Dental specialties and patient satisfaction

[BananaBread27]

Hi all! I'm a current D1 thinking of specializing in the future and I was wondering which specialty has the highest patient satisfaction.

Basically, which specialty makes their patients consistently happy about the results of their procedure?

Also, what specialty do you think sees more people actually WANTING to go the their dental office rather than being dragged there?

If you have any anecdotes or experiences please share!

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[Ivy.ch]

Cross out OS. Most patients don’t want to see me.

Probably Orthodontics or Oral Medicine.

 

[FutureDent020]

Definitely not Endo. My first two patients were crying in the chair yesterday. I feel like we spend a lot of our time trying to heal a scarred generation. People have a complete irrational fear of the procedure. But we also get the patients GP’s don’t want to see.

 

[ozzyomfs]

It's certainly not orofacial pain

 

[redchesus]

Ortho probably... it's the only specialty that's not a "grudge purchase" (People actually want what they're paying for)

 

[nateriver]

Peds has been great in my experience

 

[carabelliscusp]

Peds has been great in my experience

No disrespect but surprised to hear this described as “highest patient satisfaction”

 

[nateriver]

No disrespect but surprised to hear this described as “highest patient satisfaction”

I will say I misread this and thought it was asking about provider satisfcation, however, to respond to the original question Id say there is nothing like taking a scared patient, and giving them a positive experience that follows them for a lifetime, or helping an anxious parent see their child can receive care and be comfortable throughout the treatment.

 

[FutureDent020]

I will say I misread this and thought it was asking about provider satisfcation, however, to respond to the original question Id say there is nothing like taking a scared patient, and giving them a positive experience that follows them for a lifetime, or helping an anxious parent see their child can receive care and be comfortable throughout the treatment.

I treat a good amount of kids. And I do agree. That is a good feeling. But man, doing a root canal on a 8-10 y/o with the parent right next to you while trying to manage everyone’s anxiety is pretty exhausting task. Especially when you have multiple other challenging patients to take care of that day. My partner who is about 20 years older than me won’t see anyone under 18 for that exact reason. It eventually became more than he was willing to take on. And I get it. I’m not sure the “good feeling I get” will be worth it after doing it for so long. I love kids, but definitely not built to treat them.

 

[nateriver]

I treat a good amount of kids. And I do agree. That is a good feeling. But man, doing a root canal on a 8-10 y/o with the parent right next to you while trying to manage everyone’s anxiety is pretty exhausting task. Especially when you have multiple other challenging patients to take care of that day. My partner who is about 20 years older than me won’t see anyone under 18 for that exact reason. It eventually became more than he was willing to take on. And I get it. I’m not sure the “good feeling I get” will be worth it after doing it for so long. I love kids, but definitely not built to treat them.

Thank you to you for seeing kids for endo, where I am, we have a lot of trouble finding endo for perm teeth for kids under 12, yes I can imagine that would be challenging , truly commend you

 

[MidwestOwl]

Thank you to you for seeing kids for endo, where I am, we have a lot of trouble finding endo for perm teeth for kids under 12, yes I can imagine that would be challenging , truly commend you

one of my upper classwomen left pedo after a few years to do endo residency...Im assuming she is more endo than pedo now??? yeah, kids can be difficult sometimes...but at least whiny kids are way cuter than whiny adults...

 

[MidwestOwl]

Hi all! I'm a current D1 thinking of specializing in the future and I was wondering which specialty has the highest patient satisfaction.

Basically, which specialty makes their patients consistently happy about the results of their procedure?

Also, what specialty do you think sees more people actually WANTING to go the their dental office rather than being dragged there?

If you have any anecdotes or experiences please share!

i think ortho is probably the only specialty that patients are excited to see them....dentistry is a customer service industry...and customer service job sucks...Dental procedures are expensive; as a result, patients will try to postpone them as much as they can. at least, patients have to see us, endo, when they are in pain...

 

[MidwestOwl]

Hi all! I'm a current D1 thinking of specializing in the future and I was wondering which specialty has the highest patient satisfaction.

Basically, which specialty makes their patients consistently happy about the results of their procedure?

Also, what specialty do you think sees more people actually WANTING to go the their dental office rather than being dragged there?

