What My Patients Tell Their Friends

I was recently in ANOTHER of my favorite restaurants, a vegetarian restaurant and health food store that is a throw back to the 1970s. Dinner (no wine, self serve, strictly healthy) was about $13.00 for BOTH of us. We met a patient who was there to buy some take out vegetarian cooking and she met one of her friends there who was having dinner. My patient told me that she met a friend of hers who had broken the bonding on her lower front tooth and she immediately said, "Dr. Benjamin...he is the best...THE BEST. My patient was telling me this story and everyone in the small restaurant overheard what she had told me.

In the book, "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Glidewell, the author talks about "Connectors, Mavens and Salesman." These are the people who tell everyone about what is happening, which restaurants to patronize and which doctors are the best. They 'infect' others with their knowledge and enthusiasm for the betterment of a particular business but also for the betterment of the individual and the community. Don't you really want to KNOW who the best physician, dentist or restaurant is BEFORE you spend your money or have bad dentistry?

My patient told EVERYONE in the restaurant who the Best Dentist in town is. I am thrilled to know that it is ME (at least in her opinion.)

Friends 2

I woke up last Sunday and could barely get out of bed because of intense back pain. I could not bend over to put on my socks and shoes because the pain was incredible. I have moved the 'wrong way' before and the pain took my breath away but this was different. I still thought that my lower back would improve just like it had in the past. Needless to say, I could not put on my own socks and shoes for nearly a week. Dr. Banchs usually stops in my office to chat on Wednesday evening after his Pilates sessions in the office next to mine at 18 Division St in Saratoga Springs. We chatted for a while and I told him that I was in intense pain sitting in my consult room. I described the location and nature of the pain and my favorite endodontist tells me that he had the same thing and it is called 'Piriformis Syndrome.' I called the physical therapist that Dr. Banchs recommended and was told that I would need a physician's referral. I asked them if they could help me get an appointment with the orthodpedic/sports medicine office right next to their office. "Absolutely, not!" was the answer. You will have to call yourself and it will take weeks to get an appointment. Now my back was feeling even worse!

Thursday evening Susan and I hobbled over to Starbucks which is around the corner from our apartment and after having coffee, we passed another of our favorite restaurants, Maestros (on Broadway in Saratoga Springs) and the owner,John was standing outside. We shared greetings and I told him of my horrific back pains and how it would take WEEKS to get an appointment with a specialist. He told me to call him the following morning if I still could not get an appointment with a back specialist and HE would call his friend for me.

Needless to say, my friend John got me an appointment and three hours later, I was seen by a neurologist who agreed with Dr. Banchs' diagnosis and I had the necessary medicine to begin healing my bad back.

Isn't this what friends do for friends? When it comes to health care, you should never go to a physician or a dentist as a 'nobody.' I was John's friend and he called the right doctor who made sure that I would be taken care of.

(Aside: Anyone that knows me and my office knows that when YOU are in pain, either my staff or I will call a dental specialist so that you will be seen immediately and be relieved of your pain. I cannot understand the lack of humanity in medical offices who will not lift a finger to help another human being who is in pain.)

Friends 1

One of my favorite restaurants is BFS, a Mediterranean oriented restaurant on Western Avenue, Albany,NY. As usually happens in small restaurants, the owner will take note of you and a friendly relationship ensues. On one our visits, the owner brings out his laptop and shows us his teenage daughter's official photographs that she uses to obtain acting roles in Manhattan and elsewhere. She is a gorgeous young lady with extremely small upper front teeth, which of course, catches my attention. I asked Shaw, the owner, if he and his daughter had some time in the next few weeks so that I could show them something to improve their daughter's appearance in her photographs and perhaps get some additional acting jobs. The next day, Shaw and his wife brought their 16 year old daughter up to my new office in Saratoga Springs for an evaluation. I performed a direct resin mockup on Lexi's teeth to show her how much more beautiful she would be if she had her gum tissue modified so that she would have bigger looking teeth. (Actually, her teeth were normal size but half of the length of her upper teeth were covered up by her gum tissue.)I had told Shaw that there would be NO CHARGE for the evaluation and that if they liked what they saw, I would refer them to the periodontist who does all my gum modifications, Dr. Collins. The family was overwhelmed by how grown up Lexi looked with bigger teeth and promised that they would call Dr. Collins the following week.

