Saturation and salary

[schmoob]

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No, the best possible scenario is one owning multiple (5 or more) and making >$1M, I took an example from the Dental Forums where a dentist talks about his first 5 years, and I was just doing stuff off of memory and the little i've looked up neurosurgery specialty, so i was spitballing, wasn't trying to be too factual

How can you make a comparison without being factual? You can't present an argument that's self-admittedly ill-informed and expect to get your point across dude.

 

[grivacobae]

How can you make a comparison without being factual? You can't present an argument that's self-admittedly ill-informed and expect to get your point across dude.

The only thing not factual was instead of 8 years residency it was 7, but you're right dude, ill be like everyone else on forums and be 100% factual next time

 

[Dent5291]

Take the 400k your family can afford to pay for dental school and buy a Chick-fil-a franchise

 

[Teeth4Life1234]

Hey guys I live in NYC.

Salary is a major concern for me. I could almost say that it is 90% of why I wanna go into dentistry.

I heard some dentists make about 150k right after d-school and the worst ones still make ~80k. I live in NYC (pretty saturated huh?) and I guess I expect to make ~100k.

Im also interested in banking but I graduated with a BS in BIO in 2015.

I know d-school is expensive. Is it worth it??

I shadowed dentists before. I can't say Im super excited about working in peoples mouth. At best I could say that I tolerate it.

What are some pros (good salayr+ lifestyle)and cons?

Is the salary of dentists really that great????? Even after u factor in tuition (I won't have to pay interests on tuition b/c my family can pay them)

SO LOST. IDK IF I SHOULD go into dentistry or not...

even though i wanna go into banking i have no internships and no business degree so idk how hard that route is....

HELP?

It depends if you're up for relocation. We had a dentist who just graduated from Arizona's MWU who started out making $150K. With the corporation he's in, you have the potential to make close to $200K within 10 years as a general dentist. Then again, you'll probably be in a place like Tucson.

 

[Halfdolphy]

It depends if you're up for relocation. We had a dentist who just graduated from Arizona's MWU who started out making $150K. With the corporation he's in, you have the potential to make close to $200K within 10 years as a general dentist. Then again, you'll probably be in a place like Tucson.

Is starting at 150k consider high or just normal?

I know I will make lower in NYC (like 100k to start out?)

 

[Halfdolphy]

I care about money but I still have high ethnical standards. I was abused by my own dentist so I know how that feels. I LITERALLY HATE MY DENTIST SO MUCH FOR THE CRAPPY WORK HE DID.

I would never do anything harmful and wrong to my patients intentionally. I could say that for sure.

 

[lazyindy]

I care about money but I still have high ethnical standards. I was abused by my own dentist so I know how that feels. I LITERALLY HATE MY DENTIST SO MUCH FOR THE CRAPPY WORK HE DID.

I would never do anything harmful and wrong to my patients intentionally. I could say that for sure.

Thats great but it doesn't translate to you being content with your career. You already stated that at best you 'tolerate dentistry'. I don't think you should pursue this field, it's a long commitment and you will burn out if you're not 100% committed to it and love it. Burning out and stress can lead to decreased level of patient care, loss of focus, and lead to the 'crappy work' that you described that your dentist did.

 

[Halfdolphy]

Thats great but it doesn't translate to you being content with your career. You already stated that at best you 'tolerate dentistry'. I don't think you should pursue this field, it's a long commitment and you will burn out if you're not 100% committed to it and love it. Burning out and stress can lead to decreased level of patient care, loss of focus, and lead to the 'crappy work' that you described that your dentist did.

I think you make a good point on being content with my career or not. That's my main concern.

While I can be pretty sure that I won't do crappy dental work to patients even when I'm burned out myself, I'm afraid that I will be unsatisfied with my career. I have always had a much greater interest in business. But most entry level corporate jobs aren't exactly business decisions making. They're just bitch work.

But yeah I don't like dentistry very much tbh. That's not to say I don't care about oral health. I care. I think preventive care like flossing and educating patients should be more emphasized than the surgical approach of "fixing "teeth wih synthetic materials that have undesirable disadvantages (amalgam- Mercury , composite - bca/carcinogen).

I kinda don't feel like pushing aggressive "treatments" is always the right approach. That's why I'm hesitant with pursuing dentistry. I care about having a good compensation and I care about helping people(though I have to admit it is to a lesser extent).