If you have any anecdotes or experiences please share!

ortho is the only one that patients are actually excited to see.. They mostly deal with teenagers, who tend to be young/ fun and healthy. Other specialties have to deal with the cases that GPs dont want to touch... Dentistry is a glorified customer service job...you have to make patients happy...some patients suck big time...but the pay is good ..

Endo: patients do not like us but they have to see us when they are in pain
OMFS: most patients have to see them, especially teenagers before 21
Prosth: usually crazy ones that GPs dont want to see
Perio: most GPs dont get perio involved in patient care as often as they should???
peds; Kids are cute but their parents are annoying

 

[nateriver]

ortho is the only one that patients are actually excited to see.. They mostly deal with teenagers, who tend to be young/ fun and healthy. Other specialties have to deal with the cases that GPs dont want to touch... Dentistry is a glorified customer service job...you have to make patients happy...some patients suck big time...but the pay is good ..

Endo: patients do not like us but they have to see us when they are in pain
OMFS: most patients have to see them, especially teenagers before 21
Prosth: usually crazy ones that GPs dont want to see
Perio: most GPs dont get perio involved in patient care as often as they should???
peds; Kids are cute but their parents are annoying

sounds like you love ortho lol

 

[yappy]

No one wants health care services but a lot of people seem thankful to have a RCT or extraction of painful or infected teeth. Patients also seem motivated to have anterior implants. These are easy to understand problems (pain, infection, missing teeth) that people are happy to have solved.
I agree that people are motivated to have orthodontic treatment too but ortho also has patient challenges.

 

[Lemillion]

Ortho: patients are there because they want to be. Even if they don't initially, they understand why and see the benefit(esthetics, bite, etc).

Peds: you still have deliver bad news (I.e. your child has a ton of cavities and needs general anesthesia for their dental care, trauma.) However, the focus is on the child having a positive experience so that they enjoy coming to the dentist and develop a good relationship. Nonetheless, parents don't enjoy having to bring their kid for a filling and would rather just come twice a year for their recall appt.

 

[yappy]

Ortho: patients are there because they want to be. Even if they don't initially, they understand why and see the benefit(esthetics, bite, etc).

Peds: you still have deliver bad news (I.e. your child has a ton of cavities and needs general anesthesia for their dental care, trauma.) However, the focus is on the child having a positive experience so that they enjoy coming to the dentist and develop a good relationship. Nonetheless, parents don't enjoy having to bring their kid for a filling and would rather just come twice a year for their recall appt.

But why would I be happy to have or want braces? They hurt and are expensive. I would have rather have had perfect teeth without them.

 

[MidwestOwl]

sounds like you love ortho lol

im a little introverted...so ortho might not work...also easier to make money as endo...endo assocIATES CAN HIT 500K easily

 

[MidwestOwl]

But why would I be happy to have or want braces? They hurt and are expensive. I would have rather have had perfect teeth without them.

because americans are wired to expect that their teeth need to be "cookie cutter" straight and perfectly white...rich or poor, mommy and daddy will do anything to get that colgate smile for their kids. in the old day, when kids turn 18 they automatically sacrifice their 4 premolars to achieve that perfect smiles. Teen tend to have bad hygiene, slapping braces on them basically make them more caries-prone...more jobs for the dentists, i guess

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Teen tend to have bad hygiene, slapping braces on them basically make them more caries-prone

The AAO needs to have strongly established guidelines regarding debonding due to hygiene noncompliance. The fact that these do not exist is troubling. I encounter so many patients whose teeth are just rotted out, and they’ve be under the “supervision” of the orthodontist every 4-6 weeks. I feel like telling their parents that I’d be happy to serve as an expert witness in what should be an open and shut malpractice lawsuit.

Big Hoss

 

[D1Bound]

The AAO needs to have strongly established guidelines regarding debonding due to hygiene noncompliance. The fact that these do not exist is troubling. I encounter so many patients whose teeth are just rotted out, and they’ve be under the “supervision” of the orthodontist every 4-6 weeks. I feel like telling their parents that I’d be happy to serve as an expert witness in what should be an open and shut malpractice lawsuit.

