I bet you’d agree that as dental students, we have no idea what the real world of dentistry is all about.

What’s worse is, we think we know.

Unfortunately this lack of understanding can set us up for a tough road ahead. The problem is that it limits the possibilities we see for ourselves in our future careers.

The prime example is how we, as students, perceive what it takes to succeed in private practice.

Who remembers judging our teachers in dental school for being teachers? Collectively we viewed them as dentists who couldn’t hack it in the real world.

Where on earth did we learn that dentists teach in dental schools because they failed at private practice?

Somehow it had to have been taught to us. Why would we collectively perceive teaching as inferior?

Did we base that on the fact that teaching does not make as much money as private practice? Many of us were taught to believe that success is based on making money, so that could be a logical explanation.

I don’t know where that thinking came from, but I do know this: somewhere along the way, we were taught that there was a hierarchy of success in dentistry, with private practice being at the pinnacle.

And so we concluded that if you were a teacher, then you probably couldn’t hack it in private practice.

As one of those ignorant and judgmental students, I do think this mentality was partly a defense mechanism. I don’t remember ever saying that about teachers we liked. We only said that about the teachers we didn’t like. Somehow it made us feel better. It was a way we could mentally strike back at a teacher who bullied us.

Maybe it was also a way of separating ourselves from them. It was a way to think, “that will never be me” about a role model we didn’t respect.

Regardless of why, it was still based on a judgment or belief we created.

But really, we had no idea what the Truth was.

We had no concept that maybe they were good at dentistry. Or maybe they did have success in private practice… or could have if they wanted to. What if they actually didn’t like practicing dentistry? Or maybe they simply loved teaching.

As a community we created a value system that if one is not a dentist in private practice, they are somehow inferior, not good enough, or even a failure.

That’s a problem.

Once we get out in to the real world of dentistry and start to learn about the field and how we fit in it, that judgment becomes a limiting belief for some. That can be destructive for our careers, as it prevents us from pursuing a unique path in dentistry that might be better for us than private practice.

Last week we heard from a wonderful dentist who found an alternative way to practice dentistry. In Barbara’s interview she mentioned that she often felt judged by other dentists at CE events when she told them how she practices dentistry.

We all know this mentality stems from our days in dental school.

I find it interesting that when Barbara described her career change, she used language that would imply she is not in dentistry anymore.

I wonder why she perceives that?

Is it because her work doesn’t feel like dentistry anymore? Or is it because she has been conditioned by the dental community to think that anything outside of private practice is not dentistry?

In case you missed it, Barbara strictly does in-office tooth whitening and Invisalign in a spa setting, and also sells Smileactives products on QVC.

That sounds a lot like dentistry to me.

Maybe these other dentists at CE events do judge her. They were taught to judge her. We learned that back in dental school.

I know how their judgments affect her, but I’m more curious about how their judgments affect themselves.

How many of them feel stuck in their careers? How many wish they could change some aspect of practice? How many wish they could get more creative with their careers, just as Barbara did?

If they are judging her, then how are they judging themselves?

When we believe that success in dentistry can only come from being in private practice, this holds us back. This is what keeps us stuck. This is why we believe the only important skill we learn in school is practicing dentistry.

How can we create the new belief that there are different ways to practice in the real world of dentistry?

It starts right here with us. We must start by opening our minds. If we change the culture of dental school, maybe we can change the culture after dental school.

I hope we can become a more accepting community to our peers. That might just give us the permission we need to get creative with our own careers, to see that maybe there’s a different way.

Some love private practice, and they should celebrate that. But there are other ways to do this dentistry thing.

As Barbara taught us, we just need to open up and see what is possible.