I made no money treating Lexi but I have dramatically improved her chances of getting acting jobs in the near future. Last night was the first time that I had seen Lexi with normal size teeth and she looked wonderful.

Isn't this what friends do for friends?

Helping My Young Colleagues

Today was a special day for me. I was asked by a young dentist in Dallas if I would help her improve as a clinical dentist. Today we had our first phone conversation and she is like all the other young dentists that I mentor locally. Each of them desperately wants to become a better dentist and they want that improvement to happen yesterday. lolol. Isn't it wonderful that there are still young people in our country that truly want to become excellent at what they do rather than just talk about getting wealthy. None of my young colleagues has ever told me that their goal was to make a lot of money. They wouldn't have approached ME if that was their goal because that has never been MY goal during my career.

I will help my new young friend become an excellent dentist but I will probably be 70+ years old before any of them has learned enough to qualify as 'excellent.' I have time and I will wait because THIS will be my legacy.

The last civility in America

There are very few customs or courtesies that have survived these last 30 or so years. Men no longer take off their hats in a restaurant, folks don't stop talking on their cell phones in the grocery store even though they are checking out and the cashier is asking them a question and men don't let women get off the elevator first.

The last remaining custom is getting off a plane. Everyone waits their turn and lets every single person in the rows ahead of them get off the plane first rather than rushing for the front exit door. And other passengers will actually help you place your luggage in the overhead compartment or help you get it down at the end of the flight.

I am encouraged to see that some of the old courtesies remain to this day. Heck my 20something year old next door neighbor passes me in the hall and won't say 'good morning.'

What does this say about us as a people and a culture?...Think about it.

Dentists who Love What They Do

As I have told you before, the American Dental Association took a survery more than 30 years ago asking dentists 'Would You Be a Dentist Again?' Seventy percent said 'NO.' SEVENTY percent. Why would you go to a dentist that did not love being a dentist?

This past week I enjoyed the company of 15 or so other dentists who feel the same way about dentistry that I do. Whenever I study with Frank Spear, one of the best restorative dentists in the world, I see the same dentists all the time and we have all become friends. We are probably known as 'Frank's Groupies' because the same dentists take his courses.

What is so refreshing about being with other dentists who study with Frank is that we all love what we do. No one complains about low fees paid by insurance companies or how hard they work to make a good living. The dentists that I hang with love to study dentistry, love to go to work everyday and really love doing great dentistry for their patients.

The dentists that attend serious courses like those at the Spear Institute pay thousands of dollars to take these courses, give up a significant amount of money in lost production and are away from their families for a week at a time. Why would we do this?

Because we love the work that we do and love to take care of our patients...

So why would anyone go to a dentist who hates being a dentist? You will have to answer that question yourself.

"But Why is Dentistry So Expensive?"

Everyone that knows me knows that dentistry is my passion. I will talk about dentistry any time someone wants to discuss the subject with me.I went to Scottsdale to study at the Spear Institute with my mentor Frank Spear.
I was spending my last night in Arizona at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel in Pheonix a few miles from the airport.The hostess informed the waiter that I was a vegetarian and would he suggest vegetarian items on the menu. He brought me my dinner without me actually ordering anything and as I was completing my meal, the waiter and I began a friedly chat. He asked me what I did for a living and I informed him that I was a dentist and without missing a beat he asked me 'Why does dentistry cost so much?'
Because I never want anyone to think badly about the profession that I love, I decided to just stick to 'the facts' and responded without any anger as I did not want to appear confrontational. I told the waiter who I found out was 53 that:
1. It cost $300,000 to attend either NYU Dental School or Colombia Dental School
2. A new dental practice can cost a minimum of one MILLION dollars.
3. That my post dental school graduate education has cost more than TWO million dollars.

Our conversation about the cost of dental treatment ended with my statements and he noded his head indicating that he understood.

There is NOTHING that a consumer can purchase that is used every day for 20-30 years that can cost as little as a $200 filling. NOTHING. I challenge you to buy ANYTHING else for $200, use it everyday and have it last 30 years.

