In this episode of Beyond Bitewings, Ash sits down with Sarina Arzani, a third-year student at A&M College of Dentistry. Sarina shares her experiences and the common concerns many dental students face as they approach graduation. They discuss navigating the less-discussed business aspects of dentistry, particularly for those looking to start their own practice. Sarina shares the importance of early preparation, building a strong support network, and consulting with experts to ensure a smooth transition from student to professional.

Ash offers insights on key steps dental students should take, such as engaging with financial advisors, insurance agents, and forming study clubs. They explore the significance of creating a reliable team and how networking and social media, as highlighted by Sarina's own experience as an influencer, play a pivotal role in today's dentistry world. The episode serves as a valuable resource for dental students to mitigate the overwhelming aspects of launching their careers by gathering practical advice and industry knowledge.

To find more info or follow, visit: https://www.instagram.com/Dentistrybysarina/

Key Topics Discussed:

• Importance of business knowledge for dental students
• Building a team of experts and networking
• Early preparations during the D3 and D4 years
• Free contract review services for dental students
• Role of social media and influencer marketing in dentistry

Welcome to Beyond by Wings, the business side of dentistry, brought to you by Edwards and Associates, PC. Join us as we discuss how to build your dental practice, optimize your income, and plan for your future. This podcast is distributed with the understanding that Edwards and Associates PC is not rendering legal, accounting, or professional advice. Listeners should consult with the business advisors before acting on any of the information that is shared. At Edwards and Associates, PC, our business is the business of dentistry. For help or more information, visit our website at eandassociates.com. Hello, and welcome to another episode of Beyond Bitewings. In today's episode, we will be doing a very special episode with

Serena Adzrani.

Hello, Serena Adzrani. So she is currently a 3rd year student at A&M College of Dentistry. And the reason why we decided to do an episode with her is because oftentimes, we hear from our dental students that there are certain, situations where they feel lost and confused, and they, they, they see that they're about to graduate. And there are a lot of things that they have to do, but they just don't know where to start or how to organize themselves. And, you know, Serena has graciously volunteered herself to come in and have a talk with us at the beautiful SWDC show and convention that's being held here in Dallas to talk more about it because she she was asking me a lot of questions. And I decided, you know what? Let's let's put this on an episode so if there are other people curious, they get to also learn a little bit about it. Right?

Yeah. I think I can say that I talk from, like, all dental students. We're always, like we get a lot of exposure to the dentistry part, but not a lot on the business side. I feel like a lot of us are sometimes lost. We're like, okay, we're about to graduate. In, 2 years and especially my friends who are d fours, they're about to graduate, so they're looking for jobs, but they don't know what they should be looking for.

And Right.

On the business aspect, aspect, we get some classes, but there's only, like, limited resources that we can access. And in the real world, there's, like, a huge aspect on the business. Like, there's a dentistry part

Uh-huh.

That we're gonna learn how to do and what to do. I feel like everybody get, like, to a certain aspect, but I feel like the success after when we graduate, it all comes down to how much you know about the business aspect. Because, a lot of people wanna have their own practice. Like, I personally wanna open my own practice Mhmm. After a few years, but I'm like, I need to know of, like, what I should be looking for, who should I be talking to, and how to be successful in that part. Because that's a huge aspect. If, like, you don't know how to run a business or you don't know what to do in your office, doesn't matter how much of a grade of a dentist you are, you can't be successful and you can't have access to a good location or people or good resources. So, yeah, I think that's what we were talking about.

Like, having a good team is very important.

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And that's something I always tell people is that, you know, oftentimes, I feel like with any college student, you know, they they feel a lot of pressure that, okay, it's about that time I'm going to graduate. Okay. There are certain expectations out of me from parents or society or just from yourself. Right? It's like, okay, I need to do and accomplish all of these things. So there's always that quickness, right? That, oh, how do I quickly get there? But in reality, what I always tell people is that, you know, as soon as you're about to start your D4, start doing your research, start creating a team of experts, right? And it's not just your financial advisor. Start, you know, talking to maybe some of the popular vendors reps.

Start talking to some insurance people. Start talking to your classmates, you know, maybe set up a study club for later, where you guys can share your information. Right? And that goes a long way. Once you what happens is once you build a very strong team of network, it boosts your confidence and you know that you're not doing this alone. Right?

Yeah.

Now you have a team of experts, professionals, and people you feel comfortable with with whom you're about to start this journey. And it is a big journey. Right? It's gonna be that first real journey right after you finish school. And the other thing is you actually pointed out something very good there that there's a vast amount of information out there and it can get very overwhelming, very confusing. So how do you know? So that's where all to your team of experts come into play because what they'll do is they'll concise all that information for you. They're not going to tell you, okay, just listen to, you know, hundreds of podcasts every day.

Yeah.

