Posts
I mentioned that I recently left the ACE forum because many dentists on ACE praised mediocrity from their fellow colleagues. In addition, there was, in my opinion, more concern about making money than caring for their patients which is something that is very foreign to me.
I joined the Internet Dental Forum which is a much more laid back group of dentists and posted a few of my bonded front teeth on the forum. Today, a dentist stated that he believed that all direct bonded front teeth are poorly done, look fake and don't last. Another dentist on the forum responded to this (poorly informed and under educated dentist...in my humble opinion) in the following way:
Except when it doesn't. Have you paid any attention in the slightest to
Gerald Benjamin's posts and photos?
Or do you just sit back in the bushes waiting to jump out with attitude?
I am honored to be known as an example of dental excellence even when others don't know me as a person.
My patients and I are so lucky because we have each other.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Meaningful Work
I do not find many people that love going to work or love their jobs. This is completely foreign to me because going to work is my favorite thing to do. I performed some dental treatment today for one of my patients that I have treated for THIRTY YEARS and at the end of his appointment, he said to me, "My daughter Kathy talks about you all the time and she always says that you will never retire because you love your work."
Anyone who has been my patient for any length of time knows how much I care about my patients and how important it is to me that your dental care be the best that I can make it for you. At our Holiday Staff Dinner Party my accountant told me that before he became my patient (almost 15 years ago) he was constantly having work done and redone because it just never lasted. Since he became my patient no treatment has been redone....What a compliment!
I consider my work to be extremely meaningful.
Another doctor who feels like I do is a physician that cares for genetic diseases among the Amish in Lancaster, PA. You will enjoy his story on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAUy6oYH8M
The best thing that we can do for our children is to teach them to find something that they will LOVE to do. That is what my Dad did for me and it is one of the best things that he could have done for me.
Anyone who has been my patient for any length of time knows how much I care about my patients and how important it is to me that your dental care be the best that I can make it for you. At our Holiday Staff Dinner Party my accountant told me that before he became my patient (almost 15 years ago) he was constantly having work done and redone because it just never lasted. Since he became my patient no treatment has been redone....What a compliment!
I consider my work to be extremely meaningful.
Another doctor who feels like I do is a physician that cares for genetic diseases among the Amish in Lancaster, PA. You will enjoy his story on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAUy6oYH8M
The best thing that we can do for our children is to teach them to find something that they will LOVE to do. That is what my Dad did for me and it is one of the best things that he could have done for me.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Meanings of Christmas
Christmas has many meanings depending on your beliefs. It is first and foremost, the representation of the birth of Christianity.For many of us, it is a time of kindess, generosity and philanthropy as a way of showing to others that we appreciate the creature comforts that we have in our lives.
On Christmas Eve morning, I treated a young man who broke his front tooth in a basketball game the previous night. My completed restoration perfectly matched the young man's adjacent tooth and it was indistinguishable from his natural teeth. As I completed my work, I told the young man that there would be no charge for me to fix his tooth but that I would appreciate it if his parents would make a contribution to Smile Train so that a young child could have his cleft lip repaired and feel normal again.
This young man is my office manager's nephew and I received the following email this evening:
"Thank you so much for restoring Patrick's tooth. His parents really
appreciated it. It was the talk of the holiday . They were impressed by
your kindness."
This is what it is all about. Doing for others to acknowledge what has been given to us.
On Christmas Eve morning, I treated a young man who broke his front tooth in a basketball game the previous night. My completed restoration perfectly matched the young man's adjacent tooth and it was indistinguishable from his natural teeth. As I completed my work, I told the young man that there would be no charge for me to fix his tooth but that I would appreciate it if his parents would make a contribution to Smile Train so that a young child could have his cleft lip repaired and feel normal again.
This young man is my office manager's nephew and I received the following email this evening:
"Thank you so much for restoring Patrick's tooth. His parents really
appreciated it. It was the talk of the holiday . They were impressed by
your kindness."
