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Am I A Bad Dentist?
26 Plays17 days ago
About the Hosts:
Savanah Craig, DDS is a dental professional deeply committed to advancing her career and the profession through continuous learning and innovation. She co-hosts the "Beyond Graduation" podcast alongside Dr. Ronnetta Sartor, providing insights for dental professionals navigating the early years of their practice.
Ronnetta Sartor, DMD brings a wealth of experience to her role as co-host of "Beyond Graduation," where she offers valuable perspectives on practicing dentistry. After completing a residency, Dr. Sartor has experienced both group and solo practice, contributing to her comprehensive understanding of diverse dental environments.
Episode Summary:
In this engaging episode of "Beyond Graduation," hosts Dr. Savanah Craig and Dr. Ronnetta Sartor explore the dynamic world of dental practice, discussing the contrasting paths of solo versus group practice. Both hosts, passionate about continuing education and skilled in various aspects of dentistry, share personal experiences and insights about finding their unique practice styles. From contemplating the intricacies of complete care dentistry to the nuances of insurance-driven environments, this episode is packed with invaluable insights for new and seasoned dental professionals.
Dr. Craig and Dr. Sartor delve into the often-debated topic of solo versus group dental practice, shedding light on the benefits and challenges associated with each. They share their personal journeys—Dr. Sartor's transition from a group practice to flying solo and Dr. Craig's reflections on group settings—and how these paths impact their practice style and patient care approach. They emphasize the importance of aligning one's career with personal and professional goals, highlighting how the type of practice can shape a dentist's experience and patient interactions.
Key Takeaways:
- Dentists can thrive in both solo and group practice settings, provided their practice aligns with their personal preferences and career goals.
- Comprehensive care and bread-and-butter dentistry both hold value, addressing different patient needs and expectations.
- Navigating patient factors, such as insurance, time, and anxiety, is crucial for successful and fulfilling dental practice.
- Continuous learning through courses such as Dawson, Pankey and Spear enhances a dentist’s skill set and adaptability to evolving patient needs.
- Building a network for professional support and collaboration is vital, especially when transitioning between different practice styles.
Connect with Us:
- Savanah Craig, DDS: @savanahcraigdds
- Ronnetta Sartor, DMD: @dr_sartor
- FutureDentists Beyond Graduation: @futuredentistsbeyondgraduation
- FutureDentists: @futuredentists
- IgniteDDS: @ignitedds and @ignitedds_coaching
- A-dec: @adecdental and https://www.a-dec.com/find-a-dealer
Join Dr. Savanah Craig and Dr. Ronnetta Sartor on this enlightening journey "Beyond Graduation" as they explore the evolving landscape of dentistry. Their conversation offers both practical skills and profound insights, making this episode a must-listen for anyone navigating the early stages of a dental career. Stay tuned for more wisdom and inspiration in future episodes.
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Transcript
Introduction to ADEC's Smart Start program
00:00:00
Speaker
ADEC's Smart Start program offers first-time practice owners their deepest discounts on equipment and furniture for two years, plus other savings and complimentary services. Ask your ADEC rep for details and start smart with ADEC.
Forging Paths in Dentistry
00:00:13
Speaker
Join Drs. Savannah Craig and Renetta Sartor as we navigate life beyond graduation. Real conversations about forging our own paths in our early years in our careers.
00:00:24
Speaker
There's a reason it's called practicing dentistry. All right, welcome back to another episode of Beyond Graduation. i am Savannah Craig and with me as always... am Renetta Sartor. We are so
Different Ways to Practice Dentistry
00:00:35
Speaker
happy to be back. um We were literally just chatting and catching up and we were like, we should just press record because otherwise we'll hash this out on our own and miss the whole point.
00:00:47
Speaker
um So we're kind of just talking about the different... different ways to practice, group practice, solo practice, different treatment philosophies, different, I don't patient population. it's all It's all there.
00:01:03
Speaker
um So the question I posed to Renetta was, they you know we're both CE junkies.
The Influence of Social Media on Dentistry
00:01:10
Speaker
We love to learn. um And there can be this push or i feel like there's a big community of people who really love these complete care continuums, Panky, Dawson, Kois, Spear. And I think there's been this, it feels like to me, a big push of like full mouth rehabs and reconstructions. And is that the only way to do dentistry? um And sometimes we, it feels like social media and things, we look down on like the
00:01:42
Speaker
bread and butter dentist or fee for service versus insurance and all of these things. And is one right or wrong, I guess, is that kind of sum up where we were.
