Dental Anesthesiology as a Career

[Prehealthwhatever]

Would like any practicing dental anesthesiologists or residents to chime in: what is the job outlook/security of the profession currently and for the foreseeable future?

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[SuxDrugs&Rocuronium]

Outlook seems to be pretty favorable in most places. Not a ton of practicing DA’s so biggest competition is CRNAs. There are established groups you can join or start your own mobile practice for relatively cheap (compared to opening a dental practice). Some people work at or start there own outpatient surgery center, but that seems to be less common.

 

[Prehealthwhatever]

Outlook seems to be pretty favorable in most places. Not a ton of practicing DA’s so biggest competition is CRNAs. There are established groups you can join or start your own mobile practice for relatively cheap (compared to opening a dental practice). Some people work at or start there own outpatient surgery center, but that seems to be less common.

What about competition with MDs? Is saturation a problem in the major cities? How is income for new grad in group practice, and does it work like other specialties where one can work up to partner, get equity etc.

 

[Bropofol*]

Would like any practicing dental anesthesiologists or residents to chime in: what is the job outlook/security of the profession currently and for the foreseeable future?

As with any profession or specialty, make sure you enjoy the work on a daily basis, can see yourself doing it for 30 years, and be as competent as possible… that being said the possibilities are vast if you’re flexible to travel around.

 

[SuxDrugs&Rocuronium]

What about competition with MDs? Is saturation a problem in the major cities? How is income for new grad in group practice, and does it work like other specialties where one can work up to partner, get equity etc.

I’m just a resident so not 100% sure, but from what I understand competition with MDs typically isn’t a huge issue, it’s more CRNAs that have traditionally done anesthesia in dental offices. Incomes vary, but I’ve been told new grads in a group are typically anywhere from 300-600k, and I think the partner opportunity is probably group specific

 

[dentalstudent1445]

Hi all - not a dental student anymore, been in practice for 10 years LOL!

First, where do DAs typically get jobs after residency? And what's the pay typically?

Not saying this exists but trying to understand the landscape. If a dental anesthesiologist were given a FT job in a oral surgery office, is that something that would be sought after?

 

[charlestweed]

Hi all - not a dental student anymore, been in practice for 10 years LOL!

First, where do DAs typically get jobs after residency? And what's the pay typically?

Not saying this exists but trying to understand the landscape. If a dental anesthesiologist were given a FT job in a oral surgery office, is that something that would be sought after?

My wife recently joined a pedo/ortho practice, where she does mostly 3rd molar extractions and canine exposures. The practice has a dental anesthesiologist who helps sedate young kids (as young as 4-5 yo) for the 2 pedodontists who work there. She helps sedate some of my wife’s patients as well. My wife loves working with her because it's like working on a typodont. She does nasal intubation and throat packs the patient with gauge.....dry working field and no need to worry about aspiration. According to my wife, this anesthesiologist travels to multiple offices and is super busy. My wife doesn't have any info about this DA's salary.

 

[702]

My wife recently joined a pedo/ortho practice, where she does mostly 3rd molar extractions and canine exposures. The practice has a dental anesthesiologist who helps sedate young kids (as young as 4-5 yo) for the 2 pedodontists who work there. She helps sedate some of my wife’s patients as well. My wife loves working with her because it's like working on a typodont. She does nasal intubation and throat packs the patient with gauge.....dry working field and no need to worry about aspiration. According to my wife, this anesthesiologist travels to multiple offices and is super busy. My wife doesn't have any info about this DA's salary.

I wonder why they don’t have an omfs do the thirds and canine exposures. Thanks for sharing

 

[charlestweed]

I wonder why they don’t have an omfs do the thirds and canine exposures. Thanks for sharing

They are my wife’s friends. The husband (an orthodontist) is my wife’s former dental classmate. His wife (a pedodontist) brought her mom to my wife’s office for dental implants. Before my wife joined the practice, they referred 3rd molars and canine exposures to an outside OS office and they still do for certain cases. When our son started school at UCLA, my wife called them and asked them if they wanted to hire her since their office is very close to UCLA. My wife started 1 Friday/month there. Now the office needs her 2 Fridays/month. I block out those 2 Fridays so I can drive my wife to work because the office is more than 1 hour drive from home. After work, we meet our son at UCLA. We either drive our son home if he wants to go home or take him out to eat if he wants to stay at his dorm to study.

My wife also works at another office that also hires OS. My wife does mostly implants and bone grafts for implants there. The OS does 3rd molars and other surgical procedures. I am pretty sure this OS can also do implants because he also has his own office. But the GP owner hired my wife first and he wants her to handle all the implant cases. The GP owner is also my wife’s friend. They both worked at the same dental office as GP associates……when my wife was still a perio resident and she moonlighted there.

Getting a job as an in-house specialist is not too hard. It depends on how you negotiate with the GP owners.

 

[702]

They are my wife’s friends. The husband (an orthodontist) is my wife’s former dental classmate. His wife (a pedodontist) brought her mom to my wife’s office for dental implants. Before my wife joined the practice, they referred 3rd molars and canine exposures to an outside OS office and they still do for certain cases. When our son started school at UCLA, my wife called them and asked them if they wanted to hire her since their office is very close to UCLA. My wife started 1 Friday/month there. Now the office needs her 2 Fridays/month. I block out those 2 Fridays so I can drive my wife to work because the office is more than 1 hour drive from home. After work, we meet our son at UCLA. We either drive our son home if he wants to go home or take him out to eat if he wants to stay at his dorm to study.

My wife also works at another office that also hires OS. My wife does mostly implants and bone grafts for implants there. The OS does 3rd molars and other surgical procedures. I am pretty sure this OS can also do implants because he also has his own office. But the GP owner hired my wife first and he wants her to handle all the implant cases. The GP owner is also my wife’s friend. They both worked at the same dental office as GP associates……when my wife was still a perio resident and she moonlighted there.

Getting a job as an in-house specialist is not too hard. It depends on how you negotiate with the GP owners.

Nice. Does insurance reimbursement for extractions differ for perio and omfs? And does she provide sedation for the surgeries? Thanks

 

[charlestweed]

Nice. Does insurance reimbursement for extractions differ for perio and omfs?

My wife doesn’t know if the insurances pay the OMFS more or not. We have friends who are OS but we never talk about such sensitive topic nor about the salaries. They only complain to us about bad things in their profession.....like how low the medicaid pays them for extractions and orthognathic surgeries.

And does she provide sedation for the surgeries? Thanks

No. Many years ago, when she was a recent grad and bought an existing perio practice, she asked my cousin, who is a MD anesthesiologist, to come in to help sedate a few of her patients on big cases like ramus/chin grafts. But there weren’t a lot of demand for sedation because most of the cases at her practice were perio related (like implants, crown-lengthenings, osseous surgeries, connective tissue grafts etc)....zero 3rd molar extraction. So she stopped asking my cousin. My wife only does 3rd molar extractions when she travels to work at the GP offices. Currently, she works at 6 offices including her own....12 days/month. She used to travel to as many as 9 offices during her peak years.