Why I Graduated and Disappeared

[@jacobfoncea9714]

First KZbin video I’ve been excited for in four months

[@stephenraydentist]

MY BOY!! PODCAST EPISODE SOON!

[@francisalip16]

Missed your content Stephen! I remember when you first started posting when I was a predent, and now you’re practicing and I’m interviewing for residency programs - crazy how time flies! Incredibly proud of you brother, keep doing what you’re doing! 🙌🏼

[@stephenraydentist]

Ahhh Francis it has been a journey hasnt it!! Hard to believe the time has gone by as quickly as it has, but just in coming back to KZbin and seeing stories like this it makes me appreciate what I have been able to do here and what I have been able to build with people like you. So much more to come and I can't wait to just dive in!

[@seyedmatinalizadeh4705]

I've been looking forward to hearing from you Dr. Stephen. I'm going to graduate in six months and would love to learn more about the experiences of a new grad dentist. Looking forward to that podcast with your friend.

[@stephenraydentist]

We're going to dive into a variety of topics that I hope will help people like you! I remember being six months out. All I can say is time flies and you'll be there and finished before you know it. Literally life comes at you fast!

[@mensouf123]

Congratulations on your graduation! This year is the first one of my dental studies. Wish me luck!

[@stephenraydentist]

BEST OF LUCK!! Congrats on getting in and work your hardest! Hope everything is going well

[@marcelguzman4497]

Congratulations on your graduation! Your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring. As a pre-dental student myself, your videos give me the motivation I need to keep pushing forward. Thank you for sharing your journey and reminding us all what’s possible with commitment and perseverance. Wishing you all the best in your future!

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you Marcel! Hang in there my friend. I know the process is arduous but the outcome is honestly great and really worth it. It is a wonderful profession. Stick it out and you will be where I am in no time!

[@joshwilkinson8966]

Man, fellow Tennessee friend here! Lol im so glad you are back!! I really do miss the weekly videos!! Your videos have been my motivation! I surely hope you get back to making videos like you did! I think a bunch of clinic videos will be freaking hit! day in the life videos and procedure videos! Man im just so glad to see you my guy!

[@PatelHQ]

Please keep making more and more videos! Would love to learn from your journey after dental school.

[@stephenraydentist]

Absolutely can and will do! Already on it!

[@faresaltigani-vg6zd]

Thank you Stephen for coming back! I like the new studio 🎙️ I have told you before not to stop making videos but I also understand the stress that you have been through ... God bless you ❣️🙏

[@thedentalduo]

Congrats on your graduation! Looking forward to the podcasts and future videos!

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you so much!! It really was exhilarating and surreal to go through it. And then I truly got home and just put my head down to start working. Exciting for everything to come!

[@shaggyguides]

Dr. Stephen I have missed you alot bud. I'm still on my way to dental school. Cant wait what yall have in store. Wish I was a little closer to Shadow.

[@stephenraydentist]

So awesome that you have been here for the long haul! Stay tuned plenty to come!

[@mrdaracooola-558]

Hi happy to see you come back dr stephen iam in 1st clinical year can you share with us your epx and tricks and tips in different spcialities , i will appretaite that ❤

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for the comment! We will absolutely be getting into a variety of topics on the podcast and I will be diving into many things on the channel as well. Stay tuned!

[@herriqueavelardasilva955]

welcome back. Missed your videos, Doc.

[@meganphillips1060]

We loveeeee new grad transition, I’ve been an RDH for over a year but I still see myself as “new grad”

[@stephenraydentist]

I feel like a new grad every single day! There are times when certain things I do have started to feel much more routine and like I have begun to master them but most of what I feel is that I am still VERY new to all of this!

[@Ktv.24]

New space looks great!! Thanks for talking

[@stephenraydentist]

It legitimately took me about 2 weeks in total. It's hilarious because I originally thought it would take a single day and then I ended up building a custom desk from the ground up. Even hanging all the photos took almost a full day of work. Very happy with how things turned out though!

