So lost... Future of dentistry!?

[artvandelay786]

I have been set on becoming a dentist since HS. I have the numbers to get in but I'm wondering what the quality of my life will be like when I become a dentist. Will I be able to provide for my family or will I be drowning in debt? Will mid levels deprive me and my colleagues of patients? Will the new line of products that kill S. mutans decrease the number of patients seeking dental care?

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[corymartin2012]

People will always need some kind of dental care because of bad habits and just the nature of the oral cavity.

The business is growing and it won't die down in decades to come. I would say the mid level things are actually more of a help in the run long if it turns out more like a PA kind of setting.

Debt wise. If you are >200k in debt when you come out of school you will be fine and probably able to live decently prosperous in less than couple years (if buy your own practice, etc).

200k-350k. You will struggle at first don't expect a Mercedes or big grand house soon after but you will have a good career after the initial debt is paid off.

350k+. Probably not worth it. You'd really have to have desire to stick for the LONG run and have impeccable self control in paying off your loans and it'd take so long you're probably a bad space.

That's my perspective.

 

[HopeforDMD]

I have been set on becoming a dentist since HS. I have the numbers to get in but I'm wondering what the quality of my life will be like when I become a dentist. Will I be able to provide for my family or will I be drowning in debt? Will mid levels deprive me and my colleagues of patients? Will the new line of products that kill S. mutans decrease the number of patients seeking dental care?

I don't think anyone really knows about this. There is probably no reason to panic just yet. Just make sure you minimize the debt you take on. In the past dental school = win, and perhaps now there will be winners and losers. Just don't put yourself in the situation where you NEED your income to be in the six-figure range.

I don't think dental therapists will fill the same role as a PA does in medicine (the difference in training and scope between a doctor and a physician's assistant is supposedly greater than that of a dentist and dental therapist), but dentists would have quite a long way to fall before it becomes a bad job. From a job security prospective, medicine is probably better, but for right now this gig seems great.

Just avoid debt, and let's all hope for the best.

 

[mixoma]

There will never be any kind of magic bullet that kills oral bacteria. The flora in the oral cavity is way to diverse to knock off, thus there will always be dental decay. Years back they tried to make a vaccine against a couple isolated bacterial species commonly found in the oral cavity and dentists got a little scared, but the pharm companies failed miserably and have since gave up as they know this is a lost cause. On the other hand if it is ever discovered how to implant tooth buds intraosseous that take we are all screwed.
Being a dentist you will always be able to provide for your family as long as you live within your income. But I would not do dentistry to get rich, there are easier ways.

 

[HopeforDMD]

There will never be any kind of magic bullet that kills oral bacteria. The flora in the oral cavity is way to diverse to knock off, thus there will always be dental decay. Years back they tried to make a vaccine against a couple isolated bacterial species commonly found in the oral cavity and dentists got a little scared, but the pharm companies failed miserably and have since gave up as they know this is a lost cause. On the other hand if it is ever discovered how to implant tooth buds intraosseous that take we are all screwed.
Being a dentist you will always be able to provide for your family as long as you live within your income. But I would not do dentistry to get rich, there are easier ways.

Wouldn't specialized dentists be the ones doing the implanting?

As for the flora of the oral cavity, S. Mutans is essentially the only bacteria that initiates the carries formation. Others are simply opportunists. The new treatement would rely on this diversity of the oral bacterial flora. As S. mutans is suppressed, it loses its ability to compete with the "good" bacteria.

I believe the vaccine didn't work because nothing the body produces permeates the biofilm containing S. mutans very well. The new drug bypasses this problem as well, with a much higher penetration.

 

[diasIItema]

Despite the economy, dentists in normal markets are not having issues paying back their astronomical school debt. The average, despite soaring costs, is still about 10 years. If you're overly concerned, there's always loan repayment programs and the military route.

Dentistry is an excellent profession. I have NEVER heard a dentist say they did not enjoy their profession, even 30 years in. Physicians, however, are about 50/50 in my experience. And if you're concerned about money, remember that your spouse is entitled to earn an income too, ya know. Don't marry a housewife if that's your concern.

As far as the products that kill S. mutans, it will hardly affect dentistry for us, at least. The damage has already been done for several generations. Products require patients to consistently use them. If patients would do what they're supposed to, we wouldn't still have TB and any number of communicable diseases. Dentistry is a hell of a lot more than fixing dental caries, too. As a former public health major, I'd personally love to see the day where there are no more cavities. But it will probably never happen.

 

[mixoma]

Wouldn't specialized dentists be the ones doing the implanting?

As for the flora of the oral cavity, S. Mutans is essentially the only bacteria that initiates the carries formation. Others are simply opportunists. The new treatement would rely on this diversity of the oral bacterial flora. As S. mutans is suppressed, it loses its ability to compete with the "good" bacteria.

I believe the vaccine didn't work because nothing the body produces permeates the biofilm containing S. mutans very well. The new drug bypasses this problem as well, with a much higher penetration.

If you read up on the topic S. mutans is the primary culprit but other bacteria cause caries/perio ect as well.

