First of all I’d like to start off by saying that this is a potentially controversial subject right here 🚨⁣
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(And Im definitely not here to stir up the hornets nest)⁣
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Putting the patient first and providing the highest standard of care is our ultimate priority as professionals. And everything else is secondary to that… I share the information below from direct conversations with dentists. It is intended to demonstrate what is possible to achieve and act as food for thought..⁣
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…It is a reasonable attempt to answer this question as definitively as possible using some in the field data⁣
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Now back to the headline question… How Much Can A UK Dentist Earn? This is such a great question… because income really can vary so much ⁣⁣
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I recall having several conversations over the years with Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) who served dentists. Naturally, through their work, they were privy to their clients’ income. One thing always baffled them about dentists… ⁣They used to always ask:⁣
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“Why do my dental clients income levels vary so much?” ⁣⁣
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I guess I feel kind of lucky because through running Dentists Who Invest I get the opportunity to speak to 2-3 dentists a day. Oftentimes they share stuff relevant to their finances with me that they would not typically share with others (even their close friends)⁣
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And indeed income levels frequently come up. And I must confirm from my own experience that I would also agree there is a big variance in these numbers dentist to dentist⁣…⁣
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First we need to define earnings. So for the purposes of this article I will define these as NET figures for associates – and by net i mean the money that arrives into your bank account by the end of the month (after deductions from practice in other words). Also this is pre-tax as well just for clarity⁣
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Also, I am referring to general dentistry, nothing specialist in there. If this were the case we could expect these numbers to be even higher. However they’d also be less representative of what a typical dentist is doing in their surgery⁣
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These are figures are from dental practices not in particularly affluent areas. We are talking maybe slightly on the higher end of middle class here.⁣
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And one final thing: remember this article is entitled: How Much Can A UK Dentist Earn?⁣
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Emphasis on the word CAN meaning a balance between what’s achievable yet also very much on the higher end of what’s possible for a regular GDP.⁣
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As such these figures will definitely not represent the average and more the top 0.2-.0.1% of what’s achievable⁣
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So without further a-do – here’s what I’ve seen can be achievable in a reasonably nice area undertaking fairly routine posterior restorative dentistry as a GDP on 5 days a week⁣
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Mixed Dentistry 50:50 chair time Private: NHS = £25k per month ⁣⁣
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Full Private = £35k per month⁣⁣
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Remember – I’m not saying what I think is possible for everyone. Simply stating what I have come across in these conversations⁣
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Of course these figures wont be attainable for EVERY dentist with similar circumstances to the dentists described above. HOWEVER it does go some way to give us an idea of what’s possible and a ballpark to aim towards.⁣
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Worth mentioning these figures are from conversations in circa 2024 for anyone reading this article in the future⁣
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Remember – don’t shoot the messenger, I am simply relaying the data that I have seen/heard having had these conversations hundreds of times. Therefore this is coming from a place of context.⁣
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I personally am a huge advocate of investing in your clinical skills and being the best version of yourself clinically. This is so that you can help the patient to the highest standard.⁣
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The value that you give should be more than the value that you receive⁣
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If you are skilled at dentistry then there is scope to be remunerated to a higher standard. How can we say how skilled we are unless we know where the bar is? Most dentists are better than they realise in my experience⁣
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Naturally, I’ve made some anecdotal observations about what these dentists seem to do differently in their practice to hit these numbers. Ill be sharing these in a future article to explore how this is possible.⁣
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In the meantime, please use the above can be used as food for thought⁣
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Best wishes,⁣
James