Am I Missing Something?

Most of my friends, colleagues and patients are astounded by my recovery and progress from my total knee replacement.

I am not sure why folks cannot see the relationship between excellence and outcome. I specifically selected Dr. Thomas Sculco because he is one of the best knee surgeons in the country and perhaps the world. I climbed 30 flights of stairs 3 times a week prior to surgery as Dr. Sculco requested, I followed his post op instructions ("Don't forget...Walk a lot.") and did all of my exercises prescribed by my in home physical therapist.

Do you really think that my recovery and outcome were in doubt when a patients selects THE BEST to take care of them?

I specifically told Dr. Sculco that I travelled almost 200 miles because I wanted the best possible care.

And I received exactly what I expected and paid for (all out of pocket...but the best always is.)

When you select the best people to take care of you , you have every right to expect a highly favorable outcome.

My return to work in under 4 weeks was no surprise to me.

Another Mentor's Comments

I have told you that I have had several long time mentors whose careers,  material use and techniques that I try to emulate. My biggest disappointment is that I have not been able to surpass their abilities and results.

I was supposed to take a course in Chicago last September but the consults and prepatory workup for my knee replacement prevented me from attending the course. Unfortunately, my mentor usually gives the course in Chicago every other year and I would have to wait an extra year to study with him.

Two weeks ago, the director of the course personally called me and informed me that the world's best resin dentist had decided to return to the United States in October, 2013 and she wanted me to be the first to know and register for the course.

I sent my mentor an email expressing my excitement that he was returning to the United States and that I had already registered for his course. As is my way, I always send my mentors photos of a recent case so that they can follow my progress using their techniques.

I received the following email from him:

"That's fabulous news, Gerald! I am glad your knee is doing great and that we will see each other again at CEE.


What a fantastic Class VI case!! Are you sure you still have anything to learn from me?

All the best"

Needless to say, when the best resin dentist in the world doubts that he can teach me anything, it is a day to celebrate. I am truly honored and humbled by my mentor's comments.

The Passing of Howie Leifer

Howie Leifer was one of my great childhood friends. I went to his Facebook page tonight because we never failed to wish each other a Happy Birthday and his birthday would have been tomorrow (January 24) only to learn that he had passed away on January 5 from what a friend on Facebook said was cancer.

Howie was one of my best friends in my formative years and because he moved to our neighborhood (Laurelton, Queens) from Manhattan at the age of 9, he knew everything about life. He taught us about sex, how to correctly throw a baseball, and how to be a patriotic American when our nation participated on the international sports stage.

He didn't go to college immediately after high school  but after college he went on to become a renown puppeteer and art teacher. He had literally thousands of Facebook friends from around the world and it amazed me to read how many people truly loved him.

The last time that I saw Howie was at a Jackson High School reunion about 10 or 12 years ago. We did  periodically email each other from time to time.

Howie idolized his brother who was the great sports photographer, Neil Leifer and any time Neil asked Howie for a favor, you could bet that Howie was right there for Neil. In fact, Howie managed Neil's photographic collection.

I guess it is normal to cry when you lose a piece of your life. Howie will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Can You Believe a Google Search?

As most people know, I opened my Saratoga office on January 13, 2009 and I began phasing out of my Troy office  as soon as I committed to the purchase of my present office space in late 2007.

If you do a Google search for Gerald Benjamin, DDS, almost 90% of the listings for me state that I am located in Troy, NY.

We all count of Google's accuracy when we do searches but a  gross error that states that I am a Troy dentist makes me wonder about the  truthfulness or accuracy of other searches.

Something to think about.

Interesting Thought

Arthur Schopenhauer said," Talent hits targets that no one can hit. Genius hits targets that no one else can see."

The combination of talent, passion and hard work  is what allows some of us to pursue excellence.  This allows us to hit targets that others cannot hit which I guess  is also the definition of 'world class' or performing at a level that few others can achieve.

Why would any patient select a doctor  who lacks passion and does not pursue excellence?

I selected my surgeon to replace my knee because I was told that he was among the best in the country. My research confirmed that fact. Everyone told me that I would be lucky to return to work in less than 6 weeks and then only on a limited basis. The fact is, I returned to work in 3.5 weeks, no longer use a walker or cane, can walk up 12 flights of stairs,   can already ride a bicycle, the last hurdle for knee replacement patients and walk the best that I have walked in 36 years.

My surgeon takes great pride in what he does as does his patient. This combination, according to my physical therapist is what produces fabulous results. Oh yes...after only 2 sessions of physical therapy, both my surgeon and physical therapists agreed that I no longer need to go to therapy....Absolutely unheard of.

I encourage everyone to consider finding THE BEST people to take care of you.

It's Not What You Would Think

Our Saturday morning ritual is to go to Compton's Diner on Broadway for breakfast.  Compton's is the kind of local place that the national news likes to go to during a Presidential campaign to check the pulse of the people.

Saratoga was featured in today's New York Times because there had been talk around town of limiting the extent of the Gun Show at the City Center. Compton's was crowded yesterday because people had come from all around the area to buy guns just in case that the sale of guns at gun shows would be regulated in the future as a reaction to the Newtown killings.  The national news had been reporting that gun purchasers were willing to spend whatever money they had to buy the guns that they wanted even though prices were at an all time high.

The men that I saw in Compton's didn't look like they had much money and they resembled  many of the folks that I treated in my early years of practice. The first thing that many of these men would say when they sat in my chair was, "Well, doc, just take out the tooth because I don't have money for this stuff."

It goes without saying that there is a segment of the population that literally has no money for dental treatment. I observed that many of  the men that I saw at Compton's who were talking about going to the gun show, had poor dental home care and looked like they did not have regular dental visits.
It is not that these men did not have money for dental care but that properly caring for their teeth was just not important to them.

