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Navigating Dentistry: Dr. Savanah Craig’s Journey
15 Plays1 month ago
About the Hosts:
Dr. Savanah Craig is a dedicated dental professional from Shikora, a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Inspired by her mother's career as a dental hygienist, Dr. Craig embarked on her journey in dentistry at an early age. Receiving her undergraduate education in Biology from Baldwin Wallace University, she fostered strong connections and gained insights that shaped her future. She attended The Ohio State University for her dental education and completed her residency in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Craig currently practices in a large group setting in Columbus, allowing her to employ the extensive training she received during her residency. Her passion for helping others and continuously improving her skills fuels her successful career in dentistry.
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor co-hosts the "Beyond Graduation" podcast alongside Dr. Savanah Craig. While the episode focuses on Dr. Craig's journey, Dr. Sartor contributes to the engaging discourse about navigating early career challenges and fostering professional growth in the world of dentistry.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of "Beyond Graduation," Dr. Savanah Craig delves into her journey from a small town in Pennsylvania to becoming a successful dentist in Columbus, Ohio. The co-hosts, Dr. Craig and Dr. Ronnetta Sartor, accentuate themes of professional challenges, continuous learning, and finding personal and professional balance. The conversation orbits around the intricacies of post-graduation life as a dentist, encapsulating stories of growth and the pursuit of a self-determined future. Sponsored by IgniteDDS and FutureDentists, the episode fosters a community where dental professionals can share their struggles and successes.
Dr. Craig's story is set against a backdrop of passion and perseverance, skillfully being honed in various stages of her education and early professional life. She highlights her initial interest in dentistry, familial influences, impactful educational experiences, and her unyielding desire to excel through additional training. Dr. Craig offers a candid reflection on her professional motivations and daily inspirations, emphasizing the importance of helping others and personal growth. She provides actionable insights for aspiring dentists, especially in understanding that behind the high-stakes of their profession, maintaining a healthy perspective and enjoying the journey are essential. This episode is an homage to the continuous journey of learning and adapting beyond the comforts of academia.
Key Takeaways:
- Dr. Savanah Craig details her journey from aspiring dentist influenced by familial ties to her current practice in Columbus.
- She underscores the significance of striving for additional training and support, elucidating her decision to pursue a residency post-dental school.
- The importance of community and having a supportive network in navigating professional and personal challenges is highlighted.
- The episode encourages listeners to embrace the imperfections and hurdles in their professional journeys with the understanding that “they’re just teeth.”
- Through storytelling and shared experiences, the podcast aims to create a supportive environment for dental professionals beyond graduation, focusing on personal growth.
Connect with Us:
- Savanah Craig, DDS: @savanahcraigdds
- Dr. Craig’s cats’ Instagram: @pierogiandgnocchi
- Ronnetta Sartor, DMD: @dr_sartor
- FutureDentists Beyond Graduation: @futuredentistsbeyondgraduation
- FutureDentists: @futuredentists
- IgniteDDS: @ignitedds
Tune into the full episode to learn more about Dr. Craig's journey.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:00
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.
00:00:10
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... I am Runeta Sartor. This is season three of the podcast and alignment with Ignite and the new sort of coaching mission we're on We're gonna just come to you with some, you know, real and honest stories about where we are and where we've come from and how we're trying to get towards our self-determined futures on this season. So we're excited to have you on this journey with us.
00:00:48
Speaker
I think you said it best, Savannah. In order to know where we're going, we have to go back to where we came from. And so when we first started the podcast two seasons ago, we gave a a glimpse of who we are. And so our next two episodes will be getting the real tea on who are.
00:01:07
Speaker
Savannah and Renetta are. um We're going to start with Dr.
Savannah's Journey to Dentistry
00:01:11
Speaker
Savannah. So tell us everything. Tell us where where you grew up and just how that has made you the Dr. Craig that we see today. Yeah. So I am from a very tiny town north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shakora.
00:01:28
Speaker
Good luck Googling that. um i The running joke is that I've always wanted to be a dentist. So my mom is a dental hygienist, grew up going to her office in the hometown, you know our hometown dental office.
00:01:44
Speaker
I had tons and tons of ortho. So I loved going to the dentist, loved hanging out at the orthodontist. And I thought for years I would get into ortho, but that's a story. A later part of this chapter, I guess.
00:01:58
Speaker
I was always on the on the trajectory for dental school. So I went to college at Baldwin-Wallace University outside of Cleveland. I studied biology there. It was awesome because it was a small liberal arts college, so made awesome connections and...
00:02:18
Speaker
Still talk to a lot of my professors today. Then went to the Ohio State for dental school. In dental school, i always knew that I wanted to do a residency. I'm the type of person that wants the most training possible and the most support possible. That's just my personality. So residency was always on my radar.
00:02:39
Speaker
And then as we know, went to Columbia, South Carolina for residency and then ended up back in Columbus now in a pretty large group practice, um which allows me to do all of the awesome training and things that i did in residency.
00:02:57
Speaker
That's the long and short of it. The long and short. Love it. Love it. So what would you say is your why? What keeps you going?
