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Professional Courtesy: They Call It a Practice for a Reason by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

“They never taught us that in dental school” is one of the phrases most often uttered by a new graduate. This is most frequently in reference to the operation of a business. It is certainly true that none of the dental schools in this country will provide the information you need to run your practice. There simply is not enough time. In fact, you will graduate with a lack of knowledge in all areas of clinical dentistry as well. This is not intended as an insult, it is merely the reality of a complex profession.

Dental school graduates know enough dentistry to be dangerous and it is their obligation to continue learning throughout the lifetime of their career. Some learning comes from simple repetition as you do more procedures. Routines will develop, and you will better identify patterns and learn to predict when less than ideal outcomes are possible. Quite literally, this is why you go into practice.

What forms of learning are available during your career? The first, and one of the best in my opinion, is a dental residency. If you have you have an opportunity to do a GPR or AEGD program, do it. [Editor’s Note: check out the article on page 54.] Too often, graduating dental students are blinded by the massive debt they have accumulated, and they feel pressure to begin earning as soon as possible.

You should know that you can defer most student loans during your time in residency and the value of that education exceeds the seemingly meager sum you will receive in compensation. In fact, I would argue that the dentists coming out of residency have accelerated their learning process by a factor of three. The graduates who immediately go into practice often fall into the trap of seeing the routine stuff on a daily basis, whereas in a good residency, you are likely to encounter a much broader mix of clinical situations and experiences.

The second source of learning is continuing education. This is a formal and very effective method of learning about specific topics that you can gain through your local dental society, national meetings, study clubs and online. The growth of online education has been huge and the options for delivery of this virtual education are becoming more accessible every day.

The final source of learning is your peers. This is certainly the most plentiful, as peer interaction is available to you literally every day for the rest of your career. Of course, the best source of peer interaction is at Dentaltown.com, where thousands of dental professionals are discussing dentistry 24/7/365. If you have not spent any time on the site, I strongly encourage you to make it part of your daily routine.

You will gather valuable insights and learn that you have a place to go when you need an opinion. The other source of peer interaction is the people you work with every day. This includes the specialists you will develop relationships with over the years.

My closing message is this: Accept and embrace the fact that you will continue to learn new things about dentistry every day, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you are faced with a difficult case and know that one day some of you will become educators for the dentists who follow. Welcome to the dental profession. You can find me on Twitter @ddsTom or by email at tom@dentaltown.com.

Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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