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Navigating the Best and Worst Advice As New Dentists
22 Plays14 days ago
About the Hosts:
Dr. Savanah Craig is a dental professional with deep expertise in dental practice management. Her career path has been marked by her commitment to advancing the field of dentistry through collaboration and education with her peers and the next generation of dentists.
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor is a seasoned dentist who is known for her insightful perspectives on dental practice ownership and management. With extensive experience and multiple collaborations under her belt, Renetta is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and helping others find success in the dental industry.
Episode Summary:
In this engaging episode of "Beyond Graduation," Drs. Craig and Sartor embark on a comprehensive conversation addressing the best and worst advice they've encountered since embarking on their dental careers. They discuss insights gathered from personal experiences and interactions with other professionals, offering valuable wisdom for both new and established dentists. They dive into strategies for young dentists, focusing on essential pieces of advice that can shape your early career, strengthen patient relationships, and improve leadership skills.
Throughout the episode, the hosts reflect on the significance of embracing continuous learning and adapting to industry changes. They share personal anecdotes and lessons learned about managing dental practice dynamics, including patient relationships and the importance of teamwork. Noteworthy discussions include understanding the impact of confidence and the balance required when dealing with associates and patients. Their candid conversation touches on the trials faced by dentists both personally and professionally, with an emphasis on maintaining sustainable practice growth and exploring the nuances of practice ownership.
Key Takeaways:
- Prioritize Team Building: Understanding the importance of teamwork and maintaining positive relationships with your dental staff can significantly enhance patient care and practice efficiency.
- Learn Continuously: Embrace lifelong learning to stay updated with evolving dental techniques and industry advancements, ensuring your practice stays relevant and effective.
- Balance Confidence with Humility: While confidence is essential, being open to advice and acknowledging areas for improvement is crucial in personal and professional growth.
- Evaluate Advice Contextually: Not all advice is one-size-fits-all; carefully consider its relevance to your personal and professional circumstances before adopting it.
- Adapt to Change: Dental practice landscapes are continuously evolving; flexibility in management style and practice operations can keep your business resilient.
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
This episode provides deep insights into the intricacies of dental practice from navigating early career challenges to achieving a harmonious team dynamic. Take this opportunity to enrich your understanding by tuning into the full episode and stay connected for more inspiring episodes from "Beyond Graduation."
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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.
Podcast Introduction: Navigating Early Career Challenges
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'm Savannah Craig and with me as always... i am Renetta Sartor. all
Exploring Advice: Best and Worst Experiences
00:00:34
Speaker
right. So this was a request from the one and only David Rice. We're going talking about advice and what's the best and worst advice you've ever heard or listened to.
00:00:46
Speaker
i think this is going to be tough, but Renetta's already queued up. So go for it, Renetta.
Valuable Advice Post-Residency
00:00:52
Speaker
I think that some of the best advice that I got was right out of residency. Like as I was leaving residency and going into my associateship, someone who was about five years out, what advice they had for a new resident.
00:01:09
Speaker
And she gave two pieces of advice. The first piece of advice was don't take things too personal. That's really good. Yeah. The next piece of advice was don't be overconfident. Ooh. Yes. And I think those two things, I kept them in mind every day. And it's still pieces that I share with like new dentists that don't take things too personal.
00:01:34
Speaker
Definitely came in handy because as the new associate, patients do not know you. It takes time to build rapport and trust. Mm-hmm. By default, they're going to want to see the dentist that's been there forever, that they've known forever. Yeah. And so you can't really take that personal. And so i always kept in mind how I am with my doctors. Yeah. Like if my doctor isn't there, I want to reschedule. Yeah.
Building Patient Rapport and Confidence
00:02:00
Speaker
You know? Yeah. Like I want to see my doctor that knows me and knows my medical history and all the things.
00:02:08
Speaker
And if I cannot, please let me know. Don't surprise me. Yeah. And then the second piece about not being overconfident. I think it's a major thing when you've done residency program like the one we did. Yeah.
00:02:25
Speaker
Where you spend a whole year pushing yourself while you have like people holding your hand. Yeah. And, you know, now you're going out kind of in the real world and...
