Category Archives: Before You Buy

If you’re a dental associate, your student loans probably look like Mount Kilimanjaro. Yeah, you’ll conquer it eventually, but that’s a heck of a climb to get there. And if you stay in an associate or employee role, that will be one tough summit.

The average dental school grad in 2022 came out of school with just shy of $294,000 in student loan debt. To put it mildly: yikes. And that’s just the average! While some have a bit less, some have twice that amount. Maybe you’re in that boat—if so you’re not alone. A quick google search shows that there are a ton of current and former students worried about how to pay all of that off.

So, how do you do it? How do you pay down those student loans as fast as possible?

Let’s talk about sustainability.

No, I don’t mean the environmental buzzword—important though that may be.

I’m talking about personal sustainability. The ability to maintain your life, your work, yourself throughout a long and lucrative career.

So, with that in mind, here’s a piece of general advice for most dentists: don’t shoot for the stars.

Counterintuitive, right? Obviously this one is going to need a breakdown.

Here are five things you can start on today to be ready to buy your dream practice.

Here are five things you can start on today to be ready to buy your dream practice.

My number one financial tip for new dentists can be summed up in one word:

WAIT.

It’s one word, but it means a couple of different things.

Among the perks of dentistry is that it can provide financial security that few other professions can. But to achieve it, you’ll need to pay attention to more than just your basic clinical skills. Here are three tips for new dentists to get off on the right foot financially as you start your career.

If you want to own a dental practice, you’ll need some skill with that drill. That’s not according to me, that’s according to the banks that will be loaning you the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the practice purchase.