Anne: Hello everybody. It's Anne Duffy and welcome to Dental Entrepreneur, the Future of Dentistry's podcast. I am so happy that you're here and I have a return guest, which I'm very excited about. We just realized that it was three years ago that we did a podcast, but before I get started with this amazing gentleman, I'm gonna tell you a little bit about him.
Dr. Eric Block is a full-time practicing dentist. Serial entrepreneur, advisor, key opinion leader and investor, passionate about helping dentists become more efficient, productive, and less stressed. He is the co-founder of the International Academy of Dental Life Coaches, and we're gonna give you that, website in our notes.
He is a wellness ambassador to the a DA and the former chairman of the Massachusetts, Dental Society's Health and Wellness Committee. He hosts a stress-free dentist podcast show and Facebook group.
He is the author of a series of nonfiction and children's books, which can be found on Amazon, and we'll have to check that out. Will be on our show notes as well. So check out the dentist for the upcoming events in the future. Dr. Eric Block. Welcome back to the dental Entrepreneur.
Future of Dentistry podcast. It's nice to have you.
Eric: Oh, this is great. I can't believe it was three years ago that you had me on. Time flies.
Anne: I know it, Time does fly. But that's good. I mean, I guess the more fun you're having, the more time flies. And we must be having good time.
But I wanna know, 'cause I was reading your article. In fact if anybody wants to read the article that was in our spring edition of Dental Entrepreneur, please go to dental entrepreneur.com Dr. Eric Blocks articles are always well thought out, and, I love getting them my email box, what sparked you to be a dentist, I mean, and to get adentistry because, I mean, you've got so many things on your list of things that you like and you do in your life, but what sparked the dentist?
In you?
Eric: Yeah. I,I'm actually from Massachusetts I went to Tulane University down in New Orleans not thinking I was gonna be a dentist. one night I was at a bar and I just missed my mouth and I broke my front tooth number nine on a beer bottle and a broke in half.
And I.Went to a dentist, a local dentist in met Louisiana, based off of the referral a college friend. and I just loved the way they took care of me. They patched me back up. gave me my smile back and I said, you know what? Maybe this is something I could do.
And I started looking into dentistry and took all the pre-req classes and the DATs and I actuallydid this kind of late in my college career, so I had to take a year off I taught tennis and took the DATs and some, classes that I had to take. then I applied to Nova Southeastern, which is down in Fort Lauderdale.
Mm-hmm.I got in there and, went to dental school down there, which was great, and graduated in 2002. Then I did an implant residency at Boston University and graduated there in oh four. Andthat brought me back to Massachusetts about 30 minutes west of Boston, in a town called Acton.
And I've been practicing and living here ever since.
Anne: That's so cool. It is. interesting how that's a story that many dental professionals have. They either broke a tooth or had some major dental, catastrophe when they were a kid, and it led you to dentistry, but did you think it was gonna be easier than you found it to be when you got started?
Eric: No, I, I, you know, I really struggled through dental school. you know, I did okay. I, graduated, and did well on my,my licensing exams, but I knew that I wasn't ready or mature enough to go and practice. Dentistry right after dental school. So that's why I ended up doing the residency and I needed those extra two years to get some more maturity under my belt, get some more clinical skills under my belt.
And then I still got into the real world and found it to be very challenging. In fact, about halfway through my career. I went through a tremendous amount of burnout full of stress and anxiety, and I actually thought about leaving dentistry and, you know, some will call it a midlife crisis, you know, whatever you want to call it.
I was really regretting my place in dentistry and I was looking at other professions. in fact, I was looking at law school because I wanted to flip the script, and be the one doing the suing because I was so anxious and worried about getting sued. I was so worried about. What people thought of me.
And I was really becoming more and more introverted. And, going into my own little shell and avoiding conversations with patients and staff members and just not enjoying myself. so I actually thought about leaving, but the reality was that I was still in major debt and, I told myself that, you gotta take some action here.
