I'm an active-duty U.S. Army oral/maxillofacial surgeon and am currently deciding if I should stay in the military or get out (I'm eligible to get out next year, and will have 14 yrs of service, 6 yrs short of acquiring eligibility for retirement benefits). First off, I was in private practice for 3 years after dental school and entered the military because I wanted to specialize. My student loan debt, combined with the fact that I had 2 young children to support and provide insurance for, made going through a civilian 4yr residency financially untenable. The military pay for a new captain is not exhorbitant, but given the healthcare benefits for a young family, as well as the significant tax advantages, the military is by far and way (economically) superior to a civilian residency, most of which provide only a meager stipend and no health insurance. Secondly, as an oral surgeon, we do a ton or orthognathic surgery, trauma surgery, etc., which is not the case in most civilian programs (there are some exceptions). I would guess that I have significantly more autonomy than my civilian counterparts, as I can perform whatever treatment is necessary, un-hindered by the patient's insurance or financial restrictions. I don't have to worry about overhead, hiring, or firing. There is no territorial "pissing" by hypercompetitive colleagues, everyone shares information and assistance freely, unencumbered by self-serving financial interests. I'm exceedingly confident that most dental students and new military dentists significantly over-estimate the income that a "civilian" dentist makes, especially in the first few years. Having finished my residency 6 years ago and having a rank of O-5, my current compensation is approximately $185,000/yr. Now a civilian oral surgeon may make more than this, but they have to pay for their own family health insurance, continuing education, and retirement. Shopping at the on-post military commissary (you do buy groceries, don't you?) is 30% cheaper than shopping at civilian grocery stores. If I choose to stay in, my bonuses will increase by $80,000/yr, which will put me at around $270,000/yr. I am also allowed to "moonlight" at a civilian practice using some of my leave days, which easily bring in another $50,000/yr. And retiring as an O-6 will mean $60,000/yr for the rest of my life, with continued benefits (to get this much "free" money with an assumed 7% return on your investment would mean that you would have to have $860,000 in those investments. Last week I met with a non-military certified financial planner to crunch data to help me decide whether to stay or go. She said that , with benefits and retirement pay, my military retirement would be worth slightly more than $2,000,000. If I get injured and can't practice, I still get the same retirement pay. If the stock market plummets, I get the same retirement pay. The downsides? You can't control where you live or for how long, you may get deployed for 6 months, you have an overabundance of nonsense admin/safety/computer training, you can't control your own clinic hours, you can't hire who you want, you can't fire who you want, and you have to pass a physical fitness test every 6 months. And - if you're a new general dentist right out of school - you likely will not have much control over procedures you are able to perform (they call it "being stuck on the amalgam line"). Also (and this is the real kick in the pants to me), to get retirement benefits, you have to stay in the full 20 years. So if you get out at 19 years and 11 months, you get nothing. If you're debating coming into the military as a dentist, I would weigh the lifestyle more than anything else. Because financially, the difference is not as much as you think and - in many cases - the military dentist will make more money, depending on specialty, location, etc. Also take into account whether you are doing it short term, or for the full 20 years.