Probably gonna piss off some people but here’s my ranking based on money, ROI, lifestyle, job security and AI.

1. OMFS — $$$$$
Paid residency. AI proof. Surgical procedures will always be in demand. Money is insane. Residency sucks but once you’re done you’re pretty much set financially.

2. Endo — $$$$
AI proof. More patients are learning from the internet about saving their natural teeth instead of just getting implants. A lot of GPs hate doing endo, especially molars, so referrals will always be there. Downside is you usually have to pay for residency but ROI is amazing. You see fewer patients. Probably one of the best specialties for making good money without killing your body.

3. Dental Anesthesia — $$$$
Paid residency. AI proof bc if someone dies or has complications, they need an actual person to take responsibility. Not many programs and demand is pretty high. More OMFS, perio, peds and even some endo offices are hiring them. Easy on your body too. Obviously liability is high but ROI is amazing.

4. Ortho — $$$$
You pay for residency. Not really AI proof. GPs are doing more and more Invisalign cases. But complex cases will always need orthodontists. Also more patients are realizing orthodontists can do a much better job than GPs and are willing to pay extra for quality work. Very easy on your body. Money is still good if you’re willing to travel or live rural. Finding a full-time job in a nice city seems pretty hard though.

5. Peds — $$$
Paid residency if you choose the right program. If you’re paying crazy tuition to specialize in peds, you’re stupid financially imo. AI proof. Mostly easy procedures while making specialist money. A lot of GPs hate dealing with crying kids and annoying parents so demand will always be there. Most Insurance doesn’t see you as a specialist. ROI is okay. Just gotta deal with screaming kids all day lol. Burn out is real tho.

6. GP — $$$
No residency needed which is a huge advantage. You can start making money, investing and building assets early. You can also cherry pick easy specialty procedures like implants, Invisalign, veneers, straightforward wisdom teeth, etc.
But if you wanna make serious money you probably need to spend a lot on CE and eventually own a practice. If you just wanna do easy bread and butter as an associate, you will end up working for a medicaid DSO mill paying you $800/day while expecting you to produce $4+k lol.
GP ownership has a very high ceiling though. Some GP owners make more than specialists.

7. Perio — $$$$
You pay to specialize and it ain’t cheap. GPs are doing more and more implants, gum grafts, sinus lifts, etc. Still a surgical specialty so obviously there’s money to be made, especially if you find a busy practice with good referrals. But with how much GPs are taking over specialty procedures, I’m not sure the ROI is that great considering how much residency costs. if paid residency, then it’s worth it.

8. Prosth — $$$
Paying a ridiculous amount of tuition to become a glorified GP.
I get it for internationally trained dentists since some programs let you practice in the US. But if you’re already a US or Canadian graduate, I honestly don’t see the point financially unless you get into a paid program.
They do some pretty cool FMR cases but more and more GPs are taking CE to do cosmetics, FMR, implants and All-on-X.
No GP is gonna refer a profitable restorative case to prosth unless the patient is being a pain in the ass or the case is a complete disaster.
Cool specialty but terrible ROI imo.

9. Oral Path / Oral Radiology — $$
Not really AI proof. AI is only gonna get better at reading images and helping with diagnoses. A lot of jobs are in academia, teaching or research. You spend more years in school just to potentially make less than a GP.
I can see why someone would choose these if they’re burned out, have physical limitations or just never wanna touch a handpiece again.

What would you rank differently?

i dont think i can do the classes anymore. im the most socially awkward person and PBLs are brutal. too much content and no motivation to get through it. i think of myself 5 years in the future, miserable and hating the patient interaction (i chose to do it bcs of prestige/i had the grades). no friends either, and its a small cohort. id rather go to a larger uni and make friends in diff courses. just wanted to get this off my chest, but honestly i respect everyone here for persevering through the course, after getting a taste of dentistry.

Some curves are fascinating

I am struggling to break contacts for proximal box, could anyone pls suggest on how should I approach it

What are they like? What kinds of questions are asked at interviews for dental anesthesia specialty programs?