And, what I left out about my origin story was that I actually graduated Tulane with a degree in psychology. And I always knew that at some point I wanted to gothrough therapy and I finally picked up the phone and called a therapist and I just met with them once every two weeks.
And they were just a local therapist. They really didn't know anything about dentistry other than, you know, they were a patient at another dental office and that was their own experience. So I just went in there and just, we dug in deep to my childhood and we really figured out, you know, why I was so stressed and anxious in dentistry and why I was so burned out.
And it was just. It was all up here. It was me just being too difficult on myself, me putting too much pressure on myself, me trying to be everything to everyone, and then me putting myself last. And I learned a lot and I learned not to beat myself up. When things don't go great and those days are gonna happen.
There's gonna be ups and downs, and this profession that we chose, dentistry is not easy. It's a difficult profession. Mm-hmm. And it's really a marathon, not a sprint. And I really learned that there's nothing wrong with me. I'm, you know, more of an introverted person. And the social aspect of the profession was really hard on me.
know, the going from room to room to room, and. working on my patients and my operatory and doing dentistry and giving that patient the best experience. sometimes that was exhausting. And then I'd have to hop into the hygiene room and do five hygiene checks and then bounce back into my room and over a course of an eight hour day, that was exhausting.
And when you add that up, week after week and year after year. I was really putting a lot of pressure on myself and, therapy was one of those things that I wish, you know, this is the future of dentistry. If I could go back. to young Blockie and tell him to do anything different. It would be go seek out the help of a therapist or a life coach or, anyone that could help you mentally, earlier.
so that's really, kinda my story. And then after C-O-V-I-D-I. I decided to write my first book called the Stress-Free Dentist, and that was just me wanting to share my story of how I overcame burnout and actually got back to the point where I love going into work every day. And I felt like if I could help a few dental professionals out there, it was worth it.
And from there led to other books and to the podcast and, Facebook groups and me doing speeches and just kind of took on a whole life of its own. So, it really started. Picking up that phone and calling that local therapist and getting myself the help that I needed.
Anne: That's being so brave and, courageous and vulnerable to share your story.
'cause you know, I think of Eric Block, Dr. Eric Block you know, I, just met you a couple years ago, probably 5, 6, 7 years ago. And I thought, oh my God, he's so cool. He's got this book and he's just got it all together. And,and you know, we do know that dentistry, and I'm retired practicing hygienist.
For you dentist. It's gotta be tough. 'cause perfection is what you are taught in dental school, and then you layer that on with like, if you're an introvert, like I'm a woo. So I loved having a new patient every day or every hour. I mean, that was the joy of my life, in the profession. But until you said that, Eric, I don't give that much credence because when you apply to dental school, they don't ask you if you like people.
they just really wanna know how your grades are they don't even do anything with dexterity anymore. I mean, they used to give you all these rigorous tests that you had to get in, but it can really throw you for a loop if you don't get some help and find what is it that you like about dentistry now? Because you still have to hop from room to room so what was that shift like? And tell us about that. 'cause I'm sure there's somebody listening here that is like feeling your pain.
Eric: Yeah, actually, uh, and I also wanna mention that, you know, hygienists can also go through this.
Oh hygienists and dentists, we go through this path. you know, you apply to school, you try to do well. then you have to pass You're licensing an exam, you know, and in school you're surrounded by peers. and also if you know, let's say you don't pass a test, you study harder, and then you retake that exam.
When you get into the real world, there's no redo button, you know, you're dealing with, yeah. real human beings, and it's in a business, and is just a total different world. You no longer have that, instructor leaning over your shoulder.
And I think as dentists and hygienists, we get our first taste of failure. When we're in the real world, especially the students coming out now, all they've known is success. Yeah. They aced all their exams. They did well in school. They aced their DATs or hygiene exams. they did well and now they get into the real world and they got a bad review.
