The Student Room Group

Are you in it for the money?

We all know dentists get paid butt loads of money. So, my question to you is, are you in it for the money?

I really don't see the appeal in looking in people's mouths on a daily basis, many of which may not be so pleasant?

"Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth, with little else to do in their job. Despite earning a lot of money, this cannot make up for the little job satisfaction available. On top of this it is a stressful job."


Please understand I'm not digging here. There is nothing wrong with being in a job for money. Money drives our lives and is the basis to a happy life. It's the reason most of us go into higher education. I'm just interested what the general consensus is here because I don't see the attraction of the work itself.

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Reply 1
Original post by RobertWhite
We all know dentists get paid butt loads of money. So, my question to you is, are you in it for the money?

I really don't see the appeal in looking in people's mouths on a daily basis, many of which may not be so pleasant?

"Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth, with little else to do in their job. Despite earning a lot of money, this cannot make up for the little job satisfaction available. On top of this it is a stressful job."


Please understand I'm not digging here. There is nothing wrong with being in a job for money. Money drives our lives and is the basis to a happy life. It's the reason most of us go into higher education. I'm just interested what the general consensus is here because I don't see the attraction of the work itself.


Ok first and foremost. NO i'm not in it for the money.

Neither do i "enjoy looking in people mouths" as you put it. This could be angled around and aimed at any job, you just find a percieved negative aspect then ask about it. "Why do you enjoy collecting peoples rubbish all day?" "why do you enjoy sitting in an office all day?"

Dentistry is an area of medicine. Much the same as gynacology, oncology or any other specialty.

Would you say to a gynacologist, "why do you enjoy looking at manky genitals all day long?", or to an oncologist, "why do you enjoy potentially diagnosing people with the worst news they'll ever recieve every day". It doesn't make sense.

This is because, that isn't what the job is at all however, it is a facet of the job which people find unatractive and therefore choose to base an illfounded question on. Also i notice you're studying psychology, one might ask, why do you want to talk to crazy people all day long? Surely thats horrible and stressfull. Who would want to do that? I don't ask that because i appreciate that it's probably something you find interesting. Also i realise that not everyone who studys psychology goes into clinical psychiatry. You seem like an intelligent person...you happen to have exactly the same A level results as me too. Surely you can appreciate this too right? Also psychiatists have an extremely high rate of suicide. Higher than that of dentists infact! So your point about that is pretty null....of course this does depend upon which year you choose to look at and which set of data you use!

I'm not becoming a dentist to look inside people mouths, i'm doing it to indulge my creativity and flare for manual dexterity in a way that allows me to help the public and provide a service which sees me established as an upstanding and respected memeber of the medical and general community.

I cannot of course speak for everyone's motivation for studying dentistry, however, i believe i speak for the majority of people on this forum when i say that dentistry probably stemmed from a general interest in science throughout school. A caring nature and an enjoyment of helping others. Alot of people will be influenced by familly members who are dentists.

Personally, it was suggested that i try some work experience. I initially wanted to do medicine. But after my first day at the dental surgery i was hooked. The creativity and the precision that was required really appealed to me. You get to speak to the patients and get to know them. And see them visibly more confident and often in significantly less pain as a result of your care. More often than not a dentist is present throughout the care of a patient, and this continuity is also very fullfilling.

I could really go on forever about why i want to do dentistry. Just take it as read that there are plenty of avenues of fullfillment on social, emotional, clinical, scientific and practical levels. If you enjoy working with your hands and working with people it's a fantastic choice. Much more surgically oreintated than general medicine. The variety is fantastic too. No day is ever the same.

Oh yeah and about the mouths "not being so pleasant" contrary to popular belief these are often the most fun! Dentist love nothing more than a load of plaque and tartar to get stuck into, or a good perio treatment. Nothing is more boring that looking into someones mouth and going "yup...fine...see you in 6 months" wheres the fun there? Although yes it is nice to see someone who takes care of their teeth. Without manky teeth there would be no need for dentists in the first place?!