00:01:54
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we starting
Solo vs Group Practices: Pros and Cons
00:01:56
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It did. I think it's lots of things. um I think the initial question that was posed was, you know, solo practice versus group practice. Yeah.
00:02:05
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And then from there, we started talking about, okay, well, even in that, whether you're solo or in a group practice, How do you practice? And I think when I was in residency, we joke all the time about like I went on the most interviews, probably in the history of interviews. But i think part of it is I was really trying to discover what type of dentistry I wanted to practice and whether it was me being in office by myself or me being in a similar environment to residency, which will reflect like group practice
00:02:40
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And in your words, like you said, whether it was me doing more complete care dentistry and was I not so much ready, but like, was I at a place in my career where that made sense? or did i did I need to go someplace where it's like, okay, we're going to do, you know, this person just wants this done. We're only going focus on that.
00:03:06
Speaker
So I think you summed it up really well, but I guess now we can talk about it. We've had similar, similar, but different experiences post residency.
Transitioning to Solo Practice
00:03:19
Speaker
finished residency and went into group practice. And then from group practice, pretty much now I'm a solo doctor. So I kind of know how both of those things feel. And then you kind of know all about the group aspect of it um for right now. So what's your take on it?
Understanding Patient Needs and Procedures
00:03:40
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Yeah, I think the the big thing that brought this to my mind, shout out to our friend Tara and Jonathan Miller. They had a podcast episode about Tara's journey and talking about she was in big group practice and she feels like that's not what fills her cup and she wants a different type of practice slower. She likes these big aesthetic cases and things like that. And when I was listening to the episode, i had this realization of, ah I don't want to do that. Like,
00:04:15
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I don't want to, as excuse me as Dr. Curtis always said, um make pretty teeth prettier and have that attention to detail. I like running around and doing multiple things and crown prep here and extraction here. And it makes my day go faster. And I might change my mind in five years.
00:04:37
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But right now, I really like that. And the idea of sitting down to do intricate smile design and all of these things doesn't interest me. And it was this realization of, oh, and that's okay. And there's going to be patients that want what she does. And there's going to be patients that want what I do. And there's going to be patients that want what you do. But I felt, I feel like sometimes there's this thing, if you're not doing anything,
00:05:03
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huge cases and full mouth rehabs. And if you didn't do X, Y, Z, C, E, then you're a bad dentist. And that's like a social media thing and ah a me thing too.
Patient Education and Specialist Referrals
00:05:16
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Well, no, I think you, you bring up a very valid point. Like every patient that comes into your office does not want complete care dentistry. And it's not to say anything bad about those patients. It's just that we're all in different phases of life, right?
00:05:32
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And so lots of things go into play. Like, do they have the time? We live in a crazy world where... I know all of the time I have patients that we're, you know, I'm asking what's the obstacle that's getting in the way of us making your health, care your oral health a priority.
00:05:48
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And time is the issue because they can't take the time off from work. So I think there's a place for both sides, you know, like totally. There are lots of patients that will come in and say, you know, I know I've got x y Z going on I want to see about having it all fixed because I know that the mouth is connected to the body and I want to be healthy or overall.
00:06:09
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Totally. um So I don't think it has to be, I definitely don't think that it makes you a bad dentist if you, you know, don't do those things. Cause I know, i know you well enough to know that you're educating your patients on it. And if right now is not the time or they don't have the finances or fear is what's stopping them. I know that you're having that conversation with them.
00:06:35
Speaker
Totally. And there are times where patients need these – there are patients who need a full mouth rehab and they need a lot of work and I'm happy to get them in the hands of the person who can do it and do it right. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm.
00:06:50
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Or I had a patient just the other day who, for so many reasons, traditional dentures are going to be a nightmare for them. And I told them, i can do dentures and I will do them to the best of my ability, but it's not going to be great.
00:07:07
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I think you are someone who really would benefit from implant-supported, all-on-X or something just with the structure of your bone and gag reflex and these different things and so I've I was like I'm not the person for you and that's not the type of dentistry I do or I want to do but I'm not going to give you like a crappy option because you're in my chair you know what i mean mm-hmm So I think that's you doing complete care dentistry, even if you're not the one to deliver it, you know? Yeah, that's a really good point.
