Ramster Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 My family said dentists here in Canada are struggling to find work and even harder to run practices since it's disgustingly expensive. This is all due to the fact it's not government runner or protected...is this true?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcheroo Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 False. 100%. Lots of work for dentists, and running a practice can be very profitable. My husband and my dad are both dentists, and they are booked at least two months in advance all the time. They run their own practice and make plenty of money doing it. If you're considering dentistry, don't let this false information scare you away. It's a good profession to enter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renin Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Definitely false. I need a good dentist and have a hard time finding one willing to take care of my teeth HAHA. I can't find a family doctor, either... I must be a difficult patient Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 My family said dentists here in Canada are struggling to find work and even harder to run practices since it's disgustingly expensive. This is all due to the fact it's not government runner or protected...is this true?? A friend of a friend who just graduated from dentistry turned down 4 job offers in the GTA before she found one she liked. It seems also seems pretty common for new associates to receive 40% of their billings, whereas a few years ago 35% was the norm. So from my limited perspective, the market for dentists is pretty good right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jokur23 Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 It is expensive to run an office since you pay for staff and equipment but you still make money. You can make more if you partnered with 1-3 other dentists and share a larger space. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramster Posted July 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 omg.. dentistry is my top choice but i was scared i wouldnt find work. Im still nervous like how does someone get the money to run a practice and before you run a practice where infact do you work?? btw hours are flexible?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcheroo Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Generally new dentists associate at another dentist's practice before they buy their own. This means you're basically the other dentist's employee and get paid a percentage of your billings (usually 40%). Of course, there are those who buy their own practice right out of school, but those people are becoming more and more rare. Practices are financed by a business loan from the bank. Banks lend pretty easily to dentists because of their high earning potential. As for hours, they can be quite flexible. I know one new grad who works two days a week, others who work evenings and weekends (their own preference), and others still who work the typical 9-5, Monday-Friday thing. As other examples, my husband only works 4 days a week, so he gets every Friday off, and I know dentists working 6 days a week to make some extra money. Dentistry is great because, depending on what you want, you can pretty much find a job with as few or as many hours as you'd like. Don't be scared away from dentistry! It's one of the most secure careers out there (people will always need their teeth fixed!), particularly if you're willing to go rural, where there's a distinct lack of practitioners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramster Posted July 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 you guys honestly have given me something to strive for, another question is people say something about dental school being more challenging then med school or something... anyone know what thats all about. And how long does it take to be a dentist I've read that it was 8 years total (4 undergrad, and 4 dental school). along with certain tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Visceral Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 Yep, overall your education will most likely take 8 years - 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of dental school. Although for some schools you can apply earlier to cut one or two years off of your undergrad, which is nice if you have the marks and know dentistry is what you want to do. Only problem is that it's a little more difficult to get in with fewer than 4 years of undergrad. About difficulty, no one can really say because most people haven't gone through both medical and dental school. Some dental and medical schools combine their first 2 years together though. From my perspective (I am not in medical school), medicine seems challenging due to the sheer volume of information presented, while what makes dentistry difficult is building up your clinical hand skills. So it really depends where your strengths lay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramster Posted July 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 well for those going to dental school what kind of extra curriculars or volounteer hours would they like? hospital still? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael777 Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 well for those going to dental school what kind of extra curriculars or volounteer hours would they like? hospital still? Just have a good GPA and a good DAT score for schools in Ontario. Other than these, just don't blow the interview and you will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcheroo Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 you guys honestly have given me something to strive for, another question is people say something about dental school being more challenging then med school or something... anyone know what thats all about.And how long does it take to be a dentist I've read that it was 8 years total (4 undergrad, and 4 dental school). along with certain tests. My husband was in school for 6 years--2 undergrad, 4 dental school. But he got lucky--at schools like his that will take only 2 years of undergrad, very few people get in after only 2. Depending on where you want to apply, I would count on spending at least 3 years in undergrad, and for sure 4 years in dental school. At least where my husband went, the consensus was that dental school was harder, at least for the first two years. But this was because of the way the content was presented between the faculties. In med school, the preclinical years were organized into blocks, which means that complementary course content is presented between classes, and exams are scheduled nicely. Whereas in dental school, it was like undergrad on steroids--many many (like 45 credit hours/term) separate and often quite unrelated courses with exams in December and April/May. I remember one December my husband had 14 exams in 10 consecutive exam days. That was fun. But again, don't be scared off of dental school. It sounds scary when I talk about it like this, but it isn't that bad. And other dental schools may be different than the one my husband went to. As a previous poster said, some schools put med and dent together for the first two years, which would obviously mean their curricula for those years are the same in terms of difficulty. At the same time, don't kid yourself into thinking it's going to be a cake-walk. But if you have the drive and don't mind putting in some hard work, dentistry can be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCFMP Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 My husband was in school for 6 years--2 undergrad, 4 dental school. But he got lucky--at schools like his that will take only 2 years of undergrad, very few people get in after only 2. Depending on where you want to apply, I would count on spending at least 3 years in undergrad, and for sure 4 years in dental school. At least where my husband went, the consensus was that dental school was harder, at least for the first two years. But this was because of the way the content was presented between the faculties. In med school, the preclinical years were organized into blocks, which means that complementary course content is presented between classes, and exams are scheduled nicely. Whereas in dental school, it was like undergrad on steroids--many many (like 45 credit hours/term) separate and often quite unrelated courses with exams in December and April/May. I remember one December my husband had 14 exams in 10 consecutive exam days. That was fun. But again, don't be scared off of dental school. It sounds scary when I talk about it like this, but it isn't that bad. And other dental schools may be different than the one my husband went to. As a previous poster said, some schools put med and dent together for the first two years, which would obviously mean their curricula for those years are the same in terms of difficulty. At the same time, don't kid yourself into thinking it's going to be a cake-walk. But if you have the drive and don't mind putting in some hard work, dentistry can be great. I hope you don't mind me asking, but which dental school did your husband attend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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