This is what it is all about. Doing for others to acknowledge what has been given to us.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
How People Get to Know You
In Malcolm Glidwell's book, "The Tipping Point," the author writes about how certain people get to know other people, businesses and products because some individuals are really great at telling other folks about you and your product. Glidwell describes three types of people who will tell EVERYONE that they know about you and what you do and why you are so great; he calls them Mavens, Connectors or Salesman.
These people are extremely sincere and genuine in wanting other folks to learn about how wonderful their physician, dentist, banker or car salesman are and how they would benefit by changing to a particular physician or dentist.
We were invited to a friend's house for Christmas dinner and the only people that we knew among the 10 people were our hosts.When I was introduced to the other couples in attendance, my host told everyone that I was Dr. Benjamin the fabulous dentist that he had told them about in the past. And then my host preceded to tell everyone WHY I was such a wonderful dentist including the facts that I didn't hurt him while administering Novocaine and while he was being examined for the removal of his wisdom teeth the oral surgeon was unable to find any of his new resin bonded fillings.
I do a fair amount of marketing on the internet and local television which costs a significant amount of money. However THE BEST way to get new patients to try our practice is to have one of our existing patients talk to others about their exceptional experiences and the beautiful dentistry that they have in their mouths.
Mavens, connectors and salesman are just regular folks trying to help other people get great care and I could not pay them enough for all the wonderful things that they say about me and my staff.
I am truly honored when patients tell their friends and family about our practice.
These people are extremely sincere and genuine in wanting other folks to learn about how wonderful their physician, dentist, banker or car salesman are and how they would benefit by changing to a particular physician or dentist.
We were invited to a friend's house for Christmas dinner and the only people that we knew among the 10 people were our hosts.When I was introduced to the other couples in attendance, my host told everyone that I was Dr. Benjamin the fabulous dentist that he had told them about in the past. And then my host preceded to tell everyone WHY I was such a wonderful dentist including the facts that I didn't hurt him while administering Novocaine and while he was being examined for the removal of his wisdom teeth the oral surgeon was unable to find any of his new resin bonded fillings.
I do a fair amount of marketing on the internet and local television which costs a significant amount of money. However THE BEST way to get new patients to try our practice is to have one of our existing patients talk to others about their exceptional experiences and the beautiful dentistry that they have in their mouths.
Mavens, connectors and salesman are just regular folks trying to help other people get great care and I could not pay them enough for all the wonderful things that they say about me and my staff.
I am truly honored when patients tell their friends and family about our practice.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
We Need to Know About the World's Heros
This is written by Columnist John Avlon and appeared on the CNN website
New York (CNN) -- Vaclav Havel died Sunday in the Czech Republic he helped build. A few months ago, I wrote an appreciation as a way of marking his 75th birthday. The sentiments, of course, still stand and I'm glad I didn't wait until his death to write it. We have lost a hero of our times, a friend of freedom, who lived his life with integrity and sent forward ripples of hope into the world. He will be missed and remembered.
...
Draw up a compelling character representing the arc of the 20th century and it might look like this -- a child whose homeland is conquered by the Nazis and then occupied by communists; a playwright, essayist and dissident turned state prisoner of conscience turned leader of a victorious nonviolent revolution over a totalitarian dictatorship. He culminates his career as president of his newly liberated nation.
This is the life of Vaclav Havel as he celebrates his 75th birthday.
Why Czech Vacalv Havel mattered
Contrasting revolutions decades apart
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel dies In a time of Arab Springs still unfolding and uncertainty about what will emerge in the place of those Mideast dictatorships, Vaclav Havel's life story takes on renewed relevance.
The revelation of Havel's leadership wasn't just the triumphant nonviolence of the Velvet Revolution -- it was his bracing honesty, which was itself a revelation. Read the opening lines of his first inaugural address to the Czech people: "My dear fellow citizens ... I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie to you."
This is the hallmark of Havel's writing -- challenges to power rooted not in imperious ideological rhetoric but harder-to-dismiss, human-size truths.
Take a look at his most enduring essay, "The Power of the Powerless," written behind the Iron Curtain in the darkest days of the 1970s.
In this classic call for everyday citizens to recognize their power to change their world, Havel uses the example of a Soviet-era grocer placing a state-sponsored sign in his store window with the slogan: "Workers of the world, unite!"