Or they have a patient that's upset at them or there's a staff member that is not treating them well, and this is the real world and we're not used to that. Hmm. And I think that'sa major issue. And then there's the issue of perfectionism where We're taught to try to be perfect.
We're taught to talk over the patient or talk about the patient, and, it's just not realistic. And we get into the real world and things don't go according to plan. we're sitting right next to this patient and we have to make a connection with them and give them this great experience.
I think oftentimes dental professionals can lose their way. The stress can build up. Andluckily for me, I didn't turn to drugs or alcohol We've all heard the statistics. Suicide. Yeah.I caught, my problems early enough where I was able to turn them around and, you know, now I.
really love going into work, but I understand that there's going to be stressful moments. That's what the stress-free dentist mantra is. not that there's a way to totally get rid of stress as a dental professional, that's just not realistic. the only stress-free dental professionals is the one that's retired.
it's a stressful profession, but it's how you deal with the stress. It's the understanding that. There's gonna be good days, there's gonna be bad days, there's gonna be bad experiences with patients. There's gonna be bad reviews, there's gonna be uncomfortable conversations. That happens to every dental professional in the history of dentistry in the world.
I'm not the only one. to me, just understanding that and understanding how my personality, whatmakes me tick, has helped me so much. And I've, through experience, started to learn how to talk to patients better. I still struggle every day with communication and being a leader.
I wish, you know, this is the future of dentistry. Going back and telling young blockie. Don't take that 16th course on bone grafting or bonding, take it on how to communicate, how to lead, how to mm, deal with uncomfortable conversations. But I've gotten so much better at those things, and to me, that has really reduced a lot of stress.
And I also reach out, engage with peers, and I'm constantly reaching out to experts, to life coaches, to therapists, to consultants because I know that, burnout can easily come back. And it's, it's a battle that, as dental professionals, we constantly have to wage. But I love technology. I love the fact that we're in a business.
I love wowing patients. I love having a good time and understand that. There's gonna be some bad times, but I don't harp on the bad times anymore. I used to focus on that one bad thing that happened and I,couldn't shake it. I would be thinking about it all night. Just the one negative thing that happened.
I no longer do that. And I now focus on, you know, the 20 good things that happened. and to me that's been, uh, you know, reallyfreeing and, you know, I, really, look forward. To going into work. There's days I come home and I'm just like totally exhausted and have to stare at the wall, when I get home.
But hey, these,things happen and I go back, tomorrow and, try to have a better day. So that's really my philosophy.
Anne: Wow. it sounds simple, but it's not easy. Right. And that's why I love the fact that you're not finished with your. getting coaching yourself, Reaching out to experts, learning as much as you can. Having that mindset, you have to, count your blessings every, and there's so many, there's a like a mantra there that you've got down, and they should give the stress-free dentist to every dental student in the country.
And,and then your, message also of, don't just take another, implant course if you will, you know, learn a little bit more. Because dentistry such a big part of it is the communication not only with your patients, but with your team, with the patient's families. And then you gotta come home and we wanna have a good life.
And you don't, certainly don't wanna bring all that crap home with you. You know, that's not fair to your family, but sometimes you just don't realize it's just a little shift up here, and I think that's. Something so valuable for someone to learn to know that there's an answer for their misery, if you will, or their burnout.
were you just lucky to get your first therapist? I mean, if somebody's listening to this, I, I don't know where, where to start. How would you start finding that right person?
Eric: I just picked up the phone and I looked on Google and found a local therapist and she turned out to be a great fit for me.
Now I've heard that, and this is also, very common in,coaching, and therapy. But you may not hit on the first one. You may not connect with that first therapist or life coach on the first one. Maybe not the second one. Maybe you do on the third one. For me, it hit and this, mantra that I've developed didn't happen overnight for sure.
Mm-hmm. You know, I, itreally took me about six months to a year before I started to really not, have those voices in my head. there was also a mixture oftherapy I was able to connect with a therapist that was able to prescribe medications and we added in some prescribed medications for me and we found that right mix and that going into therapy and talking it out and all of a sudden, you know, maybe after about six months to a year.
