What factors affect dentist income?

Answer 1

Income varies widely. Income depends on how you are employed, or if you own your own practice and are "self employed".

Dentists are employed through several agencies such as the Armed services, Indian Health service, pubic health clinics, NIH, CDC, prison systems, dental schools, research institutions, as representatives for dental companies, insurance company claim evaluators, etc. The income in these settings is often as a salary based on years of experience, rank, position, or degrees held.

In private practice, it is basically a small business, and depends if you are the owner, or if you work for another dentist as their associate or as a contractor. Income in private practice is just like small business and depends on supply and demand, competition, what the clientele wants and can afford, the volume of patients, your overhead, your efficiency, the geographical area, what you charge, the kind of procedures you do, and so on.

This is why there is such a wide range of incomes reported for dentists - for every "Hollywood" dentist making a million bucks, and having their own office in Beverley Hills, there are lots of others that are happy with a steady income working as a contractor for Public Health in an inner city somewhere.