Now, moving onto your next point. I'm sorry but...wherever you are quoting that from...is just....appalingly *******s ridden. Little job satisfaction. Who the hell do you/they think they are to say how much job satisfaction either me or anyone else is likley to get from dentistry!? It's a wholly subjective thing. As is stress, a very good quote i heard was that "there are no stressfull jobs, just stress prone people" Its only stressfull if you are ill equipped to deal with it or otherwise predisposed to being stressed, which i would hasted to add, as medical professionals. Most dentists are not. And dentistry is NOT the highest suicide rate, shutup! Just because a few notable cases of dental professionals committing suicide were publicised and because it has evolved into a kind of urban myth/steryotype does not make it true. It is simply incorrect. There are many other professionas with higher rates of suicide. Go and bother them!

Finally, what answers do you expect to get from a bunch of dental applicants?! You say the work isn't that appealing...well thats probably why you're not becoming a dentist and we are. We find it interesting an fullfilling. The fact that it pays well is a bonus. I agree that in many cases it also forms part of a decision to study. That is perfectly normal. However, these individulas to whom you refer. The ones who choose dentistry primarily based on the money. Very rarely get through the interview and admissions process. Also, there are plenty of other careers which steryotypically pay well and have much shorter training intervals. Such as working in the city etc... surely it would make more sense to go for one of these jobs if one were primarily driven by a love of money.

You seem to have a very cynical view of us dental applicants. You know...people do enjoy different things...and what we find interesting may not neccisarily ring true for you. If you want to discuss this further. Please PM me. I'll be happy to talk to you.

For now, i've probably written far too much already. And repeated myself many times with poor grammar and or spelling. If any of the applicants on this forum feel i've misrepresented you, please feel free to add to what i've put. Or disagree with it.

Also, this isn't a direct go at you but rather a sortof untidy release of fury at the number of people who's ignorant views have enraged me over the past 2 years as i've been applying for dentistry. I understand "you're not digging" and please don't take any of this personally.

Peace <3
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by Kartace
Ok first and foremost. NO i'm not in it for the money.

Neither do i "enjoy looking in people mouths" as you put it. This could be angled around and aimed at any job, you just find a percieved negative aspect then ask about it. "Why do you enjoy collecting peoples rubbish all day?" "why do you enjoy sitting in an office all day?"

Dentistry is an area of medicine. Much the same as gynacology, oncology or any other specialty.

Would you say to a gynacologist, "why do you enjoy looking at manky genitals all day long?", or to an oncologist, "why do you enjoy potentially diagnosing people with the worst news they'll ever recieve every day". It doesn't make sense.

This is because, that isn't what the job is at all however, it is a facet of the job which people find unatractive and therefore choose to base an illfounded question on. Also i notice you're studying psychology, one might ask, why do you want to talk to crazy people all day long? Surely thats horrible and stressfull. Who would want to do that? I don't ask that because i appreciate that it's probably something you find interesting. Also i realise that not everyone who studys psychology goes into clinical psychiatry. You seem like an intelligent person...you happen to have exactly the same A level results as me too. Surely you can appreciate this too right? Also psychiatists have an extremely high rate of suicide. Higher than that of dentists infact! So your point about that is pretty null....of course this does depend upon which year you choose to look at and which set of data you use!

I'm not becoming a dentist to look inside people mouths, i'm doing it to indulge my creativity and flare for manual dexterity in a way that allows me to help the public and provide a service which sees me established as an upstanding and respected memeber of the medical and general community.

I cannot of course speak for everyone's motivation for studying dentistry, however, i believe i speak for the majority of people on this forum when i say that dentistry probably stemmed from a general interest in science throughout school. A caring nature and an enjoyment of helping others. Alot of people will be influenced by familly members who are dentists.

Personally, it was suggested that i try some work experience. I initially wanted to do medicine. But after my first day at the dental surgery i was hooked. The creativity and the precision that was required really appealed to me. You get to speak to the patients and get to know them. And see them visibly more confident and often in significantly less pain as a result of your care. More often than not a dentist is present throughout the care of a patient, and this continuity is also very fullfilling.

I could really go on forever about why i want to do dentistry. Just take it as read that there are plenty of avenues of fullfillment on social, emotional, clinical, scientific and practical levels. If you enjoy working with your hands and working with people it's a fantastic choice. Much more surgically oreintated than general medicine. The variety is fantastic too. No day is ever the same.

