Problems with dentistry today?

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Hello Dr.'s!

Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what problems do y'all think dentistry is facing now and what problems do you think will arise in the future?
I would greatly appreciate your responses.

Thank you!

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[RxStudentatUB]

I'm not even close to a dentist (or dental student), but new grads attending schools with ridiculous tuition are grabbing offers left and right from corporate dental offices to manage debt and interest. Sure, the $140K-$160K paycheck seems a lot better than an offer as a beginning associate (sometimes as low as $80-$90K) for a private practice ... but this just gives the corporate offices extra ammunition to gain leverage on the field. They have the money and power to advertise/market their services moreso than the smaller and private offices. It will be a bit tougher to be an autonomous dentist if this trend continues. After all that negativity, dentistry still seems to be one of the most attractive health care profession to pursue! I would definitely choose this field over the life-sucking career of medicine and the clusterf**k saturation of new grads and unreasonable work conditions that dominate pharmacy.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

I'm not even close to a dentist (or dental student), but new grads attending schools with ridiculous tuition are grabbing offers left and right from corporate dental offices to manage debt and interest. Sure, the $140K-$160K paycheck seems a lot better than an offer as a beginning associate (sometimes as low as $80-$90K) for a private practice ... but this just gives the corporate offices extra ammunition to gain leverage on the field. They have the money and power to advertise/market their services moreso than the smaller and private offices. It will be a bit tougher to be an autonomous dentist if this trend continues. After all that negativity, dentistry still seems to be one of the most attractive health care profession to pursue! I would definitely choose this field over the life-sucking career of medicine and the clusterf**k saturation of new grads and unreasonable work conditions that dominate pharmacy.

Thank you for the reply. So you don't think oversaturation is a problem with dentistry? I keep hearing people saying how the golden age for dentistry is over and that I should go into a different career. Of course, these are the ones that didnt make it to dental school so I'm definitely skeptical lol

 

[DocJL]

Oversaturation.

Too many new schools opening.

Outrageous tuition gouging. Leading to astronomical debt that will hinder a dentists' career progression to practice owner.

The amount of debt, and the reality of the day to day hard work just to service that debt, coupled with the inflated expectations of a large salary and an easy lifestyle contributing to more over diagnosis and a continued erosion of the public's perception of dentists.

 

[Lesley]

Hello Dr.'s!

Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what problems do y'all think dentistry is facing now and what problems do you think will arise in the future?
I would greatly appreciate your responses.

Thank you!

In a nutshell,

http://www.medicaiddental.org/files/Other Files/Roundtable_Presentations/2014Roundtable_DentalPracticeTrendsPP.pdf

and more recently,

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wh...d-fed-survey-finds-2015-05-27?dist=beforebell

 

[RxStudentatUB]

Thank you for the reply. So you don't think oversaturation is a problem with dentistry? I keep hearing people saying how the golden age for dentistry is over and that I should go into a different career. Of course, these are the ones that didnt make it to dental school so I'm definitely skeptical lol

I don't think saturation of dentists will pose a significant threat just because of the high cost and barriers to open up a dental school. These include having available clinics near the school, EXPENSIVE equipment and available overhead, and a pool of patients in the nearby community willing to come by for visits. EVEN if saturation posed a threat to future grads, the field of dentistry is one where great students can differentiate themselves through countless hours of serious studies and hands-on practice. The skills required to be a good dentist are refined/tangible, and the field itself requires cutting-edge equipment so it forces dentists to quickly evolve and be on top of their game. While building connections is very important in any career, your scholastic merit and competence holds significantly more weight. Any current d-students or dentists can correct me if I'm wrong here. I believe any fair and hard working student rather have the system operate in this fashion, then have some jackass from a fraternity take your job because he had answers to a test bank or his older pledge brother happened to be the hiring manager. The latter happens to be the case in pharmacy, just by glancing at their subforum.

 

[I want to go to there]

Thank you for the reply. So you don't think oversaturation is a problem with dentistry? I keep hearing people saying how the golden age for dentistry is over and that I should go into a different career. Of course, these are the ones that didnt make it to dental school so I'm definitely skeptical lol

There are very few professions that aren't oversaturated and most professions don't make as much as dentistry even with oversaturation. It's a comfortable and fullfilling job with great job security.

 

[aqz]

While building connections is very important in any career, your scholastic merit and competence holds significantly more weight. Any current d-students or dentists can correct me if I'm wrong here. I believe any fair and hard working student rather have the system operate in this fashion, then have some jackass from a fraternity take your job because he had answers to a test bank or his older pledge brother happened to be the hiring manager. The latter happens to be the case in pharmacy, just by glancing at their subforum.

Yes your connections might not matter as much on a technical level as your competence, but much of that competence is developed through the connections that you have. Example: having dentists in the family with a practice already set up.

I think this stuff is only relevant when you're trying to figure out how to hit the ground running when you're just starting. As long as you don't make terrible financial decisions, everyone makes it in the end.