u/Suckatgaming

I’m curious what the culture is like at other clinics regarding how staff address the principal/other dentists.

At my clinic, everyone, including the DAs/reception , calls the owner “Dr + surname” and other colleagues too, all the time, and I also have to do the same. Meanwhile a lot of clinics I’ve seen seem way more casual and everyone uses first names amongst the staff.

Not gonna lie, it feels a bit formal/stiff sometimes 😭 especially since we’re all working closely together all day.

What’s it like at your clinic?
Do you call colleagues by first name or “Dr ___”?

My owner told me not to use them routinely because apparently the demographic here doesn’t like them, but I find lower Class II fillings pretty annoying without them, especially when doing multiple fillings and the tongue/saliva control becomes a pain with just cotton rolls. Do most of you still use rubber dams regularly or just rely on other isolation methods?

Hey everyone,

Hope you’re all doing well. Just after some advice on a situation I’m dealing with.

I’m a new grad, about 4 months in. So far I’ve been doing general work, single crowns here and there, some onlays, and I’ve just started getting into composite veneers.

My principal dentist is now pushing me to start placing implants, saying it’s the best way to learn and that she’ll guide me chairside. She mentioned this case should be straightforward since it was bone grafted about 3 months ago, and that I’d be doing the osteotomy using a surgical guide.

The thing is, I haven’t done any formal implant courses yet and don’t feel ready to jump straight into placing implants.

I’m also a bit concerned about the medico-legal side, if something goes wrong, wouldn’t I be the one held responsible, even if she’s supervising?

I get that hands-on learning is important, but this feels like a big step too soon. At the same time, it’s a good job and I don’t really want to leave, I just feel a bit pressured.

Has anyone been in a similar position? Would you push back and ask to do a course first, or is this kind of learning on the job pretty normal?

**UPDATE: thank you all for the replies and advice! I think I’ll just prep hard before it and give it my best shot, I’ll also do a course I’ve found that’s coming up in the next 2 weeks (2 day practical course). Wish me luck y’all 😭