Oh yeah and about the mouths "not being so pleasant" contrary to popular belief these are often the most fun! Dentist love nothing more than a load of plaque and tartar to get stuck into, or a good perio treatment. Nothing is more boring that looking into someones mouth and going "yup...fine...see you in 6 months" wheres the fun there? Although yes it is nice to see someone who takes care of their teeth. Without manky teeth there would be no need for dentists in the first place?!

Now, moving onto your next point. I'm sorry but...wherever you are quoting that from...is just....appalingly *******s ridden. Little job satisfaction. Who the hell do you/they think they are to say how much job satisfaction either me or anyone else is likley to get from dentistry!? It's a wholly subjective thing. As is stress, a very good quote i heard was that "there are no stressfull jobs, just stress prone people" Its only stressfull if you are ill equipped to deal with it or otherwise predisposed to being stressed, which i would hasted to add, as medical professionals. Most dentists are not. And dentistry is NOT the highest suicide rate, shutup! Just because a few notable cases of dental professionals committing suicide were publicised and because it has evolved into a kind of urban myth/steryotype does not make it true. It is simply incorrect. There are many other professionas with higher rates of suicide. Go and bother them!

Finally, what answers do you expect to get from a bunch of dental applicants?! You say the work isn't that appealing...well thats probably why you're not becoming a dentist and we are. We find it interesting an fullfilling. The fact that it pays well is a bonus. I agree that in many cases it also forms part of a decision to study. That is perfectly normal. However, these individulas to whom you refer. The ones who choose dentistry primarily based on the money. Very rarely get through the interview and admissions process. Also, there are plenty of other careers which steryotypically pay well and have much shorter training intervals. Such as working in the city etc... surely it would make more sense to go for one of these jobs if one were primarily driven by a love of money.

You seem to have a very cynical view of us dental applicants. You know...people do enjoy different things...and what we find interesting may not neccisarily ring true for you. If you want to discuss this further. Please PM me. I'll be happy to talk to you.

For now, i've probably written far too much already. And repeated myself many times with poor grammar and or spelling. If any of the applicants on this forum feel i've misrepresented you, please feel free to add to what i've put. Or disagree with it.

Also, this isn't a direct go at you but rather a sortof untidy release of fury at the number of people who's ignorant views have enraged me over the past 2 years as i've been applying for dentistry. I understand "you're not digging" and please don't take any of this personally.

Peace <3



No, that is a very good answer.
Original post by RobertWhite
We all know dentists get paid butt loads of money. So, my question to you is, are you in it for the money?

I really don't see the appeal in looking in people's mouths on a daily basis, many of which may not be so pleasant?

"Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth, with little else to do in their job. Despite earning a lot of money, this cannot make up for the little job satisfaction available. On top of this it is a stressful job."


Please understand I'm not digging here. There is nothing wrong with being in a job for money. Money drives our lives and is the basis to a happy life. It's the reason most of us go into higher education. I'm just interested what the general consensus is here because I don't see the attraction of the work itself.


I completely agree with everything that Kartace said above me. But I'd like to add some things.

Your statement that "Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth" is completely untrue. I have only had to Google for 10 seconds and have already found statistics from the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) that completely discredits your argument. The link for these statistics is here. I understand that these statistics are American, but give me another 10 seconds and I may be able to find some UK statistics.

Dentists have the third highest suicide rate behind Doctors (Physicians) and Marine Engineers. As Kartace said before, a few stories in the media have been exaggerated to display Dentistry as a highly suicidal job down to the nature of the work. There is no authority on which you can state that "Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth, with little else to do in their job". How can you be so sure that the reason Dentists commit suicide is down to the nature of their job? What about if the Dentist has just lost a close family member or has found out a friend has been diagnosed with cancer? There are thousands of reasons why people commit suicide, and nobody has the authority apart from the person them self to say why they committed suicide.

