NYer looking to move to NC! dentistry prospects? (Charlotte, Raleigh: insurance, chapel)
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I'm a future dentist who recently started researching places to settle down once dental school (and maybe residency) ends. I really love what I've been seeing in NC. I've been specifically looking at the Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte areas.
Would these be good places to set up a dental practice? Are there lots of dentists there already?
You really should contact both the NC Dental Society and the American Dental Association, and ask them where in NC they need dentists, because you most definitely do not want to open a practice where you are not needed, it goofs it up for the other dentists there.
I can tell you that in the Raleigh/Cary area there are tons of dentists, HOWEVER, the main complaint I hear is that most practices are closed on Fridays and Saturdays. Having availability on these days may be a plus. That being said, remember that UNC Chapel Hill has a dental school here and many who come to this area want to stay.
I'm sure there are market research statistics that can give you an accurate idea of the # of dentists per capita much more than any anecdotal "evidence" people on a message board can provide. As gigimac says, check with dental associations--that kind of thing is their raison d'etre. Plus if you are in dental school, isn't there a career placement center who would have such information?
If you REALLY want to make a difference, you would set up in a rural area. The ECU School of Dental Medicine was created to help alleviate that problem. Just like Brody School of Medicine. But you could move to the Raleigh-Charlotte population crescent and become "another dentist".
I'd be looking to be more of a cosmetic dentist if I get a residency in orthodontics. I'll check out some dental associations as well; thanks for that advice.
How do you pick which dentist/specialists to go to if they're setting up a new practice? Would it be difficult to attract patients? Are braces, veneers, etc popular in NC?
I'd be looking to be more of a cosmetic dentist if I get a residency in orthodontics. I'll check out some dental associations as well; thanks for that advice.
How do you pick which dentist/specialists to go to if they're setting up a new practice? Would it be difficult to attract patients? Are braces, veneers, etc popular in NC?
Don't know about veneers...but every teenager that I know/see has braces. I'm 38 (will be 39 Thursday) and just got my braces off about 1.5 months ago.
If you're in a less populated place, it would be easier to attract new patients, as they're probably having to drive a distance to a dentist office, and would love to go to someone more local.
I was born and raised in the Piedmont Triad area of NC and then left for the military back in the 80s. What I'm about to tell you- you've probably already heard:
small, rural, country places are the worst....unless you go where there are alot of poverty patients. I didn't come up with this...I witnessed this first hand-
Poor people won't (or can't is more like it) afford to take their kids or themselves to the dentist. So in an area where the industry is low pay and or no dental benefits.....there are already too many dentists if there are 3 in a town.
When I lived up north and out west- there were dentists everywhere and they were always booked....and didn't take insurances- the patient had to file the paperwork.
After returning home 2 years ago I took my daughter to a dentist in High Point who EVERY patient that came in was on state welfare insurance. So it was no surprise when I got the 'treatment plan' it included alot of overbilling. (taking her back to Maryland to her old dentist).
Just do your homework!
Have you checked out the Veterans Administration dental yet? There are perks to doing your residency with the VA..... check it out.
I'd want to be a go-to dentist. Open on weekends and evenings and do general/family work plus some of the fancier stuff like braces and whatnot. I'd also do some free work a few days a month for people who have trouble getting work done. Hopefully I'll be in NC soon enough
Last question: Does your schooling matter? Meaning, where you went to school? Do you prefer in-state educated dentists to out-of-state newcomers?
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