[@Sameranth]

D4 here. Would love to hear more about adjusting to new materials and instruments that you didn’t have in school and not having things you were used to. Also first time working regularly with an assistant and what that looks like and how your habits change. Also doing more procedures that you didn’t get a ton of experience in school. For instance I’m expecting to do a decent amount of endo, but I’ll be surprised if I get to do 5 before I graduate.

[@deshonsimon5295]

Hey Doc! First off, congrats to you, I hope you’re enjoying practicing dentistry; I’ve watched you as a pre-dent, and now while I’m in dental school. I did have a question. What has been your experience with referrals? Do you feel fully confident on when you should refer, or suspect you might refer? I’m sure this is a skill that comes with time but I feel like it’s a fine art of deciding what you can do, what you feel like you have the skills to do, other professionals perception of what they believe you should be able to do, and things along this realm. I know this is a deep question because it forces you to be vulnerable and talk about your skills and experience in both practicing and working with other professionals, so please don’t feel forced to answer anything outside of your comfort zone. Keep practicing and learning. We appreciate you!

[@Km-ri8yt]

Stephen! I interviewed for UTSHC pediatric residency today and when asked “why UT?” I said “because I it looked great on Stephen’s KZbin videos!” Appreciate the vid man👍

[@irenebjrnholt4134]

Where is Lucy 😊❤. Glad you are in the exact place you want to be ❤. I’m not a dentist. But it is so interesting hearing about a world you don’t really hear so much about 😊

[@stephenraydentist]

Ahh thanks for the comment! So awesome to hear that there are non-dentists who appreciate my content! That is so good to know 👍

[@bronbourque8516]

Hey Stephen, I'm a D2 at UKCD. I wanted to hear more about how you handled setbacks in dental school. We are about to start seeing patients in November and honestly I am pretty scared. Would you be willing to talk about your process of working through seeing patients and handling the setbacks and mistakes we all make? How did you begin to feel confident seeing patients?

[@stephenraydentist]

Hey thanks so much for the comment and thoughtful question! I would go back and watch the videos and listen to the podcast episodes from basically July of 2022 and forward because those will pretty well chronicle my experiences of treating patients for the first time just as you are about to. Dr. Ney and I also plan to dive back into our dental school experiences a lot and revisit many of the things we dealt with so stay tuned because we'll definitely talk about this very topic!

[@dannydimes10]

goat returns

[@stephenraydentist]

I'm flattered, my friend! Thanks for all the support!

[@andressmith1414]

Hey doc, great video and best of luck. I had a question about Google reviews. Full transparency, I did look up your practice and mine has also had the unfortunate situation where an ungrateful patient takes time out of their day to leave a Google review that harms my small business. How do you plan on tackling this problem because I have struggled with it. It seems like all the 5 star reviews go unnoticed and people only see the bad.

[@stephenraydentist]

Great question and my new partner and I have spent some time talking about this. All of our negative reviews are from before my partner and I got into the practice and they kind of are what they are. I have learned quickly in this business that you simply will not make every patient happy and we have had some patient interactions in the past 5 months that didn't go well. My biggest priority is attempting to make every patient feel cared for and appreciated. When it comes to Google reviews, I believe they are important. More important, however, in my opinion, is word of mouth. Especially in a small town like mine, if you can get people talking about how good of a job you did and how kind you were, you will have no problem drawing in patients. You just have to focus in on each and every patient and never treat any patient different or poorly because you never know what they will say to others.

[@faresaltigani-vg6zd]

Shouldn't u spend a residency Year first in a dental hospital before you open your own private clinic...idk but this is the situation in the whole middle east here

[@Hennyex]

Lets gooooo

[@stephenraydentist]

Love the hype LETS GOOOO

[@prestonblumhagen8626]

Hype

[@stephenraydentist]

That's right!!

[@Jo3Money8228]

w

[@stephenraydentist]

Heck yeah