April 2009 | Dental Products Report
Career  |  Mentoring

The real story

Shannon Bair may have been on TV, but her reality is grounded in her Kansas City patients and practice.

by Thais Carter
 

It’s not that uncommon. Before she became a dental hygienist, Shannon Bair worked as a dental assistant.

“I hadn’t planned this as my career, but I fell in love with it. I always went to the dentist every six months growing up. When I was little, I thought it was cool that they wore scrubs,” she admits. “They looked so professional, and I thought, ‘I wanted to do this one day.’”

	Improvement Staying on the cutting edge of dentistry is important to bringing out the best in yourself. Respect Treat yourself, your co-workers and especially patients the way you would want to be treated.

school daze

As many of you can relate to, Ms. Bair’s assisting experience made her transition to dental hygiene much easier. What stands out most in her trajectory towards hygiene is that had she just started with dental hygiene school, she might never have made it into the profession at all. Not because of any lack of clinical skill or dedication, but because Ms. Bair’s experience in her dental hygiene program left her astounded by the potential for amateurish behavior.

“I felt like I didn’t have the best dental hygiene class,” she explains. “They were unprofessional. Having worked as an assistant with Drs. Robert and Steven Pierce, I felt as though they taught me more about what happens outside my textbook than what I had learned in school. There was just so much drama at my school. If I hadn’t been with the Pierces and had an idea of how things could be, I think I would have been really scared.”

Ms. Bair did emerge from dental hygiene school with one mentor: Renee Freeman.

“Ms. Freeman taught me that my career was more than just a way to earn an income. She was very dedicated to what she did and for her, it was more like we were healing people,” Ms. Bair says. “She had a lot of enthusiasm. She taught us to care for our patients and taught me to love my work.”

Priority: professionalism

The pull of the Pierces’ professionalism was strong. After graduation in May of 2008, Ms. Bair headed right back to their practice, even though they could only offer part-time hours. For her, it’s worth it.

“As you can imagine, they don’t have a high turnover rate,” Ms. Bair explains with a laugh. “I would say they have become my mentors in both real life and in dentistry; they basically raised me in the dental world. They taught me about the professional aspects of the profession, and about respect for the patient. In their office, it’s all about the patient. The doctors are caring, non-judgemental…they respect their employees.”

Ms. Bair also feels that her growth as a hygienist is directly tied to the Pierces’ dedication to being, and staying, on the cutting edge of dentistry, always looking to better the office and, as she puts it, bring out the best in everybody.

Recognizing she couldn’t be with their office full time, Ms. Bair used some of the aspects she loved most about their office—professionalism, transparency, patient focus, innovation—and made those the criteria for her second office.

“I wasn’t going to settle. I knew what I was looking for,” she says. “And I recently found the second office I wanted. I’m working with two female doctors and really enjoy it.”

Advice and advancing

Because of her experience in dental hygiene school, Ms. Bair is increasingly passionate about sharing some of the things she’s learned with the Pierces with her peers.

“Having experienced an unprofessional professor, I worry that these softer skills aren’t always taught enough or enforced in dental hygiene school,” she explains.

“I’ve learned that the most important thing is to treat others the way they want to be treated; everyone benefits from that, patients and co-workers. And when it comes to patients specifically, I think you should treat them like family. Ask yourself, what would I do if this was my mom or a good friend of mine? That step is critical to ensuring you offer the best care.”

It’s that relationship and rapport with patients that has Ms. Bair convinced dental hygiene is a lifelong career path.

“It’s so rewarding to help people and to educate them. I can see myself doing it forever—probably not full-time forever,” she says with a smile. “I love what I do.” 

Shannon on… The Bachelor “Yes, a lot of our patients recognized me when I stepped out of the limo with the rubber teeth in. Today, patients recognize me at the office and get very excited. I guess it was a very memorable scene. I’m definitely glad I did it. It was a positive experience, and I learned a lot. The best I took away from the show was making 24 wonderful girlfriends that I will be in touch with forever. We’re even planning a trip to Vegas next month and will be joined by women from past seasons. You can’t judge people by what they look like on “The Bachelor.” The way I was portrayed has been hard on my boyfriend. We’re both in the dental field, and he’s caught a lot of crap. He’s very professional and worries a lot about what other people think. I didn’t get the best treatment on the show, and people have no clue what that entails. You can’t judge a person by the show.”   Shannon on… The economy  “I wouldn’t say that I’m worried about it, but it has crossed my mind. I feel like my job is pretty secure. I feel like our patients are secure and the area that we’re in is not a poverty-stricken area. People care about their teeth and trust us as their hygienists and dentists. I’m sure they’re probably concerned about [the economy and benefits], but it hasn’t stopped them from coming.”
	Shannon’s faves When working with patients, Shannon is a fan of TheraMints (3MESPE.com) for improving patients’ homecare practices and the Cavitron Jet Plus (dentsply.com) for scaling and polishing. Away from the operatory, she enjoys time with Keelah her five-pound chocolate chihuahua and the latest selection from Oprah’s Book Club.