As dentistry and I started to spend all of our time together, I was forced to face our compatibility issues. As the relationship grew, more red flags appeared. The days of leaving work at work were growing more sparse. The daily stresses were following me home and keeping me up at night. I was suddenly investing as much time in worrying about my work as I invested in studying when I was in school. Payday became the best day of the month, as it was my way of consoling myself over the realization that maybe I wasn’t in love. It...
I recently came across a great post written about dental humor and the internet. Why do I think it was great? Well, because it was about me, of course! No really, while that’s partially true, I wanted to thank The Curious Dentist for what he had to say. The article wasn’t entirely about me, but was mostly about dental humor and its viral nature these days. Instead of regurgitating what he said, I’ll let you see for yourself. (more…)
It was July 17, 2001: the day we officially met for the first time. It was our first real date and the day my budding romance with dentistry began. Everything was new and exciting. There was no time to notice any red flags because I was too taken by the potential of how amazing my new life would be. Our 10-year relationship was off to a great start, and I looked forward to the long life we would share together. During the initial phase of our courtship, dentistry showered me with a lot of wonderful gifts and unexpected attention. Life...
It was just another day in dental school. Another test in the big lecture hall where we had most of our classes. Total silence. Then, like a balloon popping, it burst out of nowhere. A very loud fart. Then total silence again. I flinched in my seat and stiffened up, visibly uncomfortable. “Don’t look around,” I thought to myself. “This is way too humiliating.” (more…)
I was surprised to find myself struggling to write this post about hating dental school. I know I hated a lot about it when I was there. When I sat down to write the last post, I found myself sifting through old photos and yearbooks, laughing, and feeling warm fuzzies. It was easy to write about what I loved. So I couldn’t wait to write about how much I hated it, thinking I would come up with some really rich material. But when I sat down to write it, the fire wasn’t there, and it was much harder than I...
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for… it’s list time again! As I reflect on my journey in and out of dentistry, I am compelled to go back to the beginning: DENTAL SCHOOL. Since my last list was all about the hate, I need some balance. So for today, it’s all about the love. 10 Reasons I Loved Dental School (more…)
One of the most common questions I often heard from patients was, “why did you choose to become a dentist?” It always made me smile because the question usually arose from different intentions. Many were simply curious and fascinated to learn how one falls into this career. They just wanted to get to know a little bit about me. Some were curious and fascinated because they always thought it would be so hard to “be in people’s mouths all day.” They admired my strength. Others, well, they were curious and fascinated because they found it unfathomable that anyone would even consider...
An hour ago, this was me… And now this is the new me… I know, big deal– I cut my hair. But more than just my hair has changed. They say that when you want to change your life, you should drastically change your haircut. I’m not sure who “they” are, but since I quote them a lot, they must know something. (more…)
