Dentistry is More than Just Fixing Teeth

I received a very nice compliment from a successful, younger dentist. Unlike most of the times when I blog about receiving a compliment from one of my peers, I had not posted examples of my work. Instead, the young dentist complimented me for being ME and had nothing to do with my significant abilities to restore teeth. He wrote the following:

"I think you are doing it right and I commend you for your integrity,
ability, passion and persistence. Nothing is more important than passion
and persistence."

This young dentist recognizes not only the body of my work that I present for all do see and evaluate but he speaks to the quality of my CHARACTER. When was the last time that you heard anyone discuss the quality of the individual rather than how much money they have or how famous they are.

I am honored by the compliment of my younger colleague.

Aren't integrity and ability both important in selecting a dentist for you and your family?

Hey! Why Haven't Aren't There Been Any New Cases On Your Website?

That is a great question!

Trust me, I have started to do many beautiful cases that you can find in the 'Gallery' Section of this website. If you look a little deeper, you can see that I DO have examples of 'regular dentistry' besides beautiful cases....I am a REGULAR dentist and love to do routine dentistry as much as I love big cases.

So why are there no new photos?

The problem (for me) is that the last 5-10 cases that I have done are for patients that do NOT want their treatment to appear on my website. They love the results that I have achieved for them, but they would just rather that I not publish my work..And I will ALWAYS abide by my patient's wishes even though it 'kills' me not be able to show you my new work.

I didn't want you to think that I was growing old and stale. NOTHING could be further than the truth.

"You Are My Favorite Dentist to Work With"

I have the good fortune of having excellent relationships with the dental specialists that I deal with and who I refer YOU to for treatment. Last night I went to dinner with one of my referring specialists and his new associate. We usually discuss cases that we are about to begin or we do a review of cases that we have completed. Last night was my opportunity to impress upon the new specialist that it is always my goal to pursue excellence and that I did not want her to treat me like I was a corner dentist.

I am not perfect nor does everything come out exactly as I want or hoped. There are too many variables that I cannot control. This is not my excuse for mediocrity because mediocrity is NEVER acceptable. It is my statement that I plan for, expect and achieve excellent results for the overwhelming number of patients that I treat.

At the end of our dinner, the specialist that I always work with said to me, "You are my favorite dentist to work with because you always plan out your cases so completely and so well."

Again, I am honored when one of my colleagues compares me with other dentists and I rise to the level of excellence.

That is the plan.

Your Mother Told You that Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery

A few weeks ago I posted a case on the international dental forum ACE. As you know, I do that frequently because I am proud of the work that I do and I do not shy away from having other dentists critique my work. I received a note of congratulations from a dentist in St. Louis and in his email, the dentist included his website address.

I like to go to other dentist's website because I want to see the level of quality that the dentist is doing and I want to know how much I should value the compliment.
I looked at the gallery of before and after photos of the St. Louis dentist and I was indignantly amazed to see one of MY CASES on his website. He liked my work sufficiently to claim it as his own.

I was honored that of all the dentists in the world to steal case photos from that he would use my work.

Your mother WAS right (again)...Imitation (copying) is the highest form of flattery.

"Excellence" is the new "Awesome"

"Awesome" was a word that was rarely heard in everyday life in America. It had a special meaning and its use was reserved for something that was indeed out of the ordinary. And then our kids starting using the word to describe very ordinary things and no one pays any attention when they hear the word used.

"Excellence" has become the new "Awesome" and I don't like it. Every dentist and many other businesses use the word 'excellence' to define what they do. The problem is that what they are doing is mediocre and does not even approach what true 'excellence' means.

I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that there are not a lot of 'excellent' general dentists in the Capital District or the country as a whole. Then why are dentists referring to themselves as excellent or that they 'pursue excellence'? Because they don't know!!! They are part of the group that we call the UNCONSCIOUSLY UNKNOWING or they don't know that they don't know.

So the next time you hear someone tell you that they are an excellent dentist you should think 'mediocre.' A few years ago they would have told you that they do 'awesome' dentistry.

The Decline of American Medicine

But you knew this already!

On my ride to work this morning and listing to NPR there was a segment on the (over) reliance of technology in diagnosing patient problems. The old time master physicians who are 60 years old and above, were taught to listen and physically examine their patients to make their diagnosis. Today, it is not uncommon for a doctor to ask you what the problem is and write a prescription to take a battery of tests WITHOUT EVER EVEN EXAMINING THE PATIENT.

Young physicians have never been taught the fine points of listening and touching their patients. It takes too much time and means less income.

Please pay attention because the things that have made our country great are slooowly disappearing. I can hear it now. In 20 years folks will talk about how good it really was in the old days.

Every Generation has It's Day of Infamy

No matter how many times we see photos of 9/11 we cry.

Selecting a Car or Selecting a Dentist

I am always amazed to see the process that folks experience when selecting a car. I always buy the same car so this really doesn't apply to someone like me who doesn't really like change especially when I really like what I already have. For many others, they buy Consumer Reports, look at car magazines and travel between 3 or 4 car dealerships trying to find the right car at the right price and after a certain time period, they sit down and make a decision about which car they want to drive.