 

[HopeforDMD]

If you read up on the topic S. mutans is the primary culprit but other bacteria cause caries/perio ect as well.

Fair enough. I think I'm just worried about a significant drop in demand though. Because S. mutans is the original cause of most carries, mitigation of the bacteria's effects may be felt in one's bottom line. Which still would be just fine if I didn't have huge, undischargable student loans to stress over. But hey, no turning back now right? I guess this is just something for new applicants to consider.

 

[suarez 7]

But hey, no turning back now right? I guess this is just something for new applicants to consider.

I agree. There's no turning back for people like me. If I could go back I would've chosen the other career choice I am interested in (not health-related btw). But I am not going to feel gloomy, I want to remain optimistic that this field remains positive for everyone.
I would just like to see more college students research more about what they want to do instead of relying on here-say or articles written on Yahoo, and decide themselves if a career is worth pursuing or not. If pre-law students did some basic google searches they will realize how terrible the legal industry is. Likewise, if pre-pharm/pre-med/pre-dents did more research on the drawbacks of these fields then I guarantee that there would be less applicants, less schools, and lower tuitions.

 

[OhioDMD]

I don't want to blow smoke up your backside but after 32 years of private practice in a small city in
the rust belt I still feel dentistry was a great career choice and still has a lot to offer a new grad. Minimize your school debt. The military option is a great way to get through school and hone your skills post grad at the government's expense. If you are a decent student it's very possible to work part time especially the third and fourth years. I bartended, RA'd and was resident director in the undergrad residence halls. Another aspect no one mentions is income inflation. When I started $100,000 was a decent average income now it's around $250,000+. Who knows by the end of your career it could be $600,000+ or if the Mayans were correct the future will not be an issue.

 

[UCSD6]

There's already something out there that can prevent caries, yup u guessed it good old fashion toothpaste, fluoride, and floss. The honest truth is cavities are preventable, but people don't comply, because of lack of education, laziness, or they don't care about there teeth. Obesity is an epidemic and is almost one hundred percent preventable. I'm assuming that there would be some type of patient compliance for the therapy to work, well we can kiss that good bye.

 

[yappy]

Curious, what was career choice number 2?

I agree. There's no turning back for people like me. If I could go back I would've chosen the other career choice I am interested in (not health-related btw). But I am not going to feel gloomy, I want to remain optimistic that this field remains positive for everyone.
I would just like to see more college students research more about what they want to do instead of relying on here-say or articles written on Yahoo, and decide themselves if a career is worth pursuing or not. If pre-law students did some basic google searches they will realize how terrible the legal industry is. Likewise, if pre-pharm/pre-med/pre-dents did more research on the drawbacks of these fields then I guarantee that there would be less applicants, less schools, and lower tuitions.

 

[Gintaman]

Will the new line of products that kill S. mutans decrease the number of patients seeking dental care?

If the new product can kill S. Mutans, I can be King of England ಠ_ಠ

Or emma watson's boyfriend with 15inch dick, but we both know that's not happening.

So I'll go do my crown preps, lift weights in desperate hope my tutor will take notice of me, and you'll go do Dentistry. In the end nothing ever changes.

 

[Lethstang]

Theres a few things assaulting our industry. Obamacare, this crazy idea we need mid level providers, the proliferation of corporate dentistry etc. No one can really say how it will all pan out. Only become a dentist if you have an overwhelming desire to fix teeth. There are far easier ways to make good money with far less education and hoops to jump through. An MBA from a top 20 school will give you just as much if not more income potential with a fraction of the debt, for example. Same as a top ten law school.

 

[DrJeff]

Theres a few things assaulting our industry. Obamacare, this crazy idea we need mid level providers, the proliferation of corporate dentistry etc. No one can really say how it will all pan out. Only become a dentist if you have an overwhelming desire to fix teeth. There are far easier ways to make good money with far less education and hoops to jump through. An MBA from a top 20 school will give you just as much if not more income potential with a fraction of the debt, for example. Same as a top ten law school.

The reality is the programs that so many lawmakers (99% of whom AREN'T dentists and as such have NO idea of what it's actually like to, day in and day out, treat real people with dental disease as opposed to just hear about numbers that pertain to people who have dental disease) are designed to target a portion of the population, not just who don't either have the means to afford care (or often may choose not to make the choice to use the means they have for care but use it for other items), but often even if they have the means for care may for other reasons voluntarily choose NOT to seek care (i.e. the fearful patient, or the "i'm perfect and nothing is ever wrong with me patient ). For various reasons, this minority percentage of the population is the main focus of the non dentists who make our laws, since for some reason (altruism? naivete? genuine pure stupidity? whatever...) they think that just because they can pass legislation that this percentage of the population will all of the sudden "see the light" and gravitate to dental offices all around and the world as we know it will be all good Meanwhile chances are they'll concurrently upset a good number of people who currently are seeking care - the classic case of the minority rules while the majority be damned!

