By: Tara Abouhmahboub
When you become a dentist, navigating the job market can be a challenge, and you certainly
don’t want to do it on your own.
Top 5 People To Know When Starting Your Dental Career
Here are the five people you want on your side as a new dentist:
1. Accountant
This one is pretty much just brass tacks. Between school debt, investments, retirement accounts,
and normal spending, you can quickly lose track of your finances. Hiring a trusted CPA is the
best way to stay on top of everything and plan for the future, even if you don’t own your own
practice.
2. Insurance Advisor
Like a CPA, an insurance advisor is just a practical person you need around, but this one might
be less obvious. It’s the kind of thing you don’t know you need until you really need it. Figuring
out the tiny details of insurance is a complete headache, so it pays to find a trusted insurance
advisor early in your career.
3. Dental Representative
Knowing a dental representative through a distributor like Patterson or Henry Schein can be a
gateway to other connections for the rest of your entire career. A good rep is fluid, working with
all kinds of people in the industry and offering networking opportunities with practically anyone.
And if you want to open your own practice or expand your existing one, they can streamline
every step of the process. Also, things simply break a lot in dentistry! A reliable dental rep
makes it easy to quickly replace any worn-out equipment — and it’s tough to find an unreliable
one.
4. Dental Lab
Finding a good dental lab is like dating. You need to be upfront about your workflow, your
communication style, and what you hope to get done; it can be tricky to find “the one.” But once
you’ve found a good match, it makes every step of the process easier. For simpler cases, you
might only need to send a basic template of what you need, while more advanced cases could
need a detailed visual guide to make sure things are done right — but in any case, you should
find a lab that matches your way of doing things.
5. Mentor
Finding a mentor is about a lot more than just networking. Real mentorship is crucial for two
reasons: the pragmatic importance of receiving one-on-one advice for specific patients and the
intangible importance of finding real relationships in the industry. Whether it’s a professor, a
colleague, or someone whose work you admire, working with a mentor is one of the most
rewarding ways to move forward in dentistry.
A great way to find a real mentor is through
continuing education programs — which are important even on their own! Also, with social
media, it’s easier than ever to reach out to more experienced dentists and form connections. If
you love someone’s work on Instagram or Facebook, tell them! It could spark a relationship that
will ignite your career.
Make Connections with Key People
Again, it can be intimidating to get out of school and negotiate the insurance, finances, the job
market, and everything else — but you don’t have to do it alone. By reaching out to these key
people, you can make your life a lot easier and your career a lot more enriching.
Photo by fauxels