That what they'll do is, you know, in our professional opinion, we've noticed that these specific podcasts will actually give you good information. You know, not to put in a plug in here, but like beyond bitewings, well, may have good information that might be helpful. And again, the other factor here is, you know, and I hear a lot about this or a lot of this, which is, oh, I have a friend. You know, this friend just told me I should be doing this and that. And while that may be true for your friend in that location, it may not apply to you in your location. Right? A lot of variable factors are there that needs to be considered.

Yeah. That's true.

And and that's why it's also important to have your own team of experts that will guide you the way you need to be guided.

Yeah. I think experience is the most important part. Like, when I talk to my friends, like, we know so much. And, like, we do research, but there's, like, so much we can learn. There's, like, so much information and, like, different opportunities, and we don't know, okay, what's best for us? Because when you graduate from school, you might be a little on the slower side.

That's right.

And, you're like, okay, like, how can I get faster, but also learn about the business aspect and, like, having a practice because it's so funny? Different people advise different things, so you're like I always like love to ask for advice, but I get so many different advices from Right. Different people. So, I'm like, okay, which one should I do? Which way should I go to? And they're like very different. Yeah. I think it depends on people, like, personal experiences, what they've experienced. So, that's what I think having a really good team is important. Like, most of the dentists that I talk to and they're very successful Right. They always say, like, the most important thing is, like, having a very strong team Right.

Even in your practice. If you know you can okay. You can trust your hygiene. You can trust your assistant. They know what they're doing. They're gonna be there to support you and you can trust them. That's the most important part because if there is not a good connection between the team, they're like, you're gonna waste a lot of time and, like, the patient can't get the best results. So I think that's why it's important to start looking.

I think it's never too early. I think d 3, year, d 4, that's when we should be start looking. So by the time we graduate, we're not gonna be confused. We're not gonna be like, okay. What do I do now? By that time, we should be like, okay. I have, like, everything I need. Uh-huh. I exactly know what's my plan, what's my goal, and we can, like, work towards that.

Right. No. I completely agree, and I couldn't agree with you even more. In fact, you know, it gives you a good practice on, relationship dentistry. Right? Because you know, once you open up your practice, you need to work on your chairside manner.

Yeah.

Right? So, you know, starting as early as d three d four, connecting with people, talking with people, it makes you more comfortable. Right? It makes you realize, oh, this isn't too scary, you know? These are normal people. Oh, you know? Oh, I could just talk about this, or I could just ask them about their dog or their animals or cats or

Yeah. And they've done it. So they can, like, help us a lot. They're, like, we've been through all of that. So I think that's the best way to go because they're, like, we've been there. We've been students before. We've, like, experienced everything. Because I feel like once you're in school, you don't realize, like, it's different from, like, outside when you start practicing.

So talking to and networking with different dentists is gonna help you. Okay. That's the kind of practice I want. Like Right. They're my ideal, like

I see.

Kind of practice. So it is, like, very helpful.

I agree. I agree. And let's talk a little bit about this. I mean, I'm sure that's one of the reasons why you're here today. Right? As Yeah. Checking out the various booths and talking with people, you are essentially networking.

Yeah. And I saw you guys, at and associations, and I was, like, I was talking to you, and I was, like, wow. This is amazing. Like, everything I'm looking for. Yeah. So we can, like, have a really great team, start, like, networking because I know you said, like, students, like, can start with a consultation, and they can, like, see what works best for them. That's right. Because it's different for everyone.

That's great. And you actually mentioned a good point, and I forgot to mention that. So thank you, which is true for any of the students that once they get their first associateship contract, we are going to review that for free. Just to let you know that, you know, that a function of production that's usually your compensation is fair and is, comparable to market. At the same time, let's say the non compete that's there on the agreement to make sure that, you know, they're they're they're not too much in favor of the person that's hiring you so that it's fair for both parties, you know, just to make sure that it's a fair transition. Now when you sign that dotted line and confirm that, okay, you know what? I'm going to work for you as an associate. We've been doing it for over 3 decades now. Right? In fact, approaching 37 years this year.

That's awesome.

So, and and, you know, sometimes people have even asked us, like, you know, what's in it for you guys? Like, where are you guys doing it for free? But that's the thing. We play the long game, you know. We like forming connections. We love forming, fostering trust between different people. And we know that if we can show them that we're here for you guys, right, whether it's you or your other friends, hopefully, in the future, they'll understand and be able to see our value because that's what we're doing. All we're doing is asking for an opportunity to show everyone what we're capable of. Yeah. And then if you like us, move forward.

If not, no obligations at all.

Yeah. That's awesome. I think that's a great thing to do because I know a lot of my friends, like, when they graduated, they were like, so there's like so many options. They were like, okay, which one do we choose? And then, like, like, talking to other dentists, they were like, you have to read your contract very carefully to, like, make sure you understand it because it's different.

