Dr. Edwin A. McDonald III received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Economics from Midwestern State University. He earned his DDS degree from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Dr. McDonald has completed extensive training in dental implant dentistry through the University of Florida Center for Implant Dentistry. He has also completed extensive aesthetic dentistry training through various programs including the Seattle Institute, The Pankey Institute and Spear Education. Mac is a general dentist in Plano Texas. His practice is focused on esthetic and restorative dentistry. He is a visiting faculty member at the Pankey Institute. Mac also lectures at meetings around the country and has been very active with both the Dallas County Dental Association and the Texas Dental Association. Currently, he is a student in the Naveen Jindal School of Business at the University of Texas at Dallas pursuing a graduate certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching. With Dr. Joel Small, he is co-founder of Line of Sight Coaching, dedicated to helping healthcare professionals develop leadership and coaching skills that improve the effectiveness, morale and productivity of their teams.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Dentists: Your Legacy Matters
By: Edwin A. McDonald, DDS This topic originally appeared on PankeyGram.org. Dr. McDonald granted permission for igniteDDS to…
4 Promises of Leadership Development That Will Transform Your Dental Career
By: Dr. Edwin “Mac” McDonald The development of leadership competencies is about developing yourself. As you look…
Advice for Applying to a GPR / AEGD Program
By: Savannah Craig A dental residency program can provide valuable in-the-field experience for recent dental school graduates. Applying for residency programs is similar to applying to dental school in many ways. But first, you’ll need to choose which kind of residency to pursue. Most residences fall into two broad categories: GPR and AEGD. What’s the…
What To Do the Summer Before Dental School
By: Savannah Craig Congratulations on your acceptance to dental school! What an incredible accomplishment! You’ve put in the time and effort, and finally, it has paid off with an offer letter from a dental school. You have probably spent the last several years working jobs, volunteering, and gaining new skills to make your dental school…
Imposter Syndrome as a Dental Student
By: Savanah Craig Imposter syndrome is an experience of believing you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. Imposter syndrome is common in high-achievers, and dental students are no exception. I believe that the hyper-competitive nature of dental school acceptance makes us, as students, even more likely to experience imposter syndrome. Imposter…
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Dental School
By: Savanah Craig Before “Day in the Life” Instagram posts, there wasn’t a lot of information about what being in Dental School was like. I had spent many hours shadowing dentists for my application, but none of them ever talked about their four years of school. I felt confident that I could become a great…
Dental Patient Communication: Learning to meet your patients where they are
By: Savanah Craig One of the biggest challenges I face while beginning my career in dentistry is patient communication. I have spent the last 4 years learning a whole new language of technical jargon to be able to communicate with my colleagues and read research articles. However, much of my day is spent in communication…
How Much Should You Pay For Malpractice Insurance?
By: Dr. Luke Shapiro I just got off the phone with my insurance sales rep and they informed me that it would now cost me almost $11,000 to have malpractice insurance in New York City! What?! I thought I misunderstood. Is it even legal to increase malpractice by this much? Turns out it is. They…
Dental Mentorship: Benefits + How to Find One
By: Savanah Craig If you attend enough ASDA events, you’ll hear about the importance of finding a mentor to help support you on your journey towards a career in dentistry. However, there isn’t much explanation about how to find a mentor or why it’s so important. How to Find a Dentist Mentor Here are steps…
How to build your brand and reputation as a new dentist
By: Jennifer Murphy Everyone wants to be liked and we all want to be thought of in a positive light, especially when it comes to us as dentists and our dental practices. How does a dental school graduate entering into a whole new world develop that? How can a new and/or young dentist build a…
DSO or OSO: What Every Dentist Should Know
By: Bruce Bryen Once out of dental school, you begin looking at various choices regarding how to approach the job market. Knowing which decision to make may develop into a lifelong process, especially if the idea is to be an owner/operator of a solo or partnership practice. The reason for this statement is that DSOs…
Personal affairs curtailing the potential of the associate
By: Bruce Bryen Like much of the general population, dental school graduates also face challenges while ascending to more lucrative and clinically challenging positions in professional dentistry. One major problem with personal growth in this field is the toll it takes on the home life of the dentist. The stress of the job does not…