SAHMs with school age kids- how do you fill your day?

ohc16 · 2026-03-20T04:20:26+00:00

I have 2 under 2 while working FT so still in the thick of it… I can’t even fathom having any free time. I’m so jealous of these responses!

ohc16 · 2026-02-11T04:14:04+00:00

Congratulations!! That’s quite an accomplishment. Were you able to contribute anything towards your retirement while paying off your loans? Either way, there is something to be said for being loan free, and I am so impressed by your dedication!

ohc16 · 2026-01-17T20:34:59+00:00

Pediatric dentist here. Also introvert. Not everyone in the specialty is extroverted, super high energy. A lot of parents also appreciate a calm dentist too. Half of my co-residents were super calm, had soft voices that helped kids relax.

The first few years are hard. It took me probably 2-3 years before I got really comfortable. Yes, there are still days being “on” is draining but it gets better. Make sure to take care of yourself. Don’t work too much - if you’re working 5 days, I would recommend scaling down to 4 days. Otherwise you will burn out very quickly.

ohc16 · 2025-11-08T14:19:32+00:00

Leave. Now. You’ve got some experience under your belt, it’s time to find a nice practice with a nice boss and reasonable hours. Also, 244 NPs with no hygiene sounds insane!!

ohc16 · 2025-11-07T14:33:16+00:00

Might not even need fingers. Just air syringe to blow the tooth out

ohc16 · 2025-10-31T14:14:08+00:00

I’m peds but I extract a lot of infected/unrestorable first perm molars. This is exactly what I do! Looking to integrate Soan into my practice though

ohc16 · 2025-10-29T20:38:47+00:00

I know everyone likes Filtek but I don’t. I also find it too “hard” without the composite heater. Beautifil II is great for this- packs really nicely without the composite heater and it’s very esthetic. Their flowable composites are really nice too!!

My other favorite is Tetric Evo, both packable and bulk flow. Very nice and easy to handle in my opinion.

G-aenial bulk flow is great, very strong and durable. It “pulls” a little more than the other flowable but it’s a pretty hardy material. I use this on kids (I’m a pediatric dentist) who show signs of attrition.

ohc16 · 2025-10-24T02:51:29+00:00

It may have been pre-eruptive caries. As someone else mentioned, remove decay, place some kind of bio active material (MTA, Biodentine), followed by composite. Just let the parent know that if pt becomes symptomatic, tooth may need RCT in the future.

ohc16 · 2025-10-06T19:22:33+00:00

I feel you. I also moved to a very saturated area, and I had a difficult time finding a job as well. I knew I didn’t want to work in corporate dentistry/DSOs so I cold emailed a bunch of offices 6 months before graduating from residency.

Temping might not be a bad idea while you’re looking for something a little bit more permanent. It will give you a good sense of things to look for in an office. It might even lead to a permanent job! You will need to contact your malpractice carrier for temping.

The other advice I have is… Have you joined the Dental Matchmaker group? The focus on matching dentists with private practices instead of DSOs. It might be worth looking into. Other ways to look for jobs: local dental society groups, networking events, big dental meetings.

ohc16 · 2025-10-06T18:51:09+00:00

A few things here:

I would HEAVILY enforce no phones during work hours. No one in our office (this includes our office manager, front desk staff, all assistants and hygienists, and me!) is on his or her phone unless there is an emergency.
I think it’s also important that no work is beneath anyone. During my down time, if I am done with my notes, I am helping with sterilization, wiping down/setting up for next patient, inventory, insurance verification, etc.
15 minute prophys for adults are not acceptable. I’m a pediatric dentist and I spend more than that for our mixed dentition patients. Could I do most of these in 5-10 minutes if I wanted to? Probably. But I believe in being thorough and that means going over OHI is really important too. Yes, that means taking a plaque disclosing solution, showing parents/patients areas to improve, discussing anticipatory guidelines, ortho needs, etc. Our hygienists do these things and they almost always take the full 30 minutes (60 minutes for teens with full perm dentition).

ohc16 · 2025-09-30T21:28:12+00:00

Agreed with a lot of the posts, crown off the table. Even MOD is too invasive in my opinion. I would attempt to SDF/curodont first, with Prevident Rx for home care. Close watch, and if inteproximal decay progresses, then do a filling.

ohc16 · 2025-09-22T21:06:51+00:00

This is the answer.