A 21 yr old male Skidmore student presented to our office because his front tooth was recently broken and he didn't like the brown line in his tooth. I repaired his tooth and the young man called his mother to tell her what the treatment would cost. Mom wanted to know what I did and why it cost so much… I told her that I would send photos which I have placed in this blog. After seeing the photos she wrote me this wonderful email:

Thank you Dr. Benjamin!!My son's tooth looks fabulous. He is lucky to have found you.

I never ask either my colleagues or my patients to say nice things about my work. They just can't help themselves.

What Does it Mean to Be a Professional

Everyone knows that 'Professionals' have taken extra years of study and that it is necessary to be licensed in order to perform certain jobs. It really is a lot more than that. The mark of a true professional is that they ALWAYS put their patients or clients best interest ahead of their own interest. Just as important is the fact that a professional have the RESPECT of their peers, publish, teach and perform at a very high level. I frequently publish my work online on the ACE Forum, a dental internet professional group. As I have told you before, my work is held up as the state of the art in restorative dentistry. Many times I have been asked by young dentists to help them become excellent in their dentistry and you already know of the dentist who travelled around the world from Bangalore, India to study with me in my office. Tonight I received the following email from a young dentist in Texas:

Dr Benjamin,

Last week you were kind enough to detail your composite placement technique and after seeing your work posted on your website and other ACER comments, I am VERY interested in learning more.

Would you be interested in helping me? I would love to take my dentistry to a higher level, and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Ritu

There is no greater honor than to have the respect and admiration of my younger colleagues.

I believe that I fulfil the definition of a 'professional.' My colleagues, the people that KNOW excellence in dentistry have told me that I have and I am honored.

The Sad Goodbyes

News travels fast. We made a decision that September 28 will be our last day in Cropseyville, NY. Yesterday an 82 year old patient that I have treated for the last 30 years stopped by to pick up her records and to 'say goodbye.' None of my patients who I have treated for 20-30 years can understand why I am leaving Cropseyville. No matter how many times I have tried to explain that there is not enough work in that office to keep that office open. It is a financial impossibility. As I have told you before, opening a new office in a location 40 miles from my previous practice at age 60 was an act of desperation. I felt that I was doing the very best work of my career and did not care to retire.

My long term patients feel that I am abandoning them and I know how they feel because I feel that many of my former patients abandoned ME.

Many of my patients who are in their late 70s and 80s do not feel that they are able to make the trip to Saratoga and I completely understand that.

When my secretary,Donna told me that Mrs. H was here to say goodbye, I said to Tricia that I hope that she would not cry when she spoke with me. She hugged me, thanked me and said, "You were the best dentist that I ever had...You never hurt me."

I am honored to have taken care of many of my patients during the last 30 years. Unfortunately, I need to keep my staff of 5 and I working...And that was no longer possible in Cropseyville.

It makes me as sad as Mrs. H.that I have to leave my professional home after 3 decades. It wasn't supposed to be this way. In fact, I know of no other dentist who has done what I am doing by starting a new practice at this stage of his career.

This is what makes life interesting.

The New Standard of Excellence

CNN has a medical story on their website this morning about American corporations who will pay 100% of the medical bill if you travel to another country for surgery.

Tina Follett, 50, just underwent a complete hysterectomy at the Punta Pacifica hospital in Panama City.
"It's been a phenomenal experience, almost like a hotel, and it has cost us absolutely nothing," she said.

"IT COST ABSOLUTLELY NOTHING" is the new standard of excellence.

There is nothing more that I can add to Mrs. Follett's statement.

The New Goal of Americans

Deborah Veale of Southern California just wants her family to be comfortable without having to work.
This photo was taken off of the CNN website this morning.
As you know from all of my previous blogs, I love to work and the idea of being rich enough NOT to work is just something that I cannot relate to. My self worth is intimately related to the beautiful work that I do for for my patients. If working was not important to me, I would have closed my Troy office three years ago, lowered my standard of living and done nothing for the rest of my life.

I cannot see how our great country can remain a world leader without our citizens working hard and striving for excellence.

What can Mrs. Veale's children or grandchildren think when getting money for doing nothing is the new American Dream? (I apologize if this post offends anyone)

Insurance companies and ocean cruises

What in the world do insurance companies and cruise lines have to do with each other? Both industries have used behavior modification to train you and I to act in a certain way. For example: All the workers on a cruise have trained us all to give them a tip every single time that they help us. Carry our bags...a tip, arrange a special table in the dining hall...a tip, obtain an appointment with the best hair stylist...a tip. The industry has trained us to bring lots of cash on board. If you meet some friends the week before your cruise, they will remind you to bring lots of cash for tipping.

