Dentaltown February 2021 - 12

professional courtesy
column

What's Better Than Dentistry?
Have you ever read a custom self-help book specifically
written about your issues? Better yet, was it about life
as a dentist and the various challenges common to the
profession?
You can find this resource for free on Dentaltown.
We call it the message boards.
This month I want to share my thoughts on a
particularly hot topic on the message boards, titled
" Help Me Get Out of Dentistry. " The conversation
generated nearly 700 comments and more than 21,000
views in the span of a few weeks.
The first post comes from a younger dentist eight
years out of school, married, no kids, student loans
paid off and some money already saved for retirement.
Sounds good, but this is how his post started:
Hi guys, I just can't take dentistry anymore. The constant
complaints, the never-ending surprises walking in the door,
the demanding patients, work failing, constant need to be
" on, " patients in pain, the list goes on and on. I have tried
my very best to like what I do, but I just can't-I have been
out 8 years and I feel like the job gets harder and harder.
This thread struck a chord with many readers.
The original poster touched on feelings that we've all
had at one time.
A common response is to tell someone it'll get better
or to " suck it up, buttercup. " One might say there are
plenty of worse jobs to be had for less pay. The most
enlightening and encouraging responses, though, came
from dentists who faced these feelings and did something
to change their situation. Here are some of my favorites:
I felt similar in 2008, though I was a practice
owner. My suggestion: Start looking " as if " you are going
to transition, and see what you come up with. Of course,
everyone's personality is different, so
what interests them will be different.
I had (and still do) an interest in biology and wanted to get a PhD and do
research. But I talked to several people in
the field, and the stories I heard made me
realize the grass isn't always greener, so I
decided to stay in dentistry a bit longer.

I recently read a book, Designing Your Life. It has steps you
can take to move forward. So, in 2008, instead of quitting
dentistry, I sold my practice and went to work for someone
else. This was OK for a while, then I decided to buy a small
practice. Again, this was OK for a while, but I recently sold,
and am working PT for the new owner, which is fun for now.
I've been practicing over 25 years now, but working how
I want to work. - sierralima
I was where you are when I was about 10 years out of
school. I hated the thought of going to work. I had done
a start-up in a suburb and just couldn't do it anymore, so
I sold it and walked away. It was the best decision I ever
made. I wanted to be a personal trainer, so I did that for a
while and found out I could not live on a personal trainer's
wages! I found a contract gig at a state prison and decided
to do it three days a week. That led to an opportunity in
public health. I have been at this public health gig for
nearly sixteen years. I have found it to be a much better
fit for me personally. - SEOK
I was somewhat in your shoes 30 years ago. I wasn't
happy and couldn't be all things to all people. I went to
the Pankey Institute looking for a way to improve my
skills, and came home with a whole new philosophy of
practice. - Cassitytoothdr
If the ongoing stress of the pandemic or your current
practice situation has you wondering if it's time to pull
the ripcord on dentistry, I highly recommend you take
some time to read the full message board. There are
dozens of stories that describe how dentists made their
work life better by adjusting hours, procedures or work
locations, and a few stories where they took the ultimate
leap into a new career.
To see the full discussion, head to dentaltown.com
and type " out of dentistry " in the search bar at the top
of the page. This board should appear toward the top
of the list.
You can reach me by email: tom@dentaltown.com
or on Twitter: @ddsTom. ■

by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director, Dentaltown magazine

12

FEBRUARY 2021 // dentaltown.com

DT0221_ProfessionalCourtesy.indd 12

1/25/21 1:53 PM
https://www.dentaltown.com/messageboard/thread.aspx?s=2&f=214&t=350491&g=1 http://www.dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown February 2021
