medicine vs dentistry

[stevenashrocks]

Hello everyone,

 

Undergrad here who recently discovered this board and the wealth info.

 

A little info about me: I am in computer science, but found health care appeals to me a lot more thru various experiences. My gpa's so far in the past 2 years is competitive for both medicine and dentistry (I think - 88% / 3.95 - depending on how you calculate it). I've done the pre-reqs but not MCAT or DAT yet.

 

What are your opinions regarding the pros and cons of these fields? I am trying to make a decision, and shadowing or volunteer experience I've done in both areas do not seem to help with the decision.

 

I've researched into the education process, and am quite familiar with the training programs of both field.

 

I am a fairly analytical person, and "soul searching" advice from councilors has not helped in terms helping me make a decision. I am hoping to make an informed decision. Specifically I am interested in the following:

 

(1) Income: what is the average earning of a dentist compared with the average earning of a family doctor?

 

I know in both fields, the stars can make a lot (ie dentists w/ lots of clinics around the world vs ophthalmologists w/ lots of OR time or radiologists). But assuming I am an average general dentist vs family doctor.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

 

(3) Job prospect. I am mainly interested in living and practicing in Vancouver. I may consider Toronto. I am not willing to go anywhere else for family reasons.

 

What is the job prospects of each? There seems to be lots of dental clinics and medical / walk-in clinics everywhere. How easy is it for a newly grad in dentistry or medicine to set up a place? Or do new grads have to work under someone for a long time in Vancouver to be able to establish something on their own?

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

I've heard dentists are prone to repetitive strain & work related injuries. How about family doctor?

 

What about job satisfaction - it seems like family doctors complain a lot in newspaper saying how there is a shortage and they are overworked - but that is actually a good thing in my opinion - in the sense that you are more valuable? Or does shortage simply lead to long hours and no vacation? At the same time, I keep hearing that dentists have the highest rate of drug addiction and suicide among medical professionals (why?), followed by anesthesiologists.

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Traditionally MDs appears to be more respected than dentists, which I presume due to their longer training process or the difficulty of admission into medical school. However med schools have become much easier nowadays thanks to the vast expansion across the country. Are MDs still looked upon more favorably?

 

It's not something I care about much, but I do not want to be looked down upon either. At the same time I keep hearing that there are dental students transferring / re-applying to medicine every year, but not the other way around.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

English is my 2nd language. I am willing to work hard and take prep courses, but I am not sure how well I can do on the language portions of either exam. Can people comment on the relative difficulty of the English portion of MCAT vs DAT, to score at a level competitive for admission to Canadian schools?

 

These are the questions I have, and I am sure lots of premeds / pre-dents have. Any other consideration you think I've left out are welcome.

 

Your feedback is very well appreciated.

[xylem29]

(1) Income: The average dentist and FP probably make roughly around the same.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

 

It appears that in general, the lifestyle and stress factor is lighter in dentistry than it is in medicine, but I've come to learn that this heavily depends on the individual. If you're a stressbox by nature, you will be stressed no matter what field you go into.

 

(3) Job prospect: There's a shortage of family docs in both Van and TO, but the same cannot be said for dentists.

 

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

You should investigate the rumors further to find out if this is true regarding the suicide and drug addiction rates. Work related injuries will happen no matter what you do, you age, that's life.

 

As for satisfication - this depends on what you'd like to do. Do you want to help people with their teeth? Do you want to sculpt, drill, work with your hands, etc or do you want to deal with systemic diseases?

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Medicine is more presitigous than dentistry - if this doesn't matter to you why bother even asking it? It shouldn't even factor into your decision.

 

I haven't met any dentists yet who wished they had gone into medicine, but I've met MDs who would've rathered gone into dentistry instead.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

English is my 2nd language. I am willing to work hard and take prep courses, but I am not sure how well I can do on the language portions of either exam. Can people comment on the relative difficulty of the English portion of MCAT vs DAT, to score at a level competitive for admission to Canadian schools?

 

The language portion on the DAT is easier than on the MCAT.

