Specialist Income

[ptrianon]

I was browsing the ortho vs. pedo discussion and I started to wonder how much specialists actually make over GPs. I know that oral surgery and ortho have huge earning potentials but what about endo, pedo, prosth, perio? I know income can be highly variable but I was just a little curious.

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[Balki]

Google in "MONEY+ DENTAL SPECIALTIES" and in the result page enter you zip and wooala! you get the numbers!
I am a little sick of this money business, there are so many threads talking about it you'll find your answer. ALL of them make **** load of it. Is it the only thing important? And the way you ask the question "Over the GP" makes me think you'll consider specializing just to be in the hierarchy. grow up
I hope you find your answer.

 

[ptrianon]

Google in "MONEY+ DENTAL SPECIALTIES" and in the result page enter you zip and wooala! you get the numbers!
I am a little sick of this money business, there are so many threads talking about it you'll find your answer. ALL of them make **** load of it. Is it the only thing important? And the way you ask the question "Over the GP" makes me think you'll consider specializing just to be in the hierarchy. grow up
I hope you find your answer.

I didn't say "over a GP" to imply that specialits are better than GPs. Im fairly certain that I will end up in GP so you can rest assured that I dont believe in the whole hierarchy of income/importance/intellect/whatever... Like I said I was just curious.

 

[shabu2]

I didn't say "over a GP" to imply that specialits are better than GPs. Im fairly certain that I will end up in GP so you can rest assured that I dont believe in the whole hierarchy of income/importance/intellect/whatever... Like I said I was just curious.

Another thread about specialties and money? I don't believe it.....

 

[ptrianon]

Another thread about specialties and money? I don't believe it.....

So I guess next time I will do a forum search before posting. I didn't know it was such a worn out topic...

 

[vorosvirag]

I'm all for doing what your heart desires w/o consideration for the resulting $ stream. Yet, virtually all of us went to college for better opportunities. Then, we ventured further to dental school for even greater opportunities and increased security. To travel further into areas of specialization provides (for some) increased opportunity and security. It can be debated whether any additional security is needed, given how well GPs do.

I find it a little hypocritical when guys doing general dentistry suggest I'm doing ortho for the $. This isn't a daily occurrence, and is often done in a fun-loving way, but the scenario comes up. I have lots of reason to specialize, one of which is the ortho business model. I routinely gently ask these individuals why they did dentistry. Of course, if they're honest their answer rightfully includes lifestyle ($, family life...). This isn't bad. This is reality.

I just went to google and entered "dental specialists income." The second item to surface was an ADA report. Knowing the facts about the average incomes is good information to have. Naturally, the $ ain't the only factor to consider. To ignore the numbers, however, is fairly ridiculous.

http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/dbguide/newdent/income.asp

Before looking at dental school, most of us considered income levels, hours worked, etc. and compared them to numbers associated with lawyers, physicians, and many others.

I guess, ptrianon, these folks wished you had searched for answers in previous threads. Maybe you could have, but here's a link for you to include w/ your other searches. Good luck!

 

[ItsGavinC]

I was browsing the ortho vs. pedo discussion and I started to wonder how much specialists actually make over GPs. I know that oral surgery and ortho have huge earning potentials but what about endo, pedo, prosth, perio?

All specialties have huge earning potentials.

 

[12Blade]

Balki - Relax Dude. The guy just wants to know what his earning potential would be. I HATE holier than thou dentists and residents who make people feel bad for just wanting to know what they can make. Yes, its great to love what you do and blah blah blah, but you can bet every other person in every other profession wonders what they can make before they enter into it. So please, stop being all pious and dont respond if you dont have a legitimate answer to the guy's question.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

...dont respond if you dont have a legitimate answer to the guy's question.

You consider that a legitimate answer to his question? Nice work, hotshot...

 

[xXCOwHoRnXx]

Here's the no.1 grossing specialty as of 2005. Its not talked about too much for obvious reasons but if u can handle the intense pressure, rockstar lifestyle and endless piles of hundreds lining the back of your f150 then give it a whirl

http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=55920

 

[EuroOMFS]

Balki - Relax Dude. The guy just wants to know what his earning potential would be. I HATE holier than thou dentists and residents who make people feel bad for just wanting to know what they can make. Yes, its great to love what you do and blah blah blah, but you can bet every other person in every other profession wonders what they can make before they enter into it. So please, stop being all pious and dont respond if you dont have a legitimate answer to the guy's question.