00:02:38
Speaker
you You have to figure out what your limits are really quickly because you don't you may not have someone holding your hand as much as they did in residency.
00:02:49
Speaker
Yeah. What about you? i think those are really awesome pieces of advice. i think, yeah, the the knowing that you don't need to be everything to everyone you don't have to be everyone's dentist, I think goes hand in hand with the confidence thing because...
00:03:09
Speaker
In residency, we were the last, the buck kind of stopped with us. Yeah. And knowing, i think we've talked with this, just because I can do it shh doesn't mean I should do it. So finding that piece of
Team Dynamics and Care
00:03:20
Speaker
balance. And then also just like, if you take good care of your team, they're going to take good care of you.
00:03:29
Speaker
I chalked that one up to my mom, who's a hygienist. And, you know, I worked as a dental assistant at an oral surgery office. And so I've seen, you know, oral surgeons throw instruments at me and at their assistants. And just like, don't know, I tell my assistants every day, like,
00:03:45
Speaker
You could unplug me from this and plug in another dentist and y'all would keep rolling. But I'm screwed without you guys. like And just treating them well and appreciating them and knowing that like we are a team. And yes, I'm in a leadership role. and you know a lot of the decision making things are on my shoulders. But i don't like to think of it as like a hierarchy. you know i don't i don't think I'm...
00:04:16
Speaker
better than them or, you know, any of these things. I think we have very different strengths and we need to work in concert. And yeah, like I said, I can't, I can't do without them. So got to take care of them. um Yeah. i think speaking of team, one or another piece of advice that i received was to praise your team in public. And then if there's any, you know, feedback that might not be so positive, try to do that in private.
00:04:43
Speaker
Yeah. Another one as it pertains to that too is like not to let it build up. You know, if you see something, try to address it really soon so that it doesn't start festering on both ends, like festering within the team yeah to destroy the culture, but also festering and you to when you actually address it is a big blow up because that's never good for anyone. Yeah.
00:05:10
Speaker
What else do you have?
Reflecting on Professional Joy and Skills
00:05:11
Speaker
I always think of one of our attendings from residency would always say, you know, you're you're blessed to have these skills in this profession. Use it to bless others.
00:05:21
Speaker
I love that. And I think it puts into perspective on the hardest of days, like, how cool is what we do? You know what i mean? Like... Yeah.
00:05:32
Speaker
it's It's super weird, but also super, super cool. And to just like be able to see things with your eyes and then like do it with your hands is crazy. i guess it's wild to even think about on that level, you know, to be able to do that.
00:05:47
Speaker
I think about that sometimes like in... You know, there are definitely days where I'm just like rolling you do the thing and you do the motion. And then the other day I had this thought and I was like, I did like my entire dental school requirement worth of work like this week. Like it took me two years You know what i mean? and like, look how far we've come. And then also just the fact that I can be like, there is this bad part of your body part and I'm just going to take it out. And then I'm going to put this like goop in here that I cure with this blue light and then it's all going to be fine. is so weird.
00:06:23
Speaker
That's so weird, but cool. Like I had, I had a patient who, Had never been to the dentist. I think was from like a different country. And I was like, okay, so we'll do, you've got a cavity here. You need a filling.
00:06:37
Speaker
And they were like, what does that mean? And I had to like stop and be like, okay, so like see this on the x-ray. That's like, decay. That's bad. And I was like, it's kind of like a like cancer resection like tumor type thing where like I got to take the bad part out and clean it and get a clean margin.
00:06:58
Speaker
and then I'm going to put this filling material in here that's not as strong as your natural tooth, but as close as we can do. And we're going to just you know make it fit just like That part of your tooth was, and it's all going to be fine. And as long as you clean and care for it, it'll last a long time. And they were like, whoa, that's kind of crazy. And I was like, that is kind of crazy. Yeah. You never really think about it because we just do it on a you know daily basis. so Yeah.
00:07:27
Speaker
That's awesome. So... I don't know, just like look at the little things sometimes be like, this is actually insane that we can
The Importance of Continual Learning
00:07:33
Speaker
do this. And I think kind of piggybacking off of that, like some advice that I received too is that you can learn from every experience and you can learn from every person that you come in contact with.
