. There's no way one dentist can do all of that in an hour without extenders.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

There's no way one dentist can do all of that in an hour without extenders.

Extenders are KEY.

 

[oralcare123]

Wow is overhead really 65%? Two hygenists at 60k each, 1 assistant at 30k, and rent for 30k. I don't understand....

Don't forget taxes

 

[doc toothache]

I have no problems with people pursuing a lucrative field and being honest about their intentions, really. In fact, it is refreshing to read these posts every now and then, because it is such a contrast from the "I want to help people" answer everyone gives at their interview.

I also chose this field because of the income potential, lifestyle, science interest, and hand skills. However, not once did you mention your patients. It's fine to put those other reasons ahead of "helping people", but the fact of the matter is if you don't care one way or another about the people you are treating, you shouldn't be a healthcare provider. It is far too easy in this business to overdiagnose and to overtreat, and that is downright unethical.
I am not trying to preach, but instead to hopefully make you ask yourself if this long process is worth it to you.
Good luck

It is a heck of a lot easier to express them on a forum; it is unlikely that our "vato" expressed his thoughts any differently either in a ps or interview.