I invite you to look at your dental world. Do you come home happy or devastated every day? It is hard to be a human, much less a dentist, in 2022. We live in a dental world still destabilized by Covid but also confronted by dental inflation, terrible political wars, staffing issues, and insurance companies who constantly look for reasons NOT to pay dental claims. Add to that “dental imposter syndrome“; the feeling many dentists have that we are not worthy of doing what we do – that others are confidently prepared, and we are not.

For many of you, like my past self, who come to the office unhappy and come home just as unhappy, it is time to seek “the bright side of life” in dentistry.

In reality, most of us are VERY lucky. We either own a practice or work in one and have a 6-figure income. We are dutifully employed, and most of us weathered the pandemic pretty well. We get to use our hands and play with “cool stuff” every day. A wise soul (my wife) once told me that dentists have it better than people in most professions: we can see how we have helped patients every day with our own eyes. Very few professions can say that.