Your Career Roadmap as a Dental Practitioner

As dental practitioners, we're truly privileged to work in an esteemed and respectable profession full of so many opportunities for business ownership, career progression, lifelonglearning, philanthropy, research and more.Although private clinical practice is the mainstay of Australian dentistry, some of us have broader or different goals and interests.

With approximately 28,291 registered dental practitioners and 4,416 students enrolled in dental studies, there aremanypaths to career success as a dental practitioner in Australia – and it's not unusual for life eventsto crop up and get in the way of what we thought was our destiny.As someone who has followed an atypical career path with experience across different spaces, I’ve compiled some tips for currently practicing and aspiring dental practitioners on how to carve out a dynamic and fulfilling career.

As dental professionals, I think it’s fair to say that we share certain life experiences and personal qualities that help us succeed in life – like attaining high academic results that fuel our desire to pursue a caring profession in healthcare.

We work with lots of fine details, intricate instruments and small dimensions, and the procedures we perform require excellent communication, motor and problem-solving skills. However, sometimes those skills that get us through the beginning of our careers can interfere with how we handle real-life situations later.

To know (and love) yourself means recognising and understanding how you can use perceived obstacles and hurdles for career success. 

Practise Self-Compassion

Become your own biggest fan and draw upon good memories and warm thoughts to keep going when things get tough. With gratitude and optimism, think about how far you’ve come and how much further you will go.

Don’t Catastrophise Your Mistakes

What we tend to perceive as failures are often our best learning opportunities. It’s important to sincerely express regret to patients when clinical errors occur, and reflect on the situation and why it may have happened, but it’s even more crucial to seek advice from the right people to help you move forward – and be open to self-improvement.

Accept Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Your unique attributes are what have helped you find success in your career so far. Accepting both strengths and weaknesses will help you go even further. There’s no one the same as you, so embrace your individual awesomeness.

Don’t Let Self-Care Slip Away

In the fast-paced world of dentistry, it can be easy to neglect the most important element of your practice: yourself. A balanced and nutritious diet, being sure to stay hydrated, practising moderation, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep are essential to staying calm and switched on inside and outside the dental surgery.

If you are noticing changes in your behaviour, practice the HALT Method (check if you’re Hungry, Angry, Lonely and/or Tired). Then fulfil your needs or get professional help if you need to. 

Mindfulness

Always remember to breathe! Mindfulness is a simple yet effective tool to help dental practitioners manage stress and may be useful for you. Affirmations, breathing exercises, meditation and mindf

With research and technology progressing at a blinding pace, it’s an exciting time to combine our scientific and clinical knowledge. Continuing professional development (CPD) is not something we should tick off mindlessly when we renew our registration. It’s the foundation of staying up to date and being a good practitioner. You don’t need to exceed the minimum requirement of 60 hours every three years, but it’s best practice to:

• Aim for quality, evidence-based CPD mindful of commercial interests 

• Engage in peer conferences and case studies

• Focus on identified areas for improvement

• Have a mixture of theory and hands-on CPD activities

• Log your CPD activities and notes in a spreadsheet

• Pace your learning for your brain and your budget

• Seek mentorship and guidance from senior peers.

For dental practitioners with an appetite for pursuing a specialist training, there are lots of specialist training programs to choose from. The Australian Dental Council is responsible for accrediting specialist dentistry programs leading to registration as a dental specialist . Education providers also provide other opportunities for further education which may lead to post-graduate qualifications that do not lead to specialist registration.

Dental practitioners may also seek endorsement in conscious sedation with further study.

Today’s dental profession is no longer dominated by the goal of practice ownership. Whatever your career interests, it’s important to think about constructive measurements and steps you can take to gauge your story progression. No two careers are the same, but getting to where you want to be means working in a SMART way.

It’s also okay to go with the flow and see if something is for you or not. As conscientious and logical professionals, it makes sense that we take calculated risks and avoid uncertainty, but that may mean missing out on opportunities to develop, grow, and test ourselves. 

