what do you do for living???

[Faisah]

grant, my little brother is doing dental technician course, is that career profitable?

[zulaika]

living la vida lovely

[AbdiWahab252]

I am involved in medical sales and also own rental properties.

[Grant]

Faisah,

The field is changing rapidly. Much of it is getting computerized. Larger and larger operations are breaking the process down into steps, so they can train and pay less. Expensive equipment is replacing expensive labor. There is a lot of outsourcing to countries with cheap labor going on. At some early point they will have digital impressions that will allow cases to be sent around the world in minutes and returned chairside in less than three days. How well your brother is going to do is going to depend on the level at which he practices, and where.

When I got into the field we were expected to get licensure. Not only has this not happened here in the States, virtually all the credentialed schools have been closed. Step work is left largely to recent immigrants. Those now entering the field with any real expection of upward mobility are probably Cad/Cam operators or those with additional degrees in management.

Dental Technology is still a viable "semi" profession in parts of Europe. I get by by offering a higher level of service and increased customization of the restorations I deliver. My ability to do this will change as the technology changes, but probably not before I am ready to retire.
Your brother will need to keep up with the field and climb to the top to excell financially.

[The-Screw]

uh....




a little of this, a little of that.

[ORGEONES]

I am involved in medical sales and also own rental properties.

Aw, I neeed forclosed and real estate or bank owned homes listings, I can't seem to find reliable site.

[Qumanyoo]

currently a FULLTIME babysitter ..

insha allah be a teacher .. and own a business set up for the mum .. so she can have a hobby

[Faisah]

Grant, thanks for the much appreciated advice.

[HabeshKid]

I'm a college student with one more year until graduation. In the meantime, I work at a department store in the mall.

[zulaika]

Dental technician, laboratory owner. I make crowns, bridges, etc.

grant,

i hear dentists are the highest paid physicians in the country...i also hear they have the highest suicide rate among their peers...why come for this?

[Grant]

Dental technician, laboratory owner. I make crowns, bridges, etc.

grant,

i hear dentists are the highest paid physicians in the country...i also hear they have the highest suicide rate among their peers...why come for this?

Zuleika,

You are right about the highest-paid part. They are now topping MDs at 200-300K. The suicide rate has gone way down as the materials and techniques have gotten better. The high suicide period was the Sixties, Seventies. Since then implants and adhesive materials have approached 100% success. The schools also began teaching 'Practice management", that is business skills, which also made a big difference.

My biggest objection to all this is that the percentage of the population that is getting dental services is actually going down, as the cost keeps going up. They are also training fewer dentists and the number practicing per 100,000 population is declining. Same with technicians, only more dramatically.

[ms.nalia]

Im a legal Dealer!

[Aliyah99]

Where is nafisa.bush's comment

One of the mods has a vendetta against her. She made a valid point that Grant is a Dental Technician not a Dentist. Censorship and personal vendettas by the mods

[Grant]

Nafisa,

FYI,

Technicians are not stepworkers. We are "teamplayers" who often call the shots and are the teachers with respect to technical matters. This is how we are able to hold onto the work.

I have been a CDT since 1978. This means I have had at least 12 hours of continuing education every year since then. You do the math. Regrettably, it's all been voluntary; but you should note that some of us are less "community college" than others. I don't take a back seat among the DDS crew.

[Gatspy]

I'm in IT, I work for this firm that manages government ministries networks and databases. But i've been training others and not actually doing real work for the past couple of months. yeah i'm bore out of my friggen brains

Grant that sounds like and interesting field dude.