As Kartace said again, the applicants that are in it for the money barely get anywhere in the application process. Interviews are designed to identify these applicants. My reasons for choosing Dentistry? (put very succinctly) - It involves the application of science in a practical manner, it allows me to utilise my manual dexterity skills, it allows me to build up a relationship with patients from a wide variety of backgrounds and different ages, it also leaves the door open for career progression into a variety of different specialities - which is something that dispels the myth that Dentistry is repetitive or boring. The fact that Dentistry is stressful is indirectly one of my reasons for choosing it. Dentistry is only stressful to some people because it is challenging. I want a career that is challenging.
Original post by Kartace
[Winning like a boss]


Rather pedantic, but clinical psychologist =/= psychiatrist (physician) :fyi:
Reply 5
Original post by Blatant Troll
Rather pedantic, but clinical psychologist =/= psychiatrist (physician) :fyi:


It doesn't. Psychiatrists are people who have studied medicine and chosen to specialise in Psychiatry. Psychologists are not.
Reply 6
No matter what people say, how they say it, you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth. For example, a dentist might say that he loves dentistry because you get to deal with children and children are funny at the dentist, well.. why not become a primary school teacher? you aren't in it for the money after all and you get a lot more kids to laugh about.

It is perfectly fine to be in it for the money, or even a balance between the money and some other factor, but to say you are not in it for the money AT ALL is absurd; hypocrites.
Original post by RobertWhite
It doesn't. Psychiatrists are people who have studied medicine and chosen to specialise in Psychiatry. Psychologists are not.


Was that directed at me? If so: 'Not equal to' sign
Reply 8
Original post by Blatant Troll
Was that directed at me? If so: 'Not equal to' sign


Sorry for my confusion. I thought that meant equal to. Looks like I got one question in an exam I thought I'd got wrong from being misinformed, right! :biggrin:
Reply 9
I did a Psychology degree a while back. The employment prospects for psych graduates probably result in a fair few suicides...
Original post by Ilyas
No matter what people say, how they say it, you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth. For example, a dentist might say that he loves dentistry because you get to deal with children and children are funny at the dentist, well.. why not become a primary school teacher? you aren't in it for the money after all and you get a lot more kids to laugh about.

It is perfectly fine to be in it for the money, or even a balance between the money and some other factor, but to say you are not in it for the money AT ALL is absurd; hypocrites.


"you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth." Honestly, please think about whether that is all your dentist does for you.

If we are going down this route of conversation it's definitely worth considering that dentistry is, as far as I can tell, the only profession with a high pay, flexible working hours, and excellent (99%) career prospects. As you rightly suggested people do not go into dentistry ONLY for the money, I urge you think about the work a dentist does, and see it's a multi-faceted profession and a pretty damn exciting career to be getting into at the moment, I could throw down a number of bullet points, but that job has already been done...




Original post by Kartace
Ok first and foremost. NO i'm not in it for the money.

Neither do i &quot;enjoy looking in people mouths&quot; as you put it. This could be angled around and aimed at any job, you just find a percieved negative aspect then ask about it. &quot;Why do you enjoy collecting peoples rubbish all day?&quot; &quot;why do you enjoy sitting in an office all day?&quot;

Dentistry is an area of medicine....

Also, this isn't a direct go at you but rather a sortof untidy release of fury at the number of people who's ignorant views have enraged me over the past 2 years as i've been applying for dentistry. I understand &quot;you're not digging&quot; and please don't take any of this personally.

Peace &lt;3


As a dental applicant, that post was incredibly insightful...good luck with the application!
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by cptKernow
I did a Psychology degree a while back. The employment prospects for psych graduates probably result in a fair few suicides...



Lmaooo hahaa well said
Reply 12
Original post by Ilyas
No matter what people say, how they say it, you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth. For example, a dentist might say that he loves dentistry because you get to deal with children and children are funny at the dentist, well.. why not become a primary school teacher? you aren't in it for the money after all and you get a lot more kids to laugh about.

It is perfectly fine to be in it for the money, or even a balance between the money and some other factor, but to say you are not in it for the money AT ALL is absurd; hypocrites.


