I’m a dental student at LECOM SDM with a passion for merging the worlds of business and medicine.
With years of experience in dropshipping and marketing, I bring an entrepreneurial spirit to my dental journey, constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance patient care.
As a key orientation leader for igniteDDS—a program dedicated to guiding and empowering new dental students through hands-on learning, mentorship, and leadership development—I have the privilege of shaping the next generation of dental professionals.
Beyond dentistry, I’m deeply passionate about fitness and nutrition, believing that a healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone of success in both personal and professional endeavors.
Endo Diagnosis: High-Yield Tips That Actually Matter
By: Michael Eid Read more guides on Endodontics by Michael Eid: Endo diagnosis isn’t about memorizing tests….
Endo Made Simple Part 3: Obturation
By: Michael Eid Missed Parts 1 & 2? Check Them Out Here: Step 1: Final Canal Check High-Yield…
Endo Made Simple Part 2: Shaping, Cleaning, & Irrigation
By: Michael Eid Missed Endo Made Simple Part 1? Check it out first here. Once the canals…
Endo Made Simple Part 1: Caries, Locating Canals, & Initial Access
By: Michael Eid Before you can shape and clean, you have to get the tooth ready, find…
Why You’ll Struggle Getting Patency
The hardest part of doing a root canal, in my opinion, is achieving patency. Once I get…
Deep Marginal Elevation: What It Is, Why It Matters, & How to Learn the Basics
By: Michael Eid Your first deep marginal elevation (DME) will test every bit of patience you have. The…
Tofflemire vs. Palodent: Why Your Contacts Will Suck…at First
By: Michael Eid Your first few Class II restorations will probably have open contacts, flat contours, or a…
Why Your First Block Will Fail & Why That’s OK!
By: Michael Eid Your first mandibular block probably won’t work — and that’s part of the process….
Learning to Talk Teeth: Why Communication is Your Most Important Skill in Dentistry
By: Michael Eid Dental school will teach you how to perform basic dentistry—but one thing that often…
Lessons Learned From Listening to Different Preceptors as a D4
By: Michael Eid One of the hardest parts of dental school isn’t the hand skills or the…
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…
Technology Investments
By: Ann-Marie DePalma, CDA, RDH, MEd, CDIPC, FADIA, FAADH Technology is around us 24/7. Whether in our everyday lives or in our practices, technology is an essential part of today’s society. As the old saying goes “we can’t live with it, and we can’t live without it”, technology has changed the way teams interact with…
People Pleasing: Characteristics of Being a People Pleaser
By: Sharon Dolak People Pleasing is not about being kind. It is about someone trying hard to make others feel better, driven by deep-seated insecurity to be needed and receive approval. Society thinks it is a good thing to please others, but people pleasing has a dark side when we do it to our own…
Confronting Denial is No Small Task
By: Sharon Dolak Denial is a coping response that gives us time to adjust during shocking, distressful situations and avoid anxiety. We refuse to see the truth because we are trying to protect ourselves from a painful, overwhelming situation. Some things, many things are simply hard to accept all at once and we need time…