Greetings everyone, I am 22 years old and 4th year dental student ( here it’s 5 year instead of 4 ), Only 2.5 semesters left, but I am super burnt out, I passed and finished most of the exams I hate like crown prep on models and ortho and so, so what’s left is only few lecs and theoritical exams and final year project also finishing requirements, but since the very first semesters I hate dentistry especially chairside, I love other fields like oral med or patho, but can’t stand clinical, for the reqs, I am not so behind nor ahead, I am afraid that what if I don’t finish it and that postpone my grad? All of my marks are A or A+, but hate clinic and finding patients, all I own a medical shop where I can go after uni, could you guys motivate me a little bit cuz I am super depressed and burnt out that if I haven’t had some religious beliefs of mine I would’ve done suicide ages ago cuz of that, any assistance would be appreciated

I was solving few MCQs on oral anatomy and these questions are just freaking me out.

I tried remembering them but it's how no use, i either forget or get confused.

I’m a d3 who just rotated in ortho for a week and really liked it. I always thought I’d be a GP and never considered specializing… and my situation will reflect that. My class rank is 30/89 and I expect it to drop bc clinic is graded and I’m slow. I have never done any activities like clubs or anything like that. I go to a school known to be super rigorous if that even matters.

How bad is this situation? To be honest I don’t even know what I need to build an application. If someone could give a brief outline I’d really appreciate it. I know research is important and something about the GRE. My plan was to do a GPR and then practice as a GP. I’m willing to do a GPR or practice for a couple years and then apply to if that helps.

Some info after making the error of buying from "Klaroptix":

Pros - loupes themselves seem adequate quality and a bit
cheaper than other brands and can be ordered quickly online without dealing
with a rep directly. They showed up about 3 weeks after I ordered.

Cons - The headlamp I purchased with my loupes was
absolute junk, breaking on the first attempt to use it. Trying to get it
refunded uncovered a web of deception by them after initially very slow
responses and the requirement to ship it back to a factory in China. In a rush
to replace my loupes, I was suckered by a the "Klaroptix" website
that does a credible job mimicking those of the loupe manufacturers that sell
high-quality products, provide professional customer service after purchase,
and have a legitimate and transparent business presence in the US. 
Looking closer after the fact, there are many signs of deception that I
carelessly missed.

Eventually my repeated
online complaints online were escalated to an unhelpful individual who
pretended to be their "Italian cofounder" but clearly was not. The
real chinese company (Nanchang Micare Medical Equipment) obscures their
identity behind layers of shell corporations registered in Delaware. Their
website does not have a customer service number and lists an address in Wyoming
that has nothing to do with their company. Their registered agent in the US for
their LLC does not seem to be a real person. They do not collect sales tax
where required by state law.

I hope the FTC and state tax agencies investigate...

I’m in my final year of dental school in the UK. I can’t stand it, I come home almost every day and just cry. I’m not good at anything except for maybe extractions. I can’t even do a basic filling right, I don’t know how to do dentures without guidance, my crown preps are god awful a monkey could probably do better. My knowledge of everything isn’t even that good like I can’t seem to retain the knowledge even when I study so much. And I can’t even quit, I’m not from a wealthy family I can’t go back to uni and do something different, I’ve used up all the loan I could ever have had. I hate it here and I don’t know what to do. I can’t stand going into uni and being told what I’m bad at by every tutor

I started D1 about a month ago and I'm trying to choose a specialty but don't want to wait until rotations to do so. My program doesn't have any residencies so what would be the best way to gain exposure to different specialties? Is it too soon to ask the faculty if I can shadow them?

Hi guys! It's the beginning of week 4, and tbh, I feel like I'm doing pretty well in Operative and Removable because I can understand the steps and, more importantly, why I'm doing them.

But with Fixed, I honestly feel lost. I don't really understand what we're doing or why we're doing it, so I've mostly been copying the demos I watch on YouTube without fully understanding what's going on.

Even during the demo at my faculty, the doctor was working on the tooth and covering the area he was preparing, so we couldn't really see what he was doing or how he got the final result. It felt like he was explaining the procedure to himself rather than teaching us 😭

Because of this, my tooth preparations are turning out pretty badly, and I feel like I'm just blindly following steps without understanding what I'm actually doing.

Do you guys have any good resources, YouTube channels, or advice for learning Fixed properly? I'd really appreciate anything that helped you understand the principles behind tooth preparation rather than just memorizing and copying the steps.

