Dentists’ Future Not Clear: Will It Be Good or Bad?

Dentists aren’t sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the dental profession. In this survey, 37% of dentists said they are optimistic about the future of dentistry, another 37% are uncertain, and the remaining 25% are pessimistic.

When it comes to dentists’ future, some of the things that worry doctors include government control, corporate takeover, insurance intrusion, Obama’s health plan, and mid-level dental providers.

“I worry that the government will get its hands on dentistry just like it’s doing to medicine and we will all wind-up working for Uncle Sam,” said one dentist.

Here are some comments we got when we asked dentists, “What do you expect for the future of dentistry? What worries you? What are you enthusiastic about?”

* “From an economic standpoint, people that have been delaying treatment will have to do their treatment as they won’t be able to delay forever.” (Tennessee dentist)
* “Higher overhead due to increased bureaucracy from government. Lower income due to the endless Great Recession. The ‘golden days’ may be over.” (Illinois dentist)
* “My worries include the greed of dentists to make the most money and not treat the profession with respect.” (General dentist)
* “I think the future will hold no impression materials – mostly all cad/cam.” (New Jersey dentist)
* “I am concerned that the standard of care in the US for dentistry may be lowered due to the influx of mid level providers. We must not lower our excellent quality of care in this country because of the misconception that there are not enough Dentists to provide care. The problem is distribution of Dentists and lack of funding for Dental Care increasing the number of poorly trained mid level providers will not solve this problem.” (Alabama dentist)
* “Worried about corporate takeover of delivery.” (California orthodontist)
* “I’m worried about the oversaturation of dentists in many urban and suburban areas. Also the lack of expertise and knowledge about dentures and dental implant supported dentures by many of today’s young dentists.” (Ohio prosthodontist)
* “I am concerned about the effect that ‘Obamacare’ will have on our private practices because having an administration that is so anti-small business does not bode well for private practices.” (Alabama dentist)

Source: Dental Practice Blog