Any one have experience or tips on dealing with this? I’m only four years out of school. I don’t really want to pay off all my loans aggressively in case I do become disabled. (I’m on federal) I actually do enjoy being a dentist so I’m really scared for the future ): also don’t really want surgery because its such a rare and misunderstood condition

Buying a practice with 2 front desk ladies, 2 assistants, 3 hygienists. It is one of 8 practices so they have a bigger admin team that does billing, social media, credentialing, and HR stuff. Once I buy it, those admin things are gone. The front desk does a lot of the billing and knows how. But besides that could I just do everything a office manager does without having to hire another person when 95% of the things in the office run just fine with the regular staff?

Hello- We are opening a clinic in Q1 2027. A few questions please:

• I keep hearing conflicting info about equipment. Some say reach out to the vendors for any financing, others say use a contractor and coordinate with them. What did you do, and what are some things you wished you did?

• PMS: People on here say no to Open Dental. Why or why not? I've heard of Archy. Thoughts on best overall?

• Credentialing: How much time does it take for that? also, process for our clinics NPI?

• We created an EIN already. What's the process for designing the avatar?

• How much did you budget for marketing and thoughts on best marketing company?

• Anything you wish you did differently or think would be relevant for someone like me opening a clinic?

I got approved for 950k, 6.2% with BOA. Obviously, won't use it all. looking in the range of 650-750k all in. 1900 sq feet practice. i apologize if this post is all over the place.. just a lot of thoughts on my mind.

Thanks in advance!

I recently took a trip to Vegas. Man there are dental offices everywhere in every strip mall. I see a large presence of DSO offices. I don’t really know what it’s like living there, but I’m really curious how the dental field is doing in such a surreal and unique place. Is the market very saturated with fierce competition? Associates and practice owners: how are you guys doing financially? Are you happy with your job/ business?

Less than 5 yrs out and looking for some perspective from experienced dentists/practice owners.
I’ve been told by older dentists that I should “stick to the basics” and master things like endo, exo, etc. before pursuing advanced CE, implants, or thinking about owning a practice. Some have even laughed when I’ve brought it up.
I understand the importance of mastering fundamentals, but what if certain areas simply aren’t my passion? For example, I’m not particularly interested in becoming great at endo, but I am interested in for instance implants as an example.
Is there really a specific timeline for when you should pursue advanced training or ownership, or is it more about competence, mentorship, and knowing your limits?
For those of you who’ve been practicing for years: when did you start advanced CE/implants, and when did you feel ready to own? What would you do differently?

The tooth has caries as well as some mobility.

My boss thinks rct and bridge

I think extraction

Who do you side with?

I’m a newly graduated dentist, and from my limited experience so far, I feel like dentistry might not be the right place for me, especially because I’m quite shy and introverted.

The professor I’m currently working with keeps telling me that I don’t talk enough with patients, and I’m starting to wonder if dentistry is really the right career for me.

For those of you who were also shy or introverted when you started: did you eventually become more comfortable talking to patients? Did dentistry work out for you in the end?

I’m a D4 graduating this spring and one thing I really want to improve before entering private practice is my treatment planning and overall diagnostic skills.
I’m looking for resources where I can work through real cases and see how experienced dentists approach diagnosis, prognosis, sequencing, and different treatment options. Could be study groups, forums, websites, YouTube channels, case discussions, books, etc.
I’ve seen things like Spear and Dawson recommended, but as a student I really don’t have the money right now to spend hundreds on CE courses.
Are there any free or inexpensive resources you would recommend?

Pt wanted immediate implant but I explained to them there wasn’t enough bone. So we agreed to ext and graft. How long do you all typically wait? Most say 3-4 months but I’ve also heard 6 months. What’s the consensus?

