How hard is it to start own dentistry practice?

Question

When I become a dentist i was hoping to start my own practice but didnt know exactly how hard it was? Starting from college, could you tell me what all you had to do to get to where you are now as a dentist? & about how much do u make a year..also include ur region becuz income is different in each region.

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

I'm a dentist.

How hard is it to start a dental practice? Well, that depends.

It depends on how good you are as a doctor.

It depends on how fast you are as a doctor.

It depends on how good you are with people (do patients like you?).

It depends on how good of a leader you are.

It depends on how good your business sense is.

It depends on where you want to start your practice and the area's demographics.

And, of course, it depends on who you ask.

The overwhelming majority of dental practices succeed, meaning that they generate profit. I do not consider this to be success, nor would any dental consulting firm.

I am in the process of starting my own practice after having been an associate for two years. Needless to say, both of my employers have warned me against starting my own practice. And needless to say, I think they're full of sh*t. The reality is that my presence in their practices earned them money, and they both wanted me to stay and earn them more money rather than start my own business and earn myself more money. Catch my drift?

Nonetheless, I would strongly urge any new doctor to work as an associate and learn the ropes. There's more to being a dentist than practicing dentistry. Much more. The last thing a new doctor needs, as he/she is developing his/her skills and speed, is to worry about running a business.

Starting a practice involves, first, a careful evaluation of yourself. Are you business-minded? Are you a leader? Are you ready to deal with the struggles of what amounts to running a small hospital? Do you work fast enough to make owning your own practice worthwhile? etc. etc

Once you've decided to start a practice, you need to pick a location, contact a consulting company to evaluate the demographics (can the location support another dentist?), contact an equipment rep to evaluate the potential office space, get a loan, and start building.

A new practice is going to start slowly. Don't expect to strike it rich from the get-go. Ultimately, however, the fruits of the dental profession are to be had owning your own business (and having one or more associates work under you....making you more money).

I don't remember where I read this, but somewhere I read that dental practices are the third-most likely upstart business to succeed. Whether that's accurate or not, it is true that it's hard to make a dental office go under.

Answer 2

I have NO IDEA what it takes to start up a Dentistry Practice, but why don't you begin your effort by using COMPLETE SENTENCES and WORDS? I know we're in an on-line forum where this contracted crap is accepted, but if you're aspiring to be a "Professional", you're NOT too young to start out by writing and speaking like one.
I know you're young,.. and this is common.
Good Luck,... really.