I shall not feed the troll.
Original post by Ilyas
No matter what people say, how they say it, you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth. For example, a dentist might say that he loves dentistry because you get to deal with children and children are funny at the dentist, well.. why not become a primary school teacher? you aren't in it for the money after all and you get a lot more kids to laugh about.

It is perfectly fine to be in it for the money, or even a balance between the money and some other factor, but to say you are not in it for the money AT ALL is absurd; hypocrites.


As strange as it sounds, I genuinely like looking at teeth. Come into my room and you'll see my endless tooth model collections.
I love seeing healthy teeth. Obviously like everyone else I'm not a fan of unhealthy teeth. But that doesn't make me want to stop being a dentist. It's a good opportunity for me to use my skills and try to restore that tooth.

Money is important, you need to live. But if you're in it only for the money there are better paying jobs with less training and stress.
And those that are in it for the money are more likely to retire from clinical depression. Dentistry is a lifelong commitment, no amount of money can make me do a job I hate.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Ilyas
No matter what people say, how they say it, you cannot be passionate about a job that boils down to checking out someones teeth. For example, a dentist might say that he loves dentistry because you get to deal with children and children are funny at the dentist, well.. why not become a primary school teacher? you aren't in it for the money after all and you get a lot more kids to laugh about.


It doesn't take 5 years to learn about looking at teeth. You have to understand how to interact with, diagnose and treat patients with a big range of diseases. Dentists are expected to spot bodily diseases that only manifest themselves in the mouth.... So yeah its not all about prodding around in peoples mouths.

About the money, of course im in it for the money. Im also in it for the job satisfaction, for the chance to treat people, working hours and because its always what I wanted to do!
Lololol you need to work your arse off in dentistry to make a living. It's all business baby!
Reply 16
Original post by RobertWhite
We all know dentists get paid butt loads of money. So, my question to you is, are you in it for the money?

I really don't see the appeal in looking in people's mouths on a daily basis, many of which may not be so pleasant?

"Dentistry is considered the highest suicide rate as most of their time is spent staring into someone's mouth, with little else to do in their job. Despite earning a lot of money, this cannot make up for the little job satisfaction available. On top of this it is a stressful job."


Please understand I'm not digging here. There is nothing wrong with being in a job for money. Money drives our lives and is the basis to a happy life. It's the reason most of us go into higher education. I'm just interested what the general consensus is here because I don't see the attraction of the work itself.


I knew before even clicking on this thread that it would be about dentistry i just knew it! actually imo i think there are two types of people who do dentistry... the minority who actually are passionate about it the majority who are after the money. i'm saying this based on talks that i've had with numerous dentists who've told me why they wanted to dentistry when i was doing my work experience at dentists.
Reply 17
Original post by Kartace
Ok first and foremost. NO i'm not in it for the money.

Neither do i "enjoy looking in people mouths" as you put it. This could be angled around and aimed at any job, you just find a percieved negative aspect then ask about it. "Why do you enjoy collecting peoples rubbish all day?" "why do you enjoy sitting in an office all day?"

Dentistry is an area of medicine. Much the same as gynacology, oncology or any other specialty.

Would you say to a gynacologist, "why do you enjoy looking at manky genitals all day long?", or to an oncologist, "why do you enjoy potentially diagnosing people with the worst news they'll ever recieve every day". It doesn't make sense.

This is because, that isn't what the job is at all however, it is a facet of the job which people find unatractive and therefore choose to base an illfounded question on. Also i notice you're studying psychology, one might ask, why do you want to talk to crazy people all day long? Surely thats horrible and stressfull. Who would want to do that? I don't ask that because i appreciate that it's probably something you find interesting. Also i realise that not everyone who studys psychology goes into clinical psychiatry. You seem like an intelligent person...you happen to have exactly the same A level results as me too. Surely you can appreciate this too right? Also psychiatists have an extremely high rate of suicide. Higher than that of dentists infact! So your point about that is pretty null....of course this does depend upon which year you choose to look at and which set of data you use!

I'm not becoming a dentist to look inside people mouths, i'm doing it to indulge my creativity and flare for manual dexterity in a way that allows me to help the public and provide a service which sees me established as an upstanding and respected memeber of the medical and general community.

