Mentoring the Next Generation of Dentists: Your Legacy Matters

By: Edwin A. McDonald, DDS 
This topic originally appeared on PankeyGram.org. Dr. McDonald granted permission for igniteDDS to share with our readers.

After over 40 years of offering relationship-based dentistry, I’ve learned that while the clinical aspects of dentistry continue to evolve, the core human needs remain the same. Patients still want to be heard, understood, accepted, and cared for by professionals they trust. Those who place a high value on their health seek high clinical competence and thoughtful patient care.  

Two years ago, I started looking for a young dentist whom I could mentor with the same comprehensive and relationship-based philosophy to help them advance their clinical skills while continuing my practice legacy for patients.

I advise other senior dentists who plan to do a practice transition to do the same earlier, because it’s the right way to make sure the culture of your practice will continue, and the practice will thrive and grow.

Finding the Right Person to Carry the Practice Transition

Getting referrals from your colleagues is an effective way to find a young dentist that can continue your practice legacy, without excluding the chance to give opportunities to young dentists who are enthusiastic to learn and advance more.

I was lucky to have a good friend who interviews young dentists, and she introduced me to Dr. Shawn Luck, a highly enthusiastic and intelligent young dentist I can work with before I confidently make my practice transition. We both needed what the other had. I needed Shawn’s character, youth, energy, ambition, and strong desire to own a practice. He needed my clinical training, experience, and commitment to be a focused, consistent, and relentless teacher. 

Shawn and I met, and I was happy to help him prepare for a successful career, as the mentors before me did. We are in the middle of year one, and I am focusing on mentoring Dr. Luck. We are hoping to play the infinite game as we create and pass on opportunities to the next generation. 

Eventually, I was planning to make a detailed agreement that included terms of employment and terms of practice purchase; however, it was important to have someone with a similar character as I am, to trust my patients with their oral health.

Planning your practice transition beforehand really helps to make this seamless for patients and develop healthy team relationships for a successful practice transition.

My Dental Practice Transition Story 

I began communicating the transition with my team and patients a few months before meeting with Shawn. I mailed a formal letter to my patients that said that I saw three to five years of clinical practice remaining for myself. The letter began and ended with a big thank you for their loyalty, trust, and support. It let them know that I was actively looking for a young dentist to partner with who would continue to take care of them.

This letter was a huge success, with a thank you from almost every patient. A few patients began to schedule pending treatment that had been on their minds. 

We sent a second letter four months later to announce Dr. Luck. We began communicating about his arrival in person with enthusiasm and emailed a digital copy.

The main takeaway here is that the transition immediately benefited from consistent, focused, and abundant communication with all practice stakeholders about what we were planning and hoping for.  

My advice for other dentists is to surround yourself with great people who make you better. Build partnerships with them. Build trust at a deep level. Build community. Serve one another. Seek opportunities to pass on the values of relationship-based practice to the next generation.

If you invite young dentists into a relationship and repeat the mentoring you received, we can all play this forward. Dr. Shawn Luck has already captured the spirit of wanting to do just that. 

Planning Your Own Practice Transition?

If you are planning your own practice transition or want to find a good mentor for advancing your clinical skills? Consider Finding a Pankey Dentist near your area – trusted dental professionals who attended advanced education at The Pankey Institute. They are all trained with the same relationship-based philosophy; thus, this will make the practice transition easier for you to continue the legacy for patients who place a high-value on the quality of your comprehensive, relationship-based care.