CT, my latest podcast guest, is back to share more of her story!

Last week I interviewed CT, a dental student from Hong Kong, and now she has more to say! After our discussion, CT decided it was time for her to reveal more about her journey on her own blog. She fills in a lot of the blanks, and it is interesting! You’ll understand why practicing root canals in the lab often brought her to tears. You’ll see how the teaching style at her school shaped her experience, and you’ll see that she survived after quitting dental school.

Her story makes me wonder, how did your dental school experience shape your future in this career? I can think of a million things that influenced my career, but one stands out. Something that always stuck with me as a dental student was a specific principle that teachers often taught us:

Once you touch a tooth, it’s yours.

This stuck with me forever, and to this day I believe it was the wrong message for me to hear. I understand why it’s important to teach this premise. It is helpful to know when to treat a patient and when not to treat a patient. It’s important to know that we have a serious responsibility to our patients and our care we provide. However, for me that principle became a curse. Because of it I took on too much responsibility. I took too much ownership for my patients’ dental health– even years later. I took it way too seriously.

I made it so important, that I constantly blamed myself instead of sharing the responsibility with patients.

How about you? What did you learn in dental school that positively or negatively shaped your future?

Head on over to learn more about CT’s experience in dental school and beyond. You’ll love what she has to say.