Monday, May 17, 2021
As new graduates leave dental school this spring, they have a lot to think about in terms of their careers, from the products they need to purchase to what goals they’d like to set for themselves and their practices.
Dentalcompare recently talked with Dr. Mark E. Hyman, a well-known dentist with more than 30 years of experience, to gather advice for young dentists as they start out on their journey. Here’s what he had to say.
DC: What are the top five tips you have for new dental school graduates?
MH: 1.It's the journey, not the destination. It is so easy to get hung up on dental school debt, what your classmates are earning, who bought what car. Forget that noise! Set "S.M.A.R.T." goals (Specific/Measurable/Achievable/Relevant/Time Based) and review them often. Keep the long-term, big picture in mind. Don't forget why you pursued this profession.
2. You won't always get things right the first time. Set an extraordinarily high standard for the quality of your care, and remake/reimpress/redo if you are not satisfied with your results.
3. Choose a mentor/coach. I was so fortunate to have many dentists and consultants who took a tremendous interest in my career, including Ms. Linda Miles, Dr. Cathy Jameson, The Pankey Institute and Spear Education. Every superstar has someone guiding them.
4. Get involved in organized dentistry! It's fun to get involved. You learn a ton, you make a profound difference in the profession and you meet colleagues you'll practice with for decades.
5. Set a continuing education goal. Mine was 100 hours per year! I also got my Fellowship of the Academy of General Dentistry, and my Mastership Award. There is a profound impact of opening your mind and enhancing your career by following a path toward excellent, relationship-based comprehensive care.
DC: What are the biggest challenges new dental graduates face? How can they overcome these challenges?
MH: The first is financial. Many graduates have education debt, which could lead to working in a circumstance where production is valued over quality. If you choose the right practice/mentor/philosophy, you will knock the debt out quickly.
Second, most or all that recent graduates know is what they were taught in dental school. One of the greatest gifts is stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new things. Study clubs can be a great way to start.
Finally, technology changes quickly—and it can seem daunting to try to keep up. The single most important gift I can offer is my challenge for recent graduates to commit to excellent photography. Seeing your work up close helps you improve. When patients see their tooth at 30 times the size, they own their problems. At my practice, I had eight operatories and eight Digi-Doc intraoral cameras. We committed to a photo on every patient for every procedure before, during and after.
DC: What’s the best place for new graduates to start? What are the benefits of each: starting as an associate at a small practice, working for a DSO or purchasing their own practice? How can new grads know what’s best for their careers?
MH: The best place for new graduates to start is to follow their dreams. Every generation of dental students has faced different challenges, but this is the greatest profession in the world. You will find your way and succeed.
The benefit of a great associateship is you have a mentor you can model yourself after. You can ask questions and grow as your skills in diagnosis, treatment planning, case presentation and implementation increase.
DSO groups that provide you time to grow, mentorship and a talented team also can be a great place to start.
If you find the right circumstance, buying a practice can be fantastic! What a wonderful opportunity to sculpt a practice exactly into your vision of your preferred future. If this is your dream, you can achieve it.
You will not know what's best without trying. There really is no bad choice. Each experience adds to your unique story.
DC: What should new graduates consider before investing in products and equipment for their practices?
MH: The No. 1 commitment to make before purchasing equipment is to training. It's not good enough to buy a CAD/CAM system and tell the team "you're using this today at 8 a.m.!" Always reserve time for training and ensure the new equipment will truly enhance the quality of patient care and their overall experience.
DC: What products should they invest in right away?
These are my six suggestions:
1. An intraoral camera for every operatory. The Iris X80 from Digi-Doc is the No. 1 rated camera. This is the wrong place to save money. It’s difficult to provide optimal care with a less-than optimal image. Commitment to this will pay for all the other advances you bring in later.
2. Isolation. My practice had eight operatories and eight Zyris Isolites. The mouthpieces are low in price, greatly enhance the quality of care you provide and the patient experience. They also cut the time to complete a procedure by 30 to 50%.
3. Buffering of your local anesthesia. The Onset system from Onpharma predictably changes the pH of your local anesthesia from 3.5 (lemon juice) to 7.4 (water). This will allow your care to become predictable and pain free. Further, during the age of COVID-19, your patients are not happy with you constantly getting up and leaving the operatory. Thus, we are now in the age of “Seat, Treat, and Complete!"
4. CAD/CAM. This is a booming area of growth, providing quality care and efficiency. I started using CAD/CAM technology in 1997! I provided CEREC (Sirona) care for my patients through four advances. Many wonderful systems are available now. Demo each and watch your dental career explode.
5. Automatic patient communication systems. We have experience with many of these systems. All have good features that enhance the patient experience and lead to a productive business team. Features can include appointment reminders, re-care communication, two-way texting, and online reputation management.
6. Popular products and services like power toothbrushes and whitening. My practice offered the finest power toothbrushes like Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart and Philips in-office and take-home tooth whitening to all of our patients. The No. 1 requested procedure in dentistry today is tooth whitening, so why wouldn't you offer it to everyone?
Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed is clinically proven to whiten teeth up to eight shades in just 45 minutes. And the research is clear—your patients can't clean as well with a handheld, manual brush as they can with a power toothbrush. Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart is clinically proven to deliver up to 100% less gum inflammation and up to 7x healthier gums in just two weeks compared to a manual toothbrush.
Convenience is key. These products can enhance your practice and your patients’ routine between visits. Remember, the quality of your products reflects who you are as an office.
DC: Is there anything else you’d like to mention that we haven’t talked about yet?
MH: It has been said that for the timid, change is frightening. For the comfortable, change is threatening. But for the confident, change means opportunity. Don't be afraid to jump in and stretch! This is your time to shine. Love your work and have a blast.
Dr. Mark E. Hyman is a renowned dentist from Greensboro, NC, and a public speaker whose work is characterized by his warmth, enthusiasm, sense of humor, and passion for dentistry. As an accomplished seminar speaker, he has lectured throughout North America and Europe at every major dental meeting. Dr. Hyman has earned national and international recognition for his seminars. Since 2001, Dentistry Today magazine has selected Dr. Hyman as one of the top speakers in dentistry. He loved his 32 years in private practice, and currently serves as an Adjunct Full Professor and Special Assistant to the Office of the Dean at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, NC.