In Appreciation

I am not a big fan of FACEBOOK but  occasionally stop by to see if there is anything interesting going on. I posted a cosmetic case on FACEBOOK  for the very first time and received very positive reviews of my work from dentists that I used to be on dental forums with.

Then I received the following comment from a good friend and great colleague who taught with me at SUNY/Buffalo Esthetic Education Center at the Dental School?

A.j. Monacelli commented on your post. A.j. wrote: "Great work, Gerald, You are still the best. You set a standard all of dentistry should strive for." AJ was an excellent dentist before he retired because of back and neck pain. He was also a highly educated dentist who cared greatly for his patients. Unfortunately, his patients did not return the love  and were mostly interested in the cheapest possible dentistry. It is a great honor to to receive AJ's message today. Striving to be the best while pursuing excellence is what I have dedicated my  38 year career to. It is wonderful to be recognized by a fine clinician such as AJ.

Not Just a Pretty Smile

Most patients and (sadly) most dentists, believe that 'cosmetic dentistry' is about placing porcelain or resin onto teeth to create a beautiful smile.

Sorry, that is completely WRONG!!!!!

The vast majority of patients that want a new and beautiful smile have very worn and chipped teeth.
My question to myself is:

 And how the hell did these teeth get to look so worn?

This means that I must play the role of a tooth detective and find out how and why the teeth look like they do. What is it in the bite and/or the position of the teeth that caused collisions between teeth and caused them to wear?

After I learn what happened to the teeth I must ask myself:

And how the hell am I going to change something in the bite to correct the problem that I discovered?

It is only through the process of discovery that we can come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan.

I have to be honest with you...the physical aspect of treating teeth, after 38 years, has become pretty easy for me.  I have the education, skills, and eye/brain/hand coordination to do beautiful dentistry.

The diagnosis and treatment planning  area of dentistry remains a challenge for everyone who cares about excellence.

This case involved orthodontics (we won't go there) extraordinarily beautiful bone reshaping by the very talented Dr. Perter  Collins (Troy, NY), fabulous porcelain work by Sherill at Northwest Esthetics Dental Lab in Bellevue, WA, and my diagnostic and clinical skills.

So you thought that beautiful dentistry was just placing porcelain on teeth?

(Aside: I posted these photos on Facebook and within minutes a dentist across the country wrote:

David wrote: "Never seen a case from you I didn't like, Gerald Benjamin! Good to see from you again."

It is always a great honor to receive positive critiques from a colleague)

Perfectly Stated: Defining a Path for a Successful Life

This is a recent post from a recent  SPEAR EDUCATION blog post by Imatiaz Manji

The quality of your life depends a lot on the choices you make each day. And I’m not just talking about the “should I take this course or that course?” kind of choice—the kind of decisions we make in the context of our daily lives.

These can have important implications, but the biggest impact on our lives comes from what I call our “state of mind choices.” These are the kinds of things we sometimes forget are choices. For instance …

1. Choose to be a great clinician. That’s a choice that ultimately determines how successful you and your practice will be. If it’s one you’re committed to making, there should be no half-measures about pursuing the upper reaches of excellence. Once you have made the choice to be great, you have to be all-in, all the time.

2. Choose to be a great leader. It’s not enough to have a great vision in mind, you have to be able to get that vision into the minds of others and give them the tools and inspiration they need to join you on the journey. Make the sincere choice to do it and you will start looking at team leadership in a new way.

3. Choose to be profitable. Running a dental practice is not just about dentistry. If you aren’t seeing the right return on investment, you’ll never get to achieve greatness in the profession. Make the choice to be a complete dental entrepreneur.

4. Choose to be giving. A sense of abundance and gratitude is part of any fulfilling life. Don’t just get tied down in day-to-day obligations. Enlarge your life by giving and growing. Choose to be a part of something greater than yourself.