My only concern is that I won't land a business job that I truly like. I don't want to just end up with doing unmeaningful work with low pay

But yeah I guess I would not pursue dentistry then. Now I just need to find a way to land a business job that I like

 

[Advance]

I think you make a good point on being content with my career or not. That's my main concern.

While I can be pretty sure that I won't do crappy dental work to patients even when I'm burned out myself, I'm afraid that I will be unsatisfied with my career. I have always had a much greater interest in business. But most entry level corporate jobs aren't exactly business decisions making. They're just bitch work.

But yeah I don't like dentistry very much tbh. That's not to say I don't care about oral health. I care. I think preventive care like flossing and educating patients should be more emphasized than the surgical approach of "fixing "teeth wih synthetic materials that have undesirable disadvantages (amalgam- Mercury , composite - bca/carcinogen).

I kinda don't feel like pushing aggressive "treatments" is always the right approach. That's why I'm hesitant with pursuing dentistry. I care about having a good compensation and I care about helping people(though I have to admit it is to a lesser extent).


My only concern is that I won't land a business job that I truly like. I don't want to just end up with doing unmeaningful work with low pay

But yeah I guess I would not pursue dentistry then. Now I just need to find a way to land a business job that I like

Maybe look into a MBA/MPH program? That might be more up your alley.
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/advantage/health/dualdegree.html

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[spice7]

I know a guy who works for Goldman Sachs. He works insane works and often sleeps in his office, but he loves it. I'm not even sure if he does it for the money anymore, nowadays I think it's the challenge of it that keeps him going. He told me 100 hour weeks are standard for him, and that he's had weeks where he sleeps only a hour or 2 a night. Yet he can't imagine anything he'd rather do.

He makes very good money, but he also came into the field with a CPA/JD/MBA under his belt. He's from a rural farm town in the Midwest, btw. Went to undergrad at his state school. You don't necessarily need to be born to the right family and go to the Ivies to get into the field. He worked his ass off and got into a good JD/MBA program where he started developing the network he needed to break into the field.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Would you want to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to tolerate people with nasty, smelly, disgusting, infected, pus-filled mouths for 40 years?

That's hot.

 

[Halfdolphy]

there is no need for you to bash me on this.
i wrote that i have little background in finance but that doesn't mean i don't know ANYTHING
i took a graduate course in finance
already have my bachelors-why would i go to Baruch to get a bba? -_____- make zero sense.
im not singling out invesmtent banking and dentistry just for the money. I singled out the two careers that I'm interested in. Plus, i didn't single out INVESTMENT banking. I said banking. Banking has a lot more sectors (operations/equity research)others than INVESTMENT banking.

Don't try to sell me about how dentists are noble people who help people with their oral health. This profession centers on a SURGICAL approach and procedures that generate income for dentists. Why aren't dentists telling people that they need to do more preventive care like flossing? Why do dentists check for cavities mostly when they do the oral exams? Why are most dentists not informing their patients about their gum condition and educate the patients more on taking good care of their oral health?
Cuz dentists only charge based on the PROCEDURES that they do.

Even when dentists are looking at the same mouths, a lot of dentists disagree on where the cavities are. Sure you can say that dentistry is an "art" and dentists have different "dental philosophy". But if you are the patient will your want your dentist to drill "pits" and call them cavities? NO. I was a victim of this practice There is seriously just not enough regulation over this.


My own ****ed up dentist told me that he cares about teeth. But the crappy dental work he did on me said otherwise.

I shadowed extensively. Saw the good and the bad. The vast majority of the dentists I shadowed are pretty crappy tbh. They push procedures that the patients' insurance could cover and the procedures that are not covered are not done. I could see so many things that they do wrong/things that I disagree with but really? Who regulates these dentists that did unnecessary procedures for money? No one. You can say that ADA does but its still an advocacy group created by dentists for dental professionals and the general public. Unless the dentist did some serious harm there won't likely be much lawsuits and liability.

In banking you help corporations grow and merge and whatnot or you could do equity research in a field you're interested in.

