How much money do dentists ACTUALLY make? 

If you're applying to dental schools - check out Roadmap Prep at roadmapprep.com/, it's my online video course helping you ace your dental school interviews. You can access over two hours of interview video lessons completely for free at , no account required :)

Anyone who says don't do it for money didn't grow up poor. Some of us want the things we've never had and helping people is a bonus.

I shadowed a dentist two days ago that just made 800k last year. He was extremely efficient though and was always moving. He worked extremely hard for his money. (General dentist)

It’s definitely about money while paying off your debt. But after that period is over then you can actually practice what you enjoy and not what you owe

Thank you for making such high-quality content! I hope you're able to continue making videos for years to come.

Thanks Joel. Great video and you obviously know your stuff. As a business major considering switching to pre-dent it's cool to hear from someone who understands the business side of running dental practices. It's clear you'll do very well.

Thank you so much Joel! I watched all your videos on DAT Bootcamp back in my pre-dental days and I'm so glad I stumbled across this channel! I'm a D3 now and am thinking a lot about what to do when I finally graduate. This channel has great content, I'd love to see one about residency programs (GPR and AEGD especially...) in the future maybe!

I’m starting off as a dentist assistant at 25 years old. The sky is the limit for myself and many others. The money is very motivating but so is helping people improve their life which is why I got into this in the first place.

It’s about time someone made a video like this. Thank you sir

Money is often a taboo topic to discuss, but it's valuable to know how much you can expect to make as a dentist as you plan your career. Most research shows that beyond $75,000, emotional well being doesn't increase. But that being said, we all need money for our lifestyles and money can buy you freedom. What are your thoughts on this? Also, follow me on Instagram @meyersonjoel :)

Great video Joel! The fact that you reached out to your dental friends was really cool! Thanks for this content and keep it up! You've been killin the game!

I’m a dentist and have been out of dental school for a little over 3 years and I would say this seems pretty accurate as far as numbers go

future dental student here ! love your videos man. thanks for the insight

dentistry definitely feels the most entrepreneurial medical field.

Thank you for your videos! I learn so much from them all the time, I am very excited to start my journey on becoming a dentist! & you have such a wonderful personality for the career as well, I hope one day I have a mentor just like you. Thank again for the great videos ! :)

If been trying to find good info on dentist salary/income for a long time and this video was absolutely priceless. I’m applying to dental school next cycle and your content has been so helpful I honestly feel like I should repay you. Huge thanks from me Joel, keep it up. 👍

Thanks so much for this.!!!! 🙌🏾

You just got a new subscriber. Love your videos and commitment to helping people :)

You can move to Alaska and do medicaid and make 400k+ I moved to rural texas after school and I made 300k a year I have colleagues who made 400k I moved back to a big city after 5 years

this is so useful thank you so much. It really helps me to determine if I want to pursue this career

This is an extremely useful video for a person like me who plans to practice in the US afterwards. Thank you very much for investing your time and sharing this information!

Interesting video. I'm all for recent grads to know more about finances and having good financial education. Subscribed!

I’m so happy I found your channel I loved your bootcamp videos too, thank you for all you do!!

This video is pretty spot on. Very useful for a new grad. I do worry about people hearing this and going into a profession that they end up hating. It's really hard and not for everyone. I love it but I have the personality for it and practice in a way that suits me. You should do a gloom and doom video about what is hard about dentistry.

Bless you Joel for the treasure trove of knowledge you bring us 🙏🙌

Great content brotha! Keep it up!

This is an awesome video and I love your transparency!

Me just staring at his clean teeth entire time

Thanks so much , I am a german dentist, I learn a new perspective on my job here.

Cool video! I'm an Australian dentist. Our numbers are remarkably similar for associates both for new grads and ones with more experience. Practice owners I dont know as I'm not an owner and don't know what their overheads are.

From PAT help to career help, you’ve been with us at every step of the way!

Very informative. Thank you

Thanks so much for this video

I remember you from somewhere big?! DAT Bootcamp?....Currently in dental school because of your help, big thank you

Very informative man.

Thank you so much for this

There is a pediatric dentist in my town that is a close family friend. I shadowed him a good bit and eventually we got to the talk about salary. He owns 2 practices and nets about 3.5 million a year. However he works 5 days a week and his main practice sees about 130 patients a day. He also only has 1 part time associate at this practice. I’ve shadowed other dentists of all kinds of specialties and can say that he is the fastest and most skilled overall dentist I have ever seen. So it just is about what you want to do and how hard you are willing to work.

