One of the most gratifying events on my schedule each month is the evening I spend with 12 residents. I invite them to my home for dinner and conversation about their future. The University of Florida residency program in St. Petersburg is very selective, so these young dentists from all over the country are among the best and brightest. I’m sure they like to come for the home-cooked meal, but they are also very serious in their desire to be successful practitioners. They come with a load of questions and not just a few concerns.
Recognize that you don’t know what you don’t know:
If you think dental school was the be-all and end-all of your education, then you’ll be in for a rude awakening. The most successful dentists know that they have to keep learning even after they graduate, but this is especially important dental office near by in the early years of their career.
Each year, we come into contact with hundreds of dentists who have never done an occlusal equilibration, never verified a centric relation, never predictably treated a TMJ disorder, or never worked out a precisely correct anterior guidance without guessing. This lack of awareness extends to other skills that are essential for clinical success. Without these skills, dental practices will not be able to provide satisfactory results for patients or reward dental teams for their hard work.
Learn to be a physician of the total masticator system:
It’s important for dentists to understand the relationship between teeth, the TMJ, and the neuromuscular system. This knowledge is essential for providing competent care. Good patient relations and a pleasant personality are not substitutes for clinical competence. Without the ability to provide effective treatment, dentists must rely on other methods to attract and retain patients. This also robs the dentist and staff of the predictability that comes with competent treatment.
Don’t try to do it on your own:
There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel – if someone else has already gone through the trouble of learning how to do something, why not take advantage of their knowledge? That’s what postgraduate education is all about: learning from others so you can be more efficient and productive in your own practice. By enrolling in a good postgraduate curriculum, you can quickly and easily improve your practice and make it more successful.
There’s nothing quite like learning by doing. That’s why we offer hands-on classes at the Dawson Academy. This type of learning allows students to really internalize the material and makes it more likely that they’ll be able to use it in the real world.
In addition to the benefits of hands-on learning, study clubs are also a great way to share ideas and stay current. If you’re looking for a way to get the most out of your education, a study club is definitely worth considering.
Don’t buy into the gloom and doom:
The Dawson Academy offers a unique learning experience with our hands-on classes. We believe that the combination of learning and doing is the best way to absorb and retain information. Joining a study club is also a great way to share ideas and stay up-to-date with the latest information.
Every patient wants a healthy mouth and an attractive smile. Dentists who know how to provide predictable patient-centered care will continue to be in demand. It will be necessary from time to time to adapt to patients’ circumstances through phasing treatment or even working with a necessary compromise, but there is no shortage of patients who will respond to dentists who really care about them and who know how to solve their problems.