January 12, 2005

Orthodontics questions

What's the deal with orthodontists? CBS Marketwatch's List of Top 10 Most Overpaid Jobs includes:

4. Orthodontists

Working 35 hours a week, orthodontists on average earn $350,000 a year. At the same time, regular dentists make 50% less, having to work 39 hours a week and performing more "dirty" work. Orthodontics, unlike neurosurgery, does not require additional schooling. The entire educational process lasts two years.

Why hasn't this price come down the way the cost of laser eye surgery has plummeted? Personally, I would find the argument more persuasive that you really ought to pay for the best when looking for a doctor to slice your eyeballs up with a laser beam than the argument that you ought to willingly pay extra when looking for a doctor to very slowly nudge your kid's teeth around with braces, but that doesn't appear to be the general opinion of mankind. And how are you supposed to decide between two orthodontists, one asking $5,200 and one asking $3,200? How do you find out if one is worth the extra money?


Steve Sailer's homepage and blog is iSteve.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The entire eductional process for an orthodontist is 11 years. 4 years of college, 4 years of dental school and 3 years of residency.