I’m sure you have heard that dentists are always at the top of the list for suicide, divorce, and substance abuse. I did a little research just to verify that is actually accurate…..and yup, it is. I could go into why I think that is the case, but I’ll let you ponder that one on your own.
Despite the many challenges of this profession, if I could do it all over again, I would still choose to be a dentist. I didn’t decide to go to dental school until late in my senior year of college. People ask me all the time, “What in the world made you decide to look inside of mouths every day?” Believe me, I asked myself the same question when I decided to apply to dental school. It was a last minute decision.
Today, I am glad I went into a profession that allows me to problem solve and can be both easy and challenging. I guess it is my approach. I see myself as an educator and a health care provider who wants to help people decide to what level of health they wish to achieve. I have also made the conscious choice to enjoy what I do every day. When things occur that I do not enjoy, I try not to focus on the negative. It is always a work in progress.
For a dentist, and for that matter anyone in any profession to be successful, they must know themselves and have standards they are able to communicate with passion and energy. One thing is very clear, behavior, with its impending results, is a choice. We make choices every minute of every day. What we choose to do with the paths presented to us is a choice. Being frustrated with your job, trying to copy others instead of discovering yourself as well as dental care is a choice.
All dental care is elective. There is nothing that you have to do. That is what makes this profession the most fun and rewarding for me. A dentist who worries about how much of a particular procedure they do, or tries to sell dentistry as a commodity will become frustrated. That is why there tends to be a high burn-out rate in this profession. It should be about education. It should be about people and caring about their health.
It is also about building trust with people. If any of my patients out there ever had a thought that I was trying to “sell” them something, there is an issue with trust there. I use the car analogy often. First, you decide that you are buying a car. It is only after you decide that you are buying a car that you pick the style, the brand, and the options. It is with that information that you make a decision on what car you are buying, based on what you want and feel is right for you. I look at dentistry the same way.
Dentistry combines health care, artistry, psychology and business all into one. As in any job, there are good times and not so good times. There is always room for improvement in all aspects of the profession and the options for continuing education to improve are limitless.
If you, or if you have kids in high school or college who are wondering about what to do with their life, introduce the possibility of a career in dentistry. Ask your dentist if they would talk to you or them about the profession or even do mentorship. It’s a wonderful profession.