[thebouque]

Hello everyone,

 

Undergrad here who recently discovered this board and the wealth info.

 

A little info about me: I am in computer science, but found health care appeals to me a lot more thru various experiences. My gpa's so far in the past 2 years is competitive for both medicine and dentistry (I think - 88% / 3.95 - depending on how you calculate it). I've done the pre-reqs but not MCAT or DAT yet.

 

What are your opinions regarding the pros and cons of these fields? I am trying to make a decision, and shadowing or volunteer experience I've done in both areas do not seem to help with the decision.

 

I've researched into the education process, and am quite familiar with the training programs of both field.

 

I am a fairly analytical person, and "soul searching" advice from councilors has not helped in terms helping me make a decision. I am hoping to make an informed decision. Specifically I am interested in the following:

 

(1) Income: what is the average earning of a dentist compared with the average earning of a family doctor?

 

I know in both fields, the stars can make a lot (ie dentists w/ lots of clinics around the world vs ophthalmologists w/ lots of OR time or radiologists). But assuming I am an average general dentist vs family doctor.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

 

(3) Job prospect. I am mainly interested in living and practicing in Vancouver. I may consider Toronto. I am not willing to go anywhere else for family reasons.

 

What is the job prospects of each? There seems to be lots of dental clinics and medical / walk-in clinics everywhere. How easy is it for a newly grad in dentistry or medicine to set up a place? Or do new grads have to work under someone for a long time in Vancouver to be able to establish something on their own?

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

I've heard dentists are prone to repetitive strain & work related injuries. How about family doctor?

 

What about job satisfaction - it seems like family doctors complain a lot in newspaper saying how there is a shortage and they are overworked - but that is actually a good thing in my opinion - in the sense that you are more valuable? Or does shortage simply lead to long hours and no vacation? At the same time, I keep hearing that dentists have the highest rate of drug addiction and suicide among medical professionals (why?), followed by anesthesiologists.

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Traditionally MDs appears to be more respected than dentists, which I presume due to their longer training process or the difficulty of admission into medical school. However med schools have become much easier nowadays thanks to the vast expansion across the country. Are MDs still looked upon more favorably?

 

It's not something I care about much, but I do not want to be looked down upon either. At the same time I keep hearing that there are dental students transferring / re-applying to medicine every year, but not the other way around.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

English is my 2nd language. I am willing to work hard and take prep courses, but I am not sure how well I can do on the language portions of either exam. Can people comment on the relative difficulty of the English portion of MCAT vs DAT, to score at a level competitive for admission to Canadian schools?

 

These are the questions I have, and I am sure lots of premeds / pre-dents have. Any other consideration you think I've left out are welcome.

 

Your feedback is very well appreciated.

 

Listen, you've only listed the TECHNICAL aspects of both jobs, ie: income, prestige, is there a shortage, job satisfaction (in terms of lifetstyle and number of hours), but the real question you should ask yourself is: do you want a very manually oriented job or a diagnosis oriented job. Of course, there's a lot of medical fields that are manually oriented as well. However, surgeons do not spend 100% of their time in the OR, far from it. On the other hand, dentists do spend 95% of their time doing procedures. Therefore if you enjoy precise manual jobs then dentistry might really be for you. But you're saying you're an analytical kind of person and since you're in computer science you must enjoy problem solving? There is more problem solving and analysis in medicine than in dentistry so you might consider this as well.

 

Peace

[musume]

(1) Income: what is the average earning of a dentist compared with the average earning of a family doctor?

 

Family docs make significanly more than dentists. A FM working 40hr/week can make ~250-300k. In Vancouver, new dental grads are making ~100k, once you open your own practice and build up your patient pool (which takes years) you can make ~200k. Now if you're talking about dental specialists, they can really make bank.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

 

Lifestyle is what you make of it. If you have your own practice, you can choose your own hours.

 

(3) Job prospect. I am mainly interested in living and practicing in Vancouver. I may consider Toronto. I am not willing to go anywhere else for family reasons.

