What treatments will you perform? Between continuing education courses and mentorship, we work to help you feel confident in your skills to perform any dental procedure at CDP!

Dentistry means more than just filling cavities all day. Part of what makes it so great to be a dentist is that every day and every case is different. You will grow in competence and confidence throughout your career, and your scope of practice will likely expand. From accessing new and emerging techniques and technology to completing dentist continuing education courses, you will extend the variety and depth of your knowledge over time.

However, the speed of that development and your confidence in those new skills will have much to do with where you work. Community Dental Partners makes investing in helping new dentists grow central to our culture.

The Importance of Dentist Continuing Education Courses

Continuing Education (CE) courses are integral to maintaining an active license to practice dentistry. The exact requirements for how many hours of CE credits you must complete and how often will vary depending on where you live. The American Dental Association (ADA) provides information about CE and renewal requirements for each state and territory on its website. 

Texas requires 24 CE credit hours every two years. Fortunately for members of the CDP team, our organization provides 12 CE credits per year in business and clinical subjects. Many CDP dentists wish to further their learning beyond the 12 CE credits and utilize SPEAR Online. This platform is a self-serve, 24-hour access system that allows dentists to dive into different supplementary procedures and expand their skillset at their convenience. On top of CE courses, CDP also organizes Level 2 Oral Conscious Sedation training and a hands-on endo course. We even help our doctors apply for certification!

Practice Makes Perfect

One trap new dentists can fall into is finding placement in an office but needing more patients. These dentists may find their development stagnating in their first few years. Your growth as a practitioner needs to have enough patients to give you ample opportunities to hone your skills and perfect your techniques.

Our doctors get a great mixture of every aspect of dentistry. Depending on your clinical preferences, you may feel more drawn to one of our practice types than another. From pediatric to adult-focused, from same-day emergency care to a traveling doctor position, we have a perfect fit for you.

You will have a generous patient load regardless of which practice you join from the beginning. Our new doctors typically complete about 1,000 fillings, 1,000 stainless steel crowns, and 100 root canal therapies annually. This volume allows for better efficiency and confidence right out of school. 

It’s not just about volume or repetition, though. New dentists sometimes struggle to connect with patients because they focus on technique and may still feel nervous about their skills. The more confident you feel and the more routine these procedures become, the more you can focus on your patient’s experience and truly connect with them.

Our practices that see more adult patients offer great variety. Our doctors in these practices can do the usual restorative work, create partials and dentures, work on periodontal cases, and restore implants. 

CDP dentists have the opportunity to perform complete pediatric care, including Level 2 Oral Conscious Sedation and root canal therapy. Getting doctors to this level is rigorous and includes a lot of training and mentorship. CDP will be by your side, helping you become the best dentist you can be!

Mentorship Makes the Difference 

All the practice in the world won’t do you much good without constructive feedback and ongoing guidance. Too many practices throw new dentists to the wolves and trust a sink-or-swim approach to hiring. Setting up new dentists for failure is no way to help you grow and develop as a caregiver. That’s why CDP partners incoming dentists with experienced mentors who are passionate about growing new doctors.

From day one, you’ll be given every opportunity to seamlessly transition into our team with complete support. From shadowing and observation days to community outreach opportunities, training, and case studies, we will help you navigate the intimidating process of going from student to doctor.

Many CDP dentists feel like they surpass their own expectations and grow beyond what they think themselves capable of. Finding true confidence and trust in yourself as a doctor is vital to a long and fulfilling career. The CDP team is here to invest in you!

Mentors will work by your side, answering questions and giving valuable feedback to hone your skills. When you join your practice, you’ll be spared much of the first-day anxiety many new dentists experience. 

The CDP Way

Our process for bringing you onto our team involves a 10-week mentoring program, including humanitarian outreach and training modules. Then, you will attend an orientation to learn how CDP will support you. Before you head to your practice, you can shadow and observe our mentor doctors in action. This is when you will truly learn the essentials for treatment planning and how to help your patients feel great about partnering with you for their oral health. Then it will be your chance to get your gloves on and make the whole world smile!

But we’re not done yet! Your growth opportunities only continue from there with sedation case studies. Your mentor and our entire support team will continue to be available to help you clear any hurdles that may come up along the way.

Asking for help is the first step toward getting the support you need to be your best self. Throughout your time with Community Dental Partners, we always encourage our dentists to ask for help when needed. We want you to feel comfortable reaching out when you need support. That’s why we team every incoming dentist with a mentor. Mentorship is key to the CDP mission. Your capacity to care for your patients is the foundation for what will make you a great dentist. We believe in cultivating the talent that each new dentist brings and will support you along your journey. Schedule a call with a Hiring Manager today to see how much better your dental life could be with support and mentorship lifting you up!