Dentaltown New Grad Edition 2020 - 15

Every practice has a
members, joining study clubs or engaging
in organized dentistry. Dea established her
dental connections through a study club
and research on the UW alumni website.
Pedersen was in a bowling league with a
dental assistant who worked at Renton
Dental Arts and informed her of an opening.
Stanton used Craigslist, dental societies
and established relationships with supply
representatives who communicated with
him when jobs became available.
Fat has many built-in mentors-her
grandfather, aunt, mother and father are
all in the dental profession-and advises
dentists to find mentorship in a variety of
outlets. She has maintained relationships
with faculty members she connected with
in school, some of whom she now works
with at UOP, and continues to ask them
for guidance with issues that come up in
her practice. For instance, she appreciated
her practice management professor's class
so much that she continues to email her
whenever she has a question.
She also has found success in staying
connected with her colleagues and graduated classmates to learn from each other's
experiences in practice-both positive and
negative.
The same can be said for social media:
On Dentaltown's message board forums,
for example, you can connect with doctors
from around the world, most of whom are
willing to answer questions and engage
with colleagues.

Pace yourself and keep learning
In dental school, the curriculum teaches
students to be as conservative and deliberate
as possible in patient care. The recently
graduated doctors emphasized that you
should trust your skills and understand that
speed in clinical skills comes with time. It
is tempting for young dentists to rush the

process and focus more on their efficiency
rather than on their skill set.
Pedersen found success in padding
her schedule at the beginning of practice
to focus on technique and developing a
relationship with her dental assistants early
on. In addition to knowing her strengths,
she also knew her limitations and asked for
help from her mentors or colleagues when
necessary.
Fat said students may feel very capable
and excited in the last year of dental school
because of their interesting cases and how
far they have come since starting in the
clinic. However, she advises new graduates
to remember that when going into practice
as an associate, you are starting from the
bottom again and you have to be patient as
you work your way up. As a new associate,
you may do more hygiene and have smaller
treatment plans than you expected. New
dentists should use this time to learn how
to work with their assistants, get to know
the patients and build rapport, and to
understand the office flow.
Every practice has a different method
of practicing. New dentists should be eager
to learn from every person in the office,
including dentists, receptionists, dental
assistants, hygienists and especially patients,
who may have been coming to the office
for years.
Fat also noted that while dental students
may work on complicated and multidisciplinary cases in their last year, they must
remember that as general dentists they are
held to the same standard of practice as a
specialist. Therefore you should continue
to learn and refine your knowledge by
practicing techniques after hours, taking
CE courses and attending study clubs. All
these efforts will ensure confidence and
competence before applying your new skills
in the practice.

different method of
practicing. New dentists
should be eager to learn
from every person in the
office, including dentists,
receptionists, dental
assistants, hygienists and
especially patients, who
may have been coming to
the office for years.

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Dentaltown New Grad Edition 2020

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