 

As a family doc, you'll have no problem getting a job anywhere. Vancouver is one of the most highly saturated markets for dentists.

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

Dentists can have some back, hand pain but if you have proper technique it shouldnt be a problem.

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Doctors generally get more respect than dentists.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

Dat is much easier than MCAT. The writing section in the MCAT requires careful thought, the reading comprehension section in the DAT is straightforward simple, no thinking required. I didn't study the reading comprehension section at all and managed to get 80th percentile, and I'm NOT good at english whatsoever (B-, B+ in two uni courses).

[AntonellaC]

just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt - I've volunteered at my family doc's practice for a couple of years and job shadowed two dentists, while I was trying to decide where I wanted to go:

 

(1) Income: what is the average earning of a dentist compared with the average earning of a family doctor?

 

It all depends. If you are gifted at running a good and efficient practice, getting associates sky's the limit. However you can also end up making little - well relatively to other dentists not the general population. Casing point- the two dentists I job shadowed - one had a 3 million dollar/year practice in oakville (he's around 40) and told me he nets ~500k/year prior to taxes. Another dentist had a 750K/year practice and said he averages 90-120k before taxes. Family medicine is a bit more stable because it's government paid, however that also come with limits. My family doctor was very disgruntled with his salary considering work hours and stresses - he's in Milton and had a very busy office - and went back to school to become an emergency doctor and converted his practice into a walk-in clinic.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

I'm pretty certain most dentists are less stressed than family docs, you can make your own hours and you will tend to see similar things day in day out so you'll get good and comfortable with them. A family doctor can be faced with anything, and yet people still get mad when they "misdiagnose"...it can get very frustrating. Then again patients will always find something to pick on. I've heard tons of times that dentists are money-stealing quacks and doctors are people who went to school for 15 years and still don't know why you're sick....

 

(3) Job prospect. I am mainly interested in living and practicing in Vancouver. I may consider Toronto. I am not willing to go anywhere else for family reasons.

 

family doctors are needed, unfortunately the stigma can be that a GP is the doctor that didn't get into any other specialty, so there is a constant shortage. Dentists are starting to sprout at every gas station in major cities - they are needed - in small areas and towns where it takes 6 months to get a filling appointment because you have 1-2 dentists taking care of a whole community. but if you're staying in vancouver/to it will be very competitive

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

dentists probably have the drug addictions cause of the relatively easy access to demerol and percocet. back and neck injury is the big one, but if you learn good habits you should be okay.... although they are hard to learn and stick to haha. Family doctors can get very overworked. Like I said the doctor I shadowed was in milton, massive office, he stayed til 7-8 each night wrapping up the paperwork with 3 secretaries and 2 volunteers. Yes you're "more valuable", but there's only so far that feeling can take you when you're faced with 12hour work days and have a family. Don't forget, you're doing this for the rest of your life. depends on your lifestyle choices

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

I find that dentists get about the same/slightly less respect than family docs - with stuff like webmd people are getting more and more aggressive towards physicians. However other medical specialists - oncologists, orthopaedists etc get and deserve way more respect - no contest. However if you specialize in dentistry - ie oral surgery that's a different story. It really shouldn't matter to you, but IMHO dentists are dentists and doctors are doctors - different fields different responsibilities, if social status means that much you should just head to medicine and be at peace.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

I did not write the MCAT, I studied for 2 weeks for the DAT and aced it so it's easy. Many people in my undergrad who are very smart studied for a long time for the MCAT and had to retake it. DAT is much easier.

[Dongzhuo]

First of all, excellent choice to quit the computer field and enter into health care. If you make it into med or dent, you will not regret your decision. I'm going into third year medicine if it makes any difference.

 

Income: Med=Dent

I'm of the belief that the PERSON decides how much they make, not the profession. I've met dentists who make tons, medical specialists who make tons, and family docs who make tons. It all depends on how you run your practice. I've seen many family practitioners who really just don't care about money (all the more power to them) and spend tons of time with each patient and discuss what seems like 5 medical problems.

