Most people are shocked to find out that as a dentist I’m a total germaphobe. They often ask, “how can you be in people’s mouths all day long if you hate germs?” Hmm, good point! Well, I’m not a dentist anymore, but if I were, remember that our whole existence as dentists is to fight germs. So actually, it may not be much of a stretch philosophically. When I did practice, I did all sorts of quirky things to avoid the little buggers. It only seemed fitting that I tackle the subject in my guest post for Amber at With […]
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In recent decades the health care culture has changed from what it once was. It used to be one in which the doctor was the authority, and all of his patients blindly trusted his word. Now the culture has switched to one where we as patients have become independent thinkers. We have realized the need to become our own advocates and not rely solely on what the good doctor says. In many ways this has been a positive change, but has it ever caused problems for you or your patients? Does it always seem to benefit your patient? Does it ever […]
Who’s ready for some drama? Not just the geeky dental drama you’re used to, but also the blogging, copyrighting, Facebook kind of drama? If you’ve spent any time on my blog, you’ve probably noticed that I like to be pretty open about what’s going on. I recently discovered that someone was using one of my posts on Facebook without my permission. First, my awesome, loyal readers alerted me. I received 4 messages in one day. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to you? Well, I am; and for reasons that go far beyond this, so thank you! Anyway, I found […]
Guess what time it is? Time for another guest post! My friend over at Brush or Die (don’t you think that’s a little dramatic, buddy?) invited me to share a few thoughts on his site. He is starting dental school this fall, so we decided that in honor of that, I would share some of my tips about life in dental school. You’ll notice that his blog description says, “All Things Dental Except the Boring Stuff.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s why he asked me to write a post for him. So if you have more questions about dental school, […]
In the past year, I’ve heard from many readers that share my sentiments about practicing dentistry and wanting to change. There was one element that I hadn’t really thought about sharing until someone brought it to my attention. A while back, I received an email from a man whose wife followed my blog because she, too, was unhappy in dentistry. He mentioned that as the spouse, he occasionally stopped in to read it looking for some insight and advice. There’s a fine balance of how you can lend support but maintain certain boundaries, and be firm yet gentle about what you […]
Changing my career was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. You might be surprised to hear that leaving Dentistry was much harder than getting into it. The process of entering the field took work and determination, but it went with the flow. It was what I was supposed to do. I felt proud and hopeful. However, leaving it was rebellious, and I was going against the flow. I felt ashamed and afraid. Because of the fear and the challenges involved, I made many excuses that I thought were valid. And dammit, they were important! But those […]
Did you know that content gets stolen all the time on the internet? And I don’t just mean identity and credit card theft. I’m talking about content. A few years ago I was curious to find out how National Geographic Traveler magazine found my photo on my obscure little blog. I did a search on Google for fish tacos, and sure enough, near the top of the Google images page was my photo… on someone else’s website! I was shocked and immediately did a search on copyright infringement. I learned that this is very common, and websites educating us on […]
In case you were still wondering… I didn’t win the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Competition. If I had, you would have heard about it right away, over and over. In fact, you’d probably be sick of me by now. While I’ve summarized my journey into and out of dentistry on this blog, I realize I haven’t shared much of how life has been “post-retirement.” It’s no secret that I believe it was the best decision I could have made for myself. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was right. I am finally content, and […]
I have a confession… I just entered the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Contest, and I don’t even have a bucket list. Well, I have never recorded an official bucket list. Here’s why: I do what I want when I want; I mean, when I can. (I’m not that cool.) In a way, it’s not unlike New Year’s resolutions for me. Resolutions are really motivational for some people, but they can also put others under a lot of pressure. When I’m under pressure to do something, I might resist doing it. This is partly why resolutions just don’t resonate with me. […]
In case you missed it, I submitted my entry for the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Contest last week. It’s too late to vote now, but it’s never too late to check out my submission. One of our tasks was to write a short blog post about one of our most memorable travel experiences. Lolabees started out as a travel blog, and I’ve been so focused on the adventures of my career change that I haven’t written about my travels in a very long time. So why not share the blog post about a fantastic adventure I had in Valparaiso, Chile […]