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re: dentists - the resurgence of wealthy
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:06 pm to yellowfin
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:06 pm to yellowfin
The thing about large masses of national data is that it's often hard for people to remove their daily surroundings from their thoughts and objectively look at the country as a whole.
Sure, there are million dollar dentists, they ball. There are surgeons in places making five, shite, ten million, but that is just the superstar dynamic being most visible. For every superstar, there are a few hundred flunkies and even more sitting near the median.
No different than lawyering, sales, accounting, et. Al., the superstars skew the perception.
Sure, there are million dollar dentists, they ball. There are surgeons in places making five, shite, ten million, but that is just the superstar dynamic being most visible. For every superstar, there are a few hundred flunkies and even more sitting near the median.
No different than lawyering, sales, accounting, et. Al., the superstars skew the perception.
This post was edited on 7/6/14 at 2:07 pm
1
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:07 pm to 911Moto
quote:
Dr. Schultz, just curious where you are getting these numbers from. How many dentists or new associates do you know?
He's not far off. I personally know an associate who brought in about $140k first year out of school. All the others I know weren't far behind.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:07 pm to Traffic Circle
quote:
The problem with being a dentist is the "Doc-In-A-Box" chains that lower the price, advertise and compete Regionally if not Nationally. Their hours are better, even open on Saturdays.
Poor dentists may have to work a full week if this trend keeps up. They have to blame themselves at some point.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:09 pm to roadGator
quote:
I don't see any dentist that does not work 5 days a week. Why should I pay him extra so he doesn't have to work?
That's a ridiculous philosophy. I worked 4 days a week because more family time was more important than more money. I saw one patient at a time - I never worked out of multiple chairs jumping from patient to patient. My fees were below the 50th percentile, even though I could have charged much more in my area. Why does a dentist have to work 5 days a week? Jealous much, bro?
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:09 pm to VetteGuy
quote:
I had high regard for dentists. In my mind, they were equivalent to doctors, highly educated, dedicated individuals. Dentists have changed over the past 10-20 years. The constant push for higher and higher billings through the sale of procedures under the guise of "aggressive preventive care" is ridiculous. The good ones should be embarrassed about what is happening and indeed, some of them are. Might want to revisit the ethical side of medicine...
I have to admit, so have doctors. Hell, just about every doc I know is promoting some cosmetic, weight loss, vitamin bullshite or something else. Not all, but a lot. But I guess if people want it and are willing to pay, it helps offset the cuts in reimbursement and increase in overhead. I guess I better get me some Botox and anti-aging training.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:10 pm to The Third Leg
It's just the OT is made up of nothing but superstars
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:15 pm to SmackoverHawg
The problem with that is, as a patient, we trust you to tell us the truth, because you are the doctor.
If you tell me the appendix needs to come out, I believe you.
Dentists have violated this trust. Not every one, but a lot of them.
If you tell me the appendix needs to come out, I believe you.
Dentists have violated this trust. Not every one, but a lot of them.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:15 pm to Vinny V
quote:
He's not far off. I personally know an associate who brought in about $140k first year out of school. All the others I know weren't far behind
Sure, there are some out there doing well right out of school, but the median income for dentists in their first few years of practice will be more around the $80-90K range.
As for the doc-in-a-box clinics, you get what you pay for. Yes, they can be relatively inexpensive and have convenient hours, but I've seen firsthand what goes on in those offices. New associates working at those types of offices or the large corporate chains can expect about $300 - 350/day in salary. I looked into several of these options while my practice was shut down after Katrina. I ended up working for a locally owned "chain" for a few months at $450/day, and that was because I had 15+ years of experience. My partner worked there as well. They were very insistent that we should not tell any of the other associates what we were earning.
This post was edited on 7/6/14 at 2:25 pm
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:19 pm to VetteGuy
quote:
Dentists have violated this trust. Not every one, but a lot of them.
This is true. I had one my parents took me to that wanted to do a filling or some shite every time I went. Although, the one in Little Rock where we moved from always said I had great teeth. After two fillings, both of which I felt at least 98% of, I refused to go back. Went back to my old dentist in LR when I went off to college and guess what? Nothing. The 4 other teeth I had that needed fillings etc. had magically healed themselves. I guess that experience has skewed me from that point forward on dentist in south Arkansas.
