Welcome to Lilac Paper - Creator of the Original Dental Planner (and Medical Planners, too!)

Hi Friends!

We're starting something new and valuable – and we’re excited to share it with you!

Today marks the first day of our new blog. YES! 💪🎉 We've been in business for nine years and have never had a place where you can find all the news and valuable tips from Lilac Paper in one place. So here it is! 

And who are these two cuties?! Why, it's the masterminds and Co-Founders of Lilac Paper! Rachel (L) and Charlene (R) at Rachel's wedding.

After today's welcome blog, expect to find more articles about how to survive and thrive in dental and medical school, how to find success once your schooling ends, plus all the ins and outs of Lilac Paper and what we offer.

We'll try to keep this first post moving along at a good pace, but first, here's a little backstory on Lilac Paper: how we came to be, why we do what we do, and why Lilac Paper still exists today.

Why is our business called Lilac Paper?

Lilac is the official color of dentistry, chosen by the National Association of Dental Faculties in 1897. Because our main product is a paper planner designed specifically for dental students, “Lilac Paper” was born.

(Purple is the official color of dental hygiene, but “Purple Paper” didn’t quite have the same ring as “Lilac Paper" so "Lilac Paper" it is! Lol.)

How did Lilac Paper get its start?

Listen to this podcast with Smart Dental Student where Rachel & Charlene (Co-Founders of Lilac Paper) give Lilac’s origin story plus inspiration and encouragement for anyone who wants to go after their dreams.

Charlene (L) and Rachel (R) looking fresh-faced in dental school while sporting Lilac Paper button pins.

The short story is that Rachel and Charlene started Lilac Paper while still in dental school. After tossing around several ideas for a side hustle, they landed on creating a dental planner. This perfectly blended their creative backgrounds with their current professions. (Rachel was a graphic designer + art director and Charlene had design skills from a newspaper position before they both entered the field of dentistry.)

Today, Rachel is a Dentist Anesthesiologist and Charlene is in private practice as a Dentist.

Why do you sell dental and medical planners?

The short answer is: We created what we wished we had when we were in dental school.

We know what makes dental school easier (and harder) and we want to make your life as a dental (or medical) student better. Take it from two former dental students who’ve experienced the stress, fatigue, information overload, and pressure of school and clinicals.

Plus, dental school is expensive, y’know what we're sayin’? Those school loans weren't gonna pay for themselves. By the way, we want to give a huge THANK YOU to EVERYONE who's purchased products from Lilac Paper. You helped us chip away at dental school debt and helped us achieve debt-free status!

Our main “why” these days is to help those who are journeying through school like we once did.

That's why we created a dental planner with quick, easy-to-spot, need-to-know facts for the busy dental student that’s bright and aesthetically pleasing. We sprinkled the pages with hand-picked quotes to inspire and encourage you to keep going and finish what you started. (We’ve adapted the planners for our medical and nursing students as well. You can find those here.)

The fact that it comes personalized with your name and degree on the front is icing on the cake. Choose your favorite cover out of 17 custom-designed covers and you’re good to go! See it for yourself.

A Lilac Dental Planner with a personalized "Daydream" cover.

A peek at the inside of the planner with planner stickers and a snap-in ruler.

It feels good to help people and that’s why Lilac Paper is still in business today.

Drop us a line (shoplilacpaper@gmail.com) and say hi! Let us know how you like our planners or ways in which we can improve.

In your corner,

Rachel, Co-Founder of Lilac Paper

P.S. Pro Tip: Take time to make deep connections and have fun while in school. All work and no play makes for a very stressed dental school experience. Here's Rachel and Char being silly at school. Just look at those serious students behind us. 

Aaaand a few more pics. Because, why not?

Charlene at Rachel's wedding photo booth.

Here's Rachel walking through life with joy.

If we can survive dental school and come out laughing. So can you!

We believe in you! You can do it!