When I was in dental school I was under the incorrect assumption that all dentists were private practice owners. I thought that I either had to buy an existing practice from a retiring dentist or start my own from scratch. I purchased an established practice right after graduation, and it was a struggle for several years to make ends meet.
-I wish I had explored more options.
-I wish I had a course in dental school to help me with that exploration
-I wish I had started researching before my third year in dental school.
-I wish I had considered an associateship or an employee situation.

Ask yourself this question: Why did you choose dentistry?
-To be your own boss?
-To earn a comfortable income?
-To set your own hours?
-Because you’re a people person?
-Because you’re good with your hands?

These are all questions that I wish I had answered before setting out on a career in dentistry.
The good news is that it all worked out and I’m thrilled to be doing what I love every day, but I could have saved myself a lot of time, stress, and money by doing more research prior to graduation.

That said – now that I’ve been there, I’ll know to take a step back and evaluate things before I make any major career changes in the future. I will get advice and input from other dentists who have come before me. And I will continue to share what I’ve learned with my dentist colleagues along the way!

Thank you for reading our blog posts. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at mtrguys@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @dentalrealist.

Dr. Ryder Waldron is a proud member of the class of 2003 of Marquette University School of Dentistry and the co-author with Dr. Marcus Neff and Dr. Troy Stevens of the book So You Want To Be A Dentist?: What you Must Know To Succeed In Dentistry.