00:07:46
Speaker
Like, I remember like being an associate that it will be like some assistants that work with the other doctor and they would say, well, would you want to try this? This is like what he uses and he really likes this instrument.
00:08:01
Speaker
And then I'm like, sure, let me see. you know, some stuff work great. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I want to use that. And, you know, other things I'm like, yeah, I don't know. It might work better in his hand.
00:08:13
Speaker
Totally. But how would I have known had I not, you know, said sure and tried it, you know? Yeah. And I think that's the other crazy thing when you like step back and like think about like our whole training.
00:08:27
Speaker
i only do what I do because somebody else told me that that's a thing to do. And do you ever think about that? Like you can get, i can get kind of down a rabbit hole, but like, like there were so many things in residency that not necessarily contradicted what I learned in dental school, but like. It was debunked.
00:08:47
Speaker
Yes. Yes. And you're like, oh, I only knew that because someone else told me. And then they they only knew that because somebody else told them. Yes. And sometimes that freaks me out. And sometimes it's really cool. And like, you're only as good as the information you have, which is cool and scary. i don't know. That's a, I can get very existential with that. very But you know, it it leads to the next piece of advice that I'm sure we both have gotten to always continue learning. Yeah.
00:09:19
Speaker
Yeah, it's always changing. i always think about like the discussion you told me you had with your grandparents since, you know, they're aging and their doctors are young younger, you know, and you're yeah letting them know that, hey, like,
00:09:34
Speaker
You know, how things were done then and how they're done now is different. But in five years, it'll probably be even more different. Yeah. And so we have to keep learning. learning Yeah.
00:09:47
Speaker
Yeah.
Evaluating Advice: Social Media and Personal Context
00:09:48
Speaker
All right. What is some bad advice? Maybe maybe not that you were given in particular. i'm I'm trying to now think of like bad things I've seen in like Facebook groups and stuff that maybe you you didn't like take it, but you've seen.
00:10:03
Speaker
Yeah, I think in social media, people will tell you don't own your own practice. They'll tell you don't get married, you know, get a prenup, all kinds of stuff. And I'm sure it's coming from a place of like them looking back on things.
00:10:23
Speaker
But I won't necessarily consider it to be bad advice. I think a lot of that advice might be coming from like, you know, like failed. situations or situations that they wish had been done differently.
00:10:38
Speaker
And so if it's not on a like virtual type level, I would always ask more questions. Like I was at CE maybe sometime this year with someone who owned a practice for a while and said she'd never do it again.
00:10:54
Speaker
Sure. And so i said, really? really You know, what what did you not like about it that made made you feel that way? And then she started naming things. And then for me, I realized that some of the things that she were naming, she was naming that started at the beginning of her journey of ownership and even before were not things that ring true for me.
00:11:21
Speaker
Yeah. And so there were some things from that discussion that I did take from, you know, and so, you know, again, always learning. and I was like, okay, well.
00:11:32
Speaker
You know, maybe I'll do things a little bit different since, you know, she tried them this way and that sort of thing. What about you? I think going off of that is being really careful whose advice who you take in.
00:11:50
Speaker
I think it's great to hear things, but only absorbing or or being cautious about... Who is giving you ah the advice? Why they're giving that advice?
00:12:05
Speaker
And especially in the world of social media, like we're getting information all the time and kind of filtering that through. Like, do you want to... I wouldn't take advice from someone whose life you don't want to have, right?
00:12:21
Speaker
i think some... And again, I think all all advice comes from a good place. But I've had kind of the opposite thing where people telling me... that buying into this group practice is a bad idea and I should go out on my own and start my own thing because it could be more profitable in in different ways and different. The thing that Adam and I have been talking about a lot is like any scenario is going to have pros and cons and what what works with our lifestyle. And like, maybe this isn't going to be the perfect solution forever, but
00:12:55
Speaker
Maybe being a solo doc isn't either. i don't know. and just trying to to do the best with what you have and and everyone's life is so different. So again, taking that advice... With a grain of salt. And doing your own due diligence too. Yes.