"If the greengrocer had been instructed to display the slogan 'I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient;' he would not be nearly as indifferent to its semantics, even though the statement would reflect the truth," Havel wrote.
So why does he do it? "The sign helps the greengrocer to conceal from himself the low foundations of his obedience, at the same time concealing the low foundations of power. It hides them behind the facade of something high. And that something is ideology," Havel wrote. "Ideology offers human beings the illusion of an identity, of dignity, and of morality while making it easier for them to part with them."
The power of those words ultimately helped inspire a revolution of citizen resistance to the totalitarian state. It may yet inspire more uprisings -- because beneath his appeal is not a vision of a utopian alternative, but the more basic human-scale virtue of civic responsibility, both for yourself and future generations. Havel's experience with the Nazis and Communists taught him the lesson that utopian dreams often end in nightmares.
Consequently, Havel has cautionary words for the overheated acolytes of perpetual revolution and retribution. "Violence is well-known to breed violence, which is why most revolutions have degenerated into dictatorships, devouring their own offspring," he wrote, "not knowing that they were digging their own graves and confining society in a vicious circle of revolutions and counter-revolutions."
There is this enduring wisdom as well: Havel's vision of an anti-totalitarian state ended up looking a lot like liberal capitalist democracy, with an emphasis on preserving pluralism and the uniqueness of a community.
Havel was not allergic to the responsibilities of self-government, but instead embraced the mantle of authority in his own quixotic manner, never pretending to be perfect, leading by the power of his example rather than the example of his power.
In office, he was a clear voice arguing for the West's efforts to intervene militarily to stop the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. At a time when many nations seemed confused, unable to see the conflict with moral clarity, Havel helped keep the Western world focused on our commitment to "never forget."
Retired from office and often wrestling ill-health, Havel continues to write. Because he is one of the few recent world leaders who is primarily an author and artist, it is probably best to let his words speak for themselves on a few more varied subjects.
-- On purposeful politics: "True politics, worthy of the name — and the only kind I will practice — is the politics of service to one's neighbor. Service to the community; service to those who will succeed us ... If you are modest and do not lust after power, not only are you suited to politics, you absolutely belong there."
-- On globalization: "An amalgamation of cultures is taking place. ... We are in a phase when one age is succeeding another, when everything is possible and almost nothing is certain."
-- On hope and persistence: "The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle."
-- On a keeping a sense of humor: "Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not."
We sometimes wait until people have passed to honor them appropriately. This seems like an avoidable oversight. If you're inspired to learn more about Vaclav Havel, pick up one of his many books, from collections like "Open Letters" to interview collections like "Disturbing the Peace" to ruminations and recollections in books like "Summer Meditations" and the most recent, "To the Castle and Back."
In an uncertain, always evolving world, I am certain of this: Vaclav Havel's words and example will endure and continue to provide inspiration, lighting a path forward, reminding us that history takes place in the here and now and that we all contribute to making it.
MY THOUGHTS ARE:
The world needs more statesman like Vaclav Havel. America needs LESS ideology of the Repbulican Party and the Democratic Party and MORE concern about the following generations.
New York (CNN) -- Vaclav Havel died Sunday in the Czech Republic he helped build. A few months ago, I wrote an appreciation as a way of marking his 75th birthday. The sentiments, of course, still stand and I'm glad I didn't wait until his death to write it. We have lost a hero of our times, a friend of freedom, who lived his life with integrity and sent forward ripples of hope into the world. He will be missed and remembered.
...
Draw up a compelling character representing the arc of the 20th century and it might look like this -- a child whose homeland is conquered by the Nazis and then occupied by communists; a playwright, essayist and dissident turned state prisoner of conscience turned leader of a victorious nonviolent revolution over a totalitarian dictatorship. He culminates his career as president of his newly liberated nation.
This is the life of Vaclav Havel as he celebrates his 75th birthday.
Why Czech Vacalv Havel mattered
Contrasting revolutions decades apart
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel dies In a time of Arab Springs still unfolding and uncertainty about what will emerge in the place of those Mideast dictatorships, Vaclav Havel's life story takes on renewed relevance.
