Why flexibility in response to change is important when retiring from practice

The cover story for the September 2011 issue of AGD Impact, a magazine from the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), was, "Is it Time?" The Association of Retiring Dentists (ARD) was interviewed during the creation of that article, and our group had insightful discussions in preparation for the interview. It is now appropriate to revisit the question of whether it's time. After all, many more dentists are faced with the question now than nearly 10 years ago, particularly in light of the current pandemic.

Obviously, there are many factors influencing this decision, including age, ability, fatigue, adventure, family, finances, convention, boredom, and wanting to do something new. How do we make that decision? How do we know when it is time?

Dr. Neil Hiltunen.

I remember years ago vowing that I would never stop running. Running was a daily routine: three miles at lunchtime, with occasional races and even a few runs up Mount Washington. A devotee of Dr. Ken Cooper's aerobics, I enjoyed the quantifiable time and distances that fit my scientific mind. I felt great and couldn't imagine ever stopping. Well, we all know what it is like to be younger, but we do not know what it is like to be older. I didn't anticipate a deteriorating knee issue that has changed my perspective and curtailed my plans.

I'm not going to get into the science of aging here. I just accept that things change as we age. This doesn't mean good or bad. It's just different. If I had tenaciously clung to that younger vision, I could have made myself miserable by dwelling on what I did as a younger person. Or I could be grateful to be able to still do what I can. It seems better to have a flexible attitude about change.

So, too, our vision of the later stages of our careers is likely to be different as years pass. We'll be better off accepting that things change, and we can either be the architect of that change or adapt to it. Resisting it is futile and destructive. A wonderful and rewarding retirement is at stake.

Dr. Neil Hiltunen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1973; completed a general practice residency at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, outside of Philadelphia, in 1974; and later in the same year started a solo dental practice in North Hampton, NH. He started the Association of Retiring Dentists in 2008. Gathering senior dentists together to share experiences and explore opportunities, the organization continues to provide member dentists with insight and inspiration for making the last years of a dental career the best years.

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