I Optimized Myself for a deteriorating dental field.
I finally solved the personal fit problem with dentistry. Hired a junior dentist. Shifted from execution to diagnostic architecture. Now I do the challenging part, engineering treatment plans, managing patients and making ends meet. The assistant handles physical execution: the gloves, the pose, the context-switching, all the routine work that fights how my brain operates.
I optimized my role as far as optimization goes. Separated management and planning from physical execution. Many dentists think the role is indivisible. I proved it’s not.
Then I looked up and realized: the field itself became structurally unsustainable.
More dentists than patients need (more supply than demand). Material costs skyrocketing while treatment prices drop. Show-off culture replacing health focus. Performative perfectionism where every case needs Instagram-ready results, not just clinical soundness. The economics don’t work anymore.
The Timing Tragedy
When I was young enough to grind through execution work I hated, the field’s economics were solid. Reasonable competition. Clinical excellence mattered more than social media presence.
Now that I’ve matured into the consultant role where I’d actually function well, the industry collapsed under oversupply. Nevermind Instagram dentistry.
I solved the personal fit problem 20 years too late.
The Real Problem
You can become technically excellent, but brilliance requires passion. And when the field is broken, competence without love won’t sustain you.
I’m still a dentist because I’m already here and the optimized version generates enough value. But would I recommend this path to someone starting fresh? No.
Not because dentistry is inherently bad. But because the field faces immense structural challenges, from workforce distribution imbalances to over-concentration in urban areas while rural regions struggle.
It takes a really passionate fighter willing to cut through the chaos to make it work. If you’re not that person, if you’re looking for a stable professional path, dentistry isn’t it anymore.
Tags: dentistry career optimization systems-thinking structural-problems NDC
Suggested links: Why I Hate Dentistry (and Why I’m Still a Dentist) - Systems Over Willpower - Structural Decisions vs Motivational Ones
Sources Dental Market Size, Share & Growth | Industry Trends [2032] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/dental-market-106251 Dentistry in the 21st century: challenges of a globalizing world - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9376391/ Too many dentists means tough times for them, good deals for the patients https://globalnews.ca/news/429450/too-many-dentists-means-tough-times-for-them-good-deals-for-customers-report/ Dental’s Global Sector Health in 2025 - Lincoln International https://www.lincolninternational.com/wp-content/uploads/Perspective_Dentals-Global-Sector-Health-in-2025.pdf Workforce challenges for dentistry https://www.cedentists.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CED-White-Paper-on-workforce-challenges-.pdf Dental Dean Update – How Many Dentists Does the World Need https://www.rcsed.ac.uk/news-resources/rcsed-blog/2025/may/dental-dean-update-how-many-dentists-does-the-world-need
