Should I Choose General Dentist? Real Physician Decision Guide (2026) | SalaryDr
SalaryDr
Salary Explorer
CareersBlogSalaryDenNegotiations
My Account
Submit Your Salary
SalaryDr
Salary ExplorerCareersBlogSalaryDenNegotiations
Sign In
Submit Your Salary
  1. Home
  2. Lifestyle Insights
  3. General Dentist
  4. Should I Choose?

Should I Choose General Dentist?

Real decision-making data from 59 verified General Dentist physicians. Here is what they actually think.

3.8/5
Avg Satisfaction
88%
Would Choose Again
37
Avg Hours/Week
$461K
Avg Compensation

The Verdict

88%
of General Dentist physicians would choose the specialty again

An overwhelming 88% of General Dentist physicians say they would choose the specialty again -- a strong endorsement.

What Physicians Love About General Dentist

“Practicing rural general dentistry has the greatest earning potential and work/life balance of any medical or dental specialty. ”
— General Dentist Physician
“There is a 34% collections rate on top of the monthly base pay, but my production is around 35-40k a month so the DSO is paying me a higher base monthly than what I am producing. I am young and want to progress in my field and wish I looked more at the upside of the practice and how busy it was. This location has very low patient volumes and not great systems in place to get treatment accepted or follow up with patients. ”
— General Dentist Physician
“I love my job. It is great. ”
— General Dentist Physician
“Truthfully not much. I’m in a great situation. ”
— General Dentist Physician

What to Watch Out For in General Dentist

“More vacation time. I'm a solo practitioner. This means when I don't work the practice does not produce. ”
— General Dentist Physician

Work-Life Balance Reality in General Dentist

37
average hours per week reported by General Dentist physicians
“I can work as much or as little as I want. No marketing required. The biggest overall challenge is staffing. ”
— General Dentist Physician
“I make my own schedule. Can adjust for trips and family time”
— General Dentist Physician
“I work Monday-Thursday 31 clinical hours a week, but total time spent at office is 34( accounting for lunch hours). Work is good and straightforward, but at times it can be isolating as I am the only dentist In the office, and at times it’s similar to operating stress of a owner dentist when staff calls off and you have to find a way to manage the schedule. I stick to bread and butter dentistry. ”
— General Dentist Physician

How General Dentist Compares

See how General Dentist stacks up against other popular specialties.

General DentistCurrent
Satisfaction:3.8/5
Choose Again:88%
Hours:37
Comp:$461K
Pediatrics
Satisfaction:4/5
Choose Again:85%
Internal Medicine
Satisfaction:3.6/5
Choose Again:77%
Family Medicine
Satisfaction:3.7/5
Choose Again:79%
SpecialtySatisfactionWould Choose Again

Negotiation Tips From General Dentist Physicians

“I think the negotiation was fair to what I was given , given the situation I am, when joining a DSO always ask for a bonus and ask for it to prorated if you ever consider leaving which is how mine is set up. If you leave after 6 months hypothetically you just give back 50% of the bonus in my case. I’ve seen some where it’s a 2-4 year commitment and they can take the entire bonus back if you leave before the entirety of the commitment ”
— General Dentist Physician
“Ask for signing bonus”
— General Dentist Physician

Frequently Asked Questions

Is General Dentist worth it?

Based on 59 verified physician responses, General Dentist physicians report 3.8/5 average satisfaction and 88% say they would choose the specialty again. Average total compensation is $461K. Whether it is worth it depends on your priorities, but the data suggests most physicians are satisfied with their choice.

What's the work-life balance like in General Dentist?

General Dentist physicians work an average of 37 hours per week. One physician shared: "I can work as much or as little as I want. No marketing required. The biggest overall challenge is staffing. "

How much do General Dentist physicians make?

Based on SalaryDr data, General Dentist physicians earn an average total compensation of $461K. With an average of 37 hours per week, that translates to roughly $240/hour.

Still deciding? Hear from more General Dentist physicians

Explore detailed lifestyle insights or contribute your own experience to help others make their decision.

View Full General Dentist InsightsShare Your Experience

Specialties

  • All Physician Salaries
  • Salaries by City
  • General Surgery
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Cardiology
  • Salaries by State
  • Residency Salaries

For Dentists

  • All Dentist Salaries
  • Dental Salary Database
  • Dentist Salary by State
  • Submit Dental Salary
  • Dental Calculator

Tools

  • Salary Comparison
  • Financial Calculators
  • Take Home Calculator
  • Offer Analyzer
  • Compare Specialties
  • Salary Negotiation

Salary Data

  • Physician Careers
  • Salary Benchmarks
  • Salary Trends
  • Compensation Analysis
  • Lifestyle Insights
  • Compensation Components
  • Annual Report
  • Benchmark Reports

Community

  • SalaryDen
  • Latest Discussions
  • Submit Your Salary
  • Share Feedback
  • Salary FAQ
  • Physician Resources

Company

  • About
  • Methodology
  • Contact
  • Partner with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Community Guidelines
  • DMCA Policy
  • Data Retention
  • Cookie Policy
  • Safe Harbor
  • Data Requests

Follow Us

  • TikTok (@salarydr)
  • Instagram (@salarydr_)
  • X (Twitter) (@salarydr)
Specialties
  • All Physician Salaries
  • Salaries by City
  • General Surgery
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Cardiology
  • Salaries by State
  • Residency Salaries
For Dentists
  • All Dentist Salaries
  • Dental Salary Database
  • Dentist Salary by State
  • Submit Dental Salary
  • Dental Calculator
Tools
  • Salary Comparison
  • Financial Calculators
  • Take Home Calculator
  • Offer Analyzer
  • Compare Specialties
  • Salary Negotiation
Salary Data
  • Physician Careers
  • Salary Benchmarks
  • Salary Trends
  • Compensation Analysis
  • Lifestyle Insights
  • Compensation Components
  • Annual Report
  • Benchmark Reports
Community
  • SalaryDen
  • Latest Discussions
  • Submit Your Salary
  • Share Feedback
  • Salary FAQ
  • Physician Resources
Company
  • About
  • Methodology
  • Contact
  • Partner with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Community Guidelines
  • DMCA Policy
  • Data Retention
  • Cookie Policy
  • Safe Harbor
  • Data Requests

Follow Us

  • TikTok (@salarydr)
  • Instagram (@salarydr_)
  • X (Twitter) (@salarydr)

© 2026 SalaryDr. All rights reserved.

Avg Hours
Avg Comp
General DentistCurrent3.8/588%37$461K
Pediatrics4/585%46$345K
Internal Medicine3.6/577%55$268K
Family Medicine3.7/579%46$288K