Confessions of a Recovering Dentist
Confessions of a Recovering Dentist
After 10 years in practice, I was so burnt out that I could no longer practice dentistry. This blog shares my experiences to inspire other dentists to find career happiness-- whether in or out of dentistry.
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Lolabees
Lolabees

Confession #9: I Needed a Little Hankey Pankey to Reignite the Flame

Confession #9: I Needed a Little Hankey Pankey to Reignite the Flame

6/13/2021 9:55:34 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 104

After a few years of struggle in my dental career, I realized I owed it to myself to decide if my problem was the job or the career. 


I committed to doing everything I could to save my career. I knew I had to leave my terribly dysfunctional job, and I found my dream job.

Once I found my  dream job, I eagerly threw myself into my work.  I had so much new stuff to learn, and so much to unlearn.  I had a mentor right there on the spot, and he spent hours teaching me what he knew.  He filled my head with new ideas and thoughts of a bright future and all of the great things we could do for people.  He urged that I follow in his footsteps and go to The Pankey Institute.  Attending would give me a much better understanding of all he was teaching me. So I went, and it did.

Pankey was about giving the best you have for your patients and providing them with the highest level of care. The idea of treating patients as individuals, not as a set of teeth excited me, and I wanted the confidence of knowing how to treat complicated and simple cases with higher success and predictability. I learned about my values and relationships and community. They emphasized finding balance in your life by filling it with love, work, play, and spirituality. With this balance comes greater happiness.  And if you are happy, the rest will follow.

They were damn good at teaching those things.

I loved Pankey and my experiences there. At that time in my life, I thought it was the saving grace in my relationship with dentistry.  I've heard this is also the case for many other dentists.  I always came home from my trips to Florida excited to jump in and apply what I learned.  I was finally proud of what I was doing, and I felt good about it.

I’ve noticed something funny about Pankey… the old guys called it “The Institute.”  The young guys called it “Pankey.”  And my friend Dana, who knew little about it, called it “Hankey Pankey.”  Maybe she was on to something.  In a way, that’s just what is was for me.  

The Hankey Pankey put the spark back into my dimming relationship with dentistry.

Unfortunately, this newfound spark was only temporary. I struggled to put what I learned into action. While it helped for a while, I went back to my old ways and wondered if I could ever rekindle my career marriage.

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