That's why I still drive two hours for dental care.Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:21 pm to VetteGuy
I fired my last dentist because he was going to defraud the insurance company.
Wanted to do a procedure in less than 30 minutes that should have taken more than that time and required 2 visits.
D-4240
Wanted to do a procedure in less than 30 minutes that should have taken more than that time and required 2 visits.
D-4240
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:22 pm to SmackoverHawg
We drive an hour.
Our old guy retired to go to LSU and teach and finish his career. He was a great guy, and he knew what I was talking about.
Our old guy retired to go to LSU and teach and finish his career. He was a great guy, and he knew what I was talking about.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:25 pm to VetteGuy
I guess I should have typed a disclaimer when I started my rant against dentist yesterday. Getting a tooth drilled and feeling the whole damn thing hurts like a mf'er. Then realizing that most likely you never needed it and now the only two teeth that bother me are those two makes me a little paranoid about dentists. 
Getting a tooth drilled and feeling the whole damn thing hurts like a mf'er. Then realizing that most likely you never needed it and now the only two teeth that bother me are those two makes me a little paranoid about dentists. Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:25 pm to yellowfin
quote:
I thought doctors would have made more too 191k?
frick 10 years of school for that
I'm really not sure where those numbers come from. Just using Internal Medicine from a 2013 article published on Medscape (and they have similar articles for practically every field of healthcare), it varies pretty widely. Some internists are under 100K. Some are 500K+.
It has a lot to do with where you want to live. The "more desirable" places draw more interested applicants, so the employer can usually find someone to take the job for less, keeping the bottom line down. Less desirable areas such as Alaska are offering wild salaries to entice qualified people to go up there to meet their shortage:
Of course, averages based on location don't really do all that much, as they can vary widely within that subset. So for every guy that takes $1million home a year and pays 8 underlings $100K/year, the average comes out to $200,000, so I suspect it's got more than anything to do with how hard someone wants to work, as the numbers below correspond pretty decently with the salaries from the first graph:
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:27 pm to SmackoverHawg
Yeah, that the difference.
Pushing cosmetic procedures is fine. That's no different from a doctor doing lipo or whatever.
Taking out healthy organs or filling healthy teeth is pretty low, IMO.
Pushing cosmetic procedures is fine. That's no different from a doctor doing lipo or whatever.
Taking out healthy organs or filling healthy teeth is pretty low, IMO.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:29 pm to SmackoverHawg
Smack, you can expect some sensitivity for a little while in those teeth. Especially if it was a composite filling. More sensitivity has been noted in those. It should subside. But when you think about it, the dentist took out tooth structure and then filled it with a foreign substance. For lack of better terms it's like a little mini surgery. Sensitivity is normal. If it doesn't go away after a week or so get it checked out.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:34 pm to Hopeful Doc
quote:
I'm really not sure where those numbers come from.
It tells you in the first sentence of the article
Bureau of labor statistics
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:36 pm to SmackoverHawg
There is no doubt that fraud is rampant. I've had parents bring in kids with a treatment plan of a dozen fillings from another dentist, and I'd find 2 or 3 teeth that actually needed fillings. With some dentists, if a patient came in for a second opinion you knew what the situation would be before they walked in the door. Many want to crown any tooth with a moderately large filling, or put a stainless steel crown on any kid's tooth with a cavity. Likewise with insurance fraud. In dental school, the cheating was on a level that I've never seen in my life. There are very few dentists that I would trust.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:37 pm to Vinny V
quote:
Sensitivity is normal. If it doesn't go away after a week or so get it checked out.
It's been 24 years.
Sensodyne seems to help and it's not that bad. Guess that's why 4 out of 5 dentist recommend it. Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:40 pm to SmackoverHawg
thought you had it done like the other day. Posted on 7/6/14 at 2:42 pm to Vinny V
Hell no!! I told my guy he's not touching me til it hurts! Or at least until it turns brown or breaks off.
Or at least until it turns brown or breaks off.
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