Notes from the practice

Blog

Real cases, hard-won lessons, and the experience that turns surgeons into mentors — written between episodes.

Be a Student of the Socket
Jan 23, 2026 Blog Posts

Be a Student of the Socket

Blogpost: Be a Student of the Socket Be a student of the socket.Become an expert at reading the post-extraction site, the post-op radiograph, and…

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The Hero’s Journey in Oral Surgery
Nov 3, 2025 Blog Posts

The Hero’s Journey in Oral Surgery

In every culture across time, the Hero’s Journey has served as a timeless narrative — one that speaks to transformation through struggle. Joseph Campbell…

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Becoming a Positive Gravitational Force when You’re in Pain at Work
Oct 27, 2025 Blog Posts

Becoming a Positive Gravitational Force when You’re in Pain at Work

How Do You Find Joy in Surgery When You’re in Pain? Let’s be honest—some days it’s hard to love this job. The back hurts,…

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Finding Joy Through the Eyes of Steve Irwin
Oct 3, 2025 Blog Posts

Finding Joy Through the Eyes of Steve Irwin

When most people think of Steve Irwin—the “Crocodile Hunter”—they remember the wild stunts with crocodiles, snakes, or other dangerous animals. On the surface, it…

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Language, Healing, and Trust: Lessons from Talking with General Dentists
Sep 12, 2025 Blog Posts

Language, Healing, and Trust: Lessons from Talking with General Dentists

I was recently invited to give a talk to a large group of general dentists on how they can work more effectively with their…

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Finding Joy (Again) in the Job
Jul 16, 2025 Blog Posts

Finding Joy (Again) in the Job

After interviewing over 200 surgeons on the Everyday Oral Surgery podcast, there’s one sentiment I’ve heard repeated time and again: “I love what I…

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Why Do You Do What you Do? Reigniting the Passion for Work
Jun 30, 2025 Blog Posts

Why Do You Do What you Do? Reigniting the Passion for Work

I recently watched the movie F1 starring Brad Pitt. While it’s a story about Formula 1 racing on the surface, at its heart, it…

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EOS
Jun 17, 2025 Blog Posts

Jack of All Trades or The Master of One: The Pitfalls of Specialization

  How Specialization Can Both Help and Hinder Your Service to Others Date: June 4, 2025 Have you ever heard the phrase, “Jack of…

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Make Your Mission your Priority, Not the Circumstances
Jun 9, 2025 Blog Posts

Make Your Mission your Priority, Not the Circumstances

Don’t Wait for Perfect Circumstances As an independent contractor, I work with a group of dentists who hire me to perform their surgeries. This…

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Socks on a Rooster: Learning from Mistakes
Jun 3, 2025 Blog Posts

Socks on a Rooster: Learning from Mistakes

When I was a first-year oral surgery resident, I had two great chief residents who became tremendous mentors to me. One of them, Ryan,…

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The Swiss Cheese Model of Errors and How to Prevent Major Problems
Jun 2, 2025 Blog Posts

The Swiss Cheese Model of Errors and How to Prevent Major Problems

Every day, somewhere in the world, a medical mistake happens that causes real, sometimes devastating, consequences for a patient. On a recent podcast episode,…

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Creating and Perceiving and the Key to Overcoming Obstacles
May 12, 2025 Blog Posts

Creating and Perceiving and the Key to Overcoming Obstacles

In the movie Inception, which explores the concept of dreaming in a world where technology allows people to hack into and alter dreams, Leonardo…

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EOS
May 5, 2025 Blog Posts

Not My Tooth! The Game of Clinical Hot Potato

By Grant Stucki DDS, MS   Recently, I came across a patient case that I think is worth recounting—not just because of how it…

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EOS
May 1, 2025 Blog Posts

Grace Under Pressure Galvanizes

Grace Under Pressure Galvanizes By: Grant Stucki, Oral Surgeon So here’s what happened. A dentist referred a patient to me for the extraction of…

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Does Being a Surgeon Ruin My Social Skills?
Apr 29, 2025 Blog Posts

Does Being a Surgeon Ruin My Social Skills?

The other day, I was at church talking with a couple of friends. We were discussing a third friend who was going through something…

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