Where are we going with this?

[Fortatha88]

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Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm in no way trying to dissuade anyone from going into dentistry or trying to be negative. Just thought some of you might want to hear from someone who has been in the trenches for 16 years. It's a free country - do what you want with your life. But let me point out, pre-dents, dental students, and young dentists are pretty conventional thinkers. They have a follow-the-herd mentality. Despite what most of you told the admissions committee during your interviews, most of you are going into dentistry because you see your own dentist tooling around in a Mercedes or living in a fancy neighborhood. And many of you think that practicing in Silicon Valley is the answer because patients there have money. If that describes you, then join the crowd. Yeah, I know young dentists who drive fancy cars, wear fancy clothes and jewelry, have all the latest toys at home, and I also know that their net worth is laughable. My point is, do dentistry because you really enjoy it and at the same time you are helping your patients. If you're in it for the money, most of you will be disappointed and will do what most dentists do - end up blaming the government.

 

[Bobby Fischer]

Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm in no way trying to dissuade anyone from going into dentistry or trying to be negative. Just thought some of you might want to hear from someone who has been in the trenches for 16 years. It's a free country - do what you want with your life. But let me point out, pre-dents, dental students, and young dentists are pretty conventional thinkers. They have a follow-the-herd mentality. Despite what most of you told the admissions committee during your interviews, most of you are going into dentistry because you see your own dentist tooling around in a Mercedes or living in a fancy neighborhood. And many of you think that practicing in Silicon Valley is the answer because patients there have money. If that describes you, then join the crowd. Yeah, I know young dentists who drive fancy cars, wear fancy clothes and jewelry, have all the latest toys at home, and I also know that their net worth is laughable. My point is, do dentistry because you really enjoy it and at the same time you are helping your patients. If you're in it for the money, most of you will be disappointed and will do what most dentists do - end up blaming the government.

Telling it like it is👍

 

[predent12]

The real problem with dentistry is with the huge student loans. A lot of people nowadays (inside and outside dentistry) have huge student loan bills. I think the student loan bubble will be the next to burst. People just cannot afford to pay back their loans in this job market. When this happens, we will probably see some sort of bailout. Or inflation will make everyone's loans easier to pay back. When the bubble bursts, the feds will tighten credit for student loans, and many institutions will shut down. Larger institutions will probably be able to survive better than the smaller, newer schools that do not receive alumni support or state funding.

Word!

 

[Flosstoomuch]

And if you would like to work in New Mexico, you will get 200k/year min. garantee. Do you want me to forword the ad to you?

I definitely would! I'm not sure that a dental chain is where I'm headed after graduation, but it would be highly motivating to see any job with that kind of minimum guarantee.

 

[Fortatha88]

I definitely would! I'm not sure that a dental chain is where I'm headed after graduation, but it would be highly motivating to see any job with that kind of minimum guarantee.

Sorry about the confusion, that was actually posted by "usbigbird". My point in replying to his/her post is that he/she claims he/she and his/her friends are making between
$240-300K/year at a chain working on Medi-Cal patients which, if true, would put them in the top 10% net income of all GPs in California. Oh, and not to mention some ad he/she saw somewhere that guarantees you $200K/year. I have news for anyone who is willing to hear it - no chain guarantees you a set salary in clinical dentistry. But they saw it in an ad - well then, it must be true!

Fact is, and I don't care what government demographers and academic dentists say, there is not a shortage of dentists and there will not be enough dentists retiring to make room for the flood of new dentists from IDS programs and all the new schools that have started pumping out new grads in the last few years. It's a simple supply and demand issue - with an oversupply, salaries go down. That's true in any profession. Why would dentistry be any different?

 

[usbigbird]

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Yes, basically we saw 20-25 pts each day. You are SO naive!! It depends on where you practice. Most of pts for the dental chain where I worked were medicaid pt. Each state has different fee schedule. It matters a lot. If you look at the whole picture, some medicaid dental chains would not open their bussiness in low fee schedule states! In PA, simple filling is about $60, but in MI, it might be $20. These pts pay nothing for dental procedures. In the dental chain's recruit ad, it says average income for associates is 240k/year. Mine is just average. And if you would like to work in New Mexico, you will get 200k/year min. garantee. Do you want me to forword the ad to you?

First, my background. Graduated from dental school 16 years ago, worked as an associate for 5 years, have had my own private solo practice for the past 11 years. Work in the SF Bay Area. So I think I have enough experience, both on the clinical side and on the business side, to make comments that are based on reality. If you and your multiple friends are making 240-300K/year as associates working on Medi-Cal patients, then you and your friends earn more than 90% of all GPs in California. If that's true, then congratulations! If I were you, I wouldn't even bother to go into private practice, as you are already in the top 10% of GP income.

I've been practicing in the Bay Area long enough to see a lot of new grads absolutely struggle, I've seen GPs with 30 years experience accept every PPO plan out there just to keep enough patients in the chair and then have to work like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make a profit on discounted fees, I've seen classmates who have closed their offices and moved out of the area because they just couldn't make it here, and I've seen dentists of certain ethnic groups not only take every PPO plan but then they don't even collect the deductible and the co-pay just to try to get patients. Of course, shady insurance billing goes along with that.

Again, if you and your friends are making 240-300K/year working on Medi-Cal patients, then you truly are exceptional, but readers beware, there are very few exceptional practitioners out there, While we might like to think of ourselves as exceptional, let's face it, most of us aren't. Yes, as much as we don't like to admit it, most of us are just average. And the average GP in California doesn't net anywhere near 240-300K.

I was not talking about CA. I don't know the situation in CA. It sounds too bad! None of my friends are from California. One of my friends graduated from UCSF, and found a job in Dallas. He made over $300k/year 2 years ago as an associate. Now he runs his own practice.
Here in the east states, associates are usually offered 35%-40% collection. If you find a $1million office, it is not that hard to earn $300k/year. But you have to work hard, like 5 days a week, see about 20 pts each day....