A Little Help From My Friend

The overwhelming majority of dentists have an over sized ego and will rarely admit that they don't know something about dentistry or that perhaps that they need to ask a colleague or a specialist for help or guidance. Because I truly believe that my job is to take care of you, I will never let my ego get in the way of taking care of you.

I have tried several times to anesthisize a lower right molar for one of my patients that I have been treating more than 20 years. My patient has gotten soooooooo numb that she cannot feel her face nor when I press firmly on her gum tissue with a pointed instrument but when I went to start to fix her problem tooth, she stated that she could feel the cold water and I stopped immediately. I called my good friend Dr. Francisco Banchs who is renown for his skills as a root canal expert and asked him if he would be able to try to get my patient numb for me on her next appointment.

Early this morning, Dr. Banchs successfully gave my patient novocaine so that I could place a bonded direct resin. I never felt that my ego was challenged because for the second time in my 35 year career, I had to ask Dr. Banchs to help me.

I did this because I needed my patient to have the best possible experience during her dental treatment and be absolutely comfortable for her filling.

I received the following email from my patient early this evening:

"Hey Dr. B., thanks for taking care of my tooth today! Thanks for having Dr.
Banchs come and take care of my nerve! Glad you care enough about your
patients and have enough confidence in yourself to get the outside expertise
when needed. Many people would have hacked away or faked it!"

A true professional ALWAYS places their patients best interest above their own. Taking care of my patients is an honor and a privilege and I will do my very best to take care of you. You have my promise.

Is It Fair?

I fully understand that life is not fair. The fact that some of us were blessed to be born in the United States to parents that took their parenting responsibilities seriously is not fair to others who had the misfortune of not being born here and being abandoned at birth. That said, we all know what fairness is. When a person earning tens of millions of dollars a year pays only 14% of their income to the Federal Government in taxes but no Social Security taxes and no Medicare taxes...I think that it is unfair to the rest of us. Wealthy folks don't pay what the rest of us pay because wealthy folks MAKE the laws which allows them to pay low or no taxes.
It is NOT FAIR.

It also is not fair when a dentist with little experience in a particular area of dentistry, treats their patient knowing that they don't know what they are doing and charges the patient as if they were an expert. As you know, I am a general dentist who limits my practice to fixing teeth and restoring implants. This means that you will always be seeing a dental specialist for any area in dentistry that I feel that I am mediocre.My patients will see the best people that I can find to take care of you because I don't think it is FAIR to you to have you pay for mediocrity.

My job is to take care of you in the best possible way that I can.I play fair with you.

Inspiring the Next Generation

I am always honored when one of my young colleagues calls or emails me asking for help with a case.

For 30 years, I was a dentist in Cropseyville, NY which is 6 miles east of Troy. I had no professional camaraderie for most of those years because no one really cared to befriend me...When I arrived in Troy in 1979, the older dentists shunned me and gave me the impression that I was stealing food from their families table. Since 1992, I have studied with the best dentists in the world and that is where I met dentists to study and commiserate with.

When I opened my office in Saratoga Springs three years ago, I quickly became recognized by my young colleagues as a talented clinician and a local resource to help them with their challenging cases. A few weeks ago, a young dentist called me and asked for help with diagnosing and treatment planning a case on a young girl. After a discussion, it was decided that the young dentist would bring her patient to my office so that we could co-treat the patient.

Last week we did actually treat the 13 year old girl and today I received a note of thanks from my colleague which said:

"What a fun and inspiring 2 days! Thank you very much for taking the time and expertise and for challenging us all to be better dentists!"

It is exciting to see the enthusiasm of my young colleagues and I am thrilled to make a difference in their careers.

The New Year

Yes, I know that I am a few days late in wishing all of my patients a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. My best wishes for you are sincere none the less.

Moving my office and 'starting over' was an incredibly daunting and frightening decision but it turned out to be the best professional and personal move that I could ever make.

I thank each and every one of my patients for making 2011 one of the most exciting years our office has had.

I believe that 2012 is going to be a great year for America and our office.

I promise that I will continue to be a caring, honest, ethical and a clinically proficient professional so that I can be the best possible dentist for you. As always, I will never hurt you in any way just to make more money...That is NEVER a consideration in our office. YOUR BEST INTEREST IS ALWAYS OUR MAIN GOAL.

Thank you for being our patient.

My Legacy

There is no doubt that I have begun the final third of my career and periodically my friends, patients and advisers have mentioned the need for "creating a legacy." For the last 5 years or so, I have quietly started working towards the goal of having a legacy.

Roughly translated, 'Legacy' means transferring something (of value) from one generation to the next.

I post my work on dental Internet forums so that other dentists can see your treatment and decide if it meets the definition of 'EXCELLENCE' and as you know from reading previous blogs, dentists refer to their work or other dentists work as "approaching Gerald's work." This is one way of creating a legacy so that those that follow will see excellence and strive to meet or exceed the standards that I have laid down.

Another way of establishing a legacy and far more important, in my opinion, is to work directly with young dentists on THEIR patients. On Friday, one of my young colleagues brought her 13 year old female patient and her Mother to my office so that I could demonstrate for her how to treat this young patient. I restored half of the teeth and my young colleague did a wonderful job restoring the other half of the teeth. My colleague told me at the end of the 2 hour appointment, "You have taught me so much that my head is spinning." And before leaving my office, my colleague said to me, " I have only known you for three years but you have already changed the way that I practice."

Isn't that FABULOUS?????????

My legacy will be what I teach the next generation so that those patients who sincerely are looking for excellent dental care will have dentists who are capable of providing great care.

I really don't to have to worry about my Legacy...I am doing everything that I can so that my current patients will always have dentists to take care of them when I no longer can. The idea of no longer being able to treat my patients is very upsetting to me but that is MY problem...You, on the other hand, can rest comfortably knowing that you will always have someone who is superbly capable of taking care of you.