Dropping medicine for dentistry?
I have gotten into both med school and dental school and have been torn for months. I’ve over analyzed both fields on pros and cons and just can’t seem to decide.
I went on SDN to ask dentists about their realistic lifestyle and most of them were allegedly making 300-400K+ and loving it.
I shadowed 5 different dentists in my area, all of whom also were wildly successful and well off.
I’m asking this sub for a more realistic perspective on dentistry. I know it’s hard on the body. I know the reimbursements aren’t as high as they used to be. I know insurance can be a pain.
But realistically if I went to own my practice, how much would I expect to make? And how feasible is
it to grab a loan and start/buy a practice? On SDN they make it seem like it’s just another thing to do.
I don’t plan to super specialize into stuff like derm or surgery if I do med school. I’m an average student but I work very hard.
Do any of you regret going into dentistry? Do you have a great work life balance like how it’s made out to be? Are most of you making 350K + a year?
In terms of passion, I don’t prefer one or the other. I’m not dying to get into either profession with sparkly eyes. I want to help people and have a stable career in a health related field. To me at the end of the day, they are both a job and career track.
Any helpful input would be lovely. My whole view is skewed by incredibly well off dentists I have encountered and I want to know if this is the norm.