The dental insurance industry which is what is most familiar to me has trained you, the patient, to ask, "Is this a covered procedure?" When I am a patient, I ask my doctor many questions including, "Is this the best treatment option?" Or "What are the other treatments that I can consider?" And still, "What are the side effects of the treatment that you are recommending?"

It is rare for any dental patient to ask anything but,"Does my insurance plan cover this treatment?"

Who taught you to ask that question? Who wants you to consider cost rather than what is in YOUR best interest? Your Insurance Company. Patients have been trained to protect the pockets of Insurance Company CEOs earning tens of millions of dollars rather than to protect YOUR HEALTH and YOUR BEST INTEREST.

Isn't it amazing how some industries have trained us to protect THEIR interests instead of our own?

[For the record: Ronald A. Williams, Aetna CEO earned $30,860,000 (almost $31 million) and the average dentist earned $136,000]

My Website

Perhaps you don't realize it but the bride on the HOME page of my website was a patient of mine when I restored her front teeth 11 or 12 years ago. She was an absolutely gorgeous bride and I loved her photos so much that I actually paid the photographer for them (with my patient's permission, of course.)

What is so special about the opening photograph besides the natural beauty of my patient and the spectacular photography? It is that no one, including ME, would ever be able to identify that the bride's teeth had been touched by a dentist. The fact that her teeth had been fixed is no where to be seen in that photo.

Isn't THIS what dentistry is supposed to be about? Shouldn't our work be so NATURAL and beautiful that it doesn't distract from our patient's individual features?

I am amazed by my patient's beauty on her most special day. I am honored to have be involved in a very small way to create the perfect picture.

Isn't DENTISTRY wonderful?

Meeting of a Different Sort

I have been meeting with the Director of Development from the school that I graduated from for the last 15years. In fact, on Thursday evening I met with my third Direct of Development in that time period. The interesting thing is that I have told each one the same thing: the dental school is not teaching current information so that dental students can learn what the average or above average practicing dentist provides for their patients on a daily base. The school that I graduated from is NOT the only Dental School that is guilty of not teaching current information and I do not mean to imply that it is or that I am picking on MY dental school.

I have made every effort during the last decade and a half to 'encourage' my school to move into the 21st Century but my school continues to languish in the 1990s. Why is this and aren't Universities supposed to be cutting edge places of learning?

Governments and Institutions have historically resisted change. Professors are long term experts in materials and techniques that made them famous 10 years ago and they don't want to let go of their area of expertise. They don't want to learn anything new because then they will no longer BE the expert.

I have never been a person to accept or tolerate mediocrity in areas that are important to me or my patients. For 15 years I have asked my dental school to change and donated a significant amount of money to persuade them to do so.

But 15 years later, I am still having the same conversations with the Director of Development. Do you think that there has been any change?

My final words to the Director was, "We have to stop teaching our students to be experts at building carburetors in an era of direct fuel injection." He winced.

Meetings

For the last 15 years, I have made it a requirement that dental specialists (oral surgeons, periodontists, endodontists, orthodontists) meet with me for dinner to discuss our mutual patients. I believe that this is a much better way to communicate than sending a written letter which may or may not be read before it is filed away. The opportunity to give and take with ideas is just a wonderful way to diagnose and treatment plan complex cases. I have told you that the thought process required to diagnose and treatment plan a case is far more important than the actual treatment of our patient's mouth.

What I found most interesting with the two meetings that I had with 2 different orthodontists is that both of them thanked me for my ability and knowledge to participate in a true interdiciplinary dental treatment plan. Each of the specialist knows that orthodontic therapy can only provide 80% of the treatment and that I, as the restorative dentist, would have to complete the treatment by actually fixing our patient's teeth. In most orthodontic cases, when the orthodontist completes treatment, that is as far as the case will go. My patients, on the other hand, can count on me to take their teeth from having an acceptable outcome to having a superb outcome because something in addition to moving teeth is required to finish the case.

Perhaps you are wondering the same thing that I am: Why aren't other dentists capable, interested or have the knowledge to attain a really incredible results?