There was this absence of that negativity in my head. it was like my head was just more clear and that negativity and that, focusing on, the one negative thing that happened during the day that I couldn't shake. All of a sudden it just started to go away.
And when you can do that, when you can remove negativity from your life. you just open up your brain to be more positive. Be more productive, it's such a great feeling. you know, it doesn't happen overnight. I knew that I'd always wanted to go through therapy being psychology major.
Anne: Yeah, that's cool.
Eric: But I know a lot of dental professionals out there don't know where to turn. that's why, Dr. Laura Brenner and I co-founded the International Academy of Dental Life Coaches because we wanted a place for dental professionals to go to seek out the help of a life coach that understands dentistry.
Because, you know, my therapist was great, but she didn't understand anything about dentistry. And I would go on this long rant about. The assistant, the hygienist, the patient. Yeah. And she'd be like, the margin, yeah. She'd be like, so what did the hygienist do again? And so, there was that lack of understanding of how complex this industry is.
so that's where the, the IDLC comes in is, we'll match people up, with a life coach and, and get them the help they need. And, you know, life coaching is very different than, therapy in the fact that. You know, with therapy, for me, we really dug deep down into my childhood. and really, you know, my, growing up and how I became the person that I am, and we added in some medications, but with life coaching, it's really focused on the here and the now and the future.
And it's about the coach, you know, guiding the dentist or hygienist. To asking the right questions We all have the answers within us, and it's really about guiding that client to finding the answers within them. And, it doesn't mean you have to be depressed or anxious or really hitting rock bottom.
You know, you just may be stressed or you may be doing great, but you just want to get to that next level. Mm-hmm. Uh, that's where a coach comes in and,can really, you know, help guide you. So, for me was, I got lucky with, my therapist, but sometimes it takes a few tries to click with that coach.
Anne: Well, referrals are great. I mean, that's people closest to you and I love that. you've created this space of the International Academy of Dental Life coaches. couple of reasons why that common thread of knowing dentistry is so valuable. We found that with Dew, we don't care if you're a woman and you happen to have a toe dipped in dentistry.
Please join us because that thread is really important. You almost have to be in the trenches, no pun intended there with dentistry, but you have to be there to really understand the mindset of what you went through with all those years of schooling. there's not a dentist that graduates, or a hygienist that graduates.
That's not smart 'cause you can't get through the curriculum without it. But those life skills, don't come that naturally to very, very many people. And especially when people don't wanna come see you and you hear that day in and day out with dentistry. So I love that you've created that, for a resource.
of course we're gonna have that in our,our show notes as well, so they could be able to get in touch with you. I also love the fact that you've, in your article, which I really enjoyed reading, the difference between therapy and life coaching, like the therapy is the past. And sometimes you do have to start there.
I was just on another podcast and we were talking about, you know, those gremlins that you get when you're growing up and, you know, parents do the best they can, but we're not perfect and we try to do the best for our kids, but sometimes the gremlins are there and,Unbeknownst to us until something explodes or what have you, but I think more prevalent now and it's,not like it's cool, but it,is effective and I think therapy is definitely, would you say that it's more mainstream than it has been in the past?
used to be, you would be embarrassed to say, oh, I'm going to a therapist. Like, well, what's wrong with you? But now it's like, yeah, that's smart. That is just smart living,
Eric: think there's definitely more awareness about mental health in general. And I compare, putting your mental health last and pushing down, negative emotions like pushing a volleyball deep under a pool.
What's gonna happen eventually that ball is just gonna explode and pop up, and I think men are not great at this. We push down our,emotions deep down inside. And before you know it, you could be getting totally burnt out and, Start, you know, heading down the wrong path. But I think there's definitely more awareness now.