Thank you so much for the video, it was filled with great informations, but I have a question if you don’t mind how much do you think a recently graduated dentist student from Europe who is moving to Canada will make after they get licensed to work in Canada.

Thinking about taking this career, it pays very well and something that I would enjoy.

EXACTLY THE VIDEO I NEEDED!!!!!!!! THANK YOOOUUUUUUUUU

The real money in dentistry is made in owning your own space, and renting it out to other dentists who will pay a fortune.

Thanks for being so transparent and helpful. I’ve been watching your videos since you started YT. But this is my first comment. I love your PAT stuff on DAT bootcamp tho bro. I never ended up taking the DAT last year but this year is gonna be the year I take it and get it if the stars align. Your videos are awesome and I hope you keep making more.

I think people do not want to discuss money because they do not want to be sized up. In regards to pay, it is very locally dependent like Los Angeles vs. Cedar Rapids.

Great video, and what about different specialties?

Practice owner here. Doing well working 35 hrs a week.

Appreciated ❤ New subscriber 🎉

Hi Joel! Great video as always, but I'd greatly appreciate some clarification! I currently work as an assistant (I'm starting dental school in Canada in May), and from my experience associates are usually paid around 45% of their production. But what I'd really like to know, is if they still pay significant tax after that, and if so, how that affects total take-home pay? You mention that you made $300k up in Wawa, but was that "in-the-pocket", or gross income before tax? I have worked with many dentists here regularly billing $70k - $100k per month, so I know they are theoretically earning $30k - $45k per month, but what about the following tax season? do they then "lose" half of it?! What is the actual take-home at the end of the year? Many sincere thanks and please keep the videos coming

Here in FL you don’t need to be a dentist to start a practice. I started mine before going to dental school with another Doctor that I knew while being a dental assistant and I’m truly happy. The goal is 5 more office at least!!

great video man!

Such a helpful video. Would you be able to make a video on how the numbers vary based on specialties?

you are the man joel!

Like MANY crafts I have seen doctors and dentist who coast and others that hustle. The ones that hustle can make 5 times more than others. Working long hours is the easiest way to directly hustle more.

Thank you so much this was very informative and helpful .......... I'm shooting for dentistry and MBBS hope i can come back after about 2 months as student in the field 🤧🤞🏻

Seeing Joel triggered me and made me think about the PAT section of DAT Bootcamp 😂

I got a 25 on PAT because of watching your videos, much love!

I have seen so many dentists with below-average manual dexterity messing up with patients' oral health. Dexterity is something you are born with, and it doesn't improve much through training, so I hope more dental schools have higher standards checking on it.

salaries vary by location. SoCal grads 25% adjusted production is normal with some corporate offering even less

I'd like to know more about "super GPs". Seems like a great route to take from a financial perspective. Take continuing education courses and be able to perform advanced procedures that pay more, sort of sounds like a specialist. Why isn't it a lot more common? I know nothing about continuing education courses in dentistry and what that entails.

One of my oldest friends is a dental specialist in our small city. An endodontist partnership (2 very busy practitioners, 1 office) bills about $6 million and they keep overhead low. No night call, very low risk...not bad.

Is it hard for someone to work in the US after doing their education in another country?

How much does a dentist make? That would depend on so many factors, the major one is how much of the dentist's time they are prepared to devote to work. If you are not doing surgery, you are losing money. The over heads can be crippling, but this is variable from a small clinic to a larger clinic. The graduated dentist can take many years to catch up on the compound effect of losing at least 5 years of income and accumulating substantial debt. Getting a good balance of work/life balance can be difficult. If you work too much, your family life is diminished and your body will suffer. "Dentist's back" is common, from working long hours with the head forward. Finding a good spouse who understands that high income means long hours at the clinic, and they are prepared to do the lion's share of parenting. Break even point can be around Thursday lunch time, after paying for staff wages, dental equipment, rent and supplies and taxes. That is assuming that the dentist is fully booked and scheduled well for production. I am a retired dentist of 45 years service and the above is based on my experience.

Which country pays the highest salary to dentists apart from usa??? I couldn't find this answer across the websites 😁 it would be honour if u give information

Very interesting video! I was considering being a dentist when I started out, but I went into Engineering instead. Now I am almost done with my career, and I can tell you we don't make that kind of money usually! It looks like the dentists make more than engineers right from the start, and then pass us up by a factor of about 2 after 10 years or so. But it's a lot different type of work, probably more stressful being a dentist.

I work 2 hours further west of Wawa....its a beautiful place to begin your career....

do you know whats the newly graduate pay in texas? where better to work in after graduating ? Florida, texas, or michigan ?