The reality is, if the "defined dental benefit" (and that's essentially all the wording in Obamacare that pertains to dentistry) is implemented, you'll still see somewhere around 2/3rds of the population that will seek out dental care and about 1/3rd that won't. Countless millions of dollars will be spent to try get that 1/3rd of the population who won't seek care to do so, and the vast majority of that money won't be used on actual care (reguardless of the provider type administering care). If the "defined dental benefit" isn't something that those that had care prior to Obamacare being implemented want/like, a large majority of that population will once again seek out dental care like they were used to, reguardless if its they themselves, a third party insurance company or the government that is paying for it. My hunch is it won't be unlike when a major employer in a geographic area changes dental insurance plans and some dentists choose not to participate with that new plan provider - some patients leave that practice and never come back, but many will either leave for an 'in network" provider, not like that new provider and choose to come back and see you, or never leave your practice in the 1st place and choose to pay the difference.

Patients in general, if you treat them right as a person and provide good work to them, DON'T like change. And when faced with having to pay a bit more vs. making a change to a new, unfamiliar provider, more will choose to avoid the change and pay the extra "change" to see you. This is why Obamacare doesn't really worry me too much. This is why the profession of dentistry and its future doesn't scare me too much. In the 15 years since i've been out of school, the "miracle caries vaccine" was supposed to have been created atleast a half dozen times, dentistry has been the subject of countless numbers of "investigative TV reports", the economy has been down, then up, then down, etc, etc, etc. But the common denominator throughout all this is that actual fingers in the mouth, handpiece a spinning, calculus a scraping, canals a obturating, cement a mixing, etc clinical dentistry has been and will continue to be a solid and EVOLVING profession. Will I be practicing exactly as I do now in 10 years, probably not, but then again how I practice today isn't how I did 10 years ago, and that's one of my favorite things about the profession of dentistry, it's not a static thing, it's quite dynamic and unless you keep evolving as a clinician and also as an entrepreneur (since yes, inspite of what the president recently said YOU are far more responsible for creating your practice than another person or the government it) you'll find the the immense opportunity that this profession does and will continue to offer will more than likely bypass you

 

[Dentist wannabe]

The reality is the programs that so many lawmakers (99% of whom AREN'T dentists and as such have NO idea of what it's actually like to, day in and day out, treat real people with dental disease as opposed to just hear about numbers that pertain to people who have dental disease) are designed to target a portion of the population, not just who don't either have the means to afford care (or often may choose not to make the choice to use the means they have for care but use it for other items), but often even if they have the means for care may for other reasons voluntarily choose NOT to seek care (i.e. the fearful patient, or the "i'm perfect and nothing is ever wrong with me patient ). For various reasons, this minority percentage of the population is the main focus of the non dentists who make our laws, since for some reason (altruism? naivete? genuine pure stupidity? whatever...) they think that just because they can pass legislation that this percentage of the population will all of the sudden "see the light" and gravitate to dental offices all around and the world as we know it will be all good Meanwhile chances are they'll concurrently upset a good number of people who currently are seeking care - the classic case of the minority rules while the majority be damned!

The reality is, if the "defined dental benefit" (and that's essentially all the wording in Obamacare that pertains to dentistry) is implemented, you'll still see somewhere around 2/3rds of the population that will seek out dental care and about 1/3rd that won't. Countless millions of dollars will be spent to try get that 1/3rd of the population who won't seek care to do so, and the vast majority of that money won't be used on actual care (reguardless of the provider type administering care). If the "defined dental benefit" isn't something that those that had care prior to Obamacare being implemented want/like, a large majority of that population will once again seek out dental care like they were used to, reguardless if its they themselves, a third party insurance company or the government that is paying for it. My hunch is it won't be unlike when a major employer in a geographic area changes dental insurance plans and some dentists choose not to participate with that new plan provider - some patients leave that practice and never come back, but many will either leave for an 'in network" provider, not like that new provider and choose to come back and see you, or never leave your practice in the 1st place and choose to pay the difference.

Patients in general, if you treat them right as a person and provide good work to them, DON'T like change. And when faced with having to pay a bit more vs. making a change to a new, unfamiliar provider, more will choose to avoid the change and pay the extra "change" to see you. This is why Obamacare doesn't really worry me too much. This is why the profession of dentistry and its future doesn't scare me too much. In the 15 years since i've been out of school, the "miracle caries vaccine" was supposed to have been created atleast a half dozen times, dentistry has been the subject of countless numbers of "investigative TV reports", the economy has been down, then up, then down, etc, etc, etc. But the common denominator throughout all this is that actual fingers in the mouth, handpiece a spinning, calculus a scraping, canals a obturating, cement a mixing, etc clinical dentistry has been and will continue to be a solid and EVOLVING profession. Will I be practicing exactly as I do now in 10 years, probably not, but then again how I practice today isn't how I did 10 years ago, and that's one of my favorite things about the profession of dentistry, it's not a static thing, it's quite dynamic and unless you keep evolving as a clinician and also as an entrepreneur (since yes, inspite of what the president recently said YOU are far more responsible for creating your practice than another person or the government it) you'll find the the immense opportunity that this profession does and will continue to offer will more than likely bypass you

Well said. Please repeat on TV. Otherwise half of the population will not believe you :shakes head.