when my patient said this, everything changed.

“you did what now?!?” - I heard myself screech a liiiittle too loud for a Friday at 5pm. I felt my cheeks turn pink, and suddenly my Rare Beauty blush was giving clown.

I was a new dentist, fresh out of school, bright eyed and bushy tailed in my crisp blue FIGS scrubs. OK WHO AM I KIDDING this was less than 13 months ago (I’m still going by months like a first time mom).

I had just broken like, rule 1 probably of dentist-ing, no screeching at the patient, after finishing my last appointment of the day. One of my favorite patients ever. The filling went smoothly. We bopped along to top hits on the radio and I was ready to send her home when she whipped around in the chair and excitedly mentioned:

“by the way, before I came here my husband and I decided to google you!”

Now I know anyone can google anything and learn EVERYTHING these days. For example my most recent searches are as follows: can my dog eat cauliflower, is instagram down, and are almond shaped nails out? (incase you’re wondering, the answer was yes to all the above).

For someone thats been IG blogging her journey from finishing pharmacy school to becoming a dentist for the last 5 years, you wouldn’t think I would break a sweat at anyone finding me on the internet. But my Dove lavender deodorant would say otherwise that day.

There was something so SCARY to me about a patient seeing my instagram where I keep things light and fun, and then working with me in person. I thought in person I had to be all legit and try to act older than I was. I even almost bought a watch!! Bc only serious people wear watches.

After quietly dissociating for like 2 seconds, I heard her say “we were both so excited I would get to be treated by someone so fun and young! you make something so stressful like dental work seem way less scary!”

I honestly blacked out in elation and don’t remember much after that, but I floated through the parking lot after texting my mom, my boss, my fiance Jimmy and everyone that I’ve ever known and sat in the car to process what she just said.

People say nice things all the time, but something about that moment hit different. Maybe it’s because I was at the time going through a rough patch where I felt like the worst dentist in the world. Maybe it’s because at the worst of times, I’ve thought “I feel sorry for the patients that get me as their dentist”.

Something that day occurred to me - maybe the flowery fluffy messaging we get on those fuschia tampon/deodorant/perfume commercials that say “you are your greatest superpower!!!” were right.

Throughout the next few months I felt a change in myself. I started giving myself permission to lean into what felt right (which was tell more stupid jokes), and somehow along the way I developed techniques, phrases, and ways to harness my youthful vibe as an advantage, the same way my patient explained that fateful end of the day. And whether it was getting more experience or mercury stopped being in god damn retrograde for once, things miraculously got better. I was able to reach and help more patients. Not only that, I got my spark back, I was having fun again and that in turn made all the difference.

I have a feeling a lot of you reading this right now are also the fun, fresh, youthful provider my patient would have loved to have as well - and I’m here to help you harness this. Because I promise you, you have something special and unique inside that is waiting to be unleashed.

I learned 2 things my first 12 months. Well, technically way more - but the 2 things that stood out the most to me were as follows:

1. You are only as good of a doc as you can communicate. People don’t care how kick ass your filling was or how well versed on research you are, or how snatched your eyeliner is even though you spend at least 5 minutes every morning perfecting the cat eye part (that’s totally not what takes the most time in my morning routine…) - what matters at the end of the day is how well you communicate both the good news and the bad

2. You can’t help people if they don’t know they need helping. If they don’t think they can be helped. How can I help someone if they never make the next appointment after I meet them? To not focus on communicating is to do a disservice to the patients.

When I first started, I was told: “people don’t know you yet, so they won’t trust you until you get a few more years of experience”. Which is tbh, totally valid.

But what if there was a way to be proactive about building trust and connecting with patients? What if we didn’t have to wait years, and could start accelerating our growth today?

School didn’t give us a guide to communicating with patients, let alone communicating in a way that feels natural and powerful to you. So for everything school didn’t teach, Just A Quick Pinch is here to help YOU - young female new grads of healthcare find your voice and make the world a better place to not only practice but receive healthcare in too. Because to me, those are two sides of the same coin. Happier providers = happier, better cared for patients.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you stick around! I’m excited to grow with you even if it means eventually I indeed have to buy a watch.

xoxo, love Connie!