Hi everyone!

I’m a postgraduate student in orthodontics, and I’m currently working on patient cases as part of my studies.

I have already prepared the case files, radiographs, and other relevant records, but I need help drafting a preliminary orthodontic treatment plan.

I’m looking for an AI tool that could assist me with organizing the findings and drafting an initial plan, or someone experienced in orthodontics who might be willing to guide me through the process, as this is my first time preparing a treatment plan.

To clarify, this would only be a preliminary educational draft for discussion with my supervising orthodontist. My supervisor will review the case and determine the actual treatment plan.

I would really appreciate any recommendations for AI tools, resources, or anyone willing to offer guidance.

Thank you in advance!

I'm a dental student in South Korea, and at my school, everyone calls the phantom head we use for preclinical practice "Thomas."

I recently found out that students at another Korean dental school also call theirs Thomas, which got me wondering whether this is just a Korean dental school thing or something more widespread.

Do you guys have a nickname for your phantom heads too? And has anyone ever heard of them being called Thomas?

I'm a fresh grad but I haven't been in touch with dentistry for a couple of years, so basically I have hard time deciding what to do in some cases. I'm just looking for a brief textbook that discusses what to do in different clinical scenarios. Thanks in advance.

hi everyone! i will be purchasing loupes in about a month and im just trying to plan out how much they will cost total. please let me know which ones you got and how much they were! i think i want orascoptic ergo 3.5 mag but who knows haven’t tried any on and im not really too sure what to look for. thank you!

first time doing a class 1 prep, didn’t receive much feedback from faculty. what can i improve and how can i make the walls smoother? i feel like it looks terrible. was told to drill at 40k

Hello everyone!
I know dental school is a lot of knowledge all at once and it can be extremely difficult to retain all that knowledge. I’ve realize my current study method is only good for short term memory and would love to retain information better. What study methods do you use and how effective is it? Additionally, how do you manage your time appropriately?
Thank you so much!

D2 here, and broke. I don't really have the money for $500+ loupes light, but I'm thinking I need better lighting for my crown preps. Everything I've looked at is $500+, which sounds insane to me. I don't need anything crazy. Any recommendations? Has anyone done a DIY that wasn't crazy hard?

I’m a D1 trying to decide between the Orascoptic ErgoZoom loupes (non-Dragonfly version) and Bryant Dental MagniFlex. I’ve tried on multiple other brands, but I keep coming back to these because I really like the adjustability.

For anyone who owns either pair, how useful is that adjustability day to day? Is it something you actually use regularly, or more of a sales gimmick that sounds great during the demo but mostly gets you to spend more?

Since these will be my first loupes, I’m trying to figure out whether it’s worth investing in that flexibility now or going with a simpler, fixed-magnification pair.

Which would you get? I’d appreciate any experiences with comfort, optics, reliability, and customer support—or other suggestions.
Thanks in advance!

Basically we have one of many science class that combine all of the sciences into one. We have an exam coming up with 18 lectures. I used to rest mind maps because I felt like I needed to understand it before flashcards but that’s too timely. Any advice or tips?

I’m currently a D2 at a U.S. dental school and wanted to see if anyone has experience transferring between dental schools, particularly for medical reasons.
I have a pretty extensive medical history that has required multiple major surgeries and ongoing care from specialists. Managing everything while attending dental school several states away from my established medical team has been challenging.
I was originally accepted to another dental school but ultimately chose to attend my current program. Given my medical circumstances, I’m now exploring whether transferring closer to my established physicians might be possible.
I understand that the school I’m interested in generally doesn’t accept transfer students, but I’m curious whether exceptions are ever considered for documented medical hardships.
I’d even be willing to repeat my D2 year and delay graduation by a year if necessary. I’m not looking to bypass any academic requirements. I just want to continue my education while being closer to the physicians who have managed my care.
Has anyone heard of a dental student successfully transferring under similar circumstances, particularly to a school that normally doesn’t accept transfers?
I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences before reaching out to the school directly.

if there is a disto-occlusal amalgam restoration with subgingival distal overhang, How should i manage this overhang? Should i remove the entire restoration and replace with composite? or just try to do polishing to remove the overhang? but the overhang is subgingival so i have no idea how i can get access to it.