In dentistry you're likely making money off from patients ("sick" people). A lot of dentists sell their patients procedures that they MAY or MAY NOT need. Some are cosmetic dentists. Don't tell me that this profession is all about helping people with their oral health.What about dental corporation practice that only cares about money and the procedures dentists have performed on their patients? are you telling me that corporate dentistry is also "oh-so-noble i help people with their teeth". I have seen way more bad dentists than the good ones.

Dentistry could be more WAY MORE ****ed up than banking. Dentists are directly impacting the health of the patients.

Even if i do end up in dent, i wouldn't take advantages of my patients. Will treat them like the way I want to be treated.

I dont understand why do you make so many incorrect assumptions about what I want. I enjoy a high income because i enjoy finer things in life; there is nothing wrong with it.

Im leaning toward not doing dentistry because some of the crap I've seen sickened me. If I do into this field, I want to practice good dentistry while having a good income, these seems to somewhat contradicts each other when the system is set up in a way that dentists charge only based on procedures.

Im considering banking because I enjoy studying about investment and the quantitative approach is more intellectually stimulating and personally more fulfilling than the hands-on aspect of dentistry. I just don't think I have the internships needed to break into banking. I enjoy the relatively high income and 9-5 lifestyle of a dentist. Banking hours are a lot harder; its competitive and volatile. I don't even know if I can tolerate the hours. If I really just into money, I would pick dentistry for sure.

The fact that Im leaning toward not doing dentistry shows that I'm not just concerned about the income when I pick a career.

P.S. I personally do not think there is anything morally wrong with people who pick professions based on incomes. Everyone has different values and there is no need to make them feel bad about their values.

Lol...pretty sad, not sure why I'm answering but what the heck.

What exactly do you know about investment banking? Do you know about valuation/modeling, pitch books, working 100 hours a week on excel with extreme stress & lack of sleep? Do you know anything about the world of finance? Career progression? Doesn't seem so since you have no background in finance, no degree, no experience.

How is it that out of all possible careers you've singled out dentistry and investment banking... two completely different fields?

I get it.. you're trying to figure out what the easiest course of action is to wealth with minimal work input. I get it.

You want lifestyle? Not a chance in real finance... The ones that succeed sacrifice a portion or all of their lives to reach the money and
"power" that they've so wholeheartedly desired.

You want income? Finance is the way to go. The ceiling is practically limitless. Any qualified investor will tell you that becoming a dentist is a terrible investment if return is what you seek.

"I shadowed dentists before. I can't say Im super excited about working in peoples mouth. At best I could say that I tolerate it."

Let me get this straight. You don't enjoy or have any interest in dentistry. You don't have a desire to actually be a doctor (helping others). "Ehh, I guess I can tolerate being a dentist if it means making 250k while working twice a week!" - that's you right?

Get out of this profession now. You are completely unfit for dentistry and doing it for all the wrong reasons. With this attitude will most likely not succeed.

Figure out your strengths/weaknesses. Find something you'd actually enjoy to do and be good at. Seriously think about what you want to do for the rest of your life man. You ever received a paycheck? You feel happy for about 1 minute and move on. If you're at a terrible job that you loathe, that paycheck will not make you happy. You will still have to wake up every damn morning and go to work. Imagine the feeling of dreading what you do but being stuck on a daily basis. Do you think you'd be a happy person? Do you think you'd be successful? Not a shot.


Also, you really should shadow a dentist if you have any true interest in the profession. Because I can bet that you've never been in a dental office as an observer.

 

[Advance]

What about dental corporation practice that only cares about money and the procedures dentists have performed on their patients? are you telling me that corporate dentistry is also "oh-so-noble i help people with their teeth".

Salary is a major concern for me. I could almost say that it is 90% of why I wanna go into dentistry.

The irony.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

The irony.

Lol

 

[Halfdolphy]

The irony.

it is not an irony.

I enjoy a high salary but I dont do unethical practice to attain it. What is wrong with this statement? I hate dental mills; I won't practice unethical dentistry with corporation dent even if Im employed at one of those. Money is not enough for me to do unethical things. I already have reasonable amount of wealth myself even I don't go into dent.

It is only ironic because the healthcare system is set up in a way that dentists get paid for the procedures they do and not educating patients on taking preventive care. It is the real irony when some people try to persuade me how they are noble human beings who are in dentistry to help patients. You could help patients. Having a high compensation for it is another aspect to consider in a career.