Obviously they had plenty of money to purchase guns that were commanding the highest prices in recent memory but that was far more important than maintaining their dental health.

No matter what most people will say...Taking care of their teeth is NOT about the money but rather about HOW and WHERE people want to spend their money.

I was brought up to know that one's health is one of the most important parts of your life and if you have to make a decision on spending money on a car, a vacation or guns, your health comes first.

Apparently many people did not have parents like mine.

Inexplicable

After the National News on Channel 13 ended, there was an immediate lead in to the pre-show of the Golden Globes. I was drinking my coffee and was casually paying attention to the arriving stars when something caught my eye.  One of the most famous Rock performers in the world was interviewed by Matt Lauer and the rock star's wall to wall veneers looked like he had been treated by a dentist who does not usually perform a significant amount of cosmetic dentistry.

The average dental patient believes that if finances were not an issue and they were going to have cosmetic dentistry that they would seek out THE BEST of those dentists who do cosmetic dentistry so that they could have a stunning smile.

The rock star proves that it really is not about the money but rather about going for several dental consultations until you see work that is impressive.

What should the rock star's teeth looked like? Beautiful, natural, teeth that enhanced the gentleman's natural good looks. Instead, his teeth looked like, according to my wife, big, white, Chiclets.

You don't have to be a dentist to know what looks great and what doesn't.

Patients Who Appreciate and Demand Excellence

A relatively new patient was in our office yesterday morning to have his teeth cleaned and have a check up. The patient has family in the Saratoga area but when I asked him whether he was spending time with his family, he told me that the only reason that he was in Saratoga was to see me.

You see, the patient had flown in from Baltimore for his dental appointment yesterday morning and was returning home right after his cleaning appointment. When I told him how honored I was to have him as a patient, he said, "When you find a great dentist, you stay with him.

Incredible!

The famous dentists in big cities that cater to the wealthy and the well known have always had patients fly into town just to have a dental appointment and many times on their own jets. I don't view myself as a "famous" dentist but we have a significant number of patients that travel hours just to to be treated in our office.

I am always honored when a patient selects our office for their dental treatment whether you live around the corner in Saratoga, in the Capital District, or travel from a great distance.

The passionate dentist who pursues excellence is usually not going to be around the corner from your home.

Incredible

I received a call today from my dentist in Bellevue, WA who also happens to be the owner of the dental lab that I use for my bigger cases. He wanted to know how I was feeling after my surgery and when I planned on returning to work. After I informed him that I had turned the corner on my total knee replacement surgery and that I had started seeing patients today, he informed me that one of my cases was one of the best that he had ever seen. He loved my ad in HERLIFE  magazine which shows a photo of my patient with the saying, "The best known smile in Saratoga IS THE BENJAMINSMILE."
He told me that he thought that I handled the case perfectly and would I mind if he showed the photo in his dental lab so that other dentists could see it.

I am always honored when some of my highly knowledgeable colleagues admire my work. It is, as I often tell my patients, the ultimate 'WIN-WIN' situation. My patient receives a beautiful smile and I receive recognition from my peers.

I thank each of my patients for having the intelligence and trust to select my office to have their dental treatment.

An Old Email From a Colleague

I have an awful habit of keeping thousands of emails so that I can review cases and re-read comments sent to me by my colleagues. 

I received the following unsolicited email out of the blue from a colleague in California:


Gerald-

I went to your website and the girl in the photo (the bride) is has a perfect smile for her face, mouth, lips...i just gazed at it for a few minutes.  Lots of times I like to make 8 and 9 a touch longer than the others...not in her case.  it is perfect.  are those veneers?

great job

I enjoy reading what other dentists say about my work because they are in a position to judge whether work is outstanding or not. I had forgotten about this email until I was deleting some really old emails.

Rest assured that I will do my best to keep up the good work.

Medicare and a 30% Cut in Doctor's Pay

Mandatory cuts in spending were put off by 2 months by an agreement in Congress. One of the things that would have been cut was Medicare re-reimbursement to physicians by 30%. Dentistry has never been included in Medicare so this does NOT affect any dentist in the country.

I have told you that overhead in a dental practice is 65%-70% for the average dentist (I am in that group.) If a dentist has his or her fees reduced by 30% that means that the dentist would be able to pay all the bills to run the dental practice but that there would be NO money for the dentist to take home.

ZERO INCOME!!!!!!!!!

Physicians will, as things exist now, be paid 30% less if they agree to see Medicare patients. Why would any physician continue to see Medicare patients if he or she will not get paid to do so?

The wealthy elderly will not be affected as usual but the elderly that are totally dependent on Social Security for their monthly survival will be unable to pay a physician out of pocket to see a doctor.

Does this make any sense?

Don't get angry...Call your Congressman.

Would you work for someone who is going to cut your pay by 30%

Back to Work

As you know, I had a total knee replacement on December 7 and tomorrow I will return to work examining patients and seeing a limited number of consultations. My surgery is considered 'major surgery' and an incredible insult to the body. Tomorrow will be the 26 day post surgery. Two years ago, I had rotator cuff surgery performed laproscopically, a relatively minor procedure and returned to work after 25 days.

Next week, I will be performing restorative dentistry for my patients and I am thrilled to be back to work. It will probably take a few weeks to be back to full strength but knowing this, we have scheduled fewer patients. Our main concern is to make sure that you receive the finest dentistry that I am capable of doing.

I would like to thank Drs, Banchs and Byrne for seeing my toothache patients, Dr. Bulford and his team for seeing my surgical patients and for Dr. Traci Delwoo for seeing my patients that broke a tooth during my absence. I thank each of you for helping my patients during my healing period.