Five dentists recently spoke with Becker’s about what they wish they knew before entering the field.
Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What do you wish you knew before starting your career in dentistry?
Myron Bromberg, DDS (Los Angeles): I never realized that the private practice dental profession I was entering would be so gratifying, satisfying and pleasurable for me, with terrific relationships with my patients, staff and colleagues, all the while affording me an enviable lifestyle. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same way. Sadly, someday I will have to stop doing this. It will be a sad day for me indeed.
Jordan Cooper, DDS. Cooper Family Dentistry (Jacksonville, Ark.): I guess I would say that I wish I had known more about dentistry. I was accepted into dental school as an alternate on a Friday before the semester began on Monday after returning from Spain with a Spanish degree in the summer of 2006. I feel like context makes the educational experience that much more profound, so if I had more experience shadowing dentists or working at a dental office, the dental school education would have meant more and conveyed a deeper learning through the context of my previous experience.
Michael Davis, DMD. Smiles of Santa Fe (N.M.): I harbored under a very flawed assumption as a dental student and recent grad. I believed one could practice an outstanding level of dental care in any demographic, while making a good living doing so. It was the old “build it and they will come” philosophy.
I could not have been more wrong. I formerly practiced in a small town setting with a compromised income and education base. Although I loved the multiple outdoor activities, I was intensely frustrated by the value the local populace placed on dental healthcare.
Solution: I eventually relocated to another state and a community which supported the level of dental service I felt comfortable delivering. Today, I not only love my clinical work, but enjoy a whole new range of outdoor activities.
Reuben Moyana, DMD. Fort Mitchell Dentistry (Fort Mitchell, Ala.): I wish I knew insurance companies would unfairly deprive you of the money you work so hard to produce.
Michael Perpich, DDS. Northland Smiles (Deerwood and Little Falls, Minn.): The one thing I wish I knew was how much business knowledge I would need to run a successful practice. I had clinical mentors for dental issues but it was pretty much trial and error on the business part of dentistry. That is why if I was starting out today, I would join a DSO.