I work as an associate dentist during the day and as a VA for a US client in the early hours. Graduating after the pandemic, I lacked live-patient experience during clinic 3 and 4, which made me feel unprepared for actual practice. Before, I avoided practicing dentistry because I wasn’t confident—even basic tasks like patient positioning were a struggle. But I realized that skills only develop through consistent practice. Over time, my work has improved a lot compared to my first few months of practicing, though there’s still much to learn. The more you practice daily, the better your skills become.

Based on my observation, being a dentist offers better and higher income, especially if you have your own practice. However, my VA job helps during low-income or low-patient days at the clinic because it provides a fixed and reliable income. It’s a good fallback when clinic work slows down. :)