In case you missed it: Most popular blog posts of 2020

By | December 28, 2020

Drs. Elizabeth Simpson, Justin Goff, Cathy Hung and Amberena Fairlee

The New Dentist Now blog made a small change at the start of 2020: Only publish articles by dentists for dentists, becoming a platform that allows mainly new dentists to share their experiences and insights.

The shift has helped the blog grow its audience, with more than 206,000 page views (and counting) in 2020 — up from 183,000 the previous year.

Given this past year, it’s no surprise that of the 10 most popular blog posts, six are related to the COVID-19 pandemic — from how dental practices were affected in the spring to how new dentists responded to protect themselves, their team and their patients.

Thank you to all of our contributors as we look forward to 2021.

1. The effect of COVID-19 on an associate dentist

“On March 30, I was informed that my office would be laying off all employees, myself included, until the governor lifted the executive order. The owner dentist would be the one treating any emergencies that may arise with our patients of record. In order to ensure my eligibility for unemployment, my employment contract was terminated with the plan to re-contract after the practice restrictions are lifted. Our office collected all available gloves and masks in order to donate any surplus supplies to the State so that PPE could be redistributed to hospitals in need.”

2. ‘You look too young to be a dentist’

“Looking younger than my actual age, I’ve always had a hard time during my early career to establish credibility with my patients. The first question most patients ask would be ‘You look so young!! How long have you been doing this?’ or ‘Can I see that (pointing to an older male colleague) dentist over there?’  I was also getting questions such as: ‘Are you strong enough to take out this tooth?’ or ‘I’ve never had a woman dentist.’”

3. Protecting your practice in the time of COVID-19

Dr. Cathy Hung, a solo practice owner, shared 16 ways she protected her practice at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Implementing new safety measures before reopening our dental practices 

As dental practices began reopening in May, Dr. Elizabeth Simpson discussed the changes her clinics made to ensure the safety of her patients and the dental team.

5. Doing our part in the COVID-19 crisis

“As updates and advisory notices started pouring in, this went from being something that you heard about on the news that was going on overseas, to being THE topic of conversation everywhere: in person, on social media, on texts and emails.”

Drs. Dawn Wehking, Alex Barrera and Nashid Ahmed

6. Unpopular opinion: It’s not about the dentistry right now 

“What am I doing to help my practice during this pandemic? I’m drinking great beer and spending some quality time with my loves at home. Really. It’s not about the dentistry right now. Hear me out.”

7. Six pearls for the dental soul

Dr. Nashid Ahmed shares the six things she felt dental schools left out about being a dentist.

8. My New Dentist Life: Starting a career during the COVID-19 pandemic

In the first article in a New Dentist Now blog series, My New Dentist Life, which follows a new dentist’s first year experience out of dental school, Dr. Justin Goff shares what it’s like to graduate from dental school amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

9. In response to civil unrest, ask yourself the hard questions 

A couple days after the brutal killing of George Floyd, I was watching the world news with my mother and I said to her, “If Grandma Vi was still alive today, I wonder what she would say about everything going on?”

10. Pride 50th anniversary: Five ways you can be a better ally dentist 

Dr. Alex Barrera commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots by sharing five ways dentists can be better allies and ensure dental practices are welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community.

The ADA’s award-winning New Dentist Now blog is seeking contributors interested in writing about their experiences and insights on the unique challenges facing dentists who graduated from dental school fewer than 10 years ago.

For more information, contact Kimber Solana, New Dentist News managing editor, at solanak@ada.org.

3 thoughts on “In case you missed it: Most popular blog posts of 2020

  1. Laracarey

    That’s an amazing thought process to bring up the best content to the limelight. It ould help the readers to get benefited. Thanks for piling up the best content to the floor.

    Reply
  2. Dental Office Brooklyn NY

    Hey love this compilation, but noticed there’s a type in the second blog title: “You look to young to be a dentist” should be “You look too young to be a dentist”

    Our young dentists should not only have dynamic energy but also an attention to detail!

    All jokes and quips aside, thank you for the rundown!
    🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply to New Dentist Now Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *