Top 5 Topics:

- The Real Cost of Becoming a Dentist (And Why Nobody Talks About It)

- The Dark Side of Dentistry: Massive Debt, Broken Insurance & The Reality of Dental School

- Is Dental School Even Worth It With $500K–$700K in Debt?

- The Truth About Dental Anxiety, Sedation, and Wisdom Teeth Surgery

- “You don’t necessarily have to be in the top 10% of the class. You need to be the best person you can be.”

Top 5 Viewers on this Episode on TikTok LIVE #93 Q&A:

- TikTok did not save viewers UHG wtf…

Quotes & Wisdom:

“Find what you learn best with. It might not be Quizlet, maybe it is, but keep trying different things until it clicks.”

“Effective studying is getting higher and higher scores. Efficient studying is maintaining those A’s once you get them, but then studying less and less.”

“Find your own personal way to learn. It will increase efficiency over time.”

“You’re very early to study for the DAT. Let’s work on high school first, then college from there.”

“I’m impressed with the 8th grader on this TikTok LIVE. He could be anywhere else, but he’s here asking questions and trying to get ahead.”

“Learn how to live within your means, and then you can make those financial judgments.”

“Discipline yourself. Have the self-awareness to go all in on your strengths.”

“There are a lot of sacrifices to get into oral surgery, dentistry, or medicine.”

“There’s always going to be room for people who want good work, who don’t want things rushed, and who want a better patient experience.”

“I want to work on making the patient experience at the dentist office better.”

“It’s insurance-centered care now. It’s not patient-centered care anymore and it’s unacceptable.”

“You don’t have to be top 5% of the class. You need to be the best person you can be.”

“Aim for A’s and B’s. Sometimes you’ll get more B’s than A’s, sometimes more A’s than B’s, but if you have the self-awareness to improve over time, you’ll be fine.”

Questions:

00:00 — Tips for an incoming D1 at Rutgers?

05:35 — Still don’t feel confident after a GPR year. Any advice?

08:25 — Tips for pre-predental? I’m in 8th grade. How should I start studying for the DAT? Any Anki tips?

11:03 — Do you want to open your own practice eventually?

13:49 — Do you think going through the HPSP route for OMFS is worth it, or should someone take the $700K+ debt?

16:56 — What’s your point of view on DDS OMFS performing aesthetic surgery?

29:53 — Thoughts on perio docs / is periodontics worth specializing in?

34:26 — Is dental school still worth it in the U.S. if you’re going into $500K+ of debt with private loans?

38:29 — In dental school, what were you doing during lectures, especially for those longer lectures?

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

My watch in this episode = Citizen Promaster Diver Day Date

- 3.2026

#podcast #dentalpodcast #doctor #dentist #dentistry #oralsurgery #dental #dentalschool #dentalstudent #oralsurgeon #doctorgallagher #doctorgallagherspodcast