Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month, we are showcasing Melissa K. Turner, BASDH, RDHEP, EFDA, member of Oral Hygiene’s Advisory Committee. During Melissa’s 20-year career in dental hygiene, she has evolved into an executive, consultant, dynamic speaker, and top content creator.
You must be so busy as an executive, founder, hygienist and influencer. How do you find time to balance everything?
Finding a work-life balance is never an easy thing and is in itself a privilege. While I have indeed found a successful balance, I’d like to be clear that there were many years when it was not possible. For example, early in my career, I was putting my husband through school and had to find reliable clinical roles, working most evenings and every weekend. Another example is when my children were little, and I found myself in a constant state of never-ending exhaustion.
However, I now find myself in a place where I have the time and energy to find a work-life balance, with much of that having to do with being my own boss. As my own boss, I’ve created businesses that play to my strengths and allow me to feel fulfilled “while working.” Entrepreneurship is not without its sacrifices though, and there are plenty of weeks where I still need to work in the evenings.
On a daily basis, I’ve found the time-block method is a lifesaver for both my personal and professional schedule. I’ll block off time to invest in myself and read, exercise, and garden. I’ll only take meetings on specific days, I’ll block time in the beginning of the week to answer emails, and block time at the end of the week for larger and more creative projects. This helps me create boundaries and also recognize when I’m going through periods of growth.
What is one thing you hope to see change in the dental field in the upcoming years?
I find dentistry to be very inefficient when it comes to both the business and clinical sides. Inefficiencies decrease profitability and patient reach, often holding dental practices back as well as their teams. For much of my clinical career I found myself working at maximum capacity and nearing burnout. However, the name of the game for the future of dentistry is to work smarter not harder, with technology and artificial intelligence to do the mundane work, thus allowing clinicians to focus on more creative, complex and human tasks. The amazing thing is we are just now entering this phase and anything is possible—pretty soon we’ll be running efficient businesses with happy teams and healthy patients!
Any advice for other dental hygienists who are looking for a more dynamic career?
A few years ago, I was emceeing an event in Las Vegas and was privileged to take the stage with Jay Leno himself! While that was a pivotal moment in my career, the other pivotal moment occurred one hour prior. I had been backstage listening to a speaker discuss her entrepreneurial journey, and she said the greatest piece of advice I’ve ever heard: “Build your career or business off the things in your life that you think are ‘just too easy’.”
Oftentimes, we underestimate the things that come too easy to us and think they also come too easy to others. The reality is, they don’t come easy to others. For example, creating written, video and social content has always been a hobby for me—it is fun, easy and as natural as breathing. I soon realized writing can be hard for some people, or some people never want to be in front of a camera, and still others are uncomfortable on social media. Once I realized my strength in content creating, I began to successfully lean into it, feeling fulfilled and happy.
So, my advice for other dental hygienists who are looking for a more dynamic career is to take a good look at yourself and identify the things that come “too easy” for you—then find ways to live into those things while you’re in the op, out of the op, or anywhere between!
What do you like to do for fun?
I am a creative person at heart, so my “fun” revolves around creativity and ranges from adventuring with my family, to restoring our 115-year-old house, and rocking tunes on the piano. Currently, I’m working on creating an entirely edible yard, so on the weekends you’ll find me knee-deep in the soil, harvesting fruit and veg, and drying countless herbs. My favorite vacation typically involves mornings full of yoga, spending the day reading a good book in the warm shade beside a body of water, exploring the local eateries in the evening, and then dancing the night away!
Here’s where you can find Melissa online:
www.melissakturner.com
Instagram: thetoothgirl
Facebook: Melissa K. Turner
LinkedIn: Melissa K. Turner
