Collection of tidbits

A compilation of little ideas that have popped into my head.  I'll add to it as more come to mind or are suggested by others:

A dental degree is a license to learn: Don't be afraid to learn. University teaches us the minimum to allow us the skills to go on and learn how little we know.

The "famous" figures in dentistry started where we did. They got to where they are with blood sweat and tears. They will make excellence look easy but there are years of hard work behind them. If you want to get to that level be prepared to put just as much work in and expect disappointment when it doesn't come easily to you.

Don't rush through your career, it is a marathon not a sprint. Don't look at your colleagues and compare your own position, everyone develops at their own pace and the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Some people are fast learners and will make more mistakes, some people are slow and cautious. Some people will specialise early, most people won't specialise. There is no shame in doing your own thing; in fact it is the best thing to do.

Learn how to assist be a dental assistant. It is much harder than it looks, You'll need to teach your assistants how they need to work to compliment you. In a sense they need to know how to do dentistry so they can predict what is needed at what time so you need to learn how to dental assist to learn the difficulties of the job and the limitations of the role. You'll be surprised how little you can see from a DA point of view. Synergy is important in a good team and this is impossible without an intimate knowledge of each other's role.

Practice makes perfect, there are certain things you can do to make your dentistry better and easier. Like any new technique, at first it will be difficult to implement but the more you do things the easier they'll get. If you never use rubber dam, when you try and use it it will be very difficult. If you never take photos, it will be awkward and time consuming to take photos. Initially your staff will resist to change but in time they will improve and it will become second nature.

Success in dentistry is doing a  lot of small things very well. Each step is as important as the last and the next. If you want an acceptable end result there is no such thing as a step being "good enough". Focus on one step at a time getting it to as good as you can get it.

The sooner you accept that you aren't perfect the sooner you can work on improving. If you see no faults in your work then how an you find areas to work on? My greatest learning moments have been looking back at my old photography and being surprised at how proud I was at such poor work.

Don't worry about money when you graduate. Focus on doing a good job and learning and the money will come. Don't stare at your empty appointment book and despair. Look for something to do, something to learn. Free time is a blessing that you won't get much of when you get busy. If you don't want to be stressed when you know your income isn't great, don't undertake a massive loan or start a scratch practice. You may succeed but the stress isn't worth the trouble (from my point of view).

Building books takes time. starting a scratch practice, don't expect to pull a salary for 6-12 months. Starting with empty books, don't expect to be busy for 6 months to over a year depending on where you work.

Rural dentistry is in demand, cities are oversupplied. don't be afraid to go rural. It isn't as remote as you think it is. The potential to make money is greater simply due to a lack of competition. These people don't deserve any less quality of treatment though. Treat them as you would treat any human beings.

Know what you want with your first job and don't settle for less than you deserve. Sure one could argue that you can take a bad job and move once you have some experience but you don't want your into the profession to be a negative one that will dishearten you. you want to be in an environment of nurturing and learning.

Take breaks. It is easy to get lost in the flow of private practice, earning money and contributing taxes but you have to consider your own mental health and burnout. you don't know you're burnt out until it's too late and you'll be sluggish potentially for years afterwards. Take things slow and take mandatory breaks in your day and mandatory holidays in your year. 6 days a week of work isn't sustainable for most people for a long time.

Remember that you're in a profession and you have colleagues that you work along side. Don't see the dentist down the road as competition; it's unbecoming. If you treat your colleagues with respect they will do the same to you. If you routinely thrown them under the bus expect the same to happen to you before too long.