The Explorer Winter 2018 Explorer_Fall_2018 | Page 9

REASONS WHY YOU DON’T
SUCK AT DENTISTRY
By Dawn Wehking, DDS
ADA New Dentist Now Blog
You spent a fortune on school. You
stayed in and studied while your friends
were out having fun. You tolerated all
kinds of craziness for the promise of
work/life balance, a great salary, and the
professional title.
This is it. You made it through the
toughest time in your life, and you’re an
actual REAL. LIFE. DENTIST! And
you feel like you totally suck at it. You
might feel like you picked the wrong
profession and that you’ll always be a
lousy dentist. Keep reading if you’ve
had a rough week and need to hear why
you’re amazing. You don’t suck!
things and doing your part to share
what you’ve learned with others. You
are seriously kicking butt!
When we help each other, we’re doing
the profession a great service. Everyone
has different ways of saying things, a
new technique to share, or a cool idea
that might be what takes your dentistry
to the next level.
“ When we
help each other,
1. YOU CARE
You care about people and that makes
you not only an amazing dentist, but an
amazing person. This is 95% of the
battle. You’ve made the decision to be
your best for the people that are
counting on you— your patients, family,
friends, and team members. Give
yourself a pat on the back and make sure
that above all, this doesn’t change.
we’re doing the
profession a
great service.”
2. YOU’VE FAILED 4. YOU’RE GROWING AND TAKING CE
Dental school did not make you an
amazing dentist. School provided the
framework to get you excited about
learning. You learned, got excited, failed
and continued to learn anyway. You are
developing your skills and knowledge
through time and you’re proud of what
you’ve learned because of your failures.
Yay! You are rocking it! You’ve had a few “Oh $h*t” moments to
make you realize that you need to step
up your game. You’ve taken these
moments and transformed them into
becoming an even more amazing
dentist.
3. YOU’RE STILL SHADOWING AND
STAYING OPEN TO NEW IDEAS
You’re learning from your surgeons and
your friends. You are learning little
Los Angeles Dental Society Explorer
While similar to #3, I feel strongly
about taking time out of your life to
intentionally grow. I’m not talking
about your state required minimum
amount of continuing education hours.
I’m talking about going to a course that
spikes your curiosity and teaches you
something you didn’t even know that
you didn’t know.
You’ve met dentists who shared their
favorite courses and your journey
developed. You’ve shared your favorite
courses with other people. YES! You are
killing it!
5. YOU’RE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS
You put your pride aside, took some
photographs, and blew up your
restorations to the size of a head. You
felt bad, saw what you needed to
correct, and became better because of it.
Woohoo! You’re amazing!
You care more than the average dentist,
which is why you’re even reading this
article. You’re at the top of our
profession, and I’m so proud of you!
You don’t suck! You’re an amazing
dentist!
Dr. Dawn Wehking graduated from the
University of Maryland School of Dentistry
in 2010. She is a member of the American
Dental Association, Colorado Dental
Association and the Boulder/Broomfield
County Dental Society. She was awarded
Master status with the Academy of General
Dentistry, has been published in the Journal
of Cosmetic Dentistry, and she serves as
visiting faculty at Spear Education. Dr.
Wehking is also an ADA Success Speaker,
teaching dental students about life after dental
school. Dr. Wehking owns a small private
practice in Lafayette, Colorado. On her days
off, you’ll find her with her furry children,
enjoying Colorado’s great outdoors. 䡲