 

Lifestyle: Dent>=Med

In general, dentistry's lifestyle is better than medicine. However, if you do family practice, its about the same as dentistry, as you control your own schedule. You wanna work three times a week, 9 to 4? No problem. Though big picture, dent has the slight advantage.

 

Job prospect: Med> Dent

There's a huge shortage of physicians and especially family physicians. Many family physicians are not taking in new patients. You will definitely have a job immediately after finishing residency. Regarding dentistry, this is probably not reliable information, but of the many times I've made bookings for myself, I can basically always go in the next day, with multiple time slots to choose from.

 

Job satisfaction: Undetermined

This is a question only you can answer. What do you derive satisfaction from?

 

Social Respect: Medicine> Dentistry

I don't want to be a prick, but that is what most people in society hold true.

 

MCAT vs DAT

Don't know anything about DAT.

 

 

Final analysis: Good job for choosing between these winning professions. You can't loose either way. I personally chose medicine since it has more options, and you still get to choose to work with any part of the body. In dent you only work with teeth.

 

 

Hello everyone,

 

Undergrad here who recently discovered this board and the wealth info.

 

A little info about me: I am in computer science, but found health care appeals to me a lot more thru various experiences. My gpa's so far in the past 2 years is competitive for both medicine and dentistry (I think - 88% / 3.95 - depending on how you calculate it). I've done the pre-reqs but not MCAT or DAT yet.

 

What are your opinions regarding the pros and cons of these fields? I am trying to make a decision, and shadowing or volunteer experience I've done in both areas do not seem to help with the decision.

 

I've researched into the education process, and am quite familiar with the training programs of both field.

 

I am a fairly analytical person, and "soul searching" advice from councilors has not helped in terms helping me make a decision. I am hoping to make an informed decision. Specifically I am interested in the following:

 

(1) Income: what is the average earning of a dentist compared with the average earning of a family doctor?

 

I know in both fields, the stars can make a lot (ie dentists w/ lots of clinics around the world vs ophthalmologists w/ lots of OR time or radiologists). But assuming I am an average general dentist vs family doctor.

 

(2) Lifestyle / stress: how is the lifestyle of dentist vs a family doctor, both in training and in practice?

 

(3) Job prospect. I am mainly interested in living and practicing in Vancouver. I may consider Toronto. I am not willing to go anywhere else for family reasons.

 

What is the job prospects of each? There seems to be lots of dental clinics and medical / walk-in clinics everywhere. How easy is it for a newly grad in dentistry or medicine to set up a place? Or do new grads have to work under someone for a long time in Vancouver to be able to establish something on their own?

 

(4) Job satisfaction / work related injuries

 

I've heard dentists are prone to repetitive strain & work related injuries. How about family doctor?

 

What about job satisfaction - it seems like family doctors complain a lot in newspaper saying how there is a shortage and they are overworked - but that is actually a good thing in my opinion - in the sense that you are more valuable? Or does shortage simply lead to long hours and no vacation? At the same time, I keep hearing that dentists have the highest rate of drug addiction and suicide among medical professionals (why?), followed by anesthesiologists.

 

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Traditionally MDs appears to be more respected than dentists, which I presume due to their longer training process or the difficulty of admission into medical school. However med schools have become much easier nowadays thanks to the vast expansion across the country. Are MDs still looked upon more favorably?

 

It's not something I care about much, but I do not want to be looked down upon either. At the same time I keep hearing that there are dental students transferring / re-applying to medicine every year, but not the other way around.

 

(6) MCAT vs DAT.

 

English is my 2nd language. I am willing to work hard and take prep courses, but I am not sure how well I can do on the language portions of either exam. Can people comment on the relative difficulty of the English portion of MCAT vs DAT, to score at a level competitive for admission to Canadian schools?

 

These are the questions I have, and I am sure lots of premeds / pre-dents have. Any other consideration you think I've left out are welcome.

 

Your feedback is very well appreciated.

[Guest WarrenAch]

From my perception.

