Being a good dentist and enjoying reasonable success is fairly easy. In fact, as I often say, it is hard not to succeed in dentistry. Find the right practice and provide the good basic care you were initially trained to do and you can make a comfortable living. And that's the problem, because comfort zones are the enemy to growth.
Dentists are particularly vulnerable to falling into the comfort zone trap for the simple reason that you work mostly in isolation. In an interesting study, a couple of economists examined what they called "the power of proximity" by watching supermarket checkout clerks. They noticed that whenever a fast and efficient "star" clerk was working a checkout close to a clerk of average efficiency, the performance of the average worker improved noticeably. You've probably experienced the phenomenon yourself any time you've played golf, tennis or even danced with someone who is very skilled and accomplished. Just being in close proximity to someone like that makes you raise the level of your game.
Imagine if one of those dentists doing average work at a comfortable level had someone like Dr. Gary DeWood and Dr. Gregg Kinzer, or Dr. Bob Winter working out of a chair nearby every day. I guarantee that even if they didn't take another CE course in their life, their performance would improve just by being in proximity to someone who performs at a very high level.
But of course, your daily experience is not like this, and that's why you have to force yourself out of that comfort zone and into the company of people who will inspire you to greater heights. Whether it's by attending hands-on workshops where you can work side by side with other dentists who want to grow under the direction of master clinicians, or by taking online courses that stimulate your thinking and keep you motivated. The important thing is to keep connected with people who challenge you to do more.
Being a good dentist is pretty easy; you can do that on your own. To be a great dentist, the secret is to take advantage of the power of proximity and surround yourself with people who make you want to be better.