Patient Relationships in Different Practice Models
00:07:37
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Even if you're not the one to deliver it, because if you hadn't had that discussion with a patient and they just go down the street to someone that's going to give them dentures, they wouldn't know. Well, you know, my last dentist said that for all of these reasons, I may not be a good candidate. What do you think?
00:07:54
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That's a really good point. And believe it or not, patients do that. You know, even if they go someplace else, they're like, my yeah, my past and as she said that. And then if they go down the road and that person's like, oh, no, it'll all be fine. Don't worry about it.
00:08:07
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More than likely, that patient might come back to you. yeah You know, it'd be like, you know, it's not so much um what you say, it's how you say it and how you made the patient feel.
00:08:19
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I'm sure that your patient felt seen and you, even though it's a more expensive option, you know, you just saying, okay, I think that this might not be a good option for you. This is what I think you'd be most happy with. And yeah, so I think that's a realization.
00:08:38
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it took me a while to realize that too, because yeah, early on, When I was in group practice, it was a practice that took lots of insurance. um So the days were a whirlwind.
00:08:54
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I tried my best to create as much opportunity to spend as much time as I could with each patient without making the schedule fall behind. um But now being in a solo practice that's essentially fee-for-service,
00:09:11
Speaker
I've got more time, I would say, than I did in the office that took a lot of insurance to just sit and form those relationships with patients.
00:09:22
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um More so, if a patient, if I'm telling the patient that something's not going to work, we...
Challenges of Insurance-Driven Dental Care
00:09:28
Speaker
have i think more rapport than i maybe had with some of the other patients i wouldn't say more rapport i think that's not true but i would say it it allows more time to ah develop deeper trust sure if that makes sense totally totally And I think there's always going to be a difference with insurance-driven practices and these things. And I think this is maybe another hot topic of social media being like, well, if you accept insurance, you're a bad dentist because you have to do these right. And people –
00:10:07
Speaker
We can feel how we feel about dental insurance and what it does and people don't understand that it's a coupon and blah, blah, blah. But they still deserve good care and that faster or whatever you got to do to do the insurance thing or even to think about like Medicaid and stuff. So the one office that my boss owns took Medicaid and and insurance and people were so grateful to feel like they weren't – treated differently because of their insurance, where some of these state insurance policies, because of the reimbursements, that offices that tend to be Medicaid heavy can have a certain feel and work. You know what I mean?
00:10:52
Speaker
huh um And so I still think those people deserve a pretty office and a nice team and good dental care. There's not a perfect system.
00:11:04
Speaker
And so i I think this idea that if you accept insurance, you're like doing crap work is unfortunate. Yeah. And also there are times where patients want Instagram veneers. And i'
Making Dentistry Accessible for All
00:11:20
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I'm like, with your insurance fees, we cannot hire a ceramicist. You know, like both and.
00:11:26
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You deserve great dentistry. There are also limitations to what I can deliver at this cost. Mm-hmm.
00:11:35
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What are your thoughts on all that? Because you were having insurance in your first, in your associateship, and then. So, oh you know, we talked about this before because it's like the internet, man. The internet may say that my office is not fee for service. yeah right Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We've talked about that before because like we're out of network. That might be the better term with yes all insurances, but we still. Versus an in network. We'll file on the patient's behalf.
00:12:04
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And even doing so, there is a lot that um goes into play with, you know, just trying to advocate for our patients and have insurance pay for what they say they will pay for.
00:12:18
Speaker
Totally. So across the board, it's a headache. And we're not getting away from it, no matter what. But it's just like, you know, health insurance, right? if If we go to the doctor, we want our insurance to pay for what they say they'll pay for.
00:12:32
Speaker
and I think, you know, in in having complete care, dentistry is also having a conversation with the patient. that you know your insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company we're doing the best that we can to help be the middle person to help navigate for them to pay what they say they'll pay but in addition to that dental insurance is like a coupon um more than anything it's not like health insurance it's I'm giving you this coupon and you only could use it for X amount of dollars. And you can only, um if you need a crown, this coupon is only good for 50% of what the crown is. And, you know, it's- A coupon with many stipulations. Yeah, it's a nightmare. So-
00:13:22
Speaker
I think um the bigger overall conversation is, you know, how do we make dentistry accessible for the patients that don't have the time, don't have the money, or are really strappled and have an issue with dental anxiety because all those things are really real.