 

Medicine pros:Great job if you want to save lives,good income,great job security(especially for FPs.),can easily open up a practice,talk with all kind of patients,good image(there's almost no respect for MDs and Dentists anymore...)

 

cons:Longer studies,some specialties will make you a work slave zombie and nothing more(,you get dissed at by angry patients from time to time(a lot for EM docs.)If you consider a power trip,some girls will want to marry you just because they think you're a rich man(same applies for dentists.)

Malpractice fees can piss you off if you're a specialist(just look at NeuroSurgeons.)

 

Dentistry pros:Can have a life better and easier than MDs,no salary

limit,which means you can rake a LOT if you love your job and good at it.Have to talk with patients as well,good image(better than 95% of the jobs out there,similar to MDs.Easy to establish a practice with a minimum of brain usage.Specialties such as Orthodontics or OMFS will make you rich in no time,at the cost of more studies.

 

 

cons:Specializing is hard,liberal job(you're on your own most of the time.)You always get underestimated by BS such as "if youre dentz you got rejected to med..." or "dentists have the highest suicide rate of all jobs.",which has been proven to be FALSE and OBVIOUS TROLL,but most people still believe it.

 

 

Join what you like most,both Med and Dent are great choices and no matter what you pick,you'll always be more respected and richer than 90% of the population...

 

 

@Above,respect is a myth and nobody really has respect for Doctors and Dentists anymore,they either consider a nerd who had 100s at school or the dude

paid to cure your disease,nothing more nothing less.Prestige?Well,if i wanted prestige and vast amounts of money,i'd go study business and wear a black tuxedo,which is to me 100x more prestigious than a white coat + stethoscope(for MDs.)...

 

Both fields are hard to enter in and i can tell you one thing,if anybody has a chance to drop what ever they are doing to join one of these,they would drop without any hesitation.

Also,for the dude saying dentistry being too repetitive...just LOL...yes you work in the mouth,you prefer working on somebody's ass or infected penis(urologist) or deal with infected stinky vaginas(ob/gyn) most of the time...?

You don't only save the "teeth",you also cure ALL the problems/infections related to the mouth itself,even the tongue,you can also prescribe anything you want just like MDs,which is a plus regarding freedom of work.

[xylem29]

Unless you are going into dentistry because you *LOVE* working with your hands for hours on end, *LOVE* the idea of working in people's mouths all day, and *LOVE* the artistic and aesthetic aspects of the job, then you should probably rethink dentistry.

 

I've come to believe that dentistry is either absolutely perfect for someone or possibly the worst career choice imaginable.

 

I strongly recommend you spend some time around the job before seriously considering dentistry. I personally decided on dentistry after a few years of working with dental tools 8-16 hrs a day and absolutely loving it. I have always loved teeth and been incredibly annoying to be friends with because I brow beat my friends about flossing all.the.time and have since I was 14.

My friends in my class are the same way, they can't even imagine a less fitting career. Of course not everyone in dentistry feels this way, but the really happy ones deeply love it.

 

In terms of the factors you listed, they aren't even beginning to scratch the surface of the important differences you need to consider between the two careers, except for lifestyle.

 

Never underestimate lifestyle in terms of overall well being.

The older I get, the less I'm willing to compromise in terms of lifestyle. At 22, I felt willing to take on pretty much any level of work and dedication to achieve my goals, but closer to 30, I'm incredibly happy that I'm in a career that is so lifestyle friendly. I think about what the meds in my class have in store for them, and I thank my lucky stars that I changed my mind about med school and decided dentistry was a better fit.

 

Be honest with yourself about what makes you happy and why you are interested in either career. It's an enormous commitment .

 

Great point!

[shannn]

(5) Social respect / prestige

 

Not insulting any dentists (have a great amount of respect for them), but I am always cracked up by this clip from the Hangover:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWuSGBoVbqA

[thebouque]

Not insulting any dentists (have a great amount of respect for them), but I am always cracked up by this clip from the Hangover:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWuSGBoVbqA

 

Man that movie was epic

[Novus]

Med vs Dent?

