Late night musings

I've been thinking about what it means to be a dentist.

It's almost been a year since I've graduated dental school.
I've gotten a lot faster. I've gotten better. I've gotten older.

In some ways, I've become disillusioned with dentistry.
Dentistry is a business, and I'm not a good businessman.
Between the profit and the patient, I'll choose the patient's welfare.

In other ways, I know that I have a long ways to go.
It's humbling to see an ideal molar root canal in thirty minutes, when it takes me five hours.
It's humbling to see preparations that look machined.
It's humbling to think of the stupid mistakes that I've made.

Likewise, it's frightening to think of all the really bad dentistry that I've seen this past year.
I've seen a lot of teeth butchered that were perfectly fine.
I've seen patients triple-booked because the head dentist doesn't expect his patients to come...all the time...every time a wait of forty-five minutes..

From here on out is my real education.
I'll continue to seek out the best dentists in the SF Bay Area.
I'll try to apprentice under them.
I'll listen. I'll watch. I'll try to steal some portion of their mastery.

In this past year, much has changed.
However, my desire is still to be a dentist worthy of my patients.