00:13:44
Speaker
And I think how, as dentists, we navigate those three things differently will dictate how we make our patients feel. And to me, that's that though how you navigate those determines what type of dentist you are.
00:14:00
Speaker
I mean, the clinical aspect of it does make sense to You've got to be able to use your hands and do it in a good way. um And maybe in five years, I'll feel differently. But if if if I'm doing my best to help my patients in those three areas, I can sleep well at night.
00:14:18
Speaker
um Let's say four, because, you know, I don't want um one of my professors in dental school would say, you don't want your crown prep to it look like gum on on a lollipop stick. So no, we don't want to do dentistry like that.
00:14:32
Speaker
So yes, doing it at the highest clinical level level that we know how to do. Absolutely. And yeah, I think that's such a good point because the teeth sometimes are the easy part, but it's navigating all of those other pieces. um Yeah, because sometimes you're there's really only so many options I can do for your teeth to be totally frank.
00:14:57
Speaker
And it's just the conversation about how do we get there and what what that looks like and what's reasonable with all those other resources. I always tell people we've all only got so many hours in a day, so much money in the bank, so much time we're willing to spend sitting here.
00:15:14
Speaker
So how can we make this? We're going to compromise somewhere. And I can't figure that out for you on what you're willing to to compromise on. you know in a perfect world, we just wouldn't have to.
00:15:27
Speaker
I know. One of the things I will say that I miss about group practice is just being able to like pop next door and be like, hey, what do you think about this? or asking an assistant to call the other doctor over in real time while the patient's there to be like, would you, can you look at this? What do you think? But it just kind of helps, um, like being solo now, I still have those things just not in real time in the office.
00:15:54
Speaker
yeah Um, because if it's something really, you know, you and I have our little text chain and I've got lots of mentors and friends that I'll ask questions to and just talk about cases and study clubs and stuff. So, um,
00:16:09
Speaker
You definitely have to have your people because it could be very lonely out here and very hard. And I say that all the time. I'm so glad I can just turn my chair and look at my co-work and be like, was that great was that me Or...
00:16:26
Speaker
That was weird, right? Or do you see this? Or didn't feel comfortable doing this. Would you? And then when we agree, it's like, okay, all right, I did the the right thing. Or I've had some times, especially in the beginning, i came out of residency and i think you have a little like, want to be a cowboy a little bit more because we could residency.
00:16:45
Speaker
I had backup. I had hospital malpractice. And a lot of times in residency, we were kind of the end of the line. So I think we did some more, not risky, but we pushed the limit a little bit more.
00:17:01
Speaker
so when I first came out, I was like, I can do that. And the other day there was just something. And I was like, well, did this once in residency. And one of my coworkers was like, do not refer to the surgeon. Don't.
00:17:13
Speaker
We don't need to be doing that anymore. And i was like, thank you for. So my favorite line became, became you know it you know, early on, I was like, okay, I know I can do it, but should I do it?
00:17:27
Speaker
Like, do I want to do it? It's nice to know that you can if you need it to, but if you have resources so you don't need to, yeah. that's That's the wisdom. Use your resources. The wisdom of a few years of practice.
00:17:42
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, yeah. don't need to be a part of that.
Listener Interaction and Feedback
00:17:45
Speaker
So, guys, we want to hear from you. Tell us group practice or solo practice. Yes. Or something similar in between because there's so many different ways to practice.
00:17:55
Speaker
And then we talked about so many different things. So in addition to that, like complete care dentistry or, you know, more aesthetic type dentistry or what's your jam? Let us know what you're into and what fills your cup.
00:18:10
Speaker
Absolutely. Until next time. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Beyond Graduation.
Closing Remarks and Social Media Engagement
00:18:15
Speaker
If you enjoyed this week's episode, be sure to share it with a friend. Connect with us on social media at Savannah Craig DBS and at Dr. Sartor.
00:18:27
Speaker
And remember, you are not alone on this journey.
ADEC Equipment and Sponsorship
00:18:30
Speaker
ADEC certified pre-owned equipment is a sustainable, affordable choice that makes genuine ADEC equipment available to every doctor. Each package is sold on a first-come, first-served basis. So if you see one you like, contact your dealer. For more information, go to www.adec.com backslash findadealer. Thank you for listening to Beyond Graduation brought to you by Ignite DDS and Future Dentists. This episode was sponsored by Ignite DDS Coaching. We build self-determined futures. For more information, please reach out to the Ignite DDS team.