Clinical Confessions
Questions you're afraid to ask, mistakes, imposter syndrome
What's the dumbest mistake you've made that you'll never admit publicly?
I'll go first: I once prepped the wrong tooth for a crown. Patient was numb, I was distracted, and I prepped #13 instead of #14. Realized it halfway through. Had to explain to the patient why we needed to prep another tooth. I've never told anyone this. I'm so embarrassed. But I bet I'm not the only one who's done something stupid. What's yours? Let's normalize admitting mistakes so we can all learn.
Does anyone else just refer out stuff they could technically do?
I know I *could* do that implant, or that complex endo, or that full-mouth rehab. I have the training. But I just... don't want to. I'd rather refer it out and sleep well at night than stress about a case I'm not 100% confident in. Is this lazy? Or is this actually good judgment? I feel guilty sometimes, like I'm not living up to my potential. But I'm happier this way.
I think I missed a second canal and I can't stop thinking about it
Did an endo on #19 last week. Found the MB and ML canals, cleaned and shaped, obturated. But now I'm second-guessing myself. I keep looking at the pre-op X-ray and wondering if there's a second MB canal I missed. The patient isn't having symptoms, but what if it flares up in 6 months? I'm losing sleep over this. Should I call the patient and re-treat it proactively? Or am I being paranoid?
Honest question: how often do you actually get perfect margins?
I see all these Instagram posts with "perfect margins" and I'm like... really? Because I feel like I'm doing well if I get 80% of my margins perfect. Am I just bad at this or is everyone else exaggerating? I know what perfect looks like, but in a real patient with real saliva and real time constraints, how often does it actually happen? Be honest. I need to know if I'm the only one struggling with this.
I've been practicing 8 years and I still hate endo
I know I should refer it out, but I feel like I should be able to do basic endo. I've taken courses, I have a microscope, but I still dread every single endo case. I second-guess myself constantly. Did I get all the canals? Is the obturation good enough? Is this going to fail? I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I think I'm just going to start referring all endo out. Life's too short to stress about something I hate.