Tips for the New Grad
Enjoy the time you have before you get your dental license. Celebrate, travel, and spend time with friends and family; do all the enjoyable things you have wanted to do! Once you embark on your career in dentistry, it will gradually become harder and harder to create that free time again. I remember getting caught up in the rush to find an associate position immediately post-graduation and wish I had spent more time traveling and relishing the time off. At the end of the day, you have many years of dentistry ahead. What is the rush?
Once you’ve come up for a breather from celebrating, begin gathering the items you need to apply for your dental license. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners holds a Licensing Expo every year in Austin and this year it falls on Tuesday, June 18th. Take the time to gradually gather all the documents you need so you’re not stressing about it the week of the expo. Some of the items you need may take a few weeks to obtain. Please visit the TSBDE website for more information on the Licensing Expo, https://tsbde.texas.gov/78i8ljhbj/Expo-DDS-Memo-2024.pdf. The nice thing about the Licensing Expo is you obtain your license that day and are officially a dentist! Also worth noting, it’s another excuse to visit Austin and celebrate with your classmates one last time before you embark into the real world.
It's finally your first day of practicing dentistry. Your dental assistant sat the patient and took the patient’s blood pressure. They come to you to let you know that they are ready for you to anesthetize the patient. You instinctively glance around to see if anybody is going to come swipe and give you a start check. Well, no one is coming. You are giving yourself your first start check. Don’t panic. Take a deep breath, you’ve got this! The most imperative thing is to remember to stride into that room with confidence and poise. Even though you are a new dentist, patients respect your honesty and have confidence in whatever you say or do. Dental school has you prepared clinically. You just have to jump in feet first. In short order, you will be pleasantly surprised by how fast and efficient you are doing that quad of Class II composites!
After spending 4 years with the same group of people, practicing dentistry can feel quite lonely and isolating. My advice is to seek and find some mentors you trust and give you support. Dentistry is a long road. You want to make sure you have people in your corner that always have your back. I met a lot of my mentors and the specialists I work closely with through organized dentistry. It was a great way for me to network early on in my career. I’ve met mentors, colleagues and lifelong friends through Dallas County Dental Society. If you find yourself in the Dallas area, I implore you to come to one of our meetings in the fall and get to know your dental community. You will not regret it!
