Dentists, medical professionals weigh in please

[ua_guy]

I'm 33 years old and I'm at my wits end with my present career. I'm getting some career coaching, and I'm talking to people, and I'm hearing kind of what I already know but haven't really talked about much or admitted openly. I regret not going into a medical field or pursuing medical school. There's a long story there.

I talked with a psychiatrist who started medical school at 30 and he asked what I'd like to do. I told him I was really thinking about dentistry; it's something that is interesting, I like working with my hands, and I've known dentists that were friends of the family growing up and I think I could do very well as one. To that he said great, you're looking at an even shorter timeline, probably 4 years, give/take 18-24 months to knock out pre-requisites. I already have a bachelor's in business and I've done very well in bio/chem/physics, plus I've done scaled versions of A&P for an EMT program and it's magically fascinating.

So that puts me at roughly 39 or 40 years old if I graduate on time, with a conservative estimate of $120k in student debt.

Could there be a meaningful life and practice of dentistry inside of 20 years (or longer, if I'm still able to work in my 60's?)

Would it be realistic to do this at 33 years old? I have no kids, married, my other half is willing to support me during school.

The psychiatrist I was talking with was confident that it wasn't too late. But he added to that, "the time is now". I worry it's too late.

Any personal experiences? Know of anyone who's gone forward with the same vision at a relatively "late" age?

If you'd rather not share publicly, I always welcome private messages. Thanks!

[Like2Plan]

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Any personal experiences? Know of anyone who's gone forward with the same vision at a relatively "late" age?

DH's former dentist graduated college and was a pilot in the Air Force. He got out of the AF and became a dentist (I think he might have been around 30 when he got out of the AF). I think he retired from dentistry after 20 years. He and his wife maintain 2 households (they are snowbirds in the winter)--I think they have a condo in FL. They don't have a McMansion, but it is a nice house.

DH thought he was a great dentist--happy for him that he could retire, but sad to lose him as a dentist.

[Singuy]

So I am assuming your will be working to offset the high cost of student loans? Dental school is one of the most expensive schools out there. My instate tuition at a state university is 53k/year(this is tuition only). I know most graduates nowadays end up with 250k of student loans easy. Since most dental office are for-profit organizations, you'll have a tough time using the "10 year forgiveness income based payment" method.

As for your monetary compensation, dentistry is rather complicated.
When you graduate, you will most likely work for an existing dental office(already established by an experienced dentist/orthodontist). The usual pay is about 130k/year, and as the business grow, you will eventually get a profit sharing type deal(almost like a commission).

The real money comes from opening up your own practice, as sky is the limit here. You can expect 200-who knows in pay depending on the business. Of course you need to save up enough capital and reduce your student loans drastically before even thinking about opening up your own practice. This is why it's better to be a dentist in your late 20s/early 30s than in your 40s. You may not have the opportunity to open up a shop until you are probably 50. 1

If you can get in and set aside 8 years of your life, it's definitely worth the time and money. It's a profession in which sky is the limit, but you need to also have the will to get through a lot of tough times(school, student loans, pain of opening a business).

Disclaimer: I am not a dentist, but I have friends who are.