Right. That's right.

And it's like the first contract we have, so it's like we don't know much. A lot of dentists were like there's like certain parts that

That's right.

If like an experienced dentist can look at it in like 2 seconds, they'll be like they can't point it out. But for us, we're like not used to it. So it's like very important to have some help to make sure we're getting like the best option possible.

Yeah. That's true. That's true. Absolutely. And, you know, for those of our listeners that don't know, we're also the Texas member of ADCPA, which is the American Dental CPA Association. So, you know, we do take pride that we are quite knowledgeable and educated in this field. And in fact, that's part of the reason why we do and do a podcast. Right? We will release an episode every other week where we're talking about something new every time we, do our best to keep our listeners informed and to share what we know with everyone out there.

In fact, you know, when Serena brought us up and including, you know, having a strong team, there's something else she didn't mention, which is aside from being a student of A&M, she's actually quite a bit of an influencer as well. And that intrigued me when I was talking with her because believe it or not, you know, when people talk about growing a business through marketing, marketing is so broad, right? There's so many various components. I mean, especially if you have an established business and you've been monitoring your lead count and whatnot, looking through your marketing, vehicles, you quickly realize, okay, there's a lot of components here. And you may think you're working with 1 marketing company that's helping you with everything, but it may not be covering everything. Because, like I said, these days where social media is so prominent and so powerful even in this industry, maybe working with someone like Serena, who's an influencer, can give you that certain edge, you know, collaborating with her, you know, because that aspect, like, I'm sure you or anyone else within the industry or just business world in general, you guys talk about social media, but do you actually know how to apply social media that can help you? Right?

Yeah. Everything, like, changes very often. Like, now everything has to be like a lot more interesting.

That's right.

Because people don't have time and there's like so much information out there and like so much competition.

Right.

And, you don't know, like how to approach it. So, I think like social media is very helpful

Right.

To just like learn about dentistry and like, different practices and what's going on. And I do post a lot about school. Right. So, people can, like, even, like, pre dental students can get an, like, idea of what they're gonna get into. Because when I was applying, there was, like, when for the schools I got accepted to, I was like, okay, I don't know how to choose. There's like so many options and every school is different. So

That's right.

That that's very helpful because I would like always had to go find like the current students and talk to them, but I think through social media, it's so easy. You can get all the information you need.

Right.

It's quick. It's fast. And for instance, like, in the videos, there's, like, all the highlighted points. Uh-huh. So you don't have to, like, read a brochure or, like, read, like, a very lengthy text. You can get all the information you need, like, very quickly, fast, and it's fun.

Right. Right. And can I say something else, Serena? Like, if we take pride in calling ourselves, like, the experts, on the business side of dentistry, someone like you who's an influencer, I could clearly right now, or we're the podcast here, tell you guys that influencers are the experts on social media. I guarantee you they have knowledge on how to reach out to your specific targeted mass more so than any anyone else. Honestly, I I get to learn a lot from them on a regular basis.

Yeah. It's true. I mean, I love that part. I love making videos, and it's just so much fun for me. So I feel like they we always say, like, dentistry is art, and I feel like social media is kind of like art too. I always, like, love taking pictures, and I feel like that's the best way to, like, just get into, like, networking because you can I've met so many dentists through social media, and I talked to them, and I was like, I get to learn so much from them. Just like what they do, all of those. It's just so interesting.

That is true. That is true. It is very interesting. Honestly, I'm not even in marketing, but every time I hear your stories and hear about what's out there, it intrigues me. I'm like, wow. This is amazing. There's a lot to learn. Thank you.

Yeah. But I will also tell you this. I'm probably not going to be handling all of that. It's a lot. I would rather go to you, someone like you. I'm like, hey, Serena. Can you help me with our social media media? Because this this is a lot.

Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. But it's fun. I I enjoy it. Yeah. So, like, whatever time I spend on it, it's fun for me. It's kind of like I do

that.

Like like how DJs, they make, like, music. It's just it's very similar.

That's a great analogy.

They love it and they enjoy it.

Yeah. There's definitely a creative aspect to it. Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah. That's what I do, like, outside of dental school. When I'm, like, tired, I'm, like, I do that and I'm, like, okay. Now I have the energy. I can go back too.

Okay. Good. Good. Go back to school work.

Yeah. It's very fun.

That's amazing. That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on our episode today, Serena. It was such a pleasure. And, of course, you know, for our listeners that want to get in touch with Serena, we will post her information on our little, podcast notes section, so feel free to reach out to her. I'm sure there are ways she can help you too.

Thank you so much. It was so fun, and I got to learn so much about the business side. So it was such a great experience for me. Thank you. Thank you

so much. Thanks for listening today. Be sure to subscribe to Beyond by Wings on your favorite podcast platform. For more information, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or reach out to us on our