My Ideal Practice

Hello! I am a second year Nutrition major, Pre-Dental student at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to being in TPS I am also a member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority (BOOM BOOM) and am a part of the Air Force ROTC. I am plan on entering the Air Force as a dentist after I graduate dental school then one day setting up my own practice as a civilian.

I have been shadowing dentists for the past 8 months and I currently have 60 hours of general dentistry shadowing under 4 different dentists. Through the many hours I have spent in a wide range of types of dentist offices I have started to find the path I want to take as to what practice I intend on running one day. Also, I have discovered just how much I love the dental field!

In my journey to becoming a dentist I decided that it would be best to shadow dentists of all different types, from the wealthy prestigious dentist to the dentist with a calmer practice. I contacted friends who had parents in the profession, previous dentists I used to see, my current dentist, and a dentist in the Austin area. By witnessing a dentist who runs a very lucrative practice cycling an average of 6 patients an hour (3-4 in a hygiene chair and 2-3 in the “procedures” chair) to a dentist whose target patient has Medicaid, I have come to the conclusion on the type of practice which I will run. I want to be the well-known, local, home-town dentist.

My dentist back home runs a slower pace practice because as he says “I enjoyed being a dentist and I don’t want to let someone else do my job. I want to make sure that my patients get the best possible treatment and that means that I need to do it myself, plus it is fun.” This ideal coincides with the values of the dentist who I am currently shadowing. The current dentist has had his practice in the same location for the past 34 years. He is very familiar with a lot of his patients and has a wonderful relationship with his staff. He runs his practice with a welcoming feel and doesn’t cut any corners; he really strives to do his best.

I want to emulate this type of a practice. I desire to build a long term relationship with my patients and take away the scary dentist stereotype.  I of course want to make a good living, but that is not what will be driving my practice. My patients and my staff’s happiness is what will be what driving my practice and I’m sure a comfortable life style will follow by doing so.  

-Marybeth Misner