i've started to here that things are not as great as they once were (for everybody). orthodontists; especially in the southern california region, are having a very hard time finding new patients. doesnt matter how easy your work is, if you dont have patients, you dont get paid. many people see ortho as a more cosmetic/optional thing, so they'll hold off on it. Endo also is not as lucrative as it once was. a friend during dental school's dad is an endodontists, and he was telling me that his income has dropped 30% since the early 90's. i'm sure he's still doing great, but with the advent of many differnet rotary systems (sequence, etc), and different filling techniques (thermafil), many GP's are doing their own endo's, especially the easy anterior cases. so now all they get are the complicated re-treats and molars. with the complicated cases that involve surgery, many patients are opting to extract and implant.
perio is great; as long as you do lots of implants. prosth is like being a glorified GP; and with this economy people are not doing as many full mouth re-habs as they once were. i'm doing more and more ext's and dentures. one of my most profitable procedures is oral surgery. i extract most of the teeth that come my way, and they're straight profit for the most part. no real over head, other than the occassional blade and sutures. thats why i love being a GP, do what i want and refer what i dont