From the Spring 2026 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
By Casey Rhines, D.D.S., CDA Editor
I recently gave a lecture on imposter syndrome at an American Student Dental Association conference and noted that this experience is not isolated to dental students. In fact, new dentists are especially and uniquely vulnerable to experiencing imposter syndrome.
Many of us, even those with years of experience, quietly carry a sense of self‑doubt. Despite how isolating it feels, imposter syndrome is one of the most common shared experiences in high‑skill, high‑pressure professions like dentistry.
Imposter syndrome is the psychological experience characterized by persistent feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and a fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s accomplishments. In other words, this is an internal experience based on insecurity. These thoughts don’t reflect your ability. They reflect the pressure of practicing in a field where perfection feels like the baseline and mistakes feel catastrophic.
Dentistry is uniquely positioned to fuel imposter syndrome because it blends technical precision, aesthetic judgment and patient management. That’s a lot of hats for one person to wear at the same time and most of us weren’t trained to wear all of them. Dental school was a highly competitive training environment where comparison was second nature; this is compounded by a continued culture of perfectionism reinforced by social media and CE courses showing highlight reels.
There’s ample opportunity for negative feedback in dentistry: a bad review online, an employee who quits or a case that didn’t go the way you planned. It’s important to filter this negativity into categories. Is it really about your work, your behavior or your person? People with imposter syndrome often assume that negative feedback defines their worth as a person. However, that case with an unexpected outcome was about your work. Maybe the employee who quit after your hard conversation was about your behavior. Maybe some of this feedback was because the other person was having a bad day and it didn’t have anything to do with you at all. Don’t let a tough day at work become, “I’m bad at dentistry.” When you filter into these categories, you can evaluate challenges without attacking your identity. More importantly, when you get even a hint of positive feedback, celebrate it.
Outside of dentistry, I looked at celebrities with imposter syndrome to show students how common it was. Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama and Tom Hanks were just a few who had reported their own experiences with imposter syndrome. I quickly Googled “famous people without imposter syndrome,” only for Google to correct me with “Did you mean famous people with imposter syndrome?” Jokes aside, it’s true that most high achievers experience this insecurity at some point in their careers. Nevertheless, I enjoy referring to Wall Street investors whose entire jobs are to predict the market. They are only correct 47% of the time (less than if they just flipped a coin) according to the CFA Institute, a global association of investment professionals. They don’t wonder if they are imposters (if they did, they would have quit when Warren Buffett proved that it’s better to invest in low-cost index funds). Similarly, many non-career politicians on both sides of the aisle are referred to by the opposite side as “unqualified,” yet their party members support them for this very reason. This confidence defined by uniqueness is the opposite of imposter syndrome, and it’s exactly what I tell my students to focus on.
You can be the juiciest peach on the tree, but not everyone likes peaches. Not every patient will connect with your style. Not every colleague will understand your approach. You are not going to be the dentist for everyone; but you will be the best dentist for someone. Staying true to who you are and being authentic builds trust far more effectively than perfection ever could.
These are my three steps to overcome imposter syndrome:
- Remind yourself of positive feedback and filter the negative
- Recognize your unique skillset
- Remember: imposters don’t think about imposter syndrome
And here’s a truth worth sitting with: you did not deceive hundreds of people to get where you are. You didn’t trick the admissions committee, your board examiners or your patients. It is far more likely that you earned your success. If you’re still not convinced, start adding “yet” to the end of your negative sentences. “I don’t feel confident with implants…yet. I’m not great at molar endo…yet.” Adding yet turns a judgment into a trajectory. Take advantage of your CDA membership and connect with dentists who can support you in your career. Check out the cdaonline.org/events webpage for social and networking opportunities. You deserve to be here — not because you’re flawless, but because you’re committed, capable and continually learning. Dentistry is a profession built on growth, not perfection.
