What CE have you taken that has had the most positive impact on your practice?
Joining Seattle Study Club has been hugely influential on my career. It has given me a guide and foundation for comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment planning and helped me develop great relationships with like-minded dentists in my community.
If you had to do it again, would you buy the practice you're in now?
Yes I definitely would. It's not easy, but it's worth it. If I could do something different, I would have picked a different location that had more ability to expand space once I needed it. I also would have added a partner earlier in the process and worked toward more of a group practice setting.
What are some of your favorite products that you use daily?
iTero 5D Plus is an amazing revolution for my practice. We use it every day in every aspect of our practice. The most beneficial is the hygiene room for new patients and wellness scanning. A patient can't say yes to treatment that they don't see or understand the need for. There is no better way to do that than with the iTero 5D line of scanners.
How did you learn to take great photographs for social media?
I talked to the folks at PhotoMed and got a really nice camera setup. They are really a great resource and have helped me take my photography game to the next level!
How do you stay healthy?
I’ve been open about my struggle with the mental aspect of this grind we call dentistry. Therapy has really helped me with that. In addition, I regularly do yoga and some kind of cardio and strength training (especially core work). I recently started with a continuous glucose monitoring system to see how food I eat impacts my blood sugar. I don't have diabetes, but I do find that I make better food decisions with this data. I also have really enjoyed the insight my Oura ring gives me about my sleep and activity.
What accomplishment are you particularly proud of?
We all get hundreds of dumb lapel pins in dentistry. The only one I wear is my Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. It took a lot of work. I had to get my FAGD first, which required 500 hours of CE plus the exam. Mastership is another 1,200 hours, with half of them being hands-on training—but it doesn’t end there. The hands-on hours have to be broken up evenly across all different disciplines. So it creates really well-rounded clinicians. It is the achievement I am by far most proud of. I really love the AGD and what they do and stand for!
