An inside look at working in public health dentistry

Think back to your personal statement for dental school. What did you say in it? My bet is that you mentioned something about your desire to help people. About how you knew a dentist somewhere who helped someone in a way that only a dentist could. About how that experience planted in you a desire to do the same thing. That one day, you hoped to be a dentist who not only did that for every one of your patients but also for the world! OK, so maybe you said it with more tact or with less drama, but I have read enough prospective student personal statements to know that a good number of applicants include that to some extent. Now imagine if that dream came true.

To build your dream or buy it?

With changes in the marketplace, building a dental practice from the ground up has sparked interest for many new doctors. Though risky, the personal and financial rewards can be plentiful and attainable. While advisors have historically championed buying into practices to take advantage of cash flow and income to tackle student loan debt and begin accumulating wealth, what we’ve seen is that there are fewer practices on the market and more competition for the ones that do hit the market. We see baby boomers working and keeping their practices longer, leaving new dentists with a tighter market to begin practicing.

4 keys to a successful associateship

I considered writing this post about obtaining the ideal associateship. I quickly realized, though, that “ideal” is misleading and different for everyone. Our goal should be a successful associateship — one that creates success for both the associate and the practice. This looks different across the board, but in my experience in several different environments, the following have been keys to success — or causes of failure.

A ‘match’ made in heaven: Selecting the right residency


You think you are finished. After surviving your classes and practicals and passing boards, you prepare for graduation and then you realize you have yet to figure out what exactly you’re supposed to do next. That was me in summer 2016. I had been so consumed with my school work and extracurricular activities that I neglected the reason why I came to school — to get a job.