 

Salary:It's very similar,Meds have malpractice,Dentists have overhead...

If you compare Med GP with Dental GP it will be similar,if you compare Med Spec with Dental Spec it will be similar.In the bottom line,both end up making pretty good living.

 

 

Lifestyle:On this one,Dentists win by default,they usually have less schooling years,work less during the week and most can choose their own schedule.

If you want to be a Physician but don't want to massive responsibilities while having time for Family,Dentistry is a great choice.I've more unhappy Docs than unhappy Dentists and ask any MD out there,he will tell you that Dentists have it easier.

 

 

Respect/Prestige:You must be a young,impressionable and insecure teenage girl to really care about this crap.

 

 

Job prospects:It really depends on which Specialty we're talking about,GP MDs are always needed,GP Dentists are mostly liberal and will work for themselves.With the superficial society we live in,Dentists will always have their part of the cake,just like MDs.

Both MD/Dental Specialists can find jobs in Hospitals and it's pretty similar.

 

 

Upcoming years changes:It seems like U.N. is debating on a "prototype project" which would unify Canada,U.S. and Mexico,it will be called "North American Union." and one currency will be used to replace existing money,Amero.If this insane projects ever comes to light,all Healthcare professionals will suffer in salary cuts along with other fields.

Why?Because MDs won't be able to cry like taiwanese prostitutes over salary increases and make menaces such as "I'll simply leave if my salary gets cut." since there is no where to go if these 3 countries get unified.Same crap for Dentists,for Pharmacists,for Scientists etc.

This project is just in testing right now and nothing confirms it's future,but if it happens,say bye bye to 300k minimum salaries.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

 

 

PS:Before you all start hating on me for bumping a dead thread,i suppose having an already made thread would be better than making a new one,kthxbye.

[Ostracized]

Dentist income is highly variable based on geography (big cities are saturated) whereas MDs can work anywhere and be busy. Yes, a dentist can make as much as a family Dr., but not even close in Toronto, Vancouver, etc.

[Novus]

Dentist income is highly variable based on geography (big cities are saturated) whereas MDs can work anywhere and be busy. Yes, a dentist can make as much as a family Dr., but not even close in Toronto, Vancouver, etc.

 

Depends,Big cities=more clinics,BUT,the population is clearly bigger.

It's easy to make money in Toronto and Vancouver as a GP Dentist,but if you are an Orthodontist,Perio,Prostho,be prepared to a lot of competition in these cities if you're not planning to work in Hospitals(Yes,a lot of Specialized Dentists work in hospitals,along with a few GPs.).

 

 

MDs situation is not better either,if you're a Specialist,finding spots in Hospitals may be hard,especially if you want to work in big cities as a Surgeon,some hospitals only need 1-2 surgeons in each branches.

Neurosurgery is a great example as a lot of grads tend to move in medium/smaller cities because they can't find any jobs in big ones.

[SpringDrive]

Depends,Big cities=more clinics,BUT,the population is clearly bigger.

It's easy to make money in Toronto and Vancouver as a GP Dentist,but if you are an Orthodontist,Perio,Prostho,be prepared to a lot of competition in these cities if you're not planning to work in Hospitals(Yes,a lot of Specialized Dentists work in hospitals,along with a few GPs.).

 

 

MDs situation is not better either,if you're a Specialist,finding spots in Hospitals may be hard,especially if you want to work in big cities as a Surgeon,some hospitals only need 1-2 surgeons in each branches.

Neurosurgery is a great example as a lot of grads tend to move in medium/smaller cities because they can't find any jobs in big ones.

 

Are you kidding me? Toronto and Vancouver are some of the most saturated markets for dentists in north america. New grads will be lucky to make 100k after graduating. If they want to own their own practice, there goes 500K+ right there, plus it takes years and years to build up your patient pool. Even if you have your own practice and have a good supply of patients you'll be hard pressed to make 300k which is what a GP can make right out of residency.

