r/CanadianDentists

I'm a Canadian in my final year studying in Australia. Almost done the first semester of 4th year. I'm getting the impression that we get A LOT more clinical experience than Canadian dental students, but I'm not completely sure.

I'm very curious and just wanted to see if anyone was keen to share their cumulative experience in Canadian dental schools? Total fillings? RCTs, indirects, exos, etc.? I haven't seen a post like this anywhere so hopefully people might find this interesting/useful.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if it’s normal for new dentists to find the first few months challenging. I’ve been working for about three weeks now, and I feel like I’m quite slow in clinic—sometimes taking up to two hours for fillings. I also find myself constantly second-guessing decisions and doubting the quality of my work.

Adjusting to a new workflow has been tough—managing multiple hygiene checks, working with a more limited instrument setup compared to school, and not always having someone available to discuss cases or review my work. I also worry about my diagnoses—whether I’m identifying caries correctly, and what if I miss something during recall or new patient exams. It feels like there isn’t much of a safety net.

Is it normal to feel this way early on, or am I overthinking things? I’d really appreciate any advice on how to build confidence, improve efficiency, and manage these thoughts.

Thanks so much.

Is studio dental a good place to practice for a new grad ?

I’m a Canadian citizen who graduated from USA dental school, practiced for a year & now moving back to Ontario, KWV area. I’m not sure which is the best route to find a position as a GP? Is it to look up in indeed or should I personally go to each office asking for an opportunity. I don’t know any Canadian dentist for guidance so looking for some guidance.

I’m scheduled to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted, which are all fully erupted. I’m wondering if CDCP covers wisdom teeth extractions?

Hey everyone, I’m a student in Quebec right now and I’m starting CEGEP this August. I’ve been doing a deep dive into my options for dental school, and I really need some honest advice because I'm feeling pretty stuck.

Basically, I’m looking at Griffith University in Australia. The pros: it’s a 5-year direct-entry program, it’s accredited so I can come back and work in Canada right away, and living on the Gold Coast sounds amazing. But the "con" is massive: between tuition and living costs, I’d be finishing with like $400k - $450k CAD of debt.

The other option is just staying here in Canada. But honestly, that feels like such a drag because it usually involves 3 or 4 years of an undergrad in something I don't even like, and then 4 years of dental school. I really want to study abroad and get that experience, but I don't want to be under a mountain of debt forever or be away from my family for 5 years if it’s not actually "worth it" in the long run.

If you actually went to Australia or Griffith, I’d love to hear from you:

Was it TRULY worth the massive loan just to skip the extra years of undergrad here?

How did you even get the bank to approve that much? It feels like a crazy amount of money to ask for.

Do you ever regret not just staying in Canada to save the cash? I’m just trying to figure out if the "fast track" and the experience is worth the stress of the debt. Thanks so much for any help!

Hello!

I'm a grad student who came to Canada recently and I instantly need a crown on my root canal-ed canine. I can't apply for CDCP because I have student care, but it only covers $750 a year max and I already used more than half for a filling.

I can't afford $1500 for a crown and my tooth already has fracture lines on it and it's been starting to hurt a lot, making it impossible for me to eat.

Is there any other place other than University of Toronto Dentistry (very long wait list...) where I can get a cheap crown?

P.S - if you own a dental clinic, I can make a website for you for a crown 🥲

Feels like every couple weeks someone reaches out asking if I’m “thinking about an exit”,

just curious how many people here are actually getting approached, and if anyone seriously considered selling

So when I get on different insurance websites and estimate as a freelancer or something, it gives me something like $150-200ish a month for my wife and I, and it gives dental coverage of up to $800ish.

I'm not sure how it works but isn't it better to not have insurance? Let's say a filling costs $200, so that means I'm paying $150 x 12 = $1800 a year to get 4 fillings ($800/$200 = 4) when I could pay $200 x 4 = $800 without insurance?

Am I missing something or what?

Overview - ENGLISH VERSION FOLLOWING

Bonjour,
Mon père prend sa retraite après plus de 40 ans de service en dentisterie. Son bureau sera donc libre à la fin juin de cette année et je tente donc tout simplement ma chance ici afin d'espérer trouver une ou un dentiste qui aimerait travailler dans cet endroit d'ici là, sinon le bureau sera vidé et plusieurs objets envoyés au dépotoir. Il s'est déjà déplacé dans différentes universités afin de déterminer si des étudiants seraient intéressés par son bureau, mais sans succès.
Le bureau comprend 4 salles (comprend labo), un bureau, une salle d'eau et un bureau pour adjoint.e administratif. Certains instruments devront être actualisés (nouveaux règlements afin de tracer la contamination croisée), mais sinon tout est fonctionnel.
Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas la région, Edmundston est une belle petite ville en plein expansion située à la frontière du Québec, donc la grande majorité de la ville est francophone. Même si la population est d'environ de 20 000 habitants, nous ne manquons de rien et avons plusieurs centres de loisirs à notre disposition (centre de ski, jardin botanique, centre sportif, équipe d'hockey junior A majeure, club de golf, etc.)
Si vous avez quelconque question, n'hésitez pas à me contacter via amel9.nb@outlook.com
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Hello,
My father is retiring after more than 40 years of service in dentistry. His office will therefore be available at the end of June this year, and I’m simply trying my luck here in hopes of finding a dentist who would like to work in this location before then. Otherwise, the office will be emptied and many items will unfortunately end up at the landfill. He has already visited several universities to see if any students might be interested in taking over his office, but without success.
The office includes 4 rooms (including a lab), an office, a washroom, and a workspace for an administrative assistant. Some instruments will need to be updated (due to new regulations regarding cross‑contamination tracking), but everything is otherwise functional.
For those who don’t know the region, Edmundston is a lovely and growing small city located on the Québec border, so the vast majority of the population is French‑speaking. Even though the population is around 20,000, we have everything we need, including several recreational facilities (ski center, botanical garden, sports complex, major Junior A hockey team, golf club, etc.).
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at amel9.nb@outlook.com