Inspiration and Patient Care
00:03:05
Speaker
Especially we talk all the time that dentistry can be not a very forgiving or sometimes really difficult profession to be in. So what keeps you going? Oh, Um, I think, you know, at the, at the base of it is helping others. Um, I always think of, you know, our program director from residency, you've been so blessed to get this far in your career and to have the hand skills and the, you know, brain and all of those things to be able to do this. So it's your time to go bless others.
00:03:42
Speaker
Um, and so I think at the end of the day, even on the hardest of days, knowing that like My goal is just to get other people in a better position than when they walked in the door.
00:03:52
Speaker
Obviously, I hope that that's with their dental health. But honestly, I'm starting to realize sometimes that it's just even just listening to them. And, you know, I hope I can move the move the needle on getting healthy. But honestly, I think some people just need 20 minutes to like ramble to a stranger and have them like see them and listen to them. And I think I'm trying to remind myself that even that is like,
00:04:17
Speaker
a small impact on another person, even if like, you know, my overall goal of gettingdding getting some treatment done doesn't happen. Trying to find those like little glimpses.
00:04:30
Speaker
actually read a book called Just Listen. um And they talked about in society as a whole, um people just want to feel seen and like have their concerns validated and like their emotions modeled back to them. And in this world of like social media and online interaction and isolation, not everybody gets that. So I think that even just in those moments of being like, yeah, I hear you. And I'm sure that's a lot going on. i think
00:05:02
Speaker
That takes a little burden from somebody for a little while. Very true. That's very true. I feel like when we sign up for dental school, they should give us some psychology background or some tools to be able to deal with.
00:05:14
Speaker
um Not so much deal with, but help. our patients through whatever they may be going through. um So what would you say the podcast um Beyond Graduation has done for you as it pertains to your why and your purpose?
Community and Professional Support
00:05:32
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good question. i think it's sort of just what we talked about providing ah like validation is not the the best word for it, but letting people know that they're not alone and that We're all going through the same things. We don't all have it figured out.
00:05:50
Speaker
um you know The podcast is as much for me as it is for anybody who's listening to hang out with a good friend and mentor and hash out some of the things going on in my head and in my everyday life. And my hope is someday that this creates a community where people can come and share those not so glamorous parts of life and dentistry and all of the above and feel like you're not you're not doing this alone and just get a little bit better every day and get somebody in a little bit better of a position each day where
00:06:29
Speaker
Eventually, the whole all of us will move in the right direction a little bit at a time. If there's one thing that you leave our listeners with or one thing that you wish younger Dr. Craig would have known, what would you say that is?
00:06:47
Speaker
Part of it And again, it's not going to come out exactly the way I want, but it's not that serious, I guess, is the biggest thing I would...
00:06:58
Speaker
You know, they they're just teeth. Not that you should not take your job seriously and you should not give your best every single day. But i felt, and and I'm sure you understand these feelings and people who have gone through, ah you know, millions of years of school to get to this point.
00:07:16
Speaker
Everything feels like the end of the world. If you fail that test, you're not going to get into dental school. If you don't pass that practical, you're never going to graduate. No, no. It just feels like the stakes are so high all of the time.
00:07:29
Speaker
And now in practice, sometimes things just happen and you just need to own it and figure out a way forward. And most of the time it can be managed. It's not, the sky is not falling.
00:07:46
Speaker
And so I think I spent a lot of time stressing and falling apart over things that, you know, 10 weeks later didn't matter that much.
00:07:58
Speaker
So i think finding that balance between caring 100% all of the time and giving your best, whatever that looks like that day, but not not beating yourself up over all of it. I think that's perfect.
Social Media and Personal Life
00:08:13
Speaker
Where can our viewers find you on social media? Yeah. ah At Savannah Craig DDS, Savannah with one n That's a a, my parents made that decision and it has haunted me ever since. People cannot autocorrect does everybody dirty. Yeah.
00:08:34
Speaker
yeah So the, my Instagram, you'll see a little bit of life things and travel things and, podcast and ignite things. I think the other thing i want to impart to people is finding your people and your community and your life partner and all of those things are also really, really important on this journey. And I've been having a lot of conversations with friends that
00:09:07
Speaker
I don't think your romantic partner has to be the be all end all either, but just having those people on your side that are supporting you and reminding you that you're more than a dentist when things go crazy.
00:09:21
Speaker
So yeah, check out the Instagram, follow my cat's Instagram.
00:09:29
Speaker
They're way more exciting than dentistry. and You want to but drop their handle? Yeah. Yeah. At pierogi and gnocchi.
00:09:39
Speaker
Awesome. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram too. At future dentists beyond graduation at ignite DDS. and There's some really awesome things coming and you in both of our lives in Ignite's world and hopefully in season three of the podcast. So thanks for being on this journey.
00:10:03
Speaker
And so if there's anything about dr Dr. Craig's journey that resonates with you, definitely let us know. We'd love to hear your stories too. um And if you guys have any similarities or things that really resonated until next time.
00:10:20
Speaker
See you soon.
Conclusion and Podcast Promotion
00:10:21
Speaker
Thank 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.
00:10:37
Speaker
And remember, you are not alone on this journey. 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.