When it comes to dentists, many folks consult with a dentist and then decide to either accept or reject the recommendations that the dentist is proposing. When you ask people why they selected a particular dentist, their answer might be, "I thought that he sounded like he knew what he was doing."

You THOUGHT that he sounded like he knew what he was doing???????

After about 10 years or so, most dentists have developed sufficient skills to adequately talk to patients about what treatment is required even if their clinical skills are not that great.

I would suggest that patients follow the same protocol that they use when they are thinking about buying a car. Visit many dental offices, look at their books displaying the work that they have done and ask the dentist why you should select him or her to do your treatment.

(Hint: If a dentist participates with your insurance company, that is usually an indication that are NOT at the top of their game. That is NOT to say that you should not select them as your dentist but at least you will know in advance what level of dentistry you are buying.)

Because I Am Worth It

L'Oreal became a house hold name in women's hair color with the slogan, "Because you are worth it." Yes, Perference by L'Oriel was more expensive than the average hair color system but YOU deserve to have 'the best.'
I have had many patients travel great distances for dental treatment but none came as far as my newest patient. This person arrived in Saratoga Springs on Friday evening and returned home on Tuesday. The purpose of the journey was to spend time with a life long friend who also came from outside of the United States. Mrs. E. was visiting a friend of mine when the subject of teeth came up and my friend showed her my website on Labor Day. She was amazed by the work on my website and my friend sent me an email asking me if I would mind seeing his visitor before she left for home the following day. Everyone knows that I love fixing teeth and I told my friend to bring his visitor to my new office in 10 minutes and I would meet and evaluate her dental needs.

The visitor wanted to have a beautiful smile and had no problem flying in from home to be treated in my office. Some of my Troy patients are angry at me for opening a new office and closing my old one in a few weeks (September 28) because they feel that it will be too far for them to travel to a dentist. My old patients would travel 40 miles to my new office while my new patient will travel 4,000 miles.

Why would someone travel from Zurich, Switzerland to Upstate New York to have their teeth fixed? Because they appreciate the value of their teeth and they believe that I am a good dentist?

No!!! Because THEY are worth it.

NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

The wife of actor and film director Michael Douglas went public with her anger and disappointment with the medical profession. Ms Zeta-Jones cannot understand why her husband was recently diagnosed with STAGE 4 throat cancer when he had been treated by many physicians who had seen nothing. To go from NOTHING to STAGE 4 is mind boggling and the average person cannot comprehend how this is possible.

Do you remember my friend Elaine who was treated for SEVEN MONTHS by a gasteroenterologist for a 'gall bladder condition' when in reality she had STAGE 4 metastatic (spreading) ovarian cancer? Or my patient whose step daughter called me on a Sunday morning stating that her step father had a significant pain in his throat and could not swollow but his physician had SEEN NOTHING during his appointment on Thursday. I diagnosed throat cancer and sent him to specialists.

What is going on here and DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

I believe (which means that I may or may not be correct) that doctors no longer see their profession as 'THEIR CALLING IN LIFE" but rather a 9-5 job where they put in their time and they get paid.

Sorry, but you know how I feel about the awesome responsibility of taking care of another human being: The MOST SACRED of all human relationships. Where a physician or a dentist GIVES OF THEMSELVES for the benefit of their patient.

I blame the medical profession but I also blame the society that we have become in which we don't want to pay doctors because we want to use the money to buy nice homes and cars or pay outrageous college tuitions.

I told you this would happen and it has...AGAIN!

A Young Dentist Takes the Challenge and Succeeds

Last February a young dentist travelled around the world to spend a week with me and Susan so that he could begin his own challenge of excellence. The first time he had seen my work online, he could not believe that this level of excellence existed. I assured him that on the world stage, there were many dentists who were equal OR BETTER clinical dentists than me. We have maintained our mentor/student relationship over the last year and he sends me the cases that he has treated for my critique or the cases that he wants to treat and asks what I would do if this was my patient. Several days ago, my wonderful student sends me his before and after photos of a direct posterior restoration that PERFECTLY mimics a natural tooth and I immediately emailed him a note of congratulations. This morning, he sends me the following:

"Hi DR.Gerald, its all because of you. What ever i do and get the results(only the good and the perfect!!!) I just offer it to you, I don't like to keep anything in my head(just be neutral!!!), because if i keep thinking about the result, i know i will never improve, still so much is there to see and learn!!!!. Without your mentoring my brain wouldn't have realized that these things exists and results also can be given in this fashion, thanks for your encouragement, take care, Ashok."

It is a tribute to young Dr. Ashok that he has accepted the challenge of excellence, worked hard this past year to move in the direction of excellence and has SUCCEEDED in producing wonderful clinical dentistry.

The task of working with young dentists to make them better at what they do has always been assigned to older (ok old) dentists who have risen to the top of our wonderful profession. I have accepted this task because I am working on my legacy so that in 10 or 15 years dentists will tell their patients about me and how I helped them when they were younger.

There can be no better legacy.