Dr. Justin Nylund, owner of Taos Dental Group in Tao, New Mexico, is the 10th dentist in his family in the last four generations. However, even coming from a legacy of dentists, Dr. Nylund wasn’t always set on a career in the health industry. In fact, he had several bad dental experiences as a child and was afraid of the dentist growing up. For some time, he even dreamt of becoming a pilot instead. Now, as a practicing dentist and owner, his goal is to ensure pain-free dentistry for every patient during every procedure.
Prior to joining MB2, he would often find himself with 30+ hours of administrative work left to tend to after a 45 hour clinical work week. Dr. Nylund was surprised by the amount of time he needed to dedicate to the business side of his practice and found himself wanting more free time to spend with his family. This struggle for work-life balance is a common one many solo doctor-owners find themselves facing.
Dr. Nylund shared with us the defining moment in losing his mom that brought to realization what truly is important in life; making memories with his family.
“I got to spend three years caring for my mom whose heath declined at a very young age,” shared Dr. Nylund, “I watched her die of two terminal diagnoses in my house. In her last few weeks, I realized that most things we think are important really aren’t and that family & experiences are the most important things in life. I have really been striving to have a better work-life balance to be there for my family, and make time for life experiences.“
Since joining MB2, Dr. Nylund says he has noticed a significant difference in his practice. He especially appreciates the assistance from the credentialing, billing & collections and marketing departments. With a full support system in place, he has been able to step back from the overwhelming and daunting business side of running a practice and focus his energy where it matters most.
“Joining MB2 was the second-best decision I‘ve ever made after marrying my wife. I’m enjoying life with no administrative headaches and my office is running much better!”
Located in the stunning mountains of New Mexico, Dr. Nylund spends his time outside the office with his wife and six-month-old daughter. You may catch him skiing, hiking, fly-fishing or gardening. But his favorite activity of all is enjoying a beer while watching the gorgeous New Mexico sunset.
Dr. Nylund’s hardworking staff shares his love of the outdoors and jump at every opportunity to get involved with the community. Setting up water stations for local races and breaking out their molar tooth costume for pond skimming or snow mobile climbs at the ski areas nearby are a few team favorites.
Dr. Nylund is committed to advancing his dental education, completing over 150 hours of continuing education every year in contrast to the 20 hours required by the state of New Mexico. He has completed the Christensen Continuum and was asked to mentor dentists participating in trainings in Provo, UT. He advises dental students to plan on investing their time after graduating in taking high quality CE from top teachers such as Christensen.
“You have to be confident in your abilities and be efficient clinically. There is so much more to learn than what they teach you in dental school.”
