Finding Fulfillment and Success in Dentistry

Dr. Robert Maguire

Alike-minded dentist colleague of mine, call him Dr. Smith, sold his dental practice in 2018, the same year as me. He now spends his post-practice years teaching first- and second-year dental students. Frequently we will get together for lunch or dinner; he’ll often comment, “I love teaching the dental students! They are so smart and are already thinking about the ‘big picture.’”Dr. Smith always beams when he talks about “his students.” A few months ago, he shared a story with me about two second-year students who approached him and asked, “Can we ask you a question about private practice?” “Of course,” he said.

Dr. Smith expected their question to be a clinical one. Instead, they asked him, “What’s the secret to a fulfilling and successful career? You seem like someone who really loved your work and your private practice.”

Dr. Smith was taken aback. Here, two second-year dental students, who were entrenched in their technical learning, were seeking a deeper meaning with their dentistry, looking for pearls of wisdom about fulfillment and success in dentistry and in private practice.

At first, Dr. Smith didn’t tell me what he told his students. Instead, he asked me, “Rob, in one sentence, how would you answer their question?” I paused for a moment, and then I replied…

“I’d tell them, ‘Do your best dentistry every day, take care of yourself, your patients, and your team, and the money will follow.’”

Dr. Smith’s answer was similar in that he told them to not only learn how to be a good dentist but to also learn how to become a good leader and a great communicator.

Dr. Smith and I both agreed that dental school taught us how to be technically competent but did not teach us how to be good leaders and communicators. We had to learn those skills on our own.

Over the course of our careers, we both read a lot of the same leadership and communication books, took many management courses, and after a few years in private practice, sought help from practice management consultants.

After graduating from Georgetown University School of Dentistry, I practiced for three years as a Navy dentist and was stationed at Parris Island, SC. I had a blast. It was a great place to develop my technical skills, but I never got to see my work months or years later.

People in the military frequently move from one location to another, and they take their teeth and their dental work with them. We described this as “a geographic success.” Whether your work succeeded or failed, you never knew, because “it moved.”

After my years in the Navy, I worked as an associate for three years and then purchased my own private practice, which I had for 28 years before selling it in 2018.

I was the happiest and the most fulfilled during those years in private practice. I was a lifelong student of communication, reading books like “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by

Stephen Covey, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard, and “Leadership Effectiveness Training” by Dr. Thomas Gordon. Over the years, I also took communication courses and learned things like the DiSC Personality Assessment to help me build a great team and better connect with others. Eventually, I hired a dental consultant who helped me better manage the “business side” of private practice. My years in private practice were both spiritually and financially rewarding.

If I was able to change one thing, I wish I had purchased my private practice sooner. It was my lack of confidence and selflimiting beliefs that kept me from purchasing my own practice.

• I had naively assumed that my associateship would eventually lead me to a co-ownership situation. I did not know that statistically, 98% of associateships fail.

• I had falsely assumed that because of my school debt, I wouldn’t be able to buy a practice.

• I stupidly assumed that I needed to have everything figured out before plunging into private practice.

Here are a few tips to consider for those of you who are dental students or for those of you who are unhappy with your current practice arrangements.

First, strive for excellence in all that you do and know that at the beginning, you may stink at it. I recommend that you consider starting your career in a residency, the military, or in a place where you’re given the time you need to do your best work.

Be gentle with yourself, and know that as you practice, you will experience moments of failure, both with your dentistry and with your relationships. But also know that with time, you will get wiser, better, and faster. Remember that the definition of a professional is “someone who practices today with the hope of being better tomorrow.”

Next, don’t assume that you cannot afford to purchase a private practice. Choose a geographical area where you (and your family members) want to live.

Look for a dental practice transition consultant, one who can help you find an opportunity, and then explain specifics like earnings ratio, cash flow, projected production, and net earnings.

Realize that you don’t have to purchase a “Taj Mahal” practice. What matters most is to maintain the relationships with the patients that have been coming to that practice for years. It’s best to keep things the same for 6 months to a year and then make your physical changes gradually.

Get your pride out of the way and get a mentor. Contrary to popular belief, asking for help doesn’t make you a “less than” dentist. In my opinion, seeking help makes you a wiser dentist.

One of the best places to find a trusted, more experienced colleague to help you, is at your component dental meetings. During my practicing years, I had several dentists from the NH Dental Society who willingly came alongside me and helped me for free. The first step was for me to simply ask them for help. And every time I asked, they always said, “yes.”

Know that as leaders of our practices, we all are self-blind and, therefore, need to develop our emotional intelligence. Dr. L.D. Pankey calls this “Knowing Yourself.” Remember that dentistry is a people business. Learn how to communicate clearly and learn how to connect well with others.

Strive for excellence with your dentistry and your relationships. Do your best to keep the bar high and resist the temptation to cut corners. Hire the right people and treat them and your patients like gold. There is a market for this type of quality. Just look at Nordstrom’s.

Develop clarity about who you are, what you are about, and why you are doing what you are doing. Set the direction, define your values, and set goals. It’s like a GPS that will help you and your team “steer your ship and redirect it when the seas get rough.”

Lastly, physically take care of yourself and be gentle with yourself. Dentistry is a demanding profession. It’s important to take time to relax and exercise. For your mental health’s sake, be sure to extend forgiveness and grace not only to yourself but to others as well.

Know that you will have challenging days, but that’s where the learning takes place. Know that you are a human who is working with other humans and that you will make technical and communication mistakes. The key is to be honest with yourself, learn from them, make things right, adjust, and keep going.

Fulfillment and success in dentistry is “doing the dentistry you love, with a team you love, and with the patients you love.” My prayer for each of you is that you will open your mind and your heart to the possibilities, find the courage to pursue your dreams, and have a career that is abundant with joy, fulfillment, and financial success.

Dr. Robert Maguire, DDS, MASCL is a retired dentist, speaker, author, coach, and consultant. An expert in both dentistry and communication, he loves helping dentists find more fulfillment in their lives and in their practices. To learn more about Dr. Maguire and his “hands, head, and heart approach,” visit www.thefulfillment.coach or contact him at contact@thefulfillment.coach.