Megen Elliott, MS-OCL, RDH, CDA, has over 13 years of experience in the dental field. She finds joy in inspiring others to grow and reach their full potential. As an educator, author, interprofessional speaker, volunteer leader, and consultant, Megen is able to explore many areas of the dental industry. Most recently, she has taken a deeper dive into her passion for mentoring and empowering others to succeed and also bridging connections between professionals and dental brands. Megen’s favorite activity is networking with dental colleagues both online and while attending dental conferences around the country. Founder and admin of Hygiene Happy Vibes she hopes you will join your fellow dental professionals online and work to build each other up!
5 Reasons to Become a Dental Hygienist
By: Megen Elliott, MS-OCL, RDH, CDA Narrowing down just five reasons to become a dental hygienist was a…
How to Become a Dental Hygienist
By: Megen Elliott, MS-OCL, RDH, CDA Becoming a dental hygienist is a rewarding, challenging, and exciting adventure….
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…
How to Resign From A Dental Office
By: Jennifer Murphy, DDS, FAGD You’ve been working at an office for a while now and things are just not working out the way you imagined or were promised. What do you do now? First, let’s acknowledge this is never an easy position to be in. There is also no right or wrong answer, but…
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 outward with the desire to influence and inspire, consider what you would gain from looking inward instead. Becoming a great leader is about your own capacity for change, as hard as change can be. In the dental practice,…