If I were to pick dent, salary is a major concern for me because Im not "passionate" about looking into people's mouth. The profession can be repetitive; some procedures are extremely bloody and "gross" as in the sense that there will be a lot of germs and bacterias. I wouldn't do it if the salary is cut in half.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

it is not an irony.

I enjoy a high salary but I dont do unethical practice to attain it. What is wrong with this statement? I hate dental mills; I won't practice unethical dentistry with corporation dent even if Im employed at one of those. Money is not enough for me to do unethical things. I already have reasonable amount of wealth myself even I don't go into dent.

It is only ironic because the healthcare system is set up in a way that dentists get paid for the procedures they do and not educating patients on taking preventive care. It is the real irony when some people try to persuade me how they are noble human beings who are in dentistry to help patients. You could help patients. Having a high compensation for it is another aspect to consider in a career.


If I were to pick dent, salary is a major concern for me because Im not "passionate" about looking into people's mouth. The profession can be repetitive; some procedures are extremely bloody and "gross" as in the sense that there will be a lot of germs and bacterias. I wouldn't do it if the salary is cut in half.

Idk where you've been going to the dentist, but every dentist I've ever had has tried their best to get me to brush/floss/take care of my teeth.
For your own good, I really don't think you should go to dental school. I think you'd wind up really regretting that decision

 

[Halfdolphy]

Idk where you've been going to the dentist, but every dentist I've ever had has tried their best to get me to brush/floss/take care of my teeth.
For your own good, I really don't think you should go to dental school. I think you'd wind up really regretting that decision

NYC Dentists!
I already said that Im most likely NOT going to apply.

Im only responding to those who say that they are in the profession to help and not to make money. If they are really doing that, we should be seeing a lot more free dental care centers with DDS volunteers.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

NYC Dentists!
I already said that Im most likely NOT going to apply.

Im only responding to those who say that they are in the profession to help and not to make money. If they are really doing that, we should be seeing a lot more free dental care centers with DDS volunteers.

I'm sorry you had those experiences and I'm glad you've decided against it.
I don't think responding to those who say they are in the profession to help and not make money will change any minds (and besides, it is very possible to do both at the same time). Many dentists do work in free clinics/rural areas and/or volunteer their services sometimes. Sure, more could, but many do already. And I hope you're not implying someone should go to school for 8+ years to solely become a volunteer and not make a living at all because that is ridiculous. But anyway, if you'd like to keep ranting about dentists, I guess I shouldn't stop you.
Good luck with whatever career you end up in 🙂

 

[schmoob]

there is no need for you to bash me on this.
i wrote that i have little background in finance but that doesn't mean i don't know ANYTHING
i took a graduate course in finance
already have my bachelors-why would i go to Baruch to get a bba? -_____- make zero sense.
im not singling out invesmtent banking and dentistry just for the money. I singled out the two careers that I'm interested in. Plus, i didn't single out INVESTMENT banking. I said banking. Banking has a lot more sectors (operations/equity research)others than INVESTMENT banking.

Don't try to sell me about how dentists are noble people who help people with their oral health. This profession centers on a SURGICAL approach and procedures that generate income for dentists. Why aren't dentists telling people that they need to do more preventive care like flossing? Why do dentists check for cavities mostly when they do the oral exams? Why are most dentists not informing their patients about their gum condition and educate the patients more on taking good care of their oral health?
Cuz dentists only charge based on the PROCEDURES that they do.

Even when dentists are looking at the same mouths, a lot of dentists disagree on where the cavities are. Sure you can say that dentistry is an "art" and dentists have different "dental philosophy". But if you are the patient will your want your dentist to drill "pits" and call them cavities? NO. I was a victim of this practice There is seriously just not enough regulation over this.


My own ****ed up dentist told me that he cares about teeth. But the crappy dental work he did on me said otherwise.

I shadowed extensively. Saw the good and the bad. The vast majority of the dentists I shadowed are pretty crappy tbh. They push procedures that the patients' insurance could cover and the procedures that are not covered are not done. I could see so many things that they do wrong/things that I disagree with but really? Who regulates these dentists that did unnecessary procedures for money? No one. You can say that ADA does but its still an advocacy group created by dentists for dental professionals and the general public. Unless the dentist did some serious harm there won't likely be much lawsuits and liability.

