How to Find the Practice that is Right for You

After graduating from the dental program at the University of Texas at Houston in 2012, Shattuck narrowed down his practice search to three criteria that he felt were most important:

Staff members – an excellent staff with the knowledge and drive to make the treatment process a positive experience for both doctors and patients. • Technology – the opportunity to work with updated technology that would allow him to grow as a dentist. • Growth − the opportunity to begin working on patients right away, and a senior dentist willing to become a mentor in order to help him develop in the profession. He was offered several associateships in major metropolitan areas, but only two of his three criteria would be met. It was the job offer in a small, rural town in Oklahoma that had everything he needed. He accepted the position in 2013, moved his family to Oklahoma and hasn’t looked back.

Having recently been through the job search process, Shattuck has valuable advice for recent dental school graduates.

“Determine what’s most important to you and find those things,” he said. “Don’t listen to other people’s opinions about what’s right for you. It’s important to look and stretch yourself and find a place that feels comfortable for you because what you need isn’t going to be what everyone else needs.”

Shattuck said when looking for a practice, it’s important to cast a wide net, to seek out a practice that has invested in itself through technology, and a senior dentist who values patient care

above all else. When interviewing, talk to the staff. Ask them what the focus of the practice is, and what they like about the office and the practice owner. If one of their first answers is quality of patient care, chances are technology is one of the foundational principles of the practice.

According to Shattuck, new graduates should be wary of a practice that simply claims to value technology. You should look for a practice invested in technology that is used to more accurately diagnose disease, improve treatment outcomes and help motivate patients to pursue treatment.

Not only does technology allow you to provide the best patient care, it can accelerate your learning and growth. Recent graduates are at an advantage. After spending the past four years learning, you are still hungry for knowledge and open to learning new technologies, so it is vital that you take advantage of this time to learn and grow.

Beginning your professional career by learning how to operate and integrate new technology into the practice can help you gain the confidence to tackle more complex cases that you might otherwise be hesitant to accept, which will improve your skills as a practitioner.

As you integrate newer technology and show patients how it

helps improve oral, and overall health, it impresses upon patients how seriously you take their treatment. It also improves patient compliance, and can lead to increased word of mouth referrals, which is great for practice growth.

Family Dentistry, the practice where he landed, as a diamond in the rough because although it doesn’t have the ritzy location or the fancy trimmings often found in typical “boutique offices,” the practice has everything necessary to provide exceptional patient care, including digital X-rays, cone beam technology, intraoral cameras, CAD/CAM technology, sleep dentistry and multiple intraoral scanners.

Lastly, Shattuck said that recent graduates should be careful not to be blinded by the glitz of a dental office that has invested only in fancy décor, a nice waiting room, or an expensive building. There are many great practices where the dentist has invested in what’s inside the operatories rather than what’s on the outside.

The senior dentist at the practice is Kristen Burris, DDS, who hired Shattuck after agreeing that he would eventually take the practice over for her. “She has done a great job of guiding me,” said Shattuck. “She knows where I can jump into the deep end and where I should really pull back to allow a more experienced practitioner to take the reins.”

Although living in a small town has taken some getting used to, Shattuck said that he wouldn’t change his decision for the world.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m where I need to be right now,” he said.

He described Kristen A. Burris, DDS,

P150478 (8/14)

The Power to Change Lives

that Shattuck will take over the practice in several years. Until then, Shattuck’s goals are to keep improving and keep growing. “If you’re not growing, you’re moving backwards,” he said. “It’s important to live and grow and become a better person than you were the day before.”

As it turns out, the seed planted years ago has grown into a successful career at a small-town practice that offers more than Shattuck could have ever imagined.

Amy Bowman Patterson Companies, Copywriter

Amy Bowman writes articles, marketing copy, and online content for Patterson Companies. She lives in Minneapolis and can be reached at amy.bowman@pattersoncompanies.com

The two recently signed papers agreeing

“EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER, YOU’RE TRYING TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF

AND YOUR PRACTICE. YOU’RE TRYING

TO GET YOUR SYSTEMS IN PLACE.

THE RIGHT DISTRIBUTOR MAKES

ALL THE DIFFERENCE.”

DR. ED HOOD Hood Dental Care | Denham Springs, La.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE, PRACTICE LIFESTYLESM