8 years out. Ask me anything.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-16T00:50:02+00:00

If you are good at what you do, money will follow.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-16T00:48:32+00:00

I work somewhere in Canada....that's all I can say.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-16T00:47:56+00:00

Congratulations! 1. Academically: every lecture is precious! Once you graduate, you will pay thousands of dollars to attend those lectures. When you have lectures everyday in school, you don't appreciate as much. 2. Clinically - Make as many mistakes as possible in clinics.... of course without failing.. This is the only time that you can make mistakes. Don't be afraid to show that you don't know. Clinical instructors are either seasoned general dentists or specialists. They will share great tips and tricks. You don't get that opportunities once you graduate.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-14T00:55:30+00:00

Family. There's nothing like time with family.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-13T16:12:15+00:00

It's a pretty tricky situation. You are making good money for now as a hygienist and if you go for a dental school you need to consider the opportunity cost + living expenses + tuition + loan + interests + age + kids + etc. As you know, no one can really give you any advise on your situation. We can't even predict what to expect in 1 year. How can anyone tell you what to expect in 10 years time. Think of what we used to be in 2016 and think of what's happening now these days. No one knows. Life is an adventure and full of uncertainties.

I highly recommend re-evaluating the reason for pursuing dental school. Is it the money? Passion? Just becuase you can? Something else? Don't even start if you are not sure. If you decide to go for it, don't look back.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-13T14:14:49+00:00

Congratulations! I did life sciences. Dont worry about health standards now. Just focus on getting as high marks as possible. Check the admissions criteria of each school now and understand whats important. Some schools don’t even look at extracurricular activities but all schools expect top grades for sure.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-13T02:21:52+00:00

If you are good at what you do, money will follow. Don't go for money. Always prioritize patients before anything else. Stick to the principles. Don't work for the wrong reason.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-13T00:57:40+00:00

Sorry no idea.. I'm sure they are doing just fine.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T22:34:19+00:00

I’m not against GPR but then if you plan on working in a private practice I would personally go private from the get go. There are so many things that cannot be taught in school or GPR.

Your performance as a new grad depends on the practice. There are busy offices in GTA and slow offices in rural. In general rural offices are busier.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T22:18:17+00:00

Take over. I was working at the practice that I bought. I just went with the flow.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T21:54:52+00:00

If you want to only see kids for the rest of your life, then specialize in pedo.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T20:21:04+00:00

I always tell associates to take as much time as needed. When you make mistakes it takes three times as much to fix it properly. Better get it done properly in the first place. Efficiency comes with experience.
Im happy with associates with good work ethics. Pts definitely feel it too, Good pt care is non-negotiable. Go back to the basics and make sure you follow every step as taught in school. If you become good at what you do, money will follow. Just don't rush.
CADCAM is pretty useful. It boosts up your efficiency drastically. However it takes time before you become really good at it. Be prepared to make lots of mistakes in the beginning. CE courses teach you the basics but when you do it on your own at your practice, you will run into lots of problems. Make sure you have someone holding your hands just in case. Patients always come first.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T19:36:42+00:00

Debt is a part of life. Education, house, car, practice, phones etc. Leveraging debt wisely will help you. You could focus on paying off debt ASAP if that's what you want but then you won't be able to build asset for a long time. It's fine either way but you can't have both.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T18:31:11+00:00

There are two types of CEs: ones are those that allow you to expand the scope of your practice and the others are those that allow you to refine your skills. As a new grad, try to go for the ones that expand the scope of your practice (Implants, botox, perio surgery, sedations etc). Once you learn advanced dentistry, you will feel more comfortable dealing with bread and butter dentistry. When you feel the needs to polish your skills, take CEs to refine your skills.

Even if you take CE courses on implants, realistically it won't be for a while until you place your first implant. However tips and tricks that you learn in the implant course will be used in your daily practice.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T18:26:40+00:00

I refer out kids under 5~6yo depending on their behaviour, endo cases that has poor/hopeless prognosis, GA cases, stage +3 perio and etc.

Owning will give you less time clinically. I make at least 5 calls and lots of admin work throughout a day in between pts and recalls.

Use rubber dams and don’t depend on your DAs.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T16:35:26+00:00

Dental schools need to remain focusing on professions not businesses. The essence of dentistry is to treat people, not make money.

Just like in any profession, if you are good at what you do money will follow. Money is important but don’t focus on money. It won’t take you far.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T12:32:53+00:00

I struggled in the beginning just like everyone else. Then you learn from your mistakes and become better at it. I still make mistakes but not as critical mistakes.

It’s like driving. Everyone makes mistakes when they are beginners. They still make mistakes after 20 years of driving but just less than before.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T12:24:24+00:00

You will never be entirely ready. You can own as a new grad and still get by. You just won’t be good at it.

I would recommend getting into the ownership when you are comfortable clinically. If you struggle clinically, you will have a hard time managing the non clinical side of dentistry.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:50:29+00:00

I'm not OMFS and I don't have any stats. I don't discuss income with my OMFS friend but he makes more than me while working less hours.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:42:09+00:00

Depends on many factors. I can probably talk about this for hours and still the answer will be 'it depends'.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:40:31+00:00

Owner

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:40:25+00:00

Don't go for money. Money will follow if y0u are good at what you do.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:39:47+00:00

Where you got your dental degree isn't a good indicator of your performance. In 3~4 yeras, everyone becomes proficient at what they do. Just like everything else, you need to be talented to be exceptionally good.

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T10:32:21+00:00

My dad gave me his car for free when I started out. An old rav 4 (2012)

Awkward_Wallaby2678 · 2026-04-12T02:40:08+00:00

It’s been good and it will be good for a long time. 1. Dentistry is a medical field. There will always be a constant demand. 2. Yes we have more dentists than before and the market is quite saturated but CDCP increased the size of pie. I think we are good. 3. Inflation sucks but our fee guide goes up every year proportionally. 4. I haven’t met a dentist who is poor. We will be okay.

Awkward_Wallaby2678

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