 

As for specialists, radiologists, ophthalmologists can make high six figures easily.

 

Conclusion: In general, MDs make more money than dentists, and it's really not that close (especially in toronto and vancouver).

[Dr Pepper]

Are you kidding me? Toronto and Vancouver are some of the most saturated markets for dentists in north america. New grads will be lucky to make 100k after graduating. If they want to own their own practice, there goes 500K+ right there, plus it takes years and years to build up your patient pool. Even if you have your own practice and have a good supply of patients you'll be hard pressed to make 300k which is what a GP can make right out of residency.

 

As for specialists, radiologists, ophthalmologists can make high six figures easily.

 

Conclusion: In general, MDs make more money than dentists, and it's really not that close (especially in toronto and vancouver).

 

I'm sorry...could you provide some sources for these claims you've made?

[naspec]

Why not consider a smaller town near one of the big cities where you want to settle? There are plenty of small communities within a 1.5 hour drive (which is about the maximum acceptable commute) of Toronto and probably Vancouver. If you find a house in the outskirts of the city in the direction of said small community, you should be set. You can avoid the intense competition of setting up shop in a big city, while still being close enough to drive into the city on weekends for cultural events or visiting friends/relatives, if that's your thing.

[sgt.pepper]

On average GPs make more than General dentists. dentists have a tonne of overhead and expensive equipment. Do you know how much a chair costs now X that by 3. But a lot of dentists that has been in the business for a long time can make a lot of money (more than a GP). There are a lot of factors that affect how much you make (location, #of patients with $ to spend on expensive procedures like a root canal (instead of opting for pulling the tooth out)...,pateint pool....)

 

I personally think dentists in canada have more stress than doctor that are not in residency b/c he has to deal with patients that don't pay, insurance, getting sued, pain from being in the same position all day... At the end of the day its you should base your decision on how much you like the profession b/c you're going to be doing it for 30 years.

[Ostracized]

I'm sorry...could you provide some sources for these claims you've made?

 

I can say having worked in a dental office in Toronto for many years and seeing the weekly income of about 10 associates during that period that $70K-$110K is what a new grad can expect in Toronto.

 

Although it's anecdotal, my uncle who is a family physician in Toronto makes at least $280K. I know this because his ex-wife's alimony is $144K/year.

 

The problem in Toronto is busy-ness, or lack-thereof. A dentist could easily bill $5000 per day given enough patients in need of work. In Toronto you might spend a significant portion of your day without any patients to see.

[Novus]

Are you kidding me? Toronto and Vancouver are some of the most saturated markets for dentists in north america. New grads will be lucky to make 100k after graduating. If they want to own their own practice, there goes 500K+ right there, plus it takes years and years to build up your patient pool. Even if you have your own practice and have a good supply of patients you'll be hard pressed to make 300k which is what a GP can make right out of residency.

 

As for specialists, radiologists, ophthalmologists can make high six figures easily.

 

Conclusion: In general, MDs make more money than dentists, and it's really not that close (especially in toronto and vancouver).

 

Yes it's easy but i NEVER said it would be 100% guaranteed.

The Dentists who net more than 500k/year are usually the ones who have strong Business/Management skills.

Dentist salary is proportionnal to what he does,he might make more money in Cosmetic procedures while making less on doing simple ones.

 

Yes,i agree that Specialists make more money on the MD side,but Dental Specialists such as OMS definitely have more freedom and can rake up a lot more money if they know what to do,if you do the math,both professions will definitely be similar regarding salary,just look at malpractice making life harder for MDs and Overhead giving headache to Dentists.

 

 

For Toronto saturation,there may be no permanent spots,but there are A LOT of part time positions in clinics and a new grad can easily work in multiple clinics and eventually end up making 110k/year,if you end up working with some very successful practices,you can start with 150-170k/year.

Usually,a new grad will never establish his practice straight out school unless he has no debt and someone will fund him.

