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...
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...
For years I ignored the fact that I was unhappy practicing dentistry. A few times in my decade of practice, I seriously considered getting out. But each time, I convinced myself to stay. My biggest excuse was the economy. As luck would have it, right when I concluded I wanted to change, things started to tank. People were out of jobs, and I told myself I should have felt lucky to at least have one. While that excuse was very real, it was just that– an excuse. I don’t regret it because it forced me to stay in the career...
Peeing in the sink. This confirms you can find anything on-line. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) It was awfully humiliating, but luckily it’s not what you think. In my last post, I described how my intuition helps me out in the form of recurring dreams. This peeing incident was just a different recurring theme making its rounds in my head. From plane crashes to climbing down steep mountainsides, these dreams always have a message to deliver to me. Once I get the message and act on it, the dreams move on. I’m afraid that things are getting even freakier than plane crashes...
Have you ever had that dream where you see a plane crash? Or you’re sitting on a toilet peeing, only to wake in a panic, hoping you didn’t wet your bed? If so, don’t freak out! It doesn’t mean you need to cancel your trip to Mexico next month or that you need to start wearing Depends to bed. Believe it or not, dreams might be your body’s way of trying to get your attention. Throughout my career transition, I learned to use my dreams as tools, and it became extremely effective (and fascinating, I might add.) This was my...
I know, I know… my last post was pretty self-indulgent. I mean, most people can’t relate to such specific tales of bosses being hypocrites that have strict payment policies when they don’t have the courtesy to pay their own bills. Or bosses who manipulate and lie to their staff in order to control them. Or bosses that are too stupid to recognize that you are there to help their business, not compete with them. As an associate my role in the dental office was always unique. I was sort of a boss and sort of not. So when it was convenient...
