For years the hive mind of dentistry tried to fit all dentists into a box. If you weren’t a private practice owner, then you weren’t successful. If you chose to teach at a dental school, it was because you “couldn’t hack it in the real world.” If you were burnt out or stressed, then you were a wimp, and something was wrong with you. While there are still some dentists who think this way, times are changing. I recently shared a podcast interview with The Truth Behind Dentistry that gained some popularity on Youtube. It was a fun collaboration, but with...
It’s out! US News and World Report has suddenly caught on to our little known secret and the truth about dentistry. In 2013, they dubbed dentist as THE best job in America. That was 2 years after I quit dentistry, and that year I questioned the validity of this crown in my blog post, The Pros and Cons of Dentistry. Finally, someone put out an honest depiction of what it’s like to be a dentist. Okay yeah, I’m referring to myself here. (That’s a joke in case you couldn’t read my tone! We need a font for that.) You should be...
Dentists should never clean teeth. If you’re unhappy in dentistry, you should buy a practice. Those who can’t do, teach. We dental professionals have some strong opinions, don’t we? Statements like these create our reality about dentistry and have become a defining part of our dental culture. For decades, we have perpetuated beliefs about the way dentistry SHOULD be– without really questioning other possibilities. This messaging was passed down to us in school and in practice. Luckily, today more people are speaking up and challenging these long-held beliefs: The only way to be successful in dentistry is to own a...
Dentistry is a great career, isn’t it? Or at least it has that reputation. You get to help people and change lives and be a respected member of society. Plus, everyone needs dentistry and always will. It’s not going anywhere, so you can collect a steady paycheck forever, really. The stability of dentistry makes this career a no brainer for many. That’s the great part about this career and a main reason many of us chose it. But is dentistry really as stable as we think? I talk to a lot of dentists who tell me that this stability and...
Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in with your dental community? I felt that a lot throughout my decade in practice. Whenever I showed up to local CE or dental society events, I felt invisible. It was hard to genuinely connect with other dentists within the community, and I didn’t think I had much in common with most of the people I met. So I slowly pulled away from the social aspects of the dental community. After all, I wasn’t getting much satisfaction from it. Plus, I felt tired of eating, sleeping, breathing, and discussing dentistry all the...
In 2018 I wanted to highlight more stories of dentists and hygienists leaving dentistry to create more happiness in their careers. I came up with a series of blog interviews sharing others’ amazing stories, so that you could see that change is possible for all of us. Then it dawned on me that the interviews may have been glossing over the real work involved in career change. I wrote this article to keep it real, as yet another reminder that this process can feel really complicated when you’re going through it. I hope you enjoy. I recently had a conversation...
Please welcome guest blogger, Dr. Julie Kellogg. Julie is a third-generation dentist as well as a certified professional coach, writer, investor, dog mom, skier and shoe aficionado. She lives in Walla Walla, WA with her two dogs, Mochi and JoJo. Her 5G coaching combines coaching and travel for achievers who want to get out of their head and into their senses. You can find that along with her travel blog and texture library at travelwithtexture.com Enjoy this two-part blog post where Julie shares her story in the first one and what she did about it in the second post. What...
Please welcome guest blogger, Dr. Julie Kellogg. Julie is a third-generation dentist as well as a certified professional coach, writer, investor, dog mom, skier and shoe aficionado. She lives in Walla Walla, WA with her two dogs, Mochi and JoJo. Her 5G coaching combines coaching and travel for achievers who want to get out of their head and into their senses. You can find that along with her travel blog and texture library at travelwithtexture.com Enjoy this two-part blog post where Julie shares her story in the first one and what she did about it in the second post. Can...
Ever wonder if you should become a dentist? If so, knowing the REAL pros and cons of dentistry is crucial. For years, US News and World Report crowned the dentist as the #1 best job. I first wrote this post in 2013, and being a dentist won that designation for years. In 2018, something changed, and they caught onto what some of us already knew. It slipped to #2 and stayed there, but in 2021, being a dentist slipped all the way down to #9! Maybe they’ve started to see the pros AND the cons of dentistry. What changed? Could...
There, I said it. I hate dentistry… sort of. When I was younger, I chose dentistry as my forever career because I loved smiles, and I wanted to work with people. I really liked people. I always considered myself social and friendly, and I was a good student who enjoyed math and science. Dentistry seemed like the perfect fit for me. As a patient, I always loved learning about my teeth, and the day I got my braces off, I loved the result. It seemed impossible that I would get to a point in my career where I would one...