The revelation of Havel's leadership wasn't just the triumphant nonviolence of the Velvet Revolution -- it was his bracing honesty, which was itself a revelation. Read the opening lines of his first inaugural address to the Czech people: "My dear fellow citizens ... I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie to you."
This is the hallmark of Havel's writing -- challenges to power rooted not in imperious ideological rhetoric but harder-to-dismiss, human-size truths.
Take a look at his most enduring essay, "The Power of the Powerless," written behind the Iron Curtain in the darkest days of the 1970s.
In this classic call for everyday citizens to recognize their power to change their world, Havel uses the example of a Soviet-era grocer placing a state-sponsored sign in his store window with the slogan: "Workers of the world, unite!"
"If the greengrocer had been instructed to display the slogan 'I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient;' he would not be nearly as indifferent to its semantics, even though the statement would reflect the truth," Havel wrote.
So why does he do it? "The sign helps the greengrocer to conceal from himself the low foundations of his obedience, at the same time concealing the low foundations of power. It hides them behind the facade of something high. And that something is ideology," Havel wrote. "Ideology offers human beings the illusion of an identity, of dignity, and of morality while making it easier for them to part with them."
The power of those words ultimately helped inspire a revolution of citizen resistance to the totalitarian state. It may yet inspire more uprisings -- because beneath his appeal is not a vision of a utopian alternative, but the more basic human-scale virtue of civic responsibility, both for yourself and future generations. Havel's experience with the Nazis and Communists taught him the lesson that utopian dreams often end in nightmares.
Consequently, Havel has cautionary words for the overheated acolytes of perpetual revolution and retribution. "Violence is well-known to breed violence, which is why most revolutions have degenerated into dictatorships, devouring their own offspring," he wrote, "not knowing that they were digging their own graves and confining society in a vicious circle of revolutions and counter-revolutions."
There is this enduring wisdom as well: Havel's vision of an anti-totalitarian state ended up looking a lot like liberal capitalist democracy, with an emphasis on preserving pluralism and the uniqueness of a community.
Havel was not allergic to the responsibilities of self-government, but instead embraced the mantle of authority in his own quixotic manner, never pretending to be perfect, leading by the power of his example rather than the example of his power.
In office, he was a clear voice arguing for the West's efforts to intervene militarily to stop the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. At a time when many nations seemed confused, unable to see the conflict with moral clarity, Havel helped keep the Western world focused on our commitment to "never forget."
Retired from office and often wrestling ill-health, Havel continues to write. Because he is one of the few recent world leaders who is primarily an author and artist, it is probably best to let his words speak for themselves on a few more varied subjects.
-- On purposeful politics: "True politics, worthy of the name — and the only kind I will practice — is the politics of service to one's neighbor. Service to the community; service to those who will succeed us ... If you are modest and do not lust after power, not only are you suited to politics, you absolutely belong there."
-- On globalization: "An amalgamation of cultures is taking place. ... We are in a phase when one age is succeeding another, when everything is possible and almost nothing is certain."
-- On hope and persistence: "The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle."
-- On a keeping a sense of humor: "Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not."
We sometimes wait until people have passed to honor them appropriately. This seems like an avoidable oversight. If you're inspired to learn more about Vaclav Havel, pick up one of his many books, from collections like "Open Letters" to interview collections like "Disturbing the Peace" to ruminations and recollections in books like "Summer Meditations" and the most recent, "To the Castle and Back."
In an uncertain, always evolving world, I am certain of this: Vaclav Havel's words and example will endure and continue to provide inspiration, lighting a path forward, reminding us that history takes place in the here and now and that we all contribute to making it.
MY THOUGHTS ARE:
The world needs more statesman like Vaclav Havel. America needs LESS ideology of the Repbulican Party and the Democratic Party and MORE concern about the following generations.
Friday, December 16, 2011
From My Staff For the Children
My favorite charity for the last 10-15 years has been Smile Train. This is a most worthwhile charity that corrects cleft lips and palates for children around the world. What makes this group really special is that the wealthy founders of Smile Train pay 100% of the administrative costs so that EVERY PENNY that is donated goes directly for the surgical repair for the children.
