r/Dentistry

Hi everyone. Just a struggling dentist from the UK. Been 7 years out of dental school yet still feel that sense of doom going into work. 2-3 days out of the 12 days that I work (I work 3 days a week) are good while the rest are so shitty I feel like I'll have a heart attack. I have changed work places and have turned part time but cant seem to find any relief. Has anyone tried SSRIs and felt they were able to cope at work and felt better? This is affecting my family life at this point and leaving dentistry is not an option at this point in my life. I am 32y old and regularly try to hit the gym to stay fit. All my blood tests are clear (was hypothyroid but doc started me on levothyroxine)

if yes how often

Hello Guys Dr Sebastián from Paraguay here. Today I had an issue with a patient I Extracted the second upper molar. There was some blood with the patient that didn't stop but I just thought it was normal. I put some collagen sponge inside and made the suture. But the patient said she had her mouth full of blood in the next two hours. Felt sad because I asked them to come back to see what happened and they didn't answer my calls or messages

I’ve been at my office for 1 year and have continuously struggled with a full schedule due to lack of opportunities to do hygiene checks. I’ve had multiple days where I’m here 9-5 and only get to do 1 or 2 exams, which isn’t enough to fill my schedule.

The DSO is trying to work on this problem (I really feel they are making an effort). They are trying to bring in a 4th hygienist to the office (we are 3 docs) and they are seeing what can be done to allocate more exams to me.

However, my schedule has been suffering, and I am getting incredibly frustrated with the consistently empty schedule. On Friday, my production was $500, took home $175 pre-tax for a 6 hr day. Today, my schedule production is also $500 with a $175 take home pretax and today is 8-6 day.

They cut off my minimum 6 months ago, and I want to fight for it to stay indefinitely while they figure this shit show out. I’m looking for another job but haven’t had luck yet. I’m afraid if I push too hard with the minimum that they might let me go and I’d be stuck without a job for a while. I’m working with 3 temp agencies to fill my 1 day off through the week but opportunities have been slow.

How do u deal with putting on gloves etc?

Or best way to cut. I’ve just always used thermal, I bought a UC-Cut a few months ago that uses heat + vibration. Sounds good but it’s such a piece of crap. The battery basically lasts for about 1 molar endo. I used to have an off brand one that didn’t heat fast enough but I swear that one was probably better. What’s a good cutter that doesn’t need charging every 5 minutes?

I don't do many RPD and I'm taking this case because I know the patient. Ideally I know this should be metal but I wonder if this can be done in valplast and in 3 visits. Impression, try-in and delivery. Any tips? patient has #1, #4, #11 and #16

Hello everyone, regarding endodontic cases with narrow canals or curvatures (upper 6s and lower 6s with 4 canals): is it acceptable to spend around 60–70 minutes in the first visit instrumenting to working length, removing all caries, and verifying GP fit (without obturation)?

I sometimes feel this may be too long for patients, as many appear fatigued or uncomfortable during the appointment.

Does anyone have experience working part-time at 2-3 different offices throughout the week and is willing to share their insight?

My current associate position is Monday-Thursday at the same office and I’ve been here for 2 years. It is generally a good job but I know it’s not my forever home.

I’m thinking about leaving and trying something new and the thought of working part-time at different offices has popped up in my mind.

My favorite procedures are extractions, wisdom teeth, IV sedation, single unit implants, crown & bridge.

I am a 2023 graduate so still fairly new , so I figured now would be a decent time to try new things in this career.

Thank you all!

Hey everyone. I have started doing root canals and I think I am catching on pretty well.

I'd like to learn a few practices you use that make your procedure so easy it almost feels illegal. What is that one tip that your education hasn't taught you, but your experience has, and now you can't do a procedure without it?

No Apple Watches allowed….I know they are useful, but want to get a conversation with the watch enthusiasts of r/dentistry.

What do you wear for treating patients? I usually wear something practical and not too pricey like my G shock Casio-oak or my Seiko SKX007. Keep the pricier stuff at home.

Was wondering if any one knows if you can print flexible partial denture base on the Formlabs 3b+ ?

Thanks

Hello fellow dentists! Im a fresh graduate and was wondering where do y'all get your notifications on new/updated treatment guidelines. Most textbooks I studied are ancient. Hoping for some perspective from the veterans.

Does anybody know how strict they are regarding the CE hours for AGD fellowship? My awards transcript says 500, however I noticed that I accidentally uploaded a 14 hour recorded webinar course as lecture when I was supposed to as self-instruction.

I’m a dentist currently going through license renewal and trying to get perspective from other dentists on a past employment situation that ultimately led to my termination.

At my previous office, a patient was moved into my column by the office manager for a recall exam after a prophy had already been completed by the hygienist. The hygienist performed the prophy and then took vitals afterward prior to taking X-rays. At that point, the patient’s blood pressure was found to be significantly elevated, which caused concern since vitals were not obtained prior to the procedure.

The hygienist initially came to me for guidance. I provided appropriate clinical direction for next steps, escalated to the office manager to clarify the clinic’s emergency protocol since I was new, and ensured the patient was given appropriate guidance along with an external referral for blood pressure evaluation.

The hygienist remained concerned about how to document the situation and sought further guidance. I directed her to a more senior dentist in the office (who had previously been my residency attending) for clarification. That dentist instructed her not to document it as a completed prophy.

I later became aware that the final documentation did not reflect the prophy as completed. My own note only documented my direct clinical encounter with the patient and did not alter or attempt to reconcile the hygiene procedure note.

The practice later alleged that I was attempting to “cover up” the situation based on my documentation not explicitly stating that the prophy had been completed.

This situation ultimately contributed to my termination.

I’m trying to understand this from a professional standpoint:

How would this be viewed clinically and ethically in dentistry?

How serious are documentation discrepancies like this generally considered?

How would you have handled this differently in practice?

I’m not trying to justify anything—I’m trying to understand how situations like this are interpreted in the profession so I can handle similar scenarios more appropriately moving forward.