And, you know, I compare therapy to like, we go to the gym, we work on our biceps, we do yoga to get more flexible and stretch. Well, going to a life coach or a therapist is like yoga for your brain. It's so important, and especially in dentistry where it's so complex and if you think about it.
This is such a safe industry, meaning you just don't hear of a dental office going outta business very often. Mm-hmm. so dental offices, they survive and often thrive. But they can survive even in not great conditions. Yeah. So if staff's not getting along, or there's improper systems or, no one knows their role or not proper protocols, they still can do well and you're in this little bubble.
this private practice, and sometimes it's not a great culture. And you're dealing with patients that are nervous. they're paying a lot of money and you have sharp things in their mouth. It's very complex. Reaching out to your peers, coaches, consultants, mentors, uh, it can be, you know, multifactorial sometimes.
But you know, as I always say. The sooner the better you reach out for help. The mm-hmm. You know, the better, butbetter late than never.
Anne: Yeah, I would agree with that. But the other thing that I wanted to touch on that you said is, I think the reason I love what you're doing, Eric, is especially with, the community that you've built with coaches, I think that dentistry is so isolating in your own operatory practice.
It's not like you wanna tell your buddy down the street that also has a dental practice or is in your circle in your town that you're having all these problems. I mean, you kind of keep it to yourself and just hold a good face. It's just great though when you can find a community like what you have developed that is,safe for them to reach out to, because the problems they're having in Timbuktu are the same thing you're having in Boston basically.
the practice is run, treatment is, pretty. standard across the country, you know, to have a healthy,smile, if you will. So I think it's just great to be able to have this opportunity for them to reach out and get the connections that they need.
also, who has ever listening to this, the future of dentistry, because we've got dentists that are listening to this that are practicing, but we've got,entrepreneurs, and you're an entrepreneur and that's a rollercoaster. That's another. Mindset shift that you need.
If you're an entrepreneur, you gotta be able to bounce back from the nose, and this isn't working and throwing, I threw this against the wall and stuff. There's so many different areas that you're involved in that I think you could be able to find somebody, the right coach for the right problem And then have a great life. like you said, I mean sooner than later because you know, life goes by pretty fast and your goal, my goal is for them to look back and say, Hey, that was a great fulfilling career and I love that you didn't give up on dentistry, Eric, because you spent so much time getting prepped for it, getting ready for it, and you have the heart for it.
you just need a little mind shift. And I think, gosh. You're pretty special, but I think if you're listening here, you know, if it can happen for Eric and he can find joy in his work, and joy in his life, because if you're not happy at work for your eight hours a day or nine hours a day or whatever that is, you're, really gonna have a hard time being happy in life.
But if it can happen for. Dr. Eric Black. It can happen for you if you're listening. So Eric, how do we reach out to you? how does anybody reach out? I'm sure it's a confidential reach out. So, how do we find you? We'll have it again in the show notes, but please let them know right now if they're listening.
Eric: Yeah. And the other thing is the I-A-D-L-C, you can always reach out [email protected] is also a community for life coaches. So if there's someone that is a life coach or wants to get into life coaching, often, people that went through coaching want to become coaches. And it's such a great either side career or second career, to get back and stay within the industry and become a life coach. But, anyone can reach out to me. my personal email is eric m [email protected]. you can also check me out on the stress free dentist.com. I'm also on on LinkedIn and Facebook and check us out at the International Academy of Dental Life Coaches.
Anne: Thank you so much for being with us today. Ican't wait for this podcast to be released and to get out there because you've given, I dunno, you just gave me a lot of hope today that, I love our profession. I love dentistry. I love what it does for our,patients and for me personally.
And I just think it's gonna be great. 'cause itcan be great for anybody that's listening, we gotta just get a little shift and get some help from our friends and that'swhat you're giving. So thank you Eric,Dr. Eric Block for being with me today.
I'll see you on the road, I'm sure, a meeting soon. good luck with everything that you're doing and, if anyone's listening, remember to keep doing you. Thank you, and we'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
