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First year I made $80,000. Second year I made over $300,000. This year I am probably going to be around $300k again.
I assume your question is really "will i make alot of money?" The answer to your question has many variables you have to consider: can you make more than $125,000? Yes. No (full time) dentist salary in 2024, no matter where and what years of experience etc, should be that low, to start but consider other things to get a more meaningful response to your question:
What is the debt you will paying back after school? Graduates of some private school who have had no or little financial backing from parents get out with as much as $600,000 of debt with interests that make this sum grow. Average I believe is in the 300,000s. Questions to consider:
- what debt will you be shouldering when you get out? What salary do you need to cover this, pay your mortgage/rent, feed your family AND have a decent disposable income. That number sure as heck is not $125K
- how old are you? Younger=more time to make up for above, older = less time, more risk
- are you a woman? Planning on being a mom?
- family financial support? Family support for kids?
- what area of the country are you planning to work? California: Average cost of living vs Alabama cost of living. Income in CA vs AL
- General? Specialist?
- owning a business? Working for someone?
So you see $125,000 vs $300,000, other than one being clearly more than the other doesn't provide you with a road map to what YOU want and/or need for YOUR journey. I would keep my eyes and ears peeledduring school, talk to as many working dentist as you can, listen to their stories, observe what a dentists life is, and is not. Be flexible. Know what your personal/spouse/family goals in life are. That way you will be best positioned for success with minimal unpleasant surprises.
Absolutely! Maybe not right from the start but later on once you’ve established a good practice you can make twice that and with a specialty you will make much more.
You can start at $250K if the location is in the rural area.