00:13:10
Speaker
Yes. Yes. So I think even the worst advice has some nuggets in it. I think other interesting advice that you see online and like you and I have very different practices of like, everyone's got to go out of network with this insurance and...
00:13:27
Speaker
I was at a CE course a while back. It was kind of it was so interesting because a lot of the people at the course were like significantly older than me by like probably at least 20 years. I was probably the youngest one. And there were a lot of female dentists who immediately like, you know i don't know, we lady doctors have to stick together, I suppose. But they were having a really hard time in like life and their practices.
00:13:55
Speaker
And so it became really awkward because they were like, please i like don't get married. I was like, my husband is great. We're fine. And then and then they were like, my assistants are the worst. And I like, my assistants are great. like It was just everything. And I was like, oh no. And so then they had like gone out of network with all of these insurances, but like I don't think did it in a very good way. So
Insurance, Practice Ownership, and Personal Life
00:14:22
Speaker
they were like, they had to like fire their associates and like all of these things. And they were like, but like on Facebook, everybody told me to do these things. i' Like maybe you should have looked if that worked for you. And then I was like, well, my practice is in network with literally everything and we're doing fine. And they were like, and I was like, everything I say is bad. And so it's like, I'm just gonna go have dinner with myself and my Kindle.
00:14:46
Speaker
But yeah, so I think it's not black and white and you can't just like go to a Facebook group that's like, everyone needs to go out and network and it doesn't work for everybody. Yeah. And I mean, it's pros and cons even to that. Like, yeah you know, during an economic slowdown, pretty much your office is going to be impacted, but it may be less impacted than mine is.
00:15:12
Speaker
And impacted in different ways. Right. Exactly. 100%. Because it's not that you guys aren't having some sort of complication. It might just be that your pain point is different than mine, but it doesn't mean that it's any less of a pain point, you know? Totally. Yeah.
00:15:32
Speaker
And the same thing, your ownership of your practice works for you and your lifestyle, but there are still good and bad things.
00:15:42
Speaker
And me buying in a piece of a group practice works works for me and my lifestyle as far as I can tell. Yeah. And there's still going to be good and bad things. No matter what we do in life. Exactly. Exactly. I'm trying to think of some other. yeah I think bringing up the point of like marriage and stuff is so interesting because I don't know. i would i would love to talk to like physicians and know if like They get that same advice. But for some reason, I think because dentists are small business owners and like obviously divorce and things like that impact your business. i never think dentists get a lot more advice about
00:16:26
Speaker
marriage marriage and relationships Yeah, that's an interesting point. I don't think I've ever thought about it that way. Yeah, so I don't know. If you're a physician out there, are people telling you not to get married?
00:16:37
Speaker
But no, like, I mean, we've had to have this conversation, especially like going into this group partnership. Odds, odds of all of our... I hope all of our marriages work out.
00:16:50
Speaker
But it is an added level of if they don't, how does that affect the business? And your partners. Partners, exactly. So there are like very intentional contingencies in the partnership agreement of like what that looks like, which is just...
00:17:07
Speaker
Super fascinating and things I had never thought about. Or like if if a partner dies, there are contingencies that your spouse gets your shares but doesn't get your voting rights so that, you know, Adam can't go sell the business. If something happened to me, but he would just change everything up. yes Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He can't go fire everybody and destroy the business, but he, my family is not going to be screwed if something
Listener Engagement and Episode Closure
00:17:38
Speaker
happened to me. So just the things to think about are weird. Very true.
00:17:42
Speaker
Well, this, this has been great. I am so looking forward to hearing what you all have to say out there about the best and worst pieces of advice that you received.
00:17:55
Speaker
about dentistry or about life in general. So definitely comment and let us know what you think. We'll see you next time. you for joining us for this episode of Beyond Graduation. If you enjoyed this week's episode, be sure to share it with a friend.
00:18:10
Speaker
Connect with us on social media at Savannah Craig DBS and at Dr. Sartor. And remember, you are not alone on this journey.
00:18:21
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.
00:18:49
Speaker
We build self-determined futures. For more information, please reach out to the Ignite DDS team.