New Practitioner Spotlight: Mallory Hackbarth, DMD, MS
Compiled by Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter
Dr. Mallory Hackbarth is a new practitioner, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She currently lives and practices in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Paper Point: Thanks so much for taking time away from your busy patient schedule for this interview, Mallory! Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Dr. Mallory Hackbarth: I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Philadelphia. For college, I attended Wake Forest University and majored in Biology. I then stayed at Wake and got a Masters of Science in Management. I spent a year working in a dental office and was thrilled to attend Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. After dental school I earned my Advanced Education in General Dentistry in Winslow, AZ serving the Navajo. After four years practicing as a general dentist in Tennessee and Florida, I followed my passion for endodontics and committed to the University of Minnesota. After residency I moved back to North Carolina and have been working as an endodontist for a little over a year now.
The Paper Point: I know you are quite the traveler. I can’t believe you’ve moved 11 times and have lived in eight states (Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, and Minnesota). You’ve been all around the country! Tell us, where has been your favorite place to live so far?
Dr. Hackbarth: I know it sounds cheesy, but I have loved everywhere I have been. I think that you can have amazing life experiences when you embrace where you are. I have had some dramatic changes though, moving from Florida to Minnesota was a big change. But I learned when in Minnesota that you embrace that winter is always coming, they celebrate the cold with festivals and they also take advantage of EVERY nice day when the weather is warm.
The Paper Point: I love that! Not everyone can acclimate to a new environment so easily. As a dentist, we’re constantly connecting with our patients. Has moving around taught you anything in particular about yourself or other people?
Dr. Hackbarth: Moving has taught me that we are hugely affected by our environment! I have found that my interests and hobbies have changed as I have moved and met different friends. But one thing that has fortunately been the same is that everywhere I have practiced is that patients have been very appreciative of our services and respectful of our profession.
The Paper Point: Very well said! I hear that you are the first doctor in your family. What an incredible accomplishment! What brought you to dentistry?
Dr. Hackbarth: I feel like I fell into dentistry, but I am so lucky that I did. I always enjoyed the sciences in school and pursued that in college without knowing what career I would pursue with it. I took a business course in college which had me take aptitude tests and dentist was the #1 match on both. I remember the description of a dentist was a combination of skills that required entrepreneurship, artistry, and a science-focus and that all appealed to me. After that I began shadowing my childhood neighbor who was a dentist and worked in his office. I fell in love with dentistry as it let me solve problems for patients while using my science background.
The Paper Point: That’s awesome! Talk to us about what has been the best part of being an endodontist so far? What do you enjoy most about your day?
Dr. Hackbarth: I enjoy the problem solving the most. When there is a tough case where the patient and dentist haven’t been able to pinpoint the issue and you can get the diagnosis with sensibility testing. When there is a very hidden MB2 or during a retreatment you get a stick and find a previously missed canal, it is the most satisfying feeling.
The Paper Point: How has your first year out in practice been so far? Has there been anything that has surprised you, positively or negatively?
Dr. Hackbarth: I’ve really enjoyed this first year practicing, but I’ve been most surprised by the time spent on all the non-clinical aspects of being in a practice. In practice you have to focus on the quality of the cases but you also have a duty to focus on maintaining relationships with general dentists and setting an example for the staff in a new way.
The Paper Point: Wow, that certainly sounds like a journey! Any advice that you would give to new graduates? What is one thing that you wish you had known?
Dr. Hackbarth: I wish I had taken a little more time to acknowledge the accomplishment of graduating residency. I immediately moved across the country and started working. I was excited to get to work, but I do think I should have taken a moment or set aside a time to celebrate how big of an accomplishment graduation was.
The Paper Point: That is completely understandable! Getting to that finish line, and then immediately moving is such a whirlwind that I’m sure many of us can relate to. So fill us in, when you’re not saving teeth, what do you like to do for fun?
Dr. Hackbarth: I love animals and volunteering for the Humane Society! I have to actively keep my desire to adopt all of the rescues in check. I also enjoy travelling and have enjoyed visiting my friends and family across the country and I can’t wait to have some trips abroad soon.
The Paper Point: That sounds like so rewarding! With the stress and responsibility that comes with our job, it’s so important to find ways to wind down and it’s great you’ve found that outlet. Talk to us about the future. In terms of your career, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Dr. Hackbarth: In another 10 years I hope that I will still love serving patients, but I also hope to volunteer in a dental school or residency program. I love being in an academic setting where you stay up to date on the published research as well as learn from other endodontists and their practical experiences. I think it would be a great way to give back.
The Paper Point: Thank you so much, Dr. Hackbarth for taking some time to chat with us! Any final words for our readers?
Dr. Hackbarth: I think it can be so rewarding if you take time and reflect on the progression of your skills. I can remember cases in residency that took three visits and now I can do the same type of case in a fraction of that time. Try to enjoy whatever phase of practice you are in, because even if you are struggling with tough cases, you are learning and improving for the next one.
Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter is a member of the AAE’s Resident and New Practitioner Committee.