5. Choose to be healthy. It’s something we all understand at some level, but it is a lesson that too many people learn only when it is too late; nothing else really matters. Don’t wait for issues to develop. Choose to be healthy now and embrace everything that entails. Make time to make health the priority you know in your heart it is. And finally, on a related note…

6. Choose to be happy. And yes, it is a choice. Smiling makes you feel better and, more than that it makes the world smile back. Happiness is a mode of living that brings its own rewards and it is an approach to life that helps you conquer obstacles. Look at it this way: You can choose to let yourself get frustrated or discouraged by the inevitable disturbances of life. Or you can put on a smile and say, “It’s all good! Bring it on!” I know the choice I want to make.

My Comment was:

1. This is a great list for laying out a life plan. Numbers 2-6 are relatively easy especially if you are born with the ‘happiness gene.’
The decision to be a great clinician which means an absolute, relentless pursuit of excellence (especially for an entire career) is the most challenging. Doing a fabulous case is rewarding, wonderful and profitable. Now do 1000 more fabulous cases with each one as good or better than the first.
The commitment to clinical excellence is daunting and for many, unsustainable. 10,000 Hours is merely a good start. The book “Talent is Overrated” provides a good understanding of why brilliant, extremely talented and dedicated people fail to achieve and/or sustain greatness.




6 Hours to See the Dentist

I have taken care of my patient since she was  6 or 8 years old. Now at age 23, she is a graduate student in Boston. Today she travelled 3 hours each way for me to place two direct bonded posterior resins (white fillings.)

I told her that I was honored that she was willing to travel such a great distance for basic dentistry. She said, "Of course, I trust you."

I take photos of almost every tooth that I restore  at each phase of treatment: after I place the rubber dam, after I have removed the old filling to show the tooth decay, after the decay is totally removed and finally, the beautiful bonded filling at the completion of the treatment. My patients trust me because I show them the REASON that I am replacing their old mercury fillings.

As Ronald Reagan said: Trust but verify.

I am honored that my patients trust me to take care of you and DO THE RIGHT THING.

Thanks for being our patients.

Our 42nd Anniversary (July 24, 1971)

Susan and I met at 1106 Main Street in Buffalo, NY as juniors at SUNY/Buffalo in August, 1968.
On Valentines Day,1969,  Susan bought me a cheese slicer that we continue to  use on a daily basis. Yes the shine has worn off of the handle but it remains as solid as our marriage.

 

 During the holiday season 1971, Susan's brother, now deceased, gave us a cactus garden that contained several one inch tall cactus that were probably less than 1/2 inch round. Today that cactus is 12 inches tall and probably as round.

The overwhelming majority of people who attended our wedding are now deceased  but at 65 we remain healthy, happy and successful. What more could we ask for?

 

When WE the People Becomes just ME

What has made American Democracy great is based on a very simple concept: We all agree to stop at red lights. Not because it is good for me or good for you but because of the fact that we can count on each other to do the right thing, our American society has flourished.

But something is changing.

Yesterday, I saw a car pull into a handicapped parking space in front of Starbucks in Clifton Park. Yes the car had a handicapped tag but the only person in the car was NOT handicapped. He jumped out of his Honda SUV, opened the door and reached far across the back seat to get some books.
Twenty feet away was an open spot that was not for the handicapped but he was too lazy to park a car length away.

Did he care about someone who was handicapped and might benefit from parking in the convenient space. Nope...

It was only about HIM and how to make life convenient for him. I took a photo of his vehicle on my phone but Susan made me promise not to publish his license plate.

We cannot survive as a nation if 'We the People' is replaced by just "'ME.'

What Helen Thomas Said

You know that I love to read obituaries because I find out more about someone in their death notices than I knew about them when they were alive. In reading a full page story in today's New York Times about Helen Thomas who was the first woman selected to cover the White House spanning Presidents Kennedy to Obama there was a quote  by Ms. Thomas in which she said to a woman's group:


"I love my work, and I think that I was so lucky to pick a profession where it's a joy to go to work every day."