In banking you help corporations grow and merge and whatnot or you could do equity research in a field you're interested in.

In dentistry you're likely making money off from patients ("sick" people). A lot of dentists sell their patients procedures that they MAY or MAY NOT need. Some are cosmetic dentists. Don't tell me that this profession is all about helping people with their oral health.What about dental corporation practice that only cares about money and the procedures dentists have performed on their patients? are you telling me that corporate dentistry is also "oh-so-noble i help people with their teeth". I have seen way more bad dentists than the good ones.

Dentistry could be more WAY MORE ****ed up than banking. Dentists are directly impacting the health of the patients.

Even if i do end up in dent, i wouldn't take advantages of my patients. Will treat them like the way I want to be treated.

I dont understand why do you make so many incorrect assumptions about what I want. I enjoy a high income because i enjoy finer things in life; there is nothing wrong with it.

Im leaning toward not doing dentistry because some of the crap I've seen sickened me. If I do into this field, I want to practice good dentistry while having a good income, these seems to somewhat contradicts each other when the system is set up in a way that dentists charge only based on procedures.

Im considering banking because I enjoy studying about investment and the quantitative approach is more intellectually stimulating and personally more fulfilling than the hands-on aspect of dentistry. I just don't think I have the internships needed to break into banking. I enjoy the relatively high income and 9-5 lifestyle of a dentist. Banking hours are a lot harder; its competitive and volatile. I don't even know if I can tolerate the hours. If I really just into money, I would pick dentistry for sure.

The fact that Im leaning toward not doing dentistry shows that I'm not just concerned about the income when I pick a career.

P.S. I personally do not think there is anything morally wrong with people who pick professions based on incomes. Everyone has different values and there is no need to make them feel bad about their values.

What do you mean who regulates? It's the state licensing boards. If a dentist is damaging someone just to fix them, it's not just wrong it's illegal.
Patient education is an important part of dentistry. If you've never been told about flossing or brushing then the dentists you went to suck, because that's their job. But the truth is that it's the standard of care to educate the patient.
There's nothing wrong with your reasoning for going into a job that is well compensated. I agree that there are plenty of people on SDN that are on their high horses that say they don't care about money and only want to help people. BS. If that were true, they should join the Peace Corps. But I say the MAJORITY of people here chose dentistry for the opportunity to really help people, get paid well, have a good quality of life, and have a good work/life balance.
Good luck in what ever you decide to pursue.

 

[nateriver]

I think this thread was meant to be a troll lol of course everyone on sdn would be offended by this hahahaha, but seriously op, don't do something just for money, you wont be happy...

 

[redmau5]

The healthcare system is set up in a way that dentists get paid for the procedures they do and not educating patients on taking preventive care.

Well, at least you're not considering medicine—physicians don't get paid for either! 😀

 

[JakeSill]

A friend of mine spent an evening with Jordan Belfort (the real "Wolf of Wall Street"). He (Belfort) earned a B.S. in biology and enrolled in the DDS program at UMD. He dropped out in his 1st year when he learned that dentists are not getting rich like they used to, and then he started his Wall Street career (you know, where the movie begins). So, @Halfdolphy , you wouldn't be the first to take this path. Just do it now before you sink $100k into a year's tuition, and don't do the whole con artist market manipulation thing.



Yes, that's true. According to my i-banking friends at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, it is all about who you know. If there are no family connections, it usually depends on where you went to college. A lot of them went to Ivies and elite small colleges like Williams, Amherst, etc.

Also, I will add to this discussion that the days of making quick millions on Wall Street are waning. My friends think wealth/asset management is a more stable alternative. I hate to burst your bubble (pun intended), but this is the current reality. Tbh, dentistry offers the best chance for financial security (once you pay off your school loans). You are more likely to become wealthy this way, but it happens later in your life.

Does marrying rich means marrying someone richer than you?

 

[spice7]

OP, it sounds like you have a low opinion of dentists. It makes little sense that you would pursue a career in a field you have little respect for.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[Scumbag_Steve]

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[hellofuturedentists]

Yes.

otherwise, what's the point, right? 😉

 

[Carbohydrates]

The irony.