Thank you very much for this video I have always heard from my friends that dentistry doesn't pay you well and you will end up poor or not rich

Thanks for making this. It's weird how much the dental articles and blogs beat around the bush about their income.

Things can be various. CA- very competitive, wages are typically lower than other state, taxes are high, so the take-home $$ is low even with high production. There are things you need to be care to see- def look at the collections NOT productions (ins are not paying every penny you claim) and overheads (rent, staff salary, supplies, etc). I would say it’s hard to make more than 200k+ if you work as an associate unless you produce $3000 solid collection for office working 5days for my case. Of course if you move rural area then def they pay you more because there are not many dentists out there. Even so 200k+ is hard to beat. You need to open an office but you need to know how to handle insurance and administrations. It’s not all about dentistry at that point so I learned dentistry as much as I can as an associate and bought one. Pretty happy.

After two years, go buy a GOOD rural practice.... I have rural dental practices listed for sale where AFTER debt service the buyer would make $550k+ a year. Pay your student loans off in a year.

Could you please make an updated vid on this topic

The problem is they usually have a ton of student loan debt, come out of school and finance a new car and house, and then borrow even more to buy a practice. Crazy.

Can you make a video to compare between dentist(DMD) vs medical doctor(MD) in work-life balance or income?

What do fresh grab orthodontist make in terms of salary working in an office?

Great video! What camera and lens are you using?

Hey Joel, where did you go for your undergrad? What was your major?

Great video! I start dental school in Aug and one thing I am worried about is the amount of debt I will be in.

i've found your channel helpful, keep going btw, can you reduce the level of that bg music, i found it hard to focus on ur speech

I assume this video applies to the USA? Similar in Canada?

Did you consider taxes?

This is a great video! In my last year of school, most are making $150-200k starting salary

Is it monthly or yearly

Dentistry is getting extremely saturated and harder to make a living. Many dentists struggling to make ends meet. Just get into med school, believe me it’s much better

35% billing is NOT typical in the US. Good luck getting 35% production lol. I’m sure they are out there but the average is much lower

Great video. Just curious, do find dental hygienists to be part of the profit in a practice or do you consider them a loss leader?

Love your videos but the music was a bit too loud to hear here. Thank you for your content!

Owned my own practice for 24 years. Made really good $$$ for years, however, with the advent of aspen dental and other dso's life will change for all new dentists. I firmly believe the golden days of dentistry are done. Corporate dentistry, hedge funds, etc have ruined a great profession. Good luck.

If you can come out with minimal debt, 200 to 300k can definitely be good making a strong 150 to 200. But what a lot of people dont realize is you really need to bust it if you have 400 or 500k or more in debt. That debt is growing to the tune of 30 to 40k per year and even if you're making a strong say 350k salary, which is quite taxing you need to keep doing that year after year and the 350 after taxes, is only maybe 225k if you're lucky and on higher taxes states you are looking at paying near 50% of your income in taxes. So that 400k strong salary get cut to 200k and even putting 100k a year on the debt still a very long process to pay off and by that time your prob in your mid 30s or 40s even

I would say this is getting easier said then done over the years. I graduated back in 2015 and I make a good income (I do every procedure as a GP), but it's not as easy to build a practice as it once was. A lot of upfront costs with ownership, and you'll go from making great money as an associate to having a very thin budget till your office becomes established. Not for everyone. No regrets though, dentistry is a great career path.

This is USD not Canadian right? Btw, absolutely love all your videos! Money and profit is a topic most practice owners avoid to talk about with pre-dent/dental student. I recently got accepted to my dream school and your videos def make me feel more confident about what I’m getting myself into!

I went apply son to dental school this is very good video for me

I just turned 49. I've worked at the same place as a mechanical engineer for 22 years now. I don't work much overtime (43 hours/week is typical). Giving up years of happiness for double the money doesn't seem like something I would look back on and be happy about.

How much money dental grads owe on average and how long does it take to pay off?

Great video

My mom is a dentist assistant and the dentist last year earned 1 million dollars clean, after all the bills and everything, not to mention he has 2 more offices so just imagine how much he earns!!

Would you say it is better to go into a specialty ?

Wtffff so thats where I know you from!! You were the guy from DAT bootcamp lmaoo I think for the reading section haha I was trying to remember where in the world did I see this guy

You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you. --Maya Angelou..

But wawa is Canada. Can the expectations be similar for a dentist in the US?

Btw do those electric toothbrush really help clean teeth??

can you share on where dentists are saturated and in what areas can we build out practice in long run?