Ask the Dentist!
Why I Do What I Do: Explained!
This a question I’ve asked myself on more than one occasion. Since I was a sophomore in high school, I knew I wanted to be a dentist. People ask me why I decided on dentistry, and I really don’t have a good answer. I didn’t have a life-changing event when I was younger, I didn’t have a dental mentor growing up that I looked up to and none of my relatives are even in the medical field. So, my answer is, “I don’t know.”
Growing up, I was always curious about how things worked. Just about every toy I ever had was taken apart and put back together more than once and just about every time I had no left-over parts. In my logical mind, I always wanted to know why something did what it did and how it did it. Looking back, Engineering may have been a more logical fit, but I felt I just had too much of a personality for that (just kidding to my engineer friends). So, having said that, I guess knowing how the ultimate machine worked, the human body, lead me down the road to where I am today.
When I graduated high school, I started to have second thoughts about dental school. I thought about applying to medical school instead. When it came time to take the entrance exams for dental and medical, I took both exams. I did well enough to be accepted by both schools, but something led me to go the dental route. In hindsight, after 21 years of practice, I have absolutely no regrets. Now that’s not to say it’s easy. The daily phrase, “I really hate coming to the dentist,” “I’d rather be having a baby,” or “no offense but,” become more than a little tiring to hear. When I first started, this really bothered me. All I wanted to do was help my patients and I felt like I was torturing them. After a while, I learned to take the comments in stride and realized that it really was nothing personal!
I’ve been blessed in my working career with wonderful patients and staff and in my personal life a beautiful, supportive wife and two beautiful daughters. I still have my tough days at work, and from time to time, I’ll question why I do what I do. Then, that one patient says a simple thank you, and I immediately remember why.
We are always looking for wonderful new patients to join our dental family! Give us a call at 225-926-4203 or visit our website at www.batonrougedentistry.com.