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2nd year resident in IM here. I regret not doing dentistry. I was incredibly passionate about the entrepreneurial side of dentistry before I ruled it out because of how expensive dental school was. My family would have helped pay ~200K for it but I would still have come out in 250-300+ debt so I opted to go to a cheap med school and not have debt.
But I regret it so much. There is so much better opportunities to be your own boss as a dentist. It’s not easy and takes so much work but it’s so worth it. The financial aspect shakes me to my core too. I’ve asked around plenty and owners I’ve spoken to are typically taking home $400-500K+ after overhead. The work life balance is amazing too. Being on call, showing up to the hospital at 5 am every day is killing me.
I know dentistry isn’t a walk in the park. It’s super hard on your body and it can be very tiring work. But I think I would have enjoyed working with my hands. Everyone assumes that if you’re in med school you just get to pick the specialty you want and you stroll in. I put in countless amount of effort into trying to match into ENT and I couldn’t make it. Had the scores, research and everything but at the end of the day, there’s only so few residency spots.
The biggest eye opener for me lately has been money. Owner dentists have a huge ceiling and I have yet to talk to one that’s making less than 350K$. As an internist, I will be a W-2 worker unless I start a practice which is stupidly difficult in medicine these days. I know a few docs that say it’s not even profitable or worth it to do so anymore.
I regret not going into dentistry. I would have pushed to be an owner and build something passionately. I’m not naive and understand that Dentistry isn’t all sunshine and roses and has its own unique challenges.
My peers who are dentists are already scouting practices to purchase 3-4 years out from school. They have older dentists willing to sell and mentor them. They work 4 days a week. No call, no 5 am starts, and no take home work. Most of all they will outearn 80% of medical specialties as sucessful owners.
I could do a fellowship in cards or GI but it’s so insanely competitive , especially when you factor in IMGs applying for the same spots. Medicine is a path to W-2 slavery and I’m sad I didn’t pursue dentistry. I tried to match into a specialty where I could work with my hands but had to go to my backup specialty that I dual applied with. I wish I could go back. The earning potential coupled with lifestyle and ability to build something of your own is unparalleled in dentistry.
But I regret it so much. There is so much better opportunities to be your own boss as a dentist. It’s not easy and takes so much work but it’s so worth it. The financial aspect shakes me to my core too. I’ve asked around plenty and owners I’ve spoken to are typically taking home $400-500K+ after overhead. The work life balance is amazing too. Being on call, showing up to the hospital at 5 am every day is killing me.
I know dentistry isn’t a walk in the park. It’s super hard on your body and it can be very tiring work. But I think I would have enjoyed working with my hands. Everyone assumes that if you’re in med school you just get to pick the specialty you want and you stroll in. I put in countless amount of effort into trying to match into ENT and I couldn’t make it. Had the scores, research and everything but at the end of the day, there’s only so few residency spots.
The biggest eye opener for me lately has been money. Owner dentists have a huge ceiling and I have yet to talk to one that’s making less than 350K$. As an internist, I will be a W-2 worker unless I start a practice which is stupidly difficult in medicine these days. I know a few docs that say it’s not even profitable or worth it to do so anymore.
I regret not going into dentistry. I would have pushed to be an owner and build something passionately. I’m not naive and understand that Dentistry isn’t all sunshine and roses and has its own unique challenges.
My peers who are dentists are already scouting practices to purchase 3-4 years out from school. They have older dentists willing to sell and mentor them. They work 4 days a week. No call, no 5 am starts, and no take home work. Most of all they will outearn 80% of medical specialties as sucessful owners.
I could do a fellowship in cards or GI but it’s so insanely competitive , especially when you factor in IMGs applying for the same spots. Medicine is a path to W-2 slavery and I’m sad I didn’t pursue dentistry. I tried to match into a specialty where I could work with my hands but had to go to my backup specialty that I dual applied with. I wish I could go back. The earning potential coupled with lifestyle and ability to build something of your own is unparalleled in dentistry.
