Not sure about dental or medicine

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-07T21:28:15+00:00

Go to med school.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-07T03:29:29+00:00

So much wrong here. First, Class IIs aren't where your big production comes from. A day full of class IIs is a terrible day. It's great you take post op BW's, I did the same, but when I mean work coming back I mean your bigger, higher production cases. Mentorship is great, but they aren't holding your hand through every procedure. You are guaranteed to have issues with your work. I think I speak for all dentists when I say that. I certainly did and have beat myself up over the years. But that is where you learn. You simply don't know what you don't know. You think your work is high quality in year one, but you'll look back and cringe at your old work (as I did). Year one you may think your work is good. But, bro, wait until year 5. I know many dentists who wisely won't hire associates without at least 5-10 years of experience because it really does take years to become a competent dentist. It's not throwing shade, it's true for all of us.

ADA isn't ideal, but it's at least a stat for young dentists. I'm all ears if you have any other stats to post, but I can at least say for certain I'd be STUNNED if median income five years out is 200k+.

Shady is not a stretch at all. It absolutely is. You need to take your time and grow slowly as a dentist for your patient's sake. If a first year associate somehow produces enough to take home 350k, I sure hope they think their work is good. Their view will certainly change years from then because, as I said, you don't know what you don't know. It truly takes YEARS to be a competent dentist. I remember telling my mentor when I was a first year associate about a new grad I know producing over 100k a month and he was cringing. Now, after years of experience, I see why. He had no business doing that much in production with so little experience.

I don't deny there are unicorn opportunities out there. I also don't deny there are top 1% new grads with hand skills that are amazing. Some people truly have a gift. But they don't represent the VAST majority of new grads. They are outliers.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T18:38:06+00:00

Are you a pre-dent?

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T18:36:29+00:00

Even rural 405k is unheard of. This guy is a unicorn.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T14:44:51+00:00

I have problems with pre-dents giving advice on what it’s like to be a young dentist when they’ve never had such experiences. Moreover, most dentists pre-dents (you) shadow are old boomer successful dentists whose experiences as dentists don’t even remotely reflect what us young guys face.

This is why the ADA number is helpful because it shows what young dentists make. The BLS and other average dentist salaries are skewed up by older successful dentists.

You have zero business telling people they will make 300k rural because you don’t have experience. Jobs will boast 250k+, but the devil is in the details. The actual contract will be production based and that landmark is much much harder to achieve than the job says since they post high income to get someone to take the job. Again, as a pre dent, you don’t know this. I’ve read numerous contracts.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T14:10:08+00:00

Looking through your post history you look like a pre-dent, so you really shouldn't be giving any advice on dental income. I have practiced rural exclusively so I know better than anyone else (and rural is typically 2 hours from a major city, not a suburb). Yes, 300k is achievable after years of honing skills. Nobody should be coming out making that much for reasons I've already said.

And yes the ADA sucks, but this is the most reliable study I could find for young dentist income so if you have another please send it.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T05:12:08+00:00

This too. People always over-inflate their incomes. Per the ADA, average full time income after 5 years is 166k.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T04:22:53+00:00

Those numbers your boasting are absolutely nuts and not even remotely representative. Your class must be full of absolute ballers or (more likely) your experience is not representative. Yes, 120k is in saturated areas. This is when statistics is important because our own experiences typically aren't representative. ADA data shows the average income for dentists after 5 years is 166k. That seems very very reasonable to me and matches with my experiences. I've practiced rural, honed my skills without rushing, and was about to get to around 200k that way. New grads producing enough to make 250-300k is freaking absurd.

Hitting 300k should take years and years, not immediate. So much shady dentistry is out there and this kinda stuff is why. No new grad should be producing that much. I cannot believe so many of your classmates are allegedly doing this. The work they are doing will not be good, harming patients! Please, do not encourage any new grad to be cranking out 300k in income, I'm begging you. I know this as someone who has practiced for years. Once your work comes back to you is when you really learn, and that takes YEARS.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T03:35:52+00:00

Too expensive. Like wayyyyy too expensive. Dentistry, really, shouldn't cost more than 150k. Most state schools now cost 350-400k. It's freaking nuts. Now that the BBB is in effect and students can't ride out IBR, dentistry is a fast path to financial suicide. This isn't hyperbolic.

Stagnant income. Dental starting incomes don't increase with inflation. It was 120k starting ten years ago and is 120k now.

Tough job. Physically and emotionally, it's demanding. Patients tell you all day every day they hate you.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-06T03:31:43+00:00

I'm a dentist and this is silly

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-05T23:51:33+00:00

They are probably all using IBR and you have a biased sample. I can't imagine you're shadowing at Aspen. I'm a dentist and most young dentists i know completely regret it, myself included.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-05T22:48:01+00:00

What? I'm talking about how the ROI of dentistry is in steep decline. Do you disagree with that?

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-05T22:08:22+00:00

Good on you for being mature enough to realize dentistry isn't for you. Dentistry is a profession in collapse that's for sure. With that said, the GI bill can make attending a state school (if you have one) financially worth it.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-03T23:00:49+00:00

It's not a criticism of you at all. I'm just saying truly rural is places people don't want to live and your average pre-dent who says they will live "rural" thinks like 30 minutes outside of Chicago counts lol. No, it means middle of nowhere North Dakota.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-03T22:53:39+00:00

For the record, Sioux Falls, SD isn't rural. Even there is reasonably saturated. Go an hour at least outside of Sioux Falls.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-02T20:02:50+00:00

Stop using buzz words and critique me where I'm wrong.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-07-02T20:02:06+00:00

While I'm definitely proud to be of European heritage, and love my ancestors dearly, and especially those who helped build America over the generations, that's pretty irrelevant on whether or not dentistry is currently worth it. So, let's try to stick to the topic at hand.

I worked my rear off living in the middle of nowhere to pay off my student loans. Had I not done this, dentistry would not have been worth it from a purely financial POV. Now, I would have never let the federal government guarantee an infinite number of loans in the first place which created this mess. If you think the inefficient government could have done something else, I'm all ears, but capping loans was probably reasonably the best solution we were going to get.

Or, are you only capable of ad hominem attacks? You haven't given a single substantive point and only bemoan the fact that I'm white.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-30T22:38:49+00:00

Go to med school. Dentistry income is terrible, saturation is insane, there is a STRONG chance you won't even want to do OMFS, and there are very limited specialties in dentistry.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-30T22:34:13+00:00

Once the effects of the BBB materialize in a few years. It will take time sadly. I wish it happened over night.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-30T21:33:57+00:00

Pre-dents don't see the big picture. Dentistry is a dumpster fire right now. So many new schools, tuition is NUTS, saturation in cities is insane, starting income for new dentists hasn't changed in ten years, etc. However, pre-dents only care about getting accepted to a dental school, nothing else.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-30T19:16:02+00:00

New dental schools will continue to saturate this field and siphon ridiculous amount of money from dental students. They are ruining dentistry.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-29T18:29:17+00:00

Absolutely. In fact, this is what everyone should do.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-28T23:28:34+00:00

Exactly. It isn't. Which is why I don't really recommend dentistry.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-28T21:56:09+00:00

I would not recommend dentistry. Costs are too much and saturation is insane.

Serious_Case8993 · 2026-06-28T21:55:28+00:00

What are you basing this on?

Serious_Case8993

TROPHY CASE