The Future of Dentistry

[Xyy22]

What seems to be the future of the

profession as a whole? What are the best

and worst specialities for the future, like

perio, endo, ortho and oms? Are there any

specialities that are overcrowded or will

simply have a hard time finding patients?

What specialities will have the best

financial gains?

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[Hope7]

I was wondering the same thing especially since the Occupational Outlook Handbook states that employmnet of dentist are going to grow slower than average for all professions. That is a concern. I don't know if this prospect is just for general dentist or it includes specialists.

 

[Ford67]

Actually i beleive dentistry will soon eclipse medicine as the highest paid profession.Why?First of all more and more people are going to the Dentist on a regular basis.Still less than 50 percent of all Americans go to the Dentist and that number will rise signficantly in the future because of the awareness of oral health.Second there will be no surplus of dentists in the future since so many are retiring.Third dentists will never be part of HMOs or lets hope so.

As for specialists, Periodontics seems to have the brightest future.It is a very ground breaking field.And since its already the second highest paying field to Endo the future looks very good.As for a surplus of speacialists, Orthodontics may be a little and I stress little to overcrowded for comfort.

 

[Mr. So-So]

if the employment of dentists is growing SLOWER than average(fewer dentists entering the market)
..wouldnt that be a GOOD thing..if you are already a practicing dentist or a dental student?

 

[synite]

thats not what it means, mr. soso. if the job outlook is growing slower than average, it means that there are fewer opportunities for dentists to find jobs, i.e. there are fewer job openings for dentists. it says nothing about the size of the labor pool, i.e. the number of dentists who are actually looking for jobs, which should continue to rise, putting downward pressure on the labor market and lowering salaries for the entire profession.

 

[Thebeyonder]

Hi,
If it is true that the dental profession job outlook is growing slower than all other professions than maybe dental schools should cut down on the numbers of dental school graduates or severely limit the number of foreign dentists entering the US. Northwestern closed it's dental school is it due to this fact?
Tim

 

[Mr. So-So]

this is second hand info that i heard from one of the docs i shadowed (a NU grad)

..northwestern closed because it's difficult for private dental schools to bring money into a university (grants)..and compete with the state supported schools.

..politics played a major part in NU's demise. The bottom line was that the dental school was not profitable enough. The powers that be..decided that the building space could be better utilized.

I think the 'official' reason was lack of interest from students.

Originally posted by Thebeyonder:
•Hi,
If it is true that the dental profession job outlook is growing slower than all other professions than maybe dental schools should cut down on the numbers of dental school graduates or severely limit the number of foreign dentists entering the US. Northwestern closed it's dental school is it due to this fact?
Tim•

 

[Mr. So-So]

i'm a little skeptical about that "continuing to rise" part ..

last i heard, there are more dentists retiring/dying than there are new dentists replacing them.

..and thats going to continue with the baby boomers starting to retire.

it doesn't matter.
the labour market you see today will not be the market you see when you open your own practice.

cheers!

Originally posted by synite:
•thats not what it means, mr. soso. if the job outlook is growing slower than average, it means that there are fewer opportunities for dentists to find jobs, i.e. there are fewer job openings for dentists. it says nothing about the size of the labor pool, i.e. the number of dentists who are actually looking for jobs, which should continue to rise, putting downward pressure on the labor market and lowering salaries for the entire profession.•

 

[Ford67]

First of all the Occ. Handbook

it totally useless. Also, the 2002 book

says Dentistry will grow as fast as the

average. Synite is wrong in his/her

explation and Mr. So So is actually right.

Slower than average means that the

employement of Dentist wont be as high as

other professions, which is good. It simply

means not many Dentist will enter the work

force. With the signficant rise in the

demand for dental service and with so many

Dentists retiring, Dentistry will be a great

profession for the future. As I said before

Dentistry will likely soon be the highest

paid profession. One more piece of advice

dont TRUST the Occ. Handbook.

 

[Sisero68]

Yes i know this post is from 10 years ago. I just thought it would be interesting to see some opinions on what other pre-dents were thinking about the field back then.

 

[yappy]

Largest and first generation to have full dentition is the baby boomer generation. This also means a larger percentage of dentists will be leaving the field via retirement. I think these things are to our career advantage.

 

[7 Iron]

Largest and first generation to have full dentition is the baby boomer generation. This also means a larger percentage of dentists will be leaving the field via retirement. I think these things are to our career advantage.

I agree. I do not buy into the "sky is falling" mentality. Dentistry will be an excellent career choice for a long time to come. Lots of baby boomers will need lots of dental care. Older dentists will start to retire within 5-10 years, creating lots of openings for new dentists. Things feel bad now because of the poor economy, but it will not always be a weak economy.

 

[BizzyV]

Nanotechnology will make dentists completely obsolete in 15 years with the advent of little robots in your mouth that clean everything for you. Sorry everyone.

^ Yes someone actually told me that.

 

[fug]

Nanotechnology will make dentists completely obsolete in 15 years with the advent of little robots in your mouth that clean everything for you. Sorry everyone.

Regardless of whether there will actually be mouth-cleaning nanobots around in 2026, further advances in technology will make dental procedures easier and less expensive to perform, while making the education needed to perform those procedures less intensive. There will be a dental practice in every Wal-Mart, and hygienists will gain the ability to pursue more advanced training, open independent practices and regulate their own profession. If anything, aging baby boomers and retiring dentists will do more to speed this process up than anything.

That being said, I'm sure things can and probably will turn out differently -- after all, I'm a pessimist, not a psychic.

 

[BobLoblawDDS]

Nanotechnology will make dentists completely obsolete in 15 years with the advent of little robots in your mouth that clean everything for you. Sorry everyone.

^ Yes someone actually told me that.

The powers that be will ensure that you still need someone with a degree to prescribe and sell 'em. Cha-ching. If anything, dentists' lives will become even easier.

I doubt health-affecting nanotechnology will be available over the counter anytime soon.

 

[yappy]

LOL @ nano. What do you think the health effects will be of breathing in and out nanomachienes? Can you say lung cancer.

Using them systemically will also cause terrible effects on our bodies natural osmolarity and electrical potential etc. etc. etc.

 

[dentalWorks]

Nanotechnology will make dentists completely obsolete in 15 years with the advent of little robots in your mouth that clean everything for you. Sorry everyone.

^ Yes someone actually told me that.

Okay okay.... he was being sarcastic you guys lol.

The day nanotechnology cleans my mouth will be the same year that a large body builder will travel back 40 years in time to kill a woman whos future son will be the leader of a resistance whos mission is to fight against self-conscious robots.

 

[yappy]

Being "fo real" though, I think nano tech may play a role in the future in biomedical materials and drug development.

Okay okay.... he was being sarcastic you guys lol.

The day nanotechnology cleans my mouth will be the same year that a large body builder will travel back 40 years in time to kill a woman whos future son will be the leader of a resistance whos mission is to fight against self-conscious robots.

 

[KittySquared]

Because of the increase of the geriatric population (from baby boomers), I think geriatric dentistry wouldn't be a big surprise if it became a specialty. Lots of teder love and care needed for the aging population with edentulism on the rise...