Dentaltown September 2017 - 72

Women

in Dentistry

Continued from p. 70
developed with peers in study clubs. Are you
a member of a study club? If not, find one
whose core interests mirror your own: Are
you looking to meet monthly with other local
dentists in the area to review difficult cases
presented in your office, in hopes for guidance
on how to proceed? Or are you wanting a
group with a more global approach to our
profession that covers topics ranging from
practice management to financial planning?
Whatever your interests, I assure you
there's a club for you. And you don't have
to settle for just one-right now I'm the
periodontal specialist in three study clubs, I
consult with Dentsply professionals working
in product development, and I'm a specialist
moderator for a closed Facebook group for
dental hygienists. I get something different
out of every group and love being a part of
such diverse ones.

Look for the "we."
We all know the professors and businesspeople who love to say "I." My advice:
Steer clear of the "I's" and seek out the
"we's"-the leaders and advisors who'd
rather give credit than receive it. Give more
credit; take less. Winston Churchill put it
beautifully when he said, "We make a living
by what we get; we make a life by what we
give." (There's no greater example of this
then my father, Greg Dunn, who challenges
me to do something nice for myself every
day and gives joy to anyone who makes his
acquaintance.)

Step outside your
comfort zone.
It's human nature to do what's comfortable. Put yourself out there! Don't be
afraid to share your failures and challenges
in addition to your successes; we learn from
both. Closed blogs and private forums

72

SEPTEMBER 2017 // dentaltown.com

allow us to ask the questions we may be
afraid to pose within our local study club
or close-knit network.
One of my favorite "safe" places, Dentaltown forums, provides an incredible
wealth of information. The message boards
receive millions of hits each month because
Townies feel safe posting about anything
from patient management issues to how to
treatment-plan the most difficult cases - and
every specialty is covered! Groups like these
are excellent ways to vet a question and
gain some feedback nearly instantaneously.
Even better-if you're really shy, create an
unaffiliated username to remain anonymous.

Pay it forward.
This is my favorite saying, and a concept
I learned from my parents early on, before
it was en vogue: They'd secretly, anonymously buy dinners for couples they saw
at restaurants, noting, "We hope it makes
their night, because doing so makes ours."
How can you pay it forward, even if
not anonymously?
* Take a dental student or
new graduate under your
wing to mentor him or her.
* Treat a student to dinner.
(A special thank-you to
Dr. Martin Kolinski: I'll
never forget the dinners at
Chicago Cut during residency,
when steak never tasted so good!)
* Do a case pro bono for a patient
who needs to catch a break.
* Surprise your staff with lunch
or concert tickets to say thanks
for being the heartbeat of the office.
Whatever your way is to give back to
others in our field, I applaud you. And
to the millennials reading this: Never be
scared to ask for help-or to offer it. You'll
be surprised at the degree to which you can
be both a mentor and a mentee, and how
much more interesting your professional
life will become as the result. ■
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown September 2017