Is there a role you’re interested in that you haven’t yet mustered the courage to apply for? What about an area of practice within your scope that you would like to learn more about? There are so many opportunities for growth individually and together as colleagues, we may be unknowingly cutting ourselves short. 

Why not try some goal-setting strategies to give your career and personal development a boost? You may be surprised by the benefits of a framework to guide your journey.

As overachievers who tend to keep to daily schedules, while also attending lab jobs, referrals, callback lists, interviews, staff meetings, rep visits, CPD seminars and more - not to mention life outside work! – it can feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to do it all. Unfortunately, without the help of a fictional time machines like a DeLorean or TARDIS, we are all restricted to the same 24 hours. 

You don’t have to get too granular with your schedule, but a good place to start is your days off for leisure, personal commitments, CPD, and life admin. Pencil in recurring appointments, debriefs with your mentor or clinical buddies, time to be active, and time to be mindful. Get into productive and sustainable habits so you can ease your workload and enjoy personal interests and time away from the surgery. 

As much as we all love dentistry, we are much better clinicians when we have engaging lives outside of work. 

Cities and suburban areas are competitive , detracting from job satisfaction and task variety. It’s also easy to forget that people living in regional and remote areas have poorer oral health than those living in major cities, which means that as an industry we need to do more to help those living away from the big smoke. 

Consider working in rural or regional areas, this is likely a unique opportunity to enhance your clinical skills across a wide area of practice. Your contributions will go a long way and open you up to new challenges, and there are many incentives and programs to help you get comfortable in your new home away from home.

On a similar note, well-planned holidays are underrated. Breaking routine strategically can help reset pent up tension. Either set aside some funds for a trip away from it all or, if you prefer to stay local, consider housesitting for a friend, a long weekend getaway, or just enjoying time at home with fewer responsibilities.

Some people couldn’t be happier to see the back of their alma mater and jump right into patient care. Others enjoy the controlled environments of laboratories and simulation clinics, nurturing future generations of practitioners, or the scholarly life of innovation, research and teaching. Others still love working in the public sector with the most complex cases and disadvantaged patients. 

Whatever your calling, our hospitals, research institutes and universities are always keen on developing new faces and skillsets. Put feelers out and get in touch with key opinion leaders. There may be opportunities to join advisory boards, pitch in on an irregular basis, or commit to projects and publications that can take you in all sorts of directions. 

Throughout your studies, you’ll meet good friends and special teachers that will help you develop both personally and professionally. Maintaining these relationships throughout your professional career is vital to success. Something as simple as grabbing a coffee with your favourite lecturer, professor or tutor, or a bite to eat with a classmate that you haven’t seen in a while, can help cultivate a good support system throughout your career.

If there’s a new senior colleague open to lending their time and know-how, your professional associations are also in a great position to facilitate mentoring, networking, and new graduate advisory.

It’s always important to make time to attend local meetings, social events and study clubs to mingle with your peers and talk about all things dental and non-dental. If you like to travel, consider making a trip out of events in other locations. Australia’s a big place, yet dental is a small world, so get yourself out there – you may make new connections for life.

I’m sure many of us have seen flashy clinical case photos on our social media feeds and felt bad about our own work. When scrolling, it’s always important to remember the curated nature of everything that you see. Even true experts don’t get everything perfect 100% of the time. 

Experience takes time to develop, and beginners are expected to practice safely, not flawlessly. My strong advice is to keep tabs on how much time you spend doomscrolling in cyberspace, and when you do, don’t compare yourself to unseen others. Log off, unplug, and go outside from time to time. It’s also important to nake sure that you comply with your requirements as a registered dental practitioner when using social media.

When in doubt, seeking a neutral, supportive perspective can be key. Dental Practitioner Support (DPS) is a free, 24/7 private and confidential support service available to Australian dental practitioners nationwide. 

In times of self-doubt and uncertainty, everyone (including me) needs a quick chat to touch base with someone who can help. 

Damian Siderides is a passionate dental health practitioner and medical student dedicated to educating the general public on what being an oral health therapist is all about. In addition to seeing patients, Damian has worked as a clinical educator, mentors new graduates, and volunteers for the professional associations.