Agreed. When I was in DS, my prosth teacher asked my class one day, why we went into dentistry. He got all the standard answers; I like working with my hands, I like working with people, no on-call etc.

When we were done answering, he said: "I only got one straight answer!" and he pointed to the only guy in the room who had had the guts to answer that he went into dentistry because of the earning potential.

Most of us were thinking money when we chose DS. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[ptrianon]

Revised Question:

I understand why certain specialties have greater earning potentials like in OMS where you can spend an entire summer pulling 3rd molars, or in ortho where you can have 6 chairs going at one time, but what I dont understand is how a specialty like pedo can have greater earning potential when they do most of the same stuff GPs do (generalization, i know). Is it that they see a higher volume, because from what I heard in Michigan for example there is only a few pedodontists that actually work 5 days a week. Again, just curious.

 

[docj1]

Revised Question:

I understand why certain specialties have greater earning potentials like in OMS where you can spend an entire summer pulling 3rd molars, or in ortho where you can have 6 chairs going at one time, but what I dont understand is how a specialty like pedo can have greater earning potential when they do most of the same stuff GPs do (generalization, i know). Is it that they see a higher volume, because from what I heard in Michigan for example there is only a few pedodontists that actually work 5 days a week. Again, just curious.

Volume. My wife worked as a hygenist for a pedodontist for 5 years. 3 hygenists full time seeing 2-3 patients per hour. That is highly profitable when you have assistants to take xrays etc for the hygenist. I don't believe this type of recall system happens overnight, but after it does, WOW.

Plus low lab bills.

 

[Dental916]

Since this whole income thing comes up all the time, why not make a sticky on average specialty earnings? I would surely like to know averages, not necessarily that I want to specialize, but just out of curiosity and income does have a lot to do with what you decide on...its funny how people get mad when this question is asked.

 

[shamrock2006]

You can make money in any area of dentistry...i'm sure there are GP's who make a hell of a lot more than the "average" GP...this is where your skill and business sense comes into play. You can be a GP, do a ton of CE and get certified in many areas...put those into play...and bingo...you've just upped your earning potential.

 

[dentalman]

Since this whole income thing comes up all the time, why not make a sticky on average specialty earnings? I would surely like to know averages, not necessarily that I want to specialize, but just out of curiosity and income does have a lot to do with what you decide on...its funny how people get mad when this question is asked.

Ummm.... not sure if you are joking, but.... I'm guessing you really just don't know. There is a sticky. Look in the FAQ section under the regular dental thread.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=128382

 

[ItsGavinC]

Is it that they see a higher volume, because from what I heard in Michigan for example there is only a few pedodontists that actually work 5 days a week. Again, just curious.

As others have said, volume is the key. This happens even when hygiene is taken out of the equation (although it certainly helps). Many docs see 25-45 patients a day.

 

[Str8Wire]

This is an easy question to answer... On average GPs make about 75-150K less than specialists (all). Specialists income is all over the map butif you put them all together I would think that 250-300K is a good average. Many will get on here and say well OS makes the most then endo, then......bla blah blah. It is really about what newsletter you read. On average specialists do make more but who wants to be "average".....

I truly think that GPs have the highest earning potential because they have the widest market and the largest potential procedure list. Also they can set up several office and work associates like dogs and sit ont eh beach all day...that doesn't happen with specialists often but it is happening all over the southeast around me....

If you are thinking of specializing, I encourage you to get out and practice for a year and see what dentistry is really like. My mind was completely changed about what I liked and what I didn't once I was out for a little while!!

 

[capisce?]

My mind was completely changed about what I liked and what I didn't once I was out for a little while!!

I guess since you're going into ortho you pretty much don't like anything about dentistry

 

[Cold Front]

I truly think that GPs have the highest earning potential because they have the widest market and the largest potential procedure list. Also they can set up several office and work associates like dogs and sit ont eh beach all day...that doesn't happen with specialists often but it is happening all over the southeast around me....

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