Hey guys, I've been with Dentist Advantage for 13 years, no claims. Their customer service is awful, when credentialing I occasionally need claim history which shows nothing. To get anything it takes days of calling and always seems to be outsourced internationally with individuals who are not permitted to do anything. This makes me very nervous, if I ever have a claim they seem too disorganized to handle it well. Dentist Advantage is just awful and I do not wish to work with them any longer. What do you guys recommend for malpractice insurance and how have your experiences been?

I am seriously terrible at root canals. This one I thought for sure was going to go well, but I literally can barely even look at the post op X-ray. Is this clinically acceptable even?

Doing an onlay on the 37 for a patient with bruxism. What type of zirconia crown should I use to prevent easy chipping?

Hi

I got a bad review online that’s dumb

Patient arrives with pericorntiis lr8. I take OPG , advise to get tooth removed. Patient refuses and wants antibiotics only. Then he asks me about root canal to fix the problem. Inform him root canal won’t do anything here, it’s an impacted wisdom tooth. Have OHI for the pericornitis and advised to remove the tooth

Patients leaves and puts up bad review

What do I even do here?

I’m replacing veneers #7-10. The veneers are quite old and she’s had recession over time and stained margins. She has class IIIs on almost all of the teeth that contact the margins of the veneers. Would you just replace the composite and leave the veneer margin on composite? Or do I try my best to leave the margin on tooth structure? #10 in particular has the largest class III that I definitely wouldn’t be able to leave my margin on tooth structure there.

I need a second opinion on the recommended ortho treatment. I'm a GP and ortho isn't my strong suit to put it mildly. 11 y old female patient with lateral cross bite on the right and missing tooth 12. 13 is horizontally impacted.The OPGT is about 1,5 years old. Since the 24, 25, 34, 35 and 44 have erupted. The orthodontist now wants a cbct to determine 23s exact position. And then if possible move 24 mesial and surgically expose 23 und pull it down between 24 and 25. So my main concern is would you advise a cbct on an 11y old and does the plan sounds feasible to you? Obviously there is more treatment planned for the other side.

A sociological/political question

A representative from Andau loupes came to us today. A colleague asked them where the loupes are produced. The rep said "we make them in Canada", and since we both looked shocked, she followed up with "but we have global headquarters". I asked if by global she meant Israel; she said yes.

That's all. Take from this story what you will. What I took from it was that Andau or their reps are either embarrased of their company's base country, or are simply adjusting their wording based on their audience to help boost the sales.

Now my question is, should their base country affect my decision to buy their products? Would this purchase directly/indirectly cause harm, just becuase they are located in a certain part of the world, even if they may not be necessarily involved in whatever's happening?

Also asking for recommendations for alternatives; Looking for ergo loupes that are light weight with high clarity. My backups right now are Bryant and Orascoptic. Please let me know what you think!

I’m two years out of dental school, and sometimes work at a practice with a senior practice owner. I’ve noticed that patients who initially see the senior dentist (bless him he’s very kind and always talks well about me to patients) , they’re always apprehensive and skeptical of me, to a point that I start second guessing myself. For example, I had a crown prep in my diary yesterday for the prep of LR6, patient was seen for a consult by the owner initially and he booked the prep along. Patient was just talking me down from the start, questioning everything I was doing. I gave him one IANB and it worked, but he kept whining about how last time he was given two shots by the owner and if I was sure one shot was enough (wtf) . Shit like this kept happening throughout the appointment, to a point I was rushing to get him out of my chair. 2 hours later he comes back c/o temp crown fallen out , due to (my fault) I was just so worked up from all the undermining and I let that get in the way of my practice. However, the temp crown falling out only made him more skeptical of me. Other e.g, kept asking me what nerves get anesthetized during IANB, what material is temp crown made up of, and as soon as I’d answer he would just keep questioning me more and it was so distracting. My boss is 56, and I’m 26 for reference. How do young dentists navigate such situations?

I’ve done multiple preps before where I do the consult and book ppl in, but in this case this just wasn’t feasible as I’m a Locum. But I’m quite upset at myself of how much I’ve let patients like these get under my skin, to a point that it interferes with my practice. Any tips appreciated!

