Trevor Lines, DDS, of Dentists of Chandler (Ariz.), spoke with Becker's on Nov. 10 to discuss the effects of student loan debt on dentistry and how it can hinder dentists' personal growth.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What is a current trend in dental that must change for dentists to be successful in the future?
Dr. Trevor Lines: The biggest current issue I see is the crushing student debt. People are graduating with half a million dollars in debt, and that's a giant payment. On top of that, you have to either buy a practice or buy into a practice or just be employed. One thing that I have felt in my own life, and I'm sure many dentists feel, is just very trapped. There's not much room for growth. I don't know how we solve this problem because its scope is just so large. The idea of graduating in your mid- to late 20s with half a million dollars of debt that you're paying over 30 years, and then you can only be a dentist in order to meet your income needs is very — I don't want to say soul crushing, but I'm going to, because it really can be. There's only so much room for personal growth within that profession because you're doing the same thing in a very highly repetitive manner for decades. That's a problem that needs to be solved.