Those of us who think that a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile are vital to our overall well-being can understand how important a normal smile is to the development of a young child.
My staff made a contribution to Smile Train in my honor as their Holiday gift to me. Helping others is the best gift that anyone can give to me and I am thankful and grateful for my staff's generosity.
I also want to thank you, my patients, for making our new office a success. We could not help others if it were not for you. I am honored by your trust.
Those of us who think that a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile are vital to our overall well-being can understand how important a normal smile is to the development of a young child.
My staff made a contribution to Smile Train in my honor as their Holiday gift to me. Helping others is the best gift that anyone can give to me and I am thankful and grateful for my staff's generosity.
I also want to thank you, my patients, for making our new office a success. We could not help others if it were not for you. I am honored by your trust.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Why I am Leaving the ACE Dental Forum
I have been a member of the ACE Dental Forum since it was started about 10 years ago. It is always wonderful to have like minded colleagues to bounce ideas off of, learn about new treatment options or materials or simply to relieve stress by complaining about an 'unreasonable' patient who tried to ruin our day.
I was one of the most frequent presenters of actual dental cases that I had completed and much of my work was very well received by my colleagues. In fact, many of my blogs contain actual (unsolicited) comments by other ACE members.
A few days ago one of our young colleagues asked for help on how to do back teeth root canals from members of the Forum but she was unwilling to accept a suggestion that she take more root canal courses. In other words..."Please tell me the quick and easy solution to a most complex problem."
The oldest members of the Forum (which includes me, of course) told her that there were no shortcuts to becoming a master in dentistry but that time, education, dedication and passion would allow her to reach her goals in dentistry.(The old fashioned way to become successful.)
Another dentist and I were accused of hurting this young dentist's feelings and treating her like she was back in dental school.
The other old dentist defended himself but I offered my resignation to the ACE Forum.
Despite what young people today think, there are no short cuts to becoming world class or becoming successful. Learning everything you can, dedicated practice, caring about your patients and hard work is what made a great dentist and, in fact, is what made America GREAT.
What does this mean to you? It means that other dentists won't be saying a lot of nice things about my work and what I do for you. Rest assured, I still intend to get to my next level of excellence so that I can take care of you the best way that I can. I just won't have a 'cheering' squad (my colleagues) behind me.
And what did a master ceramists say when he saw that I was leaving the Forum?
Dear Dr Benjamin,
Hi. I will miss seeing your beautiful dentistry on ACE dental forum. If you post on any other forum please let me know so that I can follow your threads.
It cannot get any better than that.
I was one of the most frequent presenters of actual dental cases that I had completed and much of my work was very well received by my colleagues. In fact, many of my blogs contain actual (unsolicited) comments by other ACE members.
A few days ago one of our young colleagues asked for help on how to do back teeth root canals from members of the Forum but she was unwilling to accept a suggestion that she take more root canal courses. In other words..."Please tell me the quick and easy solution to a most complex problem."
The oldest members of the Forum (which includes me, of course) told her that there were no shortcuts to becoming a master in dentistry but that time, education, dedication and passion would allow her to reach her goals in dentistry.(The old fashioned way to become successful.)
Another dentist and I were accused of hurting this young dentist's feelings and treating her like she was back in dental school.
The other old dentist defended himself but I offered my resignation to the ACE Forum.
Despite what young people today think, there are no short cuts to becoming world class or becoming successful. Learning everything you can, dedicated practice, caring about your patients and hard work is what made a great dentist and, in fact, is what made America GREAT.
What does this mean to you? It means that other dentists won't be saying a lot of nice things about my work and what I do for you. Rest assured, I still intend to get to my next level of excellence so that I can take care of you the best way that I can. I just won't have a 'cheering' squad (my colleagues) behind me.
And what did a master ceramists say when he saw that I was leaving the Forum?
Dear Dr Benjamin,
Hi. I will miss seeing your beautiful dentistry on ACE dental forum. If you post on any other forum please let me know so that I can follow your threads.
It cannot get any better than that.
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