Top 5 Topics:

- Moving from Canada to Australia for Dental School – Easier Route or Advantageous Route?

- Is Dental Specialization Still Worth It in 2026?

- The Broken Dental Insurance System Is The Root Cause, Ruining Dentistry

- How to Find a Life-Changing Mentor in Dental School (and Why Most Students Fail)

- Time Management & Work-Life Balance as a Dental Student

Quotes & Wisdom:

~05:15 (Brendan): "You don't need to put someone else's candle out to make your candle seem brighter. Just be your candle brighter... or like Gary Vaynerchuk says, you don't need to destroy someone else's building to make your building seem taller, just build a bigger building."

~05:33 (Brendan): "Dentistry is a team sport."

~13:43 (Brendan): "If you played basketball for 1 year and I played basketball for 3, who's most likely going to win that game?... Now compare the implant training of a General Dentist vs. Periodontist or Oral Surgeon: Who would you prefer to place implants on your mother?"

~37:12 (Brendan): "Aim high for specialties, and then you could always finish lower, later, but- you can't aim low and finish high."

~39:58 (Brendan): "See who kind of takes a step towards you... little mannerisms like that... Someone who calls you by your first name... genuinely wants to kind of engage with you."

~43:04 (Brendan): "Be confident... don't just use people... Get mentored... but be respectful to the mentors and then also become a mentor."

~49:51 (Brendan – Jim Rohn inspired): "You don't ask for less [from life], you ask to become better to match it... because life just keeps throwing shit at you."

Questions:

03:28 - Brendan: "Did you have to go to college first or did you go to dental school right from high school?"

06:20 - Faruq: "Do I specialize? Do I stay general? ... is it worth it to specialize? Like at this point in like, as a D2 right now, it's like, is it worth it just because, I feel like people are referring less. So is that going to make me make less, make me see less patients?"

13:02 - Brendan: "How many years of implant focused training did the periodontist do that you work for, compared to the general dentists you shadowed?"

17:22 - Brendan: "Why did you go to Australia for dental school?"

24:33 - Faruq: "Should I be doing research as well?"

29:56 - Brendan: "What does your mentor think, the periodontist? What would he think about you doing GP versus going and specializing and doing the procedures he does?"

34:32 - Brendan: "What are your favorite 2 specialties?"

46:13 - Faruq: "How did you manage your time [in dental school]?"

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

- Dose of Dental Podcast #226

My watch in this episode = Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 16 Chrono

- 4.2026

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