The Road to Private Practice

By Mazda Bhathena

Dental school is a tedious yet rewarding four-year journey, preceded by four years of undergraduate studies in addition to any additional education such as a post-baccalaureate or masters’ degree. The immediate years that supersede dental school can be daunting for many, not knowing whether the new general dentist wants to practice in a Dental Service Organization (DSO), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), private practice, and many others. In some states such as Delaware and New York, newly graduated dentists are required to complete a general practice residency (GPR) or Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency. Let alone, figuring out this conundrum of events runs parallel to countless board exams and objective structured clinical exams (OSCE). Exploring the next steps after dental school doesn’t need to be a tedious one, and the easiest way to get an advantage is to make the most of the four years of dental school.

Since I decided to pursue dental school, I have followed in the footsteps of my mentor, my uncle who owns a private practice in Walnut Creek, California. His passion for dentistry is profound and his attention to patient care is an inspiration that emanates throughout his office and dental schools where he volunteers. Throughout dental school, I knew that I wanted to focus on the patient care experience, learn cutting-edge technologies that would improve dental outcomes, and cultivate my knowledge within dentistry. My goal is to foster the same values of dental care that my uncle provides his patients and provide an unforgettable patient care experience.

The courses which we divulge in during our time at NYU College of Dentistry is the vessel by which we can obtain knowledge that can be applied in our future clinical practices. Knowing that I want to partner with my uncle and expand his dental practices, I am focusing on clinical skills that can enhance the patient care experience. One such course is my elective in Invisalign Clinic, which meets weekly to discuss relevant research on clear aligners and current case findings. Working in private practice can be very similar to that of our clinic experience, except depending on the size of the practice, there may not be on-demand availability to specialists. For this reason, it is essential to take complete advantage of the knowledge that our clinic floor specialists can divulge. The essential factor is to know when it is appropriate to refer a case to the specialists versus treating the patient in your own clinic.

My future aspirations as a dentist are to work alongside my mentor and treat patients with the highest level of compassion and care. In addition, our field of dentistry requires providers to be the epitome of life-long learners. An alternate method of pursuing this knowledge is volunteering at local dental schools. Overall, my goal is to work alongside my uncle, partner with him to further expand the practices, and volunteer as clinical faculty in local San Francisco dental schools to further my dental knowledge and best serve my patients.