Where is the future of dentistry headed?

[MansonTiles]

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I attended a seminar by a dentist and he kept emphasizing that this is the Golden Age for dentistry?? And that more and more people are going to need dental work, and more people are going to retire, and that more people are going to sell their practices.....etc....?

What IS the Future of our profession?

I just posted another thread about people flee-ing toward the border in hopes of cheaper dental care....

so many variables it seems like thats up and coming for dentistry, i am getting a little worried..

i know people are always going to need dental work, just like people will always need medicine....but dentistry being so luxurious and expensive, our "dream Job" of high-paying, flexible hours, lifestyle is starting to decline it seems....no?

thoughts?

 

[blankguy]

Some of it will probably get outsourced. Maybe the lab work to other countries?
The baby boomers are in retirement age so geriatric dentistry is going to be big for the next decade or so. Aesthetic dentistry is also big.

I wouldn't worry about being rendered obsolete. Dentist have so much work why don't you shadow some of the dentist if you haven't done so. They book appointments months in advance.

 

[jigabodo]

In the worst case scenario, just don't open a practice around San Diego and you'll be good to go. 😉

 

[blankguy]

Actually, dentistry is now being referred to as the platinum age because of the great increase in income ( platinum cards are better tha gold cards). There will always be a need for dental work. Now, it may not continue to be as lucrative as it is now, but there will always be a need for dentists. You might have a bunch more retirees than dentists have had in the past.

Commenting on a comment by blankguy - labwork is already being outsourced overseas. I have seen stuff come from asian countries that has been much better than some of the stuff I have seen come from local labs for far less price. It is overnighted and returned much quicker.

The thing is what happens after the baby boomers have long expired?

 

[Frederico Albin]

specially with flouridation making oral health so much better
good for people, bad for business hehe jk

 

[blankguy]

specially with flouridation making oral health so much better
good for people, bad for business hehe jk

There are always immigrants with bad oral health though.

 

[Suren911]

^True. American diet gets immigrants very fast due to the high sugar content. A lot of Asian immigrants have low bone density but no cavities, however, a few years of living in the US can lead to having a lot of cavities for them.

 

[blankguy]

^True. American diet gets immigrants very fast due to the high sugar content. A lot of Asian immigrants have low bone density but no cavities, however, a few years of living in the US can lead to having a lot of cavities for them.

You are making it sound like a conspiracy.

 

[jswizdent]

Athough many more people are not drinking tap water they are drinking bottled water. no fluoride in the bottled water. The bottom line is that america is growing rapidly and when the baby boomers all retire from their dental positions it will take many years for the demand to catch up. This has been on previous posts, I would not worry about the future of dentistry. Technology and longer living people allow for more cleanings, restorations etc.. you get the point, take a deep breath and just know that we will all be fine when we get out their and are practicing. Sorry for the long rant👎

 

[golfer]

I attended a seminar by a dentist and he kept emphasizing that this is the Golden Age for dentistry?? And that more and more people are going to need dental work, and more people are going to retire, and that more people are going to sell their practices.....etc....?

What IS the Future of our profession?

I just posted another thread about people flee-ing toward the border in hopes of cheaper dental care....

so many variables it seems like thats up and coming for dentistry, i am getting a little worried..

i know people are always going to need dental work, just like people will always need medicine....but dentistry being so luxurious and expensive, our "dream Job" of high-paying, flexible hours, lifestyle is starting to decline it seems....no?

thoughts?

What happened to the bronze age? That was always my favorite.

 

[toofshucker]

I don't think that the incomes of dentists will go down as more dentists become more willing to do some of the more lucrative procedures, but ALSO I think the biggest reason is that they are currently graduating less dentists than are retiring, so as supply goes down, demand will go up, less dentists will take insurance, patients that don't/can't pay, etc. We will be better off than 95% of people in America and probably 99% of the people in this world financially.

 

[derArzt]

I don't think that the incomes of dentists will go down as more dentists become more willing to do some of the more lucrative procedures, but ALSO I think the biggest reason is that they are currently graduating less dentists than are retiring, so as supply goes down, demand will go up, less dentists will take insurance, patients that don't/can't pay, etc. We will be better off than 95% of people in America and probably 99% of the people in this world financially.

Technically demand won't go up if supply goes down 🙂
But I see your point... this may help drive up salaries.

 

[wigglytooth]

http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/adanews/adanewsarticle.asp?articleid=2867

While dental caries is the most common chronic disease affecting American children and on the rise among preschoolers, the problem is even worse among American Indians. The Indian Health Service reports some 80 percent of children ages two-to-four in its populations have a history of tooth decay.

No numbers, but the truth is that caries will be around as long as people have mouths. Even when we think it's better, it gets slightly worse again. And then there are the high need groups like the Native Americans cited above. There will always be a need for dentists.

 

[tamkhan]

The future of Dentistry is in Dubai! 😀😀

 

[toofshucker]

Technically demand won't go up if supply goes down 🙂
But I see your point... this may help drive up salaries.

...

 

[USU24]

Technically demand won't go up if supply goes down 🙂
But I see your point... this may help drive up salaries.

Yes it will. Supply and demand are inversely related. Therefore if supply goes down demand will go up.

 

[letsgfuad]

many new studies show than a poor oral hygiene lead to other disorders and disease. As more knowledge linking oral health and general health is known, then dentists may not be such a luxury for some people, rather necessity.

 

[letsgfuad]

many new studies show than a poor oral hygiene lead to other disorders and disease. As more knowledge linking oral health and general health is known, then dentists may not be such a luxury for some people, rather necessity.

 

[letsgfuad]

oh i guess i like posting things twice. I guess i could have deleted it too. Oh well

 

[Montserrat]

Yes it will. Supply and demand are inversely related. Therefore if supply goes down demand will go up.

False.

For the converse, a man who is in pain won't want a dentist any less if the supply of local dentists were to increase.

 

[Montserrat]

Apparently, the future of dentistry is headed down the pipes if a Democrat is elected. Well, a democrat or John McCain. [sarcasm !]

 

[blankguy]

The future of Dentistry is in Dubai! 😀😀

I heard that McDonalds over there can cost as much as $45. If that is true whomever said platinum age of dentistry is understating it.😀

 

[bluejellybelly]

I'm not sure how the medical professions will be effected by universal healthcare as promised by the candidates... 😕 If we all get vouchers for private healthcare, I'm not sure that'll change much now, but if we're placed in a universal healthcare system, wouldn't that be considerably more socialist than it would be now?



Yeah, you can tell that I'm no political science person or economist.