By: Savannah Craig Starting clinic can come with a lot of conflicting feelings. It is exciting to finally be treating patients, but it can also be a stressful experience. Everyone enters clinic with a different level of confidence, skill, and a unique patient pool. Treating patients can be a very rewarding experience, but it can…

By: Amber Auger, RDH Near to my heart is helping hygienists have healthier, happier careers, and I believe it starts with an honest assessment of our health. It’s difficult to find joy at work when dealing with back pain, and sadly most hygienists report chronic pain. Previously, I’ve shared my experience working in a small…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…