Dr. Charbel Klaib says it’s great to be a Florida Gator. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Dentistry program in 2007, and less than a decade later, he is a Senior Doctor at Coast Dental, a large group practice with offices in multiple states. He credits a lot of his success to the culture and the training he enjoyed at UF’s dental school in Gainesville.
“It was a great experience. It was a relatively small class, only about 80 students, so it was very tight-knit. We supported each other, shared our notes, and it wasn’t as competitive an environment as you sometimes hear about at other classes,” Dr. Klaib said.
Dr. Klaib chose to go to dental school at UF because it was a well-ranked program and it was affordable. He started in the UF College of Dentistry Summer Research Program. The program provides incoming freshmen dental students with the opportunity to conduct a 10-week structured research project.
“It started me off on the right foot,” Dr. Klaib explained. “It was a small group of students, about 12 of us, so I got to know them really well. I also got familiar with some of the professors and researchers; that helped with the transition into dental school.”
At the University of Florida College of Dentistry, Dr. Klaib learned a lot from the professors and researchers, and also from the adjunct professors who were still in private practice. They discussed real-world issues like how to build schedules, improve speed and pace, and interact with patients. At UF, Dr. Klaib would schedule his own patients, perform procedures under supervision, and complete some of the lab production work himself. UF wanted to make sure its dentists knew what was involved in creating restorations, not just how to fill out a lab order form.
One piece of advice that Dr. Klaib has for University of Florida dental school students is to seek out mentors. He recommends shadowing dentists both in private practices and in group practices. And he recommends asking a lot of questions about the business and management side of dentistry.
“I was a science major, like a lot of dental students,” Dr. Klaib said. “That doesn’t really prepare you to run a dental practice, understand profit and loss, supervise a staff, handle marketing, et cetera. There are programs that can give you training on those, but there’s a lot to learn.
“Most dental school graduates get their AEGD, go into the military, or become an associate dentist and work alongside another dentist. Each path has its own benefits and drawbacks. I did an associateship with two private practices simultaneously because neither practice had enough work to keep me busy full-time.”
Dr. Klaib had a dental school classmate who had gone to work directly with Coast Dental upon graduation. He recommended Dr. Klaib, who originally wasn’t sure if he wanted to join a group practice. Then he learned he would have clinical autonomy, and his patients would be his own from diagnosis through treatment completion.
“I wanted to be able to do the high-end procedures that I had desired to do while in school,” Dr. Klaib said. “In many private practices, the owner does those procedures while the associate does fillings and extractions. At Coast Dental, I provide a wide range of dental services from preventive care to restorative care to dental implants and cosmetic dental services.”
Dr. Klaib has been with Coast Dental since 2008. He is a full-time practicing dentist plus mentors other doctors, ensuring they have a smoother transition period. New hires shadow an established doctor for several days to learn the processes and techniques. It’s a support system that helps doctors of all levels get acclimated. Coast typically hires seasoned doctors who have several years of experience, but they may not have used some of the advanced technology that Coast provides, such as dental lasers and the Identafi 3000 oral cancer screening system.
Dr. Klaib also enjoys helping University of Florida dental school students and graduates learn more about the dental industry. Current students and alumni who are interested in exploring the culture and career opportunities at Coast Dental may call (855) 559-6888 to arrange to shadow Dr. Klaib or another dentist.