I cannot of course speak for everyone's motivation for studying dentistry, however, i believe i speak for the majority of people on this forum when i say that dentistry probably stemmed from a general interest in science throughout school. A caring nature and an enjoyment of helping others. Alot of people will be influenced by familly members who are dentists.

Personally, it was suggested that i try some work experience. I initially wanted to do medicine. But after my first day at the dental surgery i was hooked. The creativity and the precision that was required really appealed to me. You get to speak to the patients and get to know them. And see them visibly more confident and often in significantly less pain as a result of your care. More often than not a dentist is present throughout the care of a patient, and this continuity is also very fullfilling.

I could really go on forever about why i want to do dentistry. Just take it as read that there are plenty of avenues of fullfillment on social, emotional, clinical, scientific and practical levels. If you enjoy working with your hands and working with people it's a fantastic choice. Much more surgically oreintated than general medicine. The variety is fantastic too. No day is ever the same.

Oh yeah and about the mouths "not being so pleasant" contrary to popular belief these are often the most fun! Dentist love nothing more than a load of plaque and tartar to get stuck into, or a good perio treatment. Nothing is more boring that looking into someones mouth and going "yup...fine...see you in 6 months" wheres the fun there? Although yes it is nice to see someone who takes care of their teeth. Without manky teeth there would be no need for dentists in the first place?!

Now, moving onto your next point. I'm sorry but...wherever you are quoting that from...is just....appalingly *******s ridden. Little job satisfaction. Who the hell do you/they think they are to say how much job satisfaction either me or anyone else is likley to get from dentistry!? It's a wholly subjective thing. As is stress, a very good quote i heard was that "there are no stressfull jobs, just stress prone people" Its only stressfull if you are ill equipped to deal with it or otherwise predisposed to being stressed, which i would hasted to add, as medical professionals. Most dentists are not. And dentistry is NOT the highest suicide rate, shutup! Just because a few notable cases of dental professionals committing suicide were publicised and because it has evolved into a kind of urban myth/steryotype does not make it true. It is simply incorrect. There are many other professionas with higher rates of suicide. Go and bother them!

Finally, what answers do you expect to get from a bunch of dental applicants?! You say the work isn't that appealing...well thats probably why you're not becoming a dentist and we are. We find it interesting an fullfilling. The fact that it pays well is a bonus. I agree that in many cases it also forms part of a decision to study. That is perfectly normal. However, these individulas to whom you refer. The ones who choose dentistry primarily based on the money. Very rarely get through the interview and admissions process. Also, there are plenty of other careers which steryotypically pay well and have much shorter training intervals. Such as working in the city etc... surely it would make more sense to go for one of these jobs if one were primarily driven by a love of money.

You seem to have a very cynical view of us dental applicants. You know...people do enjoy different things...and what we find interesting may not neccisarily ring true for you. If you want to discuss this further. Please PM me. I'll be happy to talk to you.

For now, i've probably written far too much already. And repeated myself many times with poor grammar and or spelling. If any of the applicants on this forum feel i've misrepresented you, please feel free to add to what i've put. Or disagree with it.

Also, this isn't a direct go at you but rather a sortof untidy release of fury at the number of people who's ignorant views have enraged me over the past 2 years as i've been applying for dentistry. I understand "you're not digging" and please don't take any of this personally.

Peace <3


If you are really that passionate about dentistry, I want you to be my dentist, seriously. :smile:
Reply 18
Original post by arbaaz
I knew before even clicking on this thread that it would be about dentistry i just knew it! actually imo i think there are two types of people who do dentistry... the minority who actually are passionate about it the majority who are after the money. i'm saying this based on talks that i've had with numerous dentists who've told me why they wanted to dentistry when i was doing my work experience at dentists.


There's nothing wrong with doing it just for the money. People seem to think doing it for the money equals being a bad dentist.

At the end of the day why do you work? For money. You want a stable job that pays well.

Having a passion and being enthusiastic about it will help in you enjoying your job etc, but anyone doing it for the money don't be ashamed to say for.

It's money that's gets you through this world.

Although having said that, there are easier and faster ways of making a lot more money.
....No i'm in it for the help factor and because it fits my skill base.

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