 

[htdt]

I hate to be that person, but to be honest, one does not need to ABSOLUTELY love teeth in order to be a dentist. Both my parents are dentists, and when they first started dental school (in a foreign country) they had no idea what the profession is like. My dad honestly just chose dental school because he didn't get into med school the first time (I know, don't even want to start the war here🙄). Both of them are now very respectable dentists, and they probably see 10 patients a day. Over the course of their 25 years of practicing dentistry, they learn how to like (or at least tolerate) the profession. Why? Because it allows them to bring in a stable 2-dentist income for the family through their private practice.

I can't exactly say that my parents love dentistry, they just do not dislike it. They told me that after 20+ years of practicing dentistry, no one can still be that excited to look at a mouth. But I asked my parents several times if they could do it again would they still choose dentistry, and they both say yes. Again, probably because they can't think of another stable profession with that kind of income. Business is too risky, and engineers don't make that much lol. Well, my dad still says it between dentistry and medicine...

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[A Pre-dent]

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[Advance]

I agree.

All of this has got me thinking: perhaps the profession as a whole (i.e. the societal institution of American organized dentistry) benefits from a balance between the dentists who love their jobs and those who are dispassionate. For example, the dentists who follow careers rather than callings may be the people we need to fight the rising cost of dental education. Whereas some see student debt to be a worthy personal challenge, they might simply interpret it as unfair and economically unsustainable.

Sometimes I wonder whether the application process allows dental schools to play us for suckers. We have to force ourselves to believe that dentistry is the only profession for us when we write our personal statements and answer the most common interview question. We know that this is what the adcoms want to hear. Then, it's like we have prove how much we love dentistry by demonstrating a willingness to go into a ridiculous amount of debt. The ones who have reservations about making unnecessary sacrifices for dentistry do not get accepted to dental school.

Why doesn't ASDA and ADEA do nearly enough to address this issue? I think it's because the worst thing in organized dentistry--just like in the dental school application process--is to be accused of not loving your profession enough.

I guess I'm revealing my rare cynical side, today...haha.

Hm. Never thought about it that way.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

I agree.

All of this has got me thinking: perhaps the profession as a whole (i.e. the societal institution of American organized dentistry) benefits from a balance between the dentists who love their jobs and those who are dispassionate. For example, the dentists who follow careers rather than callings may be the people we need to fight the rising cost of dental education. Whereas some see student debt to be a worthy personal challenge, they might simply interpret it as unfair and economically unsustainable.

Sometimes I wonder whether the application process allows dental schools to play us for suckers. We have to force ourselves to believe that dentistry is the only profession for us when we write our personal statements and answer the most common interview question. We know that this is what the adcoms want to hear. Then, it's like we have prove how much we love dentistry by demonstrating a willingness to go into a ridiculous amount of debt. The ones who have reservations about making unnecessary sacrifices for dentistry do not get accepted to dental school.

Why doesn't ASDA and ADEA do nearly enough to address this issue? I think it's because the worst thing in organized dentistry--just like in the dental school application process--is to be accused of not loving your profession enough.

I guess I'm revealing my rare cynical side, today...haha.

ADEA makes money off us in the application process so they don't address the issue because they don't feel the need. As for choosing to apply and all that jazz, it's basically a cost-benefit and risk-reward analysis, just like every career path. If you're willing to spend X amount of dollars and risk not getting a return on the investment in you own future for a loooong time, you go to dental school. If not, you do something else that's less costly or risky initially.
I do agree with you in that we are all suckers. I think it's this way for most professional schools and graduate programs, though. Why take a student who doesn't care about or like the field (implying this student probably won't work as hard) when you could take a student who really enjoys it? Both pay the same amount of money in the end in tuition, but one probably makes the school look better.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

[.

 

[schmoob]

That's an interesting take. I don't think that it's playing us for suckers, I think the application process is truly trying to select for people capable of empathy and worthy of trust, more so than it has in the past. I think that a push to get more warm fuzzy feels people into the profession is good not only for patients who will benefit from benevolent and compassionate dentists, but also dentists themselves who will have colleagues more in line with the mindset that their careers are truly enjoyable and that they love providing care to improve people's lives. I think that the barrier of entry to the profession should be raised no just academically, but also emotionally too. A person with sub par stats who will dedicate their life to helping others is someone I'd much prefer as a colleague to someone who is brilliant but views patients as cash piñatas.

Idk maybe it's just my non cynical side.

Even a Touro grad?!?!?!?!