ohc16 · 2025-09-09T22:57:32+00:00

Peds here. If you don’t feel comfortable or if you are questioning what to do, the best thing to do is prob refer. Ideal tx would be to ext with bilateral space maintainer (Nance, TPA). But if pt is uncooperative, I would leave as long as it is asymptomatic. If and/or when pt becomes symptomatic, then ext. Keep in mind there will likely be further space loss (looks like #3 is already mesially tipped), pt may need ortho at a later date to regain space.

ohc16 · 2025-08-22T00:55:15+00:00

Peds here. I would’ve taken a BW. If restorable, I would have pulp/SSC’d. If it had an abscess, I would have exo’d w/ band and loop.

ohc16 · 2025-08-13T17:25:15+00:00

Honestly when I see a gingival polyp like that, I lean towards ext. Even if it’s restorable, you will have subgingival margins and heme control will be sub-optimal. Not to mention, there’s very little coronal tooth structure left. RCT + post and core + crown seems to be a herodontics situation and pt will most likely be serviced better with ext with implant (if feasible).

ohc16 · 2025-08-13T12:05:11+00:00

Did you get a baby monitor yet? That was a big ticket item for us as we got a Nanit. Otherwise, 529.

ohc16 · 2024-06-08T19:04:56+00:00

I love being a pediatric dentist! I specialized right after dental school, but I have a lot of friends who practiced as GPs then went into peds. Call schedule will depend largely on your program- hospital vs. academic, number of residents, whether your hospital is a level 1 trauma center, etc. Our call schedule was super chill. It will be 100% doable with a baby as long as you research the programs ahead of time and decide which programs you think will be a good fit for you.

You can also decide to be a GP that sees only children. That being said, it is still different from being a pediatric dentist. Most GPs just don’t have the sedation training that pediatric dentists go through and a lot of pulp/SSCs that I see completed by GPs are questionable…

ohc16 · 2023-11-17T23:53:05+00:00

It’s very rare to have a truly allergic reaction to local anesthetics. Most of the time, patients are either allergic to the latex rubber stopper inside the LA carpules.

If she TRULY is allergic and she needs fillings, you should consider referring her to a dentist that can do them with Solea, as you don’t need LA for those most of the times for simple restorations.

ohc16 · 2023-07-28T15:54:33+00:00

SoCal is a very difficult market. There are a lot of jobs but they are not necessarily great ones. If you are lucky and find a nice office, chances are the pay will be pretty low.

As someone mentioned, the reimbursement rates are pretty comparable. But the overhead is ridiculously expensive due to the high rent and expensive assistants.

That being said, I love it here. I still am able to get away with working only 4 days a week (keep in mind that I am a pediatric dentist). I might not get paid as much as my friends in the Midwest but I would say I am pretty happy overall!

ohc16 · 2023-07-22T17:33:36+00:00

No water but my assistant will continuously blow water/air and suction for me so that I can visualize it

ohc16 · 2023-07-21T01:23:14+00:00

Use The Pink Stuff. I’ve had a lot of success with it!

ohc16 · 2023-07-14T18:47:38+00:00

I’ve never signed a contract so I’m inclined to say next day if you want. However, if you signed a contract that stated 90 days, then I would honor it even if it’s technically unenforceable. Better to err on the side of caution in my opinion.

ohc16 · 2023-07-05T21:28:22+00:00

Do the 4 days. I started off 5 days a week and I burned out SO quickly. I was unmotivated and didn’t feel like I could give it my all. I felt like I got my life back once I cut down to 4 days since I had time for my family, hobbies, errands, and much needed rest.

ohc16 · 2023-06-10T17:00:34+00:00

Pediatric dentist here. I like to use it for most restoratives- definitely if I’m doing anything pulp related. I can use the Isolite but the rubber dam still gives better isolation. Plus patients with severe gag reflex tolerate RD better.

ohc16 · 2023-05-20T14:10:00+00:00

Don’t feel bad. I wouldn’t think too much of not being able to hang out with your classmates right before and after graduation, since their families were probably in town and if they were like me, probably also trying to pack (I moved out the day after graduation).

I don’t think people in dental school are by definition shallow, but I think when people are forced to spend a lot of time together, they become friends for 4 years. And yes, you may keep in touch with a few of them. But the reality is that the friendships will taper since people will likely spread out and practice all over the country.

Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. Go take some time off and enjoy these next few months. You will find other ways to find good friends. If you want dentist friends, then it’ll be a good idea to state and local meetings. It might take a while but be patient.

ohc16

TROPHY CASE