saturation?

[bambam92]

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Hi, I have shadowed dentists as well as doctors. I honestly found both fields appealing. Anyways I have already taken the MCAT and got a score that is borderline for MD schools but fine for DO schools. Now I have the decision of do I take the dat or not.? I was planning on taking the DAT after my mcat regardless of how it went and then making a decision with both in front of me. I graduate in may. I wish one career jumped out to me as the clear winner, but again they both seem attractive in their own rights.

Anyways, I have heard that dentistry is becoming over saturated big time. Now this was news to me since not too long ago I read an article saying there was a shortage of dentists due to more retiring (the boomers) than coming out of school. However, I recently have heard the complete opposite that new dental schools popping up and existing schools pumping out huge classes (NYU cough) that the field is way saturated. As someone who has to make the decision to take the dat or not soon I would appreciate your honest advice on what way you think the field is going. I have no interest in taking out $350-500 k in loans if all I am going to do is enter a field that is dried up. Medicine doesn't seem to have any issue with saturation, and I guess this is a plus for medicine. I have never heard of there being too many physicians. Please give me your honest input. Thanks !

 

[bambam92]

bump.hoping for input.

 

[Regmata]

There are saturation issues with both dentistry and medicine, don't kid yourself. Primary care physicians may eventually be phased out by mid-level practitioners, pushing physicians towards specialties and sub-specialties. Communities can only support so many specialists. This is a scary time for medicine, with all of the healthcare changes on the horizon.

Unfortunately, the same argument could be made for dentistry. The financial opportunities for both are quite good if you work hard enough. I believe that on average, the typical dentist GP makes less or similar money to the typical PCP. However, there is no mandatory residency and thus more time can be spent earning money rather than training. I would think that PCP's start a bit higher once out of residency though. Most dentists likely come out making 80-120k and then work up from there. Of course there are cases where the numbers differ and I am sure some experienced significant growth in their salaries early on. This hasn't been the norm from what I have heard from young dentists that I know. This is completely anecdotal.

When it comes to specialties, I believe that dental specialties do fairly well compared to medical specialties, with exceptions. You must also keep in mind that a greater subset of medical students will go on to medical specialties that dental specialties. This will skew the comparative salaries a bit. Often, people use average salaries for PCP's when comparing to dentistry. This may not be accurate.

Truth is, you will never really know. There are great opportunities to do well in both fields. Both fields will have to deal with the business end of practicing and both will have to deal with saturation. There is no escaping these aspects of the job. Is one better than the other? Perhaps. My advice is to try to figure out the career path that seems it will be more fun and go for it, barring any frank logistical issues. With hard work and determination, you will get there regardless of the career you choose.

 

[Screwtape]

There is saturation in larger cities for certain specialities in medicine (pathology, radiology, etc). This is the same for dentists. However there are plenty of areas where dentists are needed. However as far as I know, everyone needs primary care physicians. But if you want to make it work, you can probably do so anywhere in medicine/ dentistry as long as you are willing to work hard and smart. With these fields I say choose the profession, not the outlook. You will be fine either way if you work for it.

 

[bambam92]

There are saturation issues with both dentistry and medicine, don't kid yourself. Primary care physicians may eventually be phased out by mid-level practitioners, pushing physicians towards specialties and sub-specialties. Communities can only support so many specialists. This is a scary time for medicine, with all of the healthcare changes on the horizon.

Unfortunately, the same argument could be made for dentistry. The financial opportunities for both are quite good if you work hard enough. I believe that on average, the typical dentist GP makes less or similar money to the typical PCP. However, there is no mandatory residency and thus more time can be spent earning money rather than training. I would think that PCP's start a bit higher once out of residency though. Most dentists likely come out making 80-120k and then work up from there. Of course there are cases where the numbers differ and I am sure some experienced significant growth in their salaries early on. This hasn't been the norm from what I have heard from young dentists that I know. This is completely anecdotal.

When it comes to specialties, I believe that dental specialties do fairly well compared to medical specialties, with exceptions. You must also keep in mind that a greater subset of medical students will go on to medical specialties that dental specialties. This will skew the comparative salaries a bit. Often, people use average salaries for PCP's when comparing to dentistry. This may not be accurate.

There is saturation in larger cities for certain specialities in medicine (pathology, radiology, etc). This is the same for dentists. However there are plenty of areas where dentists are needed. However as far as I know, everyone needs primary care physicians. But if you want to make it work, you can probably do so anywhere in medicine/ dentistry as long as you are willing to work hard and smart. With these fields I say choose the profession, not the outlook. You will be fine either way if you work for it.

Truth is, you will never really know. There are great opportunities to do well in both fields. Both fields will have to deal with the business end of practicing and both will have to deal with saturation. There is no escaping these aspects of the job. Is one better than the other? Perhaps. My advice is to try to figure out the career path that seems it will be more fun and go for it, barring any frank logistical issues. With hard work and determination, you will get there regardless of the career you choose.

Thanks for your valuable input guys. I appreciate it! A big attraction to dentistry for me is the typically lower hours, and if you go GP you can enter the workforce right away. However, the cost of dental school seems to be getting out of hand, and these schools seem to be frankly money grubbing institutions. Medical school for the most part is much cheaper and they are more generous with need based grants and scholarships then dental schools I have heard. I realize cali and NYC is completely saturated for dentists and frankly many other professions. However, are you aware of the opportunities say in the midwest, in particular the chicago metropolitan area? I would love to be able to land a job there. Also is a typical associate only earn $80-120k? I was told it was more in the $120-150 range by a dentist I shadowed roughly 2 years ago. Please realize money isn't everything to me, but 8 years of schooling and $300-450k in loans of dental school would have me scratching my head for a career where I will earn $80k.

 

[Regmata]

Salary will go up in the more expensive areas to live. 120-150 may be the norm in Chicago and immediately surrounding areas.