The BOSS Story
This is a story of a simple woman, dentist and an orthodontist, and now a dentapreuner(!!not sure what it means) who was caught up in a web of frustration and decided to BREAK FREE! I graduated from Dentistry in 2001 and Orthodontics 2013. I was a general dentist for 9 years. Full of passion and always wanting to learn I dived into lots of seminars and courses. When it came to Orthodontics, I did every course/seminar/residency including all major ones that exist today. I walked out always excited and ready to start – plan – help my patients. I had all these gurus showing me how easy it is and how much more $$$ you could make and I could do it better than my local specialist!
Personally, the $$$ never interested me – otherwise I would be driving a famous red sports car or dressing designer head to toe or eating at lavish places and flying first class. I would rather donate money to UNICEF but that’s just me. I just did orthodontics as a dentist for the PASSION and its what I enjoyed! I could not afford to do a university degree and this was the easier solution at the time. THIS
The future looked bright. I felt I had enough training to do orthodontics. The only thing I didn’t touch were surgical cases and impacted canines. As with everything I do, I launched into orthodontic treatments full of passion. The more I did, the more I realised it actually wasn’t that easy. I had to train my staff, source out labs, learn what to do when things started to go wrong (and they definitely did – lets get real and honest here!). I always told my patients that I was just a dentist but felt competent to do their treatment well. My patients put their trust in me. I HAD.
After several years, I started to see my own failures and inefficiencies. The gurus were either not around or too busy to sit down with me and help me and wanted more $$$. RINGS A BELL? I tried networking with multiple dental colleagues who did similar courses to improve – I was going around in circles – but then I decided to BREAK FREE and contact my local orthodontist. These gurus told me how unfriendly these local orthodontist are so I didn’t know what to expect. I WAS FORTUNATE FOR MY LOCAL ORTHODONTIST TO GIVE ME HIS TIME. Eventually he employed me and I only did orthodontics as a general dentist under his supervision.
He started to gradually coach me and look at all the patients I had underway. He shared his knowledge of latest evidence, clinical pearls and especially case diagnosis and stability. Because this was real and patient-focussed and related to my everyday practice, it was THE BEST WAY TO LEARN – A WHOLE NEW MEANING came about to my ORTHODONTICS practice as a general dentist. MOST OF ALL – the personal one-on-one case-based approach helped me really understand the COMPLEXITIES OF HUMAN VARIATIONS AND OUR TREATMENTS. I became a learner again and decided to specialise in Orthodontics knowing I would sacrifice my flourishing dental career (I was already starting a path toward LVI dentistry!). It was my only way to learn it at the level I wanted.
Our Plan
TODAY AS AN ORTHODONTIST, I want to help my dear friends who’s stories are similar to mine, who approach me with their problems and whose patients put their ABSOLUTE TRUST in them everyday. I also have an ulterior motive – I want to never stop learning, doing research, reading journal and becoming a better clinician everyday (hence I’m still SINGLE!!). The only way to learn Orthodontics outside of specialist degree is by continual lectures, seminars and case-based discussion/sessions from starting of a case to finish in a multidisciplinary environment. Its how I learnt it in my Orthodontics degree. We spent days/weeks diagnosing a case to its fullest, reading all relevant literature about stability, mechanics, risk management.
I have started BOSS – Best Orthodontics Seminars & Sessions & it will be launched very soon in Sydney, Australia. BOSS endeavours to create that positive environment I experienced doing my orthodontics degree. BOSS is about evidence-based orthodontics, its about giving your patients the BEST you can. BOSS is about continual support and growth for dentists and orthodontists. Orthodontist are on a path of continual learning too and it never stops! $$$ will follow the most efficient and effective dental practitioners even with out trying (- I hope so!).
Please register your interest and email me any tips for BOSS at info@breakthroughwithboss.com and I promise to keep you updated with new exciting stuff as it develops and it will be very soon! Yes – I am still planning to stay SINGLE!! At least till BOSS is ready! Please visit our IG/G+/Twitter/FB page to see snippets and stay updated with the developments.
YES it will be exciting and lots of fun! Yes it will be ultra modern and focussed on the future of digital orthodontics! Yes it will stay on top of current & upcoming research! Yes it will be supportive in everyday practice in every part of your practice! Most exciting of all – You get to make friends that support each other!
And NO this is not going to cost you $$$ – anywhere like your previous courses! BOSS is about actual coming together, staying together and working together.