824: The Top 5 Reasons Why Dentistry is Awesome & Hard – Dr. Erin Elliott

A great thing about dentistry is the power of choice. You get to choose when you work, how you work, and who you work with. But it’s not easy in this profession! To help you make it less hard and more awesome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Erin Elliott, seminar leader from 3D Dentists, to share her advice for navigating the difficult aspects of working with your team and your patients. When you do it right, this career is amazing! To learn how to reap the benefits of being a dentist, listen to Episode 824 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Elliott:

• Send Dr. Elliott an email: erinelliottdds@gmail.com 
• Follow Dr. Elliott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinelliottdds
• Register for Dr. Elliott’s Sleep Apnea Implementation course (February 27-28, 2025 in Nashville & November 6-7, 2025 in Raleigh): https://3d-dentists.com/sleep-apnea-implementation/#register
• Register for Dr. Elliott’s Sleep Apnea Implementation online course: https://pro.3d-dentists.com/c/sleep-apnea-implementation/?_gl=1*kfqzbi*_ga*MTI4NzEwMTQxMi4xNzM0Mjg4NzY5*_ga_83VZQPCXEW*MTczNDMwODI2Mi4yLjEuMTczNDMwODgwNi4wLjAuMA..
• Register for Dr. Elliott’s upcoming events: https://erinelliottdds.com
• Learn more about 3D Dentists: https://3d-dentists.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 824: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos

Main Takeaways:

• Know yourself. Know what you like, what you're good at, and what you can delegate.
• Nurturing a team is one of the hardest but most rewarding things you will ever do.
• Learning the business side of dentistry is hard, but it will give you more control.
• Technology can be frustrating, but it is amazing for improving patient care.
• Being a practice owner is not easy. But when done right, it is worthwhile.
• Appreciate the flexibility of dentistry that you may be taking for granted.
• It’s okay to not be everything to everybody.
• Invest in yourself!

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:14 Dr. Elliott’s background.

3:09 Why dentistry is awesome and hard.

4:15 The upsides and downsides of the job itself.

8:06 It’s okay to not be everything to everyone.

9:23 Tailor the practice and life you want.

13:55 Developing a great team is hard but rewarding.

21:11 Technology can be frustrating but also amazing.

25:22 The advantages and difficulties of being a practice owner.

33:54 Final thoughts.

36:53 Dr. Elliott’s future courses.

Dr. Erin Elliott Bio:

Dr. Erin Elliott grew up in Southern California but went away to a small NAIA school in Western New York where she played collegiate soccer and graduated summa cum laude. She graduated from Creighton Dental School in the top five of her class. After school, she settled in North Idaho and began her dentistry career. She has a passion for Dental Sleep Medicine, Short-Term Orthodontics, and integrating CAD/CAM and cone-beam imaging into a general dentistry practice. She regularly lectures on these topics.

Dr. Elliott is an active member of her local American Dental Association, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and was the president and a diplomate of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. She teaches two-day sleep apnea courses with 3D Dentists and Dr. Tarun Agarwal. She also privately coaches practices about sleep!

Dr. Elliott spends her free time with her stay-at-home husband, Tom, and her two sons. She loves to spend time with friends, golfing, traveling, playing soccer, reading, and serving her community.