The dangers of rigid thinking

When you’re learning to ride a bike, drive a car, or ski down a slope, there are always safety nets in place. You start with the basics so you don’t get hurt. Dentistry is no different.

The skills you leave university with are enough to keep you safe and to build a foundation. But let’s be honest, they only scratch the surface of the knowledge and techniques that are out there.

The challenge is this: as new graduates, we often cling tightly to what we learned at dental school. Sometimes that’s because it feels safe, sometimes it’s because the pressure of real practice makes us default to habit. Either way, it can hold us back.

What often gets missed are the “small” things that turn out to be big things, like consistent rubber dam use or good bonding technique. At uni, it’s easy for those details to be overshadowed by the drama of extractions, endo, or crown preps. But in practice, it’s these seemingly minor skills that set the stage for long-lasting dentistry.

I see this ferquently when I teach CEREC to final year students. Students often come to me wanting to restore teeth exactly as they were taught at university. But digital workflows demand a shift: sometimes less invasive, sometimes counter-intuitive compared to what they expect. Watching that light-bulb moment, when a student realises there’s a better way backed by evidence, is one of the best parts of teaching.

Dentistry isn’t a fixed skill set — it’s a living craft. When you first graduate, it’s natural to hold tightly to what you were taught. But as the months roll on, habits can start to creep in and take over. The real challenge is not letting those habits replace the best evidence.

The dentists who keep growing are the ones who stay curious, the ones who read, question, try new approaches, and surround themselves with good learning opportunities. Whether it’s, a short course, or a discussion with a mentor or colleague, these aren’t “extras.” They’re the guardrails that stop you from getting stuck, and the springboards that help you shift from being a safe novice to an agile, evidence-led practitioner.

Have great week