Dentaltown New Grad 2013 - (Page 8)

practice management message board After Going Through Dental School, What Advice Would You Give Students? » Dentaltown.com Message Boards > Dental Students and Residents > Dental Student Discussions > After Going Through Dental School, What Advice… mini007 Member Since: 07/16/13 Post: 1 of 73 t Go ahead, apply these words of wisdom from seasoned dentists to your new life as a dentist. Hi everyone, I’ve been surfing around this message board, and it seems super helpful. I’m about to begin dental school, and I’m a little nervous, especially about my financial future. I will be going to a private school. My first two years will be covered by my parents, and then I will take on debt for the subsequent years. Luckily, I’m a very frugal person and have always lived modestly. I’ve started a Roth IRA account at age 18. I don’t buy when I need to, and I prefer value to quality. Anyways, I was wondering what the current dentists here would tell new incoming students? What are some things you would do differently? Tips for success? Etc. I know this is going to take a lot of hard work. And I know the stress will not end after dental school. I just want to mentally prepare myself. I think I’m just worried because I keep reading how dentistry is not what it’s cut out to be and that the golden ages are long past. n JUL 16 2013 swolfington Member Since: 09/11/08 Post: 2 of 73 I graduated in 2010, and I wish I could take the DeLorean back in time to give myself some advice. But since I can’t, I’ll give that advice to you. The problem I had in school was that I was soooooooo worried about grades (didactic and/or clinical), passing crap off, being done first, studying for stupid wasted course work, spending time with wife and kids, etc., that I missed a lot of the actual “this is how to be a dentist” information. If I could go back, I’d start a big three inch D-ring binder titled “how to do dentistry” and then I’d compile practical, real world techniques for all aspects of everyday dentistry. As you can tell, I’m still pretty bitter about the countless hours spent stressing over pathology, embryology, microbiology and the other truly useless courses necessary for our dental education. Anyway, what I’m saying is: Focus more on learning and less on the stress jumping through the hoops. Good luck! n JUL 16 2013 chon2617 Member Since: 02/05/09 Post: 3 of 73 Whatever you’re worried about now is trivial to the stuff you have to deal with later. You may think paying that much tuition is rough, but the cost of buying/starting a practice costs just as much, if not more. Enjoy your time in school; it was fun for me (stressful, but fun). Love what you do, be passionate about it. If not, it could get bleak… n JUL 16 2013 Dr Patrick Crawford DDS Member Since: 06/21/13 Post: 4 of 73 I advise you to focus more on practical work and mastering your dentistry procedures than on theory. No doubt theory is also very important, but dental treatment totally relies upon your working skills. n JUL 16 2013 fmn1116 Member Since: 07/24/03 Post: 5 of 73 8 NEW GRADS » dentaltown.com My best advice after 30 years in practice is to keep an open mind. Don’t predetermine what you like and avoid areas you don’t think you would like. For me, I didn’t like endo or perio, so did the minimum and overdid in crown and bridge and restorative and occlusion. http://www.Dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown New Grad 2013

Howard Speaks: Informed Decisions
Professional Courtesy: So You Want to Be Successful? Be Professional
Continuing Education Update: Never Stop Learning
After Going Through Dental School, What Advice Would You Give Students?
Checklist for Reviewing an Associate’s Work
You Should Know: Townie Meeting
Office Visit: Resident On Call
Office Visit: In His Element
Are You Prepared to Begin Practicing Dentistry?
Three Stages of a Dental Career
What You Need to Know About Student Debt Relief
Gain an Early Financial Edge
Pregnancy and Employment in the Dental Practice
Personal Protective Equipment
Win Patient Loyalty
Denture Stabilization with Small-diameter Implants
Partnerships: A Match Made in Heaven or a Pathway to Financial Hell
Taking Oral Health Care Education from the Classroom to the Clinic
Continuing Education: Nine Lessons from the Real World

Dentaltown New Grad 2013