Hard to believe I originally wrote this post about leaving dentistry on November 29, 2012. A lot has changed, and not a lot has changed in dentistry. With another leaving-dentistry anniversary behind me, I remember how grateful I am to break free from feeling trapped for so long. Years ago I received this email from a fellow dentist that inspired this blog post. It was a breath of fresh air to read “10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too”! As a dentist of 12 years, I could relate to your article. As a fellow colleague, I commend you for...
Time… it’s that one thing we can never get back. The finite nature of time is actually a gift. Its scarcity makes it the most valuable thing we have. Have you ever noticed that when you have eons of time to get something done, your efficiency goes down a lot? Maybe it’s why we procrastinate or why they say if you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it. (Please tell me I’m not the only one!) The end of a year or season creates that reality check that we need to appreciate time. Many of...
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...
Whether you have a tough day at work or actually hate dentistry, I hope that you don’t regret becoming a dentist for long. The crazy thing about dentistry that many people don’t understand is that we can enter into the field thinking we are going to help people, create solutions, and have nice relationships. But we get here, and we spend much of our time feeling like we are not impacting patients, our solutions don’t always work out, and those nice relationships get overshadowed by the difficult ones. Believe it or not, it’s easy to regret becoming a dentist. Some...
Ten years ago I walked away from my career in dentistry. I had spent so much of my life investing in becoming a dentist that it was a very difficult move. One week after I quit for good, I found a blog post titled, 10 Reasons I Hate the Dentist. I decided to have a little fun and write a response to this fellow blogger. Overnight 10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too went viral, reaching all corners of the world and getting translated into many different languages. It was quite a ride, and the most incredible part of...
Help me celebrate the 10-Year Anniversary of 10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too! On November 17, 2011, I turned in my last key to the last dental office I ever worked in. It was a momentous day. I had spent 10 years as a dentist and hated dentistry and my life. For years I felt stuck in the wrong career, and I didn’t know how to change. I thought I had no other skills besides being a dentist. Couple that with the fact that no one in the field ever mentioned they hated dentistry as well. Thinking I...
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...
How long do you need to stay stuck in indecision before you decide it’s worth changing? I had a conversation with a friend the other day about the idea of “thinking about it.” She was wanting to make some changes in her life, and when faced with an option, she said she wanted to think about it. The thing is, she’d been thinking about it for years now. She was in a constant state of indecision. Our discussion got me thinking about a time when I was stuck thinking about things in my life. The timeline is impressive– and maybe...
As I was nearing the end of my daily morning walk with Nolabees the other day, I thought, “I can’t wait to be done with this walk.” I was a little shocked by it, and I immediately became curious. What was going on with me? I love my morning walks, especially in the summer. I get to start the day with some movement, fresh air, quality time with my dog, and the freedom to listen to any podcast that I want. It’s my time that is truly dedicated to taking care of myself. Besides, early summer mornings are so full...
As dental professionals, we face change every day. We should be pros at it by now. Small things in the office constantly come up– things like sudden adjustments to the schedule or having to change course on a procedure mid-treatment. We learn to accept that it’s impossible to 100% predict treatment plans or anything else without that crystal ball. Adaptability becomes second nature, as we constantly handle these unexpected shifts. You’d think we would have mastered our fear of change by now. Image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay But when it comes to the big changes, we really struggle. Even...
