accepted DMO patients . She could hardly pay her bills because of how little she made doing general dentistry . Although she admitted to being paid an extremely high percentage , it seemed as if all the paid production went to the senior doctor and whatever was left for her to do paid little to nothing . As a result , she conveyed to me that she was planning on getting certified to do implants and leaving as soon as possible . In the end , I did not hire her because she had such a negative impression of most general dental procedures and was extremely distrustful of the system .
All the factors discussed so far have been solely determined by the practice . The good news is , as an associate , there are two components which you do have control over , one is your speed and hand skills and the other is the customer experience which you can provide to your patients . Both of these together will influence the number of patients you are able to see , assuming that the practice does not favor more senior doctors or the owner when distributing productive cases . However , regardless of how patients are distributed , if the customer experience you provide is superior to all the other providers , it will inevitably set you apart and patients will start requesting you to do their work . This will give way to word of mouth referrals which can quickly grow exponentially . Focus on mastering your skills and increasing your speed with general operative procedures first before attempting to get certified in braces , implants , botox , and etc .
A few more questions to ask current associates would be , how do you like your job ? Would you sign the contract all over again if you had the chance to go back ? How does management treat new associates ? Are doctors pressured to perform procedures which they are not comfortable doing ? When your livelihood is concerned and especially when you are expected to sign a long term contract , ask the right questions . Do not take any one person ’ s word , instead speak to as many doctors and staff as allowable . After you successfully navigate the potential pitfalls , I hope you will find dentistry to be one of the most satisfying and financially rewarding professions there are .
Dr . Bob Jing has been practicing dentistry in North Texas for over 25 years . He received his DDS from the UT Health Houston School of Dentistry . He has overcome many hurdles , from being a new graduate , to associate dentist , to practicing owner , and now a non practicing owner of multiple practices . He overcame a life-changing health crisis in 2017 and is now dedicated to using his experience to help other dentists learn to practice the easy way in his ADA CERP-accredited course , “ Practical Solutions in Real World Dentistry ”. He may be reached at : BobJingDDSPA @ gmail . com .
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