Tired of Being a Dentist? Alternative Careers in Dentistry
Tired of Being a Dentist? Alternative Careers in Dentistry
A private practice in dentistry offers lots of rewards. You can set your hours, choose your coworkers, and help people every day. You can make a pretty good living, too, once you get established.
Most dentists more or less stay happily in clinical practice for their entire careers. But the job also comes with some frustrations, and a dental degree can lead to other interesting opportunities.
One 1997 survey of 654 former dentists, published in the Journal of the American College of Dentists, listed financial problems, stress, and excessive regulations as top reasons for switching careers. The most common new careers for these ex-dentists were business, teaching, and medicine.
"I never wanted to be a small business owner and have my own practice," says Leslie Winston, DDS, PhD, Director of Global Oral Care Professional and Scientific Relations at Procter & Gamble.
Dr. Winston, who builds relationships between the company and leaders within dentistry, still sees 1 patient a month in a Cincinnati general practice. "When you are not worried about making a living, it can be really fun," she says. "You can spend as much time with the patient as you want."
In his remarkably varied career, William Kohn, DDS, has gone from military to private practice to public health to research to industry. He now serves as Vice President of Dental Science and Policy for the Delta Dental Plans Association. "The changes were opportunities," he says. "Each thing built toward the next."
Linda Niessen, DMD, MPH, Vice President and Clinical Research Officer at DENTSPLY International, went into hospital dentistry early in her career partly because of the collegiality. "What I loved about the hospital was that we were part of the medical team," she says. "I liked the interdisciplinary aspect of it."
And Allan Olitsky, DDS, a consultant who evaluates dental practices for investors and insurers, likes helping to bring up the level of the profession. "I enjoy the fact that there are people out there who are interested in making sure patients get quality care," he says.
Figure 1a. Linda Niessen, DMD, MPH. 1b. William Kohn, DDS. 1c. Leslie Winston, DDS, PhD.1d Allan Olitsky, DDS.
Private Practice: Is It All It's Cracked Up to Be?
A private practice in dentistry offers lots of rewards. You can set your hours, choose your coworkers, and help people every day. You can make a pretty good living, too, once you get established.
Most dentists more or less stay happily in clinical practice for their entire careers. But the job also comes with some frustrations, and a dental degree can lead to other interesting opportunities.
One 1997 survey of 654 former dentists, published in the Journal of the American College of Dentists, listed financial problems, stress, and excessive regulations as top reasons for switching careers. The most common new careers for these ex-dentists were business, teaching, and medicine.
"I never wanted to be a small business owner and have my own practice," says Leslie Winston, DDS, PhD, Director of Global Oral Care Professional and Scientific Relations at Procter & Gamble.
Dr. Winston, who builds relationships between the company and leaders within dentistry, still sees 1 patient a month in a Cincinnati general practice. "When you are not worried about making a living, it can be really fun," she says. "You can spend as much time with the patient as you want."
In his remarkably varied career, William Kohn, DDS, has gone from military to private practice to public health to research to industry. He now serves as Vice President of Dental Science and Policy for the Delta Dental Plans Association. "The changes were opportunities," he says. "Each thing built toward the next."
Linda Niessen, DMD, MPH, Vice President and Clinical Research Officer at DENTSPLY International, went into hospital dentistry early in her career partly because of the collegiality. "What I loved about the hospital was that we were part of the medical team," she says. "I liked the interdisciplinary aspect of it."
And Allan Olitsky, DDS, a consultant who evaluates dental practices for investors and insurers, likes helping to bring up the level of the profession. "I enjoy the fact that there are people out there who are interested in making sure patients get quality care," he says.
Figure 1a. Linda Niessen, DMD, MPH. 1b. William Kohn, DDS. 1c. Leslie Winston, DDS, PhD.1d Allan Olitsky, DDS.
