At 34, Mathieu is a dental surgeon and opened a practice with another partner which they own. Inside, seven dentists work in different specialties, including one employee, as well as 9 employees, mainly assistants, who pay him a retrocession of their turnover to compensate him for the costs incurred. While most dental practices have one or two employees, this is a slightly larger structure. Side remunerationhe receives around 5,000 euros gross, before taxes, per month, as a self-employed worker in his structure.
“ In general, a dental surgeon keeps between 17 and 20% of its turnover for itself after taxeshe specifies. Everything else is devoted to investments in the walls and in the ever more efficient equipment, the social contributions and salaries of our employees“. He considers that he earns a very good living compared to the majority of French people, with remuneration rather identical to that of a doctor, for example.
A dentist business manager
In addition to his job, Mathieu devotes around two hours a day to the increasingly heavy administrative workload: “ The relationship with the social security, administrative, quote requeststhe answers to mutualpremises management and HR part to manage employees, patient questions, etc.“. A job for which he is not directly paid but that is not what makes him get up every morning, it is rather the desire to “ care for and provide service to patients“.
To do this, Mathieu invests between 10 and 15% of his turnover ininnovationsince technical platforms are increasingly expensive and efficient, with technology evolving rapidly. To open this practice 4 years ago, he took out a loan of 600,000 euros but that doesn’t stress him out more than that because he knows that by doing well donehe will recoup his costs. “ Above all, I have an adjustment variable, if the firm ever stops working, I could lower my salaryhe reveals. The company supports 16 people so I have every interest in making it work, it’s the daily life of any liberal profession “.
The end of a myth
According to Mathieu, the myth of the dentist who earns exorbitant sums dates from the 70s and 80s: “ It was better paid because the expenses were lower, he explains. Without forgetting that the reimbursements have not changed since “. Today, their remuneration is similar to that of others liberal medical professions. Although salary was not a primary subject during his studies, he was quickly confronted with the reality of the profession during his internships.
“ Actually, a beginner dentist as an employee is paid between 1500 and 1700 euros nethe announces. During the seven years of study, the last three are paid 200 by the hospital “. Especially since as a beginner, a young graduate does not have the possibility of buying a practice straight away since the banks would not trust him. The other reality? Patients, their daily life and “ there social security which disengages increasingly involving a renunciation of people’s care “.
Work more to earn more
Every morning, Mathieu is at his office at 8 a.m. and works around 40 hours a week. in the chair », without forgetting the 8 to 10 additional hours devoted to administration. “ The pro rata between my working time and my salary suits me because it is not philosophical to pay attention to this kind of thing », admits Mathieu. What if he wanted to make more money? He could work more, do more hours, mathematically, that would make a better turnover.
But it remains a physical profession which requires reflection and presence time: “ Physically, I am with the patienthe describes. I operate, it requires a certain concentrationwith the muscle tensionthere particular body positionit would be difficult to work even more hours without being less efficient“. The part he could make more money on? Less investment “ but it’s making the sacrifice of less efficient dentistry, for honesty and ethics that doesn’t interest me », he concludes.