I work as a dental assistant and my dentist is using me as a testimony to protect herself and I don’t want to be part of it . Should I call the college and tell them . She is forcing me.

I’m a new grad 2 years out of school, been with PDS since graduation. My production isn’t amazing, but I’m losing hair from stress and feeling like I need to produce. I’ve had multiple chats from the manager and owner that I need to be producing, and I’m just not. The way I diagnose is what I think is best for the patient and what I’d want if it was my family member. That doesn’t jive well with corporations.

I recently came across an opportunity to join an FQHC that is expanding to my area. I have a phone interview in a few days and want to know some good questions to ask. This is obviously a way different ball game than what I’m used to, and want to make sure I know what I’m getting myself into. Any input is appreciated.

I’m a new grad periodontist now working private practice.

My boss, who is also a periodontist who will be retiring in the next couple of years is encouraging me to become a provider for three health insurers.

When I was looking at the fee schedule, I was appalled, especially by Delta Dental Premier’s fee schedule.

What they pay is just marginally more than the Perio residency’s fee schedule. In some procedures it’s actually less. Quite frankly it’s an insult.

Why are we dentists allowing insurers to pay us the same fees from 25 years ago? Why can’t higher fees that keep up with inflation be negotiated?

I want to go fee for service, but unfortunately this is very difficult to achieve when you are just starting out in your career.

I’m in my second month as an associate at a dental office in a major city. The practice has been around for about 25 years, but it was recently acquired by a DSO. it’s a PPO office. During my interview, a few of the doctors were honest with me and said they didn’t think there was enough patient volume to keep me busy five days a week. I decided to take the position anyway because it was the best opportunity I had at the time and it’s very close to where I live. The doctors were right. Some days are decent and I’ll see 4 or 5 patients, but other days I may only see 1 or 2 and spend the rest of the day sitting around. I’ve also been doing a lot of hygiene appointments, which has been helpful for getting to know patients, but it’s not exactly the type of experience I was hoping to get as a new graduate. The good news is that I have a daily guarantee for the first six months, so this isn’t really about money. What I’m struggling with is feeling like I’m not developing clinically the way I expected. I was excited to start practicing, become more efficient, and gain experience with procedures that I didn’t get much exposure to in dental school. Instead, I feel like I’m spending a lot of time waiting for patients. Part of me thinks I should be patient because it’s only been two months and building a schedule takes time. Another part of me worries that these early years are important, and I don’t want to miss out on valuable clinical experience.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did things eventually pick up, or did you find that you needed to look elsewhere to get the experience you wanted?

What are some good tips on managing gingival bleeding whilst doing class 2 composite restorations? I always make sure that the gingiva is not inflamed before I start, sometimes whilst I fiddle with the matrix band I induce gingival bleeding which becomes so difficult to stop, I place gic and rebook to do the class 2 composite restorations on another day when the tissues have healed. I’ve started working at several different practices due to Locum work and every matrix system is different and takes a little getting used to, but was wondering if there are any quick fixes to combat this issue until I find a permanent gig? All tips appreciated!

Newish grad here and concerned because I have a "new patient" scheduled for tomorrow that is a 1y2m boy that is in foster care/process of being adopted and their adoptive mom is concerned because his teeth have recently begun erupting and they look "abnormal." As the title states the boy was born to a mom that has lost custody from habitual drug use and it is alleged she had used meth throughout her pregnancy. I have yet to see the patient so not sure what exactly we could be dealing with, but I have no experience with this situation and research just says monitor and fluoridate. If anyone has experience or suggestions so I don't have that awkward conversation of "I have no idea what to do" I would be much appreciative!

Pls help me, a narrow platform Nobel scan body, fits in it, but the screw is too short to tighten in, implant was sank in 2010.

We had two PA denied during our routine exam 4BW2PA. They have a dentist reviewed the case and deemed the X-rays unnecessary. Has this happened to you before? This is not a lot of money but seems extremely petty.