 

[JakeSill]

otherwise, what's the point, right? 😉

I thought marrying rich could mean marrying someone with equal wealth as you or marrying someone with some money but not as much as you?

 

[JakeSill]

After some years pass. An Average dentist who owns his own practice > average businessman?

 

[Teeth4Life1234]

there is no need for you to bash me on this.
i wrote that i have little background in finance but that doesn't mean i don't know ANYTHING
i took a graduate course in finance
already have my bachelors-why would i go to Baruch to get a bba? -_____- make zero sense.
im not singling out invesmtent banking and dentistry just for the money. I singled out the two careers that I'm interested in. Plus, i didn't single out INVESTMENT banking. I said banking. Banking has a lot more sectors (operations/equity research)others than INVESTMENT banking.

Don't try to sell me about how dentists are noble people who help people with their oral health. This profession centers on a SURGICAL approach and procedures that generate income for dentists. Why aren't dentists telling people that they need to do more preventive care like flossing? Why do dentists check for cavities mostly when they do the oral exams? Why are most dentists not informing their patients about their gum condition and educate the patients more on taking good care of their oral health?
Cuz dentists only charge based on the PROCEDURES that they do.

Even when dentists are looking at the same mouths, a lot of dentists disagree on where the cavities are. Sure you can say that dentistry is an "art" and dentists have different "dental philosophy". But if you are the patient will your want your dentist to drill "pits" and call them cavities? NO. I was a victim of this practice There is seriously just not enough regulation over this.


My own ****ed up dentist told me that he cares about teeth. But the crappy dental work he did on me said otherwise.

I shadowed extensively. Saw the good and the bad. The vast majority of the dentists I shadowed are pretty crappy tbh. They push procedures that the patients' insurance could cover and the procedures that are not covered are not done. I could see so many things that they do wrong/things that I disagree with but really? Who regulates these dentists that did unnecessary procedures for money? No one. You can say that ADA does but its still an advocacy group created by dentists for dental professionals and the general public. Unless the dentist did some serious harm there won't likely be much lawsuits and liability.

In banking you help corporations grow and merge and whatnot or you could do equity research in a field you're interested in.

In dentistry you're likely making money off from patients ("sick" people). A lot of dentists sell their patients procedures that they MAY or MAY NOT need. Some are cosmetic dentists. Don't tell me that this profession is all about helping people with their oral health.What about dental corporation practice that only cares about money and the procedures dentists have performed on their patients? are you telling me that corporate dentistry is also "oh-so-noble i help people with their teeth". I have seen way more bad dentists than the good ones.

Dentistry could be more WAY MORE ****ed up than banking. Dentists are directly impacting the health of the patients.

Even if i do end up in dent, i wouldn't take advantages of my patients. Will treat them like the way I want to be treated.

I dont understand why do you make so many incorrect assumptions about what I want. I enjoy a high income because i enjoy finer things in life; there is nothing wrong with it.

Im leaning toward not doing dentistry because some of the crap I've seen sickened me. If I do into this field, I want to practice good dentistry while having a good income, these seems to somewhat contradicts each other when the system is set up in a way that dentists charge only based on procedures.

Im considering banking because I enjoy studying about investment and the quantitative approach is more intellectually stimulating and personally more fulfilling than the hands-on aspect of dentistry. I just don't think I have the internships needed to break into banking. I enjoy the relatively high income and 9-5 lifestyle of a dentist. Banking hours are a lot harder; its competitive and volatile. I don't even know if I can tolerate the hours. If I really just into money, I would pick dentistry for sure.

The fact that Im leaning toward not doing dentistry shows that I'm not just concerned about the income when I pick a career.

P.S. I personally do not think there is anything morally wrong with people who pick professions based on incomes. Everyone has different values and there is no need to make them feel bad about their values.

I've shadowed and worked as an assistant for different dentists. I've saw what you've mentioned: dentists who just want to make money and couldn't care less about a patient's well-being.

However, I also saw dentists who truly cared about patients. I worked in an office that saw a ton of Medicaid patients. A lot of the insurances didn't cover extractions regardless of how badly abscessed the tooth was. Knowing this, the doctor would just extract it, and say that it "fell out during examination". He only did this in extreme cases, but this way it bypassed Medicaid and the front office billing department.