Big Hoss

Why not tell them that? Why is it in dentistry we always cover for each other or look the other way? I feel weird about that

 

[MidwestOwl]

Why not tell them that? Why is it in dentistry we always cover for each other or look the other way? I feel weird about that

Eh buddy...it is all business. Orthodontists dont want to slow down their tx or waste their time to debond those...it is not their fault that those kids dont have good hygiene. in endo, The AAE started to recommend endodontists to do more pulp cap and pulpotomy even on adults these days too. Good luck convincing the endodontists to do that...sub500 vs 1500 procedures. you can do the math

 

[Molar Whisperer]

Thank you to you for seeing kids for endo, where I am, we have a lot of trouble finding endo for perm teeth for kids under 12, yes I can imagine that would be challenging , truly commend you

Where I'm located, no endodontist wants to see anyone under 16. I heard a kid scream at my clinic and knew I will be seeing that kid. I told the parent to give the kid a dose of Children's Benadryl an hour before the appt and for the most part, they fall soundly asleep during the procedure and wake up happy and their parents happy. IMO, the 8 to 12 yo's MB2s are easier to locate, instr and obturate.

 

[MidwestOwl]

Where I'm located, no endodontist wants to see anyone under 16. I heard a kid scream and knew I will be seeing that kid. I told the parent to give the kid a dose of Children's Benadryl an hour before the appt and for the most part, they fall soundly asleep during the procedure and wake up happy and their parents happy. IMO, the 8 to 12 yo's MB2s are easier to locate, instr and obturate.

i dont mind seeing kids...the ones that i cant stand are the parents..very annoying.. adults are way more annoying

 

[Molar Whisperer]

ortho is the only one that patients are actually excited to see.. They mostly deal with teenagers, who tend to be young/ fun and healthy. Other specialties have to deal with the cases that GPs dont want to touch... Dentistry is a glorified customer service job...you have to make patients happy...some patients suck big time...but the pay is good ..

Endo: patients do not like us but they have to see us when they are in pain
OMFS: most patients have to see them, especially teenagers before 21
Prosth: usually crazy ones that GPs dont want to see
Perio: most GPs dont get perio involved in patient care as often as they should???
peds; Kids are cute but their parents are annoying

Endo: Pts rather die than have RCTs...according to Hollywood
OMFS: Pts are excited to get doped up, closest job to being a medical physician
Prosth: Lots of behind the scenes work such as mock ups, redos, retakes, etc.
Perio: Many times they get the pts with disgusting oral conditions and the noncompliant ones
Peds: The GPs keep the cute kids

 

[Molar Whisperer]

But why would I be happy to have or want braces? They hurt and are expensive. I would have rather have had perfect teeth without them.

For Asians, it seem that having braces is a status symbol even for poor parents. If I was interest in Ortho, I would move to San Gabriel, Cupertino, Flushing NYC or anywhere there is a 99 Ranch Market. Asian parents will give up their limbs for their kids.

 

[nateriver]

The AAO needs to have strongly established guidelines regarding debonding due to hygiene noncompliance. The fact that these do not exist is troubling. I encounter so many patients whose teeth are just rotted out, and they’ve be under the “supervision” of the orthodontist every 4-6 weeks. I feel like telling their parents that I’d be happy to serve as an expert witness in what should be an open and shut malpractice lawsuit.

Big Hoss

This ^

 

[Lemillion]

But why would I be happy to have or want braces? They hurt and are expensive. I would have rather have had perfect teeth without them.

Surprisingly that's the common attitude/response I see from patients. A lot of patients come in conscientious of how they look when they smile so they're happy/want braces despite the price and discomfort because they value it. Some patients (adults) do get in over their head once it begins and then realize the lifestyle adjustments needed.

 

[SuxDrugs&Rocuronium]

No patient has ever complained about being put under anesthesia, they like the drugs

 

[nateriver]

i dont mind seeing kids...the ones that i cant stand are the parents..very annoying.. adults are way more annoying

Adults are deff more difficult to see , hence why I chose pediatrics lol

 

[SilkyJ]

Hi all! I'm a current D1 thinking of specializing in the future and I was wondering which specialty has the highest patient satisfaction.

Basically, which specialty makes their patients consistently happy about the results of their procedure?

Also, what specialty do you think sees more people actually WANTING to go the their dental office rather than being dragged there?

If you have any anecdotes or experiences please share!

OMFS if you can’t decide. TMJ patients tick all your boxes, but in different directions.

They are consistently UNhappy about the results of their procedures, but they ALWAYS want to keep coming back to your office. They have the lowest patient satisfaction, but refuse to leave and go somewhere else. Nothing I say or do makes their problems go away, but they still want to keep coming in to see me.