Professional Courtesy: What's Better Than Dentistry? by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi

by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director, Dentaltown magazine

Have you ever read a custom self-help book specifically written about your issues? Better yet, was it about life as a dentist and the various challenges common to the profession?

You can find this resource for free on Dentaltown. We call it the message boards.

This month I want to share my thoughts on a particularly hot topic on the message boards, titled “Help Me Get Out of Dentistry.” The conversation generated nearly 700 comments and more than 21,000 views in the span of a few weeks.

The first post comes from a younger dentist eight years out of school, married, no kids, student loans paid off and some money already saved for retirement. Sounds good, but this is how his post started:

Hi guys, I just can’t take dentistry anymore. The constant complaints, the never-ending surprises walking in the door, the demanding patients, work failing, constant need to be “on,” patients in pain, the list goes on and on. I have tried my very best to like what I do, but I just can’t—I have been out 8 years and I feel like the job gets harder and harder.

This thread struck a chord with many readers. The original poster touched on feelings that we’ve all had at one time.

A common response is to tell someone it’ll get better or to “suck it up, buttercup.” One might say there are plenty of worse jobs to be had for less pay. The most enlightening and encouraging responses, though, came from dentists who faced these feelings and did something to change their situation. Here are some of my favorites:

I felt similar in 2008, though I was a practice owner. My suggestion: Start looking “as if ” you are going to transition, and see what you come up with. Of course, everyone’s personality is different, so what interests them will be different. I had (and still do) an interest in biology and wanted to get a PhD and do research. But I talked to several people in the field, and the stories I heard made me realize the grass isn’t always greener, so I decided to stay in dentistry a bit longer. I recently read a book, Designing Your Life. It has steps you can take to move forward. So, in 2008, instead of quitting dentistry, I sold my practice and went to work for someone else. This was OK for a while, then I decided to buy a small practice. Again, this was OK for a while, but I recently sold, and am working PT for the new owner, which is fun for now. I’ve been practicing over 25 years now, but working how I want to work. — sierralima

I was where you are when I was about 10 years out of school. I hated the thought of going to work. I had done a start-up in a suburb and just couldn’t do it anymore, so I sold it and walked away. It was the best decision I ever made. I wanted to be a personal trainer, so I did that for a while and found out I could not live on a personal trainer’s wages! I found a contract gig at a state prison and decided to do it three days a week. That led to an opportunity in public health. I have been at this public health gig for nearly sixteen years. I have found it to be a much better fit for me personally. — SEOK

I was somewhat in your shoes 30 years ago. I wasn’t happy and couldn’t be all things to all people. I went to the Pankey Institute looking for a way to improve my skills, and came home with a whole new philosophy of practice. — Cassitytoothdr

If the ongoing stress of the pandemic or your current practice situation has you wondering if it’s time to pull the ripcord on dentistry, I highly recommend you take some time to read the full message board. There are dozens of stories that describe how dentists made their work life better by adjusting hours, procedures or work locations, and a few stories where they took the ultimate leap into a new career.

To see the full discussion, click here or type “out of dentistry” in the search bar at the top of this page. This board should appear toward the top of the list.

You can reach me by email: tom@dentaltown.com or on Twitter: @ddsTom.