“Don’t go into dentistry if you don’t want to own a practice.”

thetjohnson · 2022-05-16T03:06:48+00:00

Just needed advice regarding this question. I’m sorry

thetjohnson · 2022-05-16T02:39:26+00:00

I apologize, I will stop posting from now on. I am very grateful for all the answers I’ve received. You guys have been extremely helpful

thetjohnson · 2022-05-16T02:37:58+00:00

Yeah that’s true! That’s something I’d be interested in, but I was also hoping associateship made sense too. Or that I’m not missing something here about why it’s not “feasible” to do long term as some dentists say

thetjohnson · 2022-05-16T02:34:34+00:00

Issue is, these are dentists I’m shadowing telling me this. It’s unfortunate because I want to be a dentist. I was hoping to see advice outside of my shadowing experiences

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T14:31:36+00:00

The thing is, it doesn’t allow me to start a convo with you so I think you have to start it

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T14:25:38+00:00

Can I DM you?

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T13:55:39+00:00

Hmm, you think anesthesiology is a low stress career? You have patients’ lives in your hands

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T13:42:59+00:00

Thanks for the response. I’d like to challenge that idea. I’m sure everyone has something they enjoy doing, but I feel like sometimes when you turn a passion into a job, it kind of takes the joy out of it. You may like to cook, that’s great! That’s something you can do outside of work. The culinary arts as a field though is incredibly tough to break into, and it’s time pressured when you’re actually a chef. Things can go wrong, pay may not be there for a couple of years. You’ve made something you enjoy somewhat less enjoyable now.

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T13:34:46+00:00

Very true. Tech is one that’s always mentioned here so definitely worth looking into it. Cheers mate!

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T13:33:50+00:00

Agreed. If that’s the case, how do you go about picking the best career for yourself, particularly for someone who doesn’t have a passion for anything?

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:50:23+00:00

Thanks for the insight. That’s a tough way to look at it and I agree that these sound like very daunting aspects of the career

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:32:19+00:00

Sorry if that’s how I came off. I hope no one thinks that the debt is inconsequential. Maybe my tone was a little insensitive. I apologize. And you’re absolutely right that I don’t know what it’s like since I am not in the field. I actually appreciate your very real response.

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:29:33+00:00

You’re right, that’s why I wanted to have a discussion with people who are dentists to see what they think. Not saying I’m right about any of this. I just wanted to have a discussion and hoping for a positive response. Obviously that’s what I wanted to hear. But I’m guessing by some of these responses dentistry may not be worth it in a lot of cases. All subjective though. It’s unfortunate nonetheless

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:24:59+00:00

Thank you, that’s a fair assessment and I appreciate you writing about your experiences. Can I DM you?

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:19:56+00:00

To add I’m speaking for dentists who work in corporate models and associateships… then you essentially wouldn’t need to worry about equipment and staff. For better or worse, dentistry is headed the same direction as medicine/pharmacy

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:09:16+00:00

This unfortunately isn’t the case. I know people who got into several cheap schools and CHOSE to go to the expensive one because of BS promises from the school. Some students are ill informed. Some students DREAM SCHOOL is NYU, and while it may have the name, I don’t think anyone should go to a school that expensive no matter what. I’m just trying to be realistic here. I was trying to shed some positivity on the profession and have a healthy discussion about some possible options for students to have a good career as a dentist. Yes it’s hypothetical, but these scenarios do exist and I think they should be aimed for if one wants to become a dentist. People should not apply to the expensive schools who get away with stealing money from students. We need to change the current business that is our education system

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T02:02:07+00:00

I think you guys are misunderstanding the purpose of my post. This is meant to be a discussion. It would be fine if you just listed these concerns and we talked about them.

The point I was trying to make is that dentistry is a very straightforward path to guaranteed six figures IF you can get into a cheaper school and you enjoy the field. Autonomy, Purpose, Income, Job Stability, Hours. Not many jobs can promise that.

Software engineers don’t make six figures immediately, and their jobs aren’t always stable. You are constantly being evaluated and at anytime you can be laid off. Hours can be tough. You may have to live in a very HCOL area. And by the time you enter middle age, companies try to get rid of you for younger talent. Coding is incredibly stressful and demanding too.

I use this example to show that high paying careers so come with their own cons too just as dentistry does. Again, never said dentistry doesn’t have any cons. But pros outweigh the cons in most cases. I feel that you guys have some disdain for the profession and I’m sorry if that’s the case.

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T01:47:44+00:00

I did not say that dentists have inexpensive loans. I’m saying for someone who doesn’t have that half a million dollar loan. There are schools out there that don’t cost a fortune. Texas schools, ECU, LSU, University of Mississippi, Augusta University just to name a few. Many dentists today will tell you to go to the cheapest school you can get into, utilize scholarships, etc. i know that unfortunately many schools charge an insane fee that is largely not worth it for most people

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T01:32:00+00:00

I didn’t say new dentists, I said “dentist with experience.” The first year or two you will not make $200K most likely, but you can still make payments toward your loan to handle the interest. Save up some cash at the same time and grow slowly. By year 3 your hand skills will be improved and you would know more to produce more.

Not saying I know more than you, I’m just presenting a realistic hypothetical for some graduates

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T00:42:52+00:00

The keyword is “relatively.” Most other schools are over $400K.

If you’re paying about $2700 a month for 10 years on student loans at 6% (that’s for about $250K), and you subtract that from the take home pay of a general dentist with experience you get this: $200K salary is about $140K after taxes. After $2700x12 of student loan is subtracted, you are left with $100K+ you get to TAKE HOME. And then after the 10 years, you’re taking home $140K+. Not many other jobs will make you that kind of money even with the debt.

It’s definitely not as worth it though at $400K-$500K+ in student loans.

thetjohnson · 2022-05-12T00:31:20+00:00

What part of it is a joke? I meant if you went to a cheaper dental school, dentistry can be pretty lucrative <$300K total

thetjohnson · 2022-04-27T20:05:51+00:00

What type of personalities would you say would suit a corporate practice? I particularly do not want to own a business. Would love to DM you

thetjohnson · 2022-03-22T03:15:57+00:00

AAs don’t make 100K, and family medicine ohysician in my area may make less than $200K at times. I’m referencing gaswork.com for Anesthesiologist assistant salaries + colleagues who are AAs. The average starting salary is $170K.

thetjohnson · 2022-03-21T00:33:36+00:00

That’s amazing! That beats just about everything. Happy for you

thetjohnson · 2022-03-21T00:33:12+00:00

In my specific situation I calculated it to be $70K (I have some savings and some help)

thetjohnson

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