Dentistry is one of the few areas of health care that focuses more on prevention rather than the treatment of symptoms. That is the number one reason why I love the Dental field. It’s so encouraging to see an entire industry focusing on education and prevention! What a beautiful thing to have been a part of! If we could get that mentality to cross over to the general health care industry that would be the beginning of an amazing paradigm shift in this country. People may begin to realize that we create our disease, anxiety, and general malease. Then, the collective could learn how to prevent these terrible conditions through being educated on the causes, rather than focusing on the symptoms.
I’d like to share with you so not so obvious life lessons I learned in my ten years as a dental professional.
If one continues to repeat a negative habit, it will yield negative results.
(IE. if I eat a lot of starchy or sugary foods and do not brush properly, I will get caries (cavities)
If one does not take the extra step to finish the job correctly, it will again yield negative results.
(IE If I do not floss, I will get periodontal disease (gum disease)
Shortcuts will not go unnoticed
(IE if I tell my hygienist that I’ve been flossing, and I haven’t. She will most certainly know that I am lying.)
If one does not take the time to address the whole, the whole will not be one.
(if I do not take the time to visit the dentist twice a year, I could develop periodontal disease, which in turn can lead to diabetes and heart conditions. For, the oral cavity and the body are one. One certainly always affect the other)
Things aren’t always what they seem.
(IE Some “Vitamin” Waters and Sports drinks have heaps of sugar and have caused a pandemic of caries nationwide even though it is marketing as a healthy alternative, that doesn’t always mean it’s good for you!)
Some people are just really hard to deal with and that’s just the way it is.
And some of those people will never change!
Well, with all that said. I decided to move on from Dentistry, despite my love an passion for it. I was faced with two options to move forward in life; become a Dentist or an Apparel Designer. I chose the more creative field. The reason why I say more creative field is because, believe it or not, Dentists are Artists. True story! They are Dent-tists! Really, it takes a lot of hand eye coordination and hand skills to be a Dentist. It is no easy feat folks! I miss my job in Dentistry everyday, but it just didn’t fill my soul with joy the way designing does. And that is the reason why I switch careers at age 28.5.