Dr. Mike Crete lives and practices in Grand Rapids, MI. He graduated from the University of Michigan dental school over 30 years ago.
He has always been an avid learner and dedicated to advanced continuing education. After completing the entire curriculum at The Pankey Institute, Mike returned to join the visiting faculty.
Mike is an active member of the Pankey Board of Directors, teaches in essentials one and runs two local Pankey Learning Groups in Grand Rapids.
Know Your Patients: One of the Keys to Successful Treatment
By: Mike Crete DDSThis topic originally appeared on Pankey.org. Dr. Crete granted permission for it to be…
Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for The Dental Professional
By: Lucas Shapiro Tired of giving the same old gift or chocolate and flowers to the people that matter most in your life for Valentine’s Day? Everyone does enjoy chocolate and that’s totally fine as long as it’s in moderation and you brush and floss afterward. IgniteDDS has created a Valentine’s Dental Gift Guide to…
Dentistry as Public Health
By: Mohammed Hammoud I’m Mohammed Hammoud, a third-year student at the LECOM School of Dentistry with a passion for dentistry as an issue of public health and social well-being. Before Dental School Before dental school, I worked with a public health organization and shadowed a dentist running a clinic in South Africa. It was a…
Geographic Success and the Transition to the Real World of Dentistry
By: Cory Ball You just got your final faculty check for a restorative appointment in the clinic. Your patient is thrilled to finally leave the dental school after a three-hour appointment to fix a cavity. Yes, that’s right. One filling. 4DO. You’re an early D3 dental student and this is among the first dozen or…
Communicating in Difficult Situations: Part 1
By: Savanah Craig If you work in the dental profession long enough, you’ll encounter patients who might get labeled as difficult for some of their requests in a dental chair. These annoyances range from refusing to swallow their own saliva, questioning the need for radiographs, or refusing fluoride treatment. Many dentists, hygienist, and dental assistants…
General Dentist vs. Dental Specialist
By: Dr. Cory Ball 12 years of grade school, 4 years of undergraduate studies, maybe a master’s program, and 4 years of dental school. Now you are debating on doing more school? Do you want to be a general dentist or go on to do a specialty in orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatrics, endodontics, periodontics, etc?…
New Dentist: Your First Paycheck Arrives, Now What?
By: Dr. Cory Ball Dental school is a busy time for most aspiring clinicians. Between studying for courses, practicing in preclinic, then managing the patient pool in the final years, most students have a tough time finding additional hours in a day to have a part-time job to make money. And those students who do have…
Don’t Look Back, Look Forward to Paying Off Dental School Student Loans
By: Dr. Cory Ball The average student loan debt for a graduating dental student in 2020 was over $300,000. During school, students can easily fall into a mindset of forgetting about the loans and focusing on other things. The problem with that is when the time comes to start making payments, it can be overwhelming…
The Transition to a Dental Faculty Position
By: Tanya Sue Maestas Hi, I’m Tanya Sue Maestas. I’ve recently taken up a faculty position at the new dental school in El Paso, Texas – Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine. Alongside being a clinician in a public health setting, I have found being a faculty member to be incredibly rewarding — so…
Choice of Operating Entity: Which is Best for You?
By: Bruce Bryen What is the choice of operating entity for the dentist ready to go out on his or her own to acquire or start up his or her own practice? There are many different types of organizational structures for young dentists to consider when they are ready to go out and acquire or…
You Dreamed of Being Where You Are Now
By: Savanah Craig I was inspired by the latest Instagram trend showing a thought or doubt you have about yourself, followed by a photo of your younger self who could only dream of being in your shoes today. I think this trend is really powerful because it is so easy to look ahead and keep…