[Novus]

I personally think dentists in canada have more stress than doctor that are not in residency b/c he has to deal with patients that don't pay, insurance, getting sued, pain from being in the same position all day... At the end of the day its you should base your decision on how much you like the profession b/c you're going to be doing it for 30 years.

 

Huh...Dentists stressing more than Doctors?Lol,first person i heard saying this.

Insurance?Dude we're talking about Dentists,not Neurosurgeons buring half their salaries in malpractice(expression.).

Getting sued?You must be REALLY bad at your job to worry about this...

Same position all day=pain?Dude get a clue of what you're saying,Dentists can use loupes,nothing is painful at all,especially when you DON'T sit all day like some movies may suggest,you talk with patients,you check images,you move around the clinic and more,you must remember that we're in 2010,not in the 1930s.

[jdmgsr]

I'm applying to dental schools this year but I'm worried about future job prospects. Where the hell am I going to have to move to so that I can make a good living? I'm a Torontonian and would like to work and live here. Are there any new grads or young dentists that can share experiences about practicing in or near Toronto?

[Novus]

I'm applying to dental schools this year but I'm worried about future job prospects. Where the hell am I going to have to move to so that I can make a good living? I'm a Torontonian and would like to work and live here. Are there any new grads or young dentists that can share experiences about practicing in or near Toronto?

 

You won't have to move in the other side of the world to make good salaries.

A LOT of Dentists are retiring in the next 5-10 years so a lot of openings will occur for new grads anyways.

Remember that you,like most of the new grads will be working at %,after a few years practicing Dentistry,you will be able to open up your own clinic or buy someone else's practice.Toronto isn't THAT saturated,there's a lot of part time spots and you'll be able to work in downtown in multiple clinics to make up a full schedule.If you REALLY want to make a decent salary WHILE having your own clinic straight out D-School,then go to rural areas,just outside the city of Toronto,like 30 minutes away from it and you'll be fine finding a good spot,even though costs to open up your practice will be big.

Don't listen to those who say that "Theres no money and no jobs in Dentistry right now",these are obvious,complete lies and the field will always be safe as every year,a lot of people retire and the number of grads getting out Dental school is always the same.

 

Oh and if you think Toronto is saturated,go see California(L.A. and S.F.),when they were accepting other state's dentists,EVERYONE moved there and it became hell for new grads.Consider yourself as a lucky bastard.

[jdmgsr]

You won't have to move in the other side of the world to make good salaries.

A LOT of Dentists are retiring in the next 5-10 years so a lot of openings will occur for new grads anyways.

Remember that you,like most of the new grads will be associates,after a few years practicing Dentistry,you will be able to open up your own clinic or buy someone else's practice.Toronto isn't THAT saturated,there's a lot of part time spots and you'll be able to work in downtown in multiple clinics to make up a full schedule.If you REALLY want to make a decent salary WHILE having your own clinic straight out D-School,then go to rural areas,just outside the city of Toronto,like 30 minutes away from it and you'll be fine finding a good spot,even though costs to open up your practice will be big.

Don't listen to those who say that "Theres no money and no jobs in Dentistry right now",these are obvious,complete lies and the field will always be safe as every year,a lot of people retire and the number of grads getting out Dental school is always the same.

 

Oh and if you think Toronto is saturated,go see California(L.A. and S.F.),when they were accepting other state's dentists,EVERYONE moved there and it became hell for new grads.Consider yourself as a lucky bastard.

 

Thanks for the response Novus. BTW where did you get this info from?

[Novus]

Thanks for the response Novus. BTW where did you get this info from?

 

 

From numerous Dental Students,i shadowed a Dentist and other forums as well.

[thebouque]

Remember that you,like most of the new grads will be associates,after a few years practicing Dentistry,you will be able to open up your own clinic or buy someone else's practice.

 

I don't get this sentence. Do you mean that most new grads are associates when they graduate or that they are associates after a few year practicing dentistry? If you mean that most new grads are associates right away, then you're absolutely wrong. Most new grads work at percentage (30-35%). I know most of the new dentists that just graduated from University of Montreal and quite a few from Laval and McGill as well.