Feel Stuck as a Dental Professional? Try Coaching.

One dental industry trend we appreciate: Hygienists and other support professionals who are leveling up their careers by moving into coaching.

From what we hear talking to practice professionals, talented hygienists tend to get really good at what they do — only to find themselves with no additional room for growth. Frustratingly, those who have been on the job for over 20 years may even notice that their salary offers are slowly trending downward when compared to their colleagues with 10-19 years of experience.

However, some in the industry are parlaying their expertise into more lucrative careers as entrepreneurs. Kiera Dent, for example, started out as a dental assistant and worked her way up before eventually becoming the founder of The Dental A Team, a coaching and consulting group that helps practices improve their operations, culture, and revenue.

“I started out actually in dentistry in high school, where I was a dental assistant [and then] a treatment coordinator,” she said in a recent interview on Dental Rift. “We now consult for hundreds of practices across the nation, just trying to help positively impact the world of dentistry in practical, tactical ways.”

We love this kind of entrepreneurial spirit and think that the opportunity for others to follow in Ms. Dent’s footsteps is only growing. As industry consolidation and DSO growth continue to raise the bar on the level of efficiency needed to run a thriving dental practice, doctors and dental group leaders alike will increasingly turn to coaches who can teach them to keep up.

So if you’re feeling stuck in your current role, ask yourself: Could you teach practices how to do better? If so, that might be your way forward.

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