Being a dentist is many people’s dream job. However, that does not mean that a dentist cannot have any interests other than their patient’s oral health. If you’ve been fixing teeth for years and need a change of air, a side business that allows you to do something else can not only be inspiring but can also bring you a comfortable side income.
At the same time, dentists can also leverage their knowledge and education and boost their income with side hustles that make use of their valuable knowledge.
Decide why you want to tap into a side business: is it for doing something else, or for doing something more? Whichever is the case, here are a couple of side-hustles that dentists can try their hands at.
Help out elsewhere.
If your main goal with taking on extra work is to increase your income, one of the simplest ways to do that is by simply doing the same thing, just more. If there hasn’t been enough work at your workplace lately, consider taking on additional shifts. If that is not available, look elsewhere—there may be a shortage at other offices where you will be more than welcome. There are plenty of places constantly looking for help, so you can even consider locum tenens positions if you want to shake things up a bit. You can cover for dentists who are on leave, for instance.
Consider retail.
Everyone needs certain oral care products, and this can provide a great side-hustle opportunity to you. After all, what better place is there to purchase these products from than a reliable dentist who knows their trade? Curate a selection of high-quality products you can recommend to your patients and they will be happy to follow your suggestions. Retail can give you a great, almost passive boost to your income. You don’t have to think about this as opening a store right next to your office, though, that is certainly an option, too. You can also do this all entirely online. People love the convenience of online shopping, so open an e-commerce store and welcome shoppers 24/7.
Add cosmetic procedures.
Today, cosmetic dental procedures are very common and popular. So, why would you let your patients go to another place for their cosmetic procedures if it is within your capacity to take care of these procedures yourself? Consider furthering your education and taking a few extra courses that could help you expand your office’s offer. From teeth whitening through veneers all the way to braces, there are many directions you can go.
Connect and educate.
Dentists have way more knowledge about oral health than regular people. However, oral health affects all of us, so another way to make more money on the side would be profiting off this knowledge that you have. Boost your presence in your immediate community by organizing educational presentations and seminars for anyone interested to attend. Tailor your approach to your audience. An experienced kids dentist can do so much more than just dental treatments when the necessity for them arises: teach kids about the proper way to brush their teeth and why it’s important. Tackle the topic of the importance of nutrition for healthy gums and teeth. Once again, you can do this in person or even online, through hosting online courses.
Share your knowledge.
As we just mentioned, there are many ways to use your knowledge as a source of extra income. In addition to the previous idea of teaching the people in your community, there are also other ways to utilize your valuable knowledge as a dentist. There are plenty of people on the internet looking for information every moment of the day. Why not satisfy their curiosity by writing about topics they may be interested in? You can do this by starting a blog (where you’ll be able to get some ad revenue in time if it becomes amply popular), or by offering freelance writing services to those who need content. If you find that writing suits you, you can even take this all a step further and write e-books that tackle topics in-depth. Once the content is written, it will generate a passive income!
Offer exam preparation.
You remember how difficult your student years were, so, why not help out young people who are looking to make a career in the same field as you? When the period for preparing for admission exams comes, you could offer preparatory tutoring to those who take studying dentistry seriously. You can offer individual or group sessions and make a positive impact.
Being a dentist does not have to mean that you cannot do other things that are somewhat related to your field on the side. Tackling some of these endeavors will not only give you new experiences but will also bring a little boost to your income.
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