I feel exactly the same way about being a dentist. I just love to go to my office and fix teeth. It is never boring and always an exciting moment to see the final outcome of my work.

Confucius is often quoted as saying:

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

I could not agree more.

Ask your dentist (or your physician, lawyer, accountant or auto mechanic for that matter) if they love their job and watch their reaction. And then start your search for people to take care of you that DO love their work.

Patients that Travel Hours for Treatment

We currently have 8 patients from the Manhattan/ Long Island area that travel to Saratoga Springs for their treatment. Manhattan literally  has a dentist on every corner but some have decided that they prefer to be treated in our office and/or Dr. Banchs and Byrne at Root Canal Experts.

I find this astounding. The studies show that the overwhelming number of people will not travel more than 5 miles from their homes to see a dentist and yet most of my patients travel much greater distances to come to our office.

On July 11 someone from the New York City Ballet called my office and asked if one of their principle  dancers could be seen to have a filling replaced. We agreed to see her at the end of my day on Thursday or first thing Friday morning. Thursday evening was not possible because the dancer was performing at SPAC that night but she would greatly appreciate the Friday morning appointment.

The dancer is a nationally recognized performer but we treated her like we would treat any of patients with the exception that we asked her what it was like to be a  top notch dancer while she was getting numb.  The other thing that she volunteered was that it was 'scary' to go to a dentist in Manhattan because the offices were dirty and the equipment old.

While she was paying Tricia for the appointment at the front desk she commented:

"Thank you for taking care of me. I know that I am in the right office."

I am thrilled that my patient recognized that I truly want to take care of her and it would not surprise me if she returned next year for treatment when the NYC Ballet performs at SPAC.

I also take care of my brother in law who flies up from Huntsville, Alabama for  his dental cares.  (He does have cleanings done at home.) He made two trips from his home for this round of dental treatment.  As you would imagine, I do not charge our families for  their treatment but it cost Gary far more money  to have his 'free' dentistry done in our office than if he remained at home for care when you consider the cost of two round trip airline tickets  and other costs associated with traveling.

So why do people make such great efforts to have treatment in our office?  I believe that patients think that we care more about them than the dentists that they previously visited.

I am honored that people know that taking care of you is my passion and my life and I will continue to give you the best dentistry that I am capable of doing. Your great efforts demand MY great efforts.

Thank you for being my patient.


(Aside: Dr. Francisco Banchs reminds me that it is time to blog when a few days go by without my comments. Thanks Francisco for keeping me on my toes.)

Supporting the Community (revisited)

A few weeks ago I blogged about the obligation of successful people to financially  support the community that they live in.

What I didn't tell you is how our office contributes  and the rational for donating.  It is worth saying that
contributions from my office are  100% money that my staff and I would take home in our paychecks if we did not give it to worthy causes. We are literally taking home less money so that we can help others.

So what do we donate money for?

1.  National Museum of Dance that provides intensive training to young children to teach them the value of hard work, passion, effort and self discipline

2.  Medical Missions for Children which repairs cleft lips and palates for children in the United States and around the world

3. A small community library in Grafton,NY  which is a village where my previous office was located

4. A golf tournament which raises money for suicide prevention and awareness

5.  A fund raiser undertaken by a girl's Soccer League for breast cancer prevention

6. A golf tournament to raise money for a local Catholic elementary  school in Saratoga

7.  SPAC

8.  A small choir in Saratoga

9.  Saratoga Hospital

(Aside: I personally donated almost $20,000 to advance dental education for my colleagues but this has nothing to do with donating to the community at large.)


Why do we make these contributions?  One of my patients personally asked me to do so.

Why do we do it?  It is the RIGHT THING TO DO.

How much has our office  donated: $16, 000 (first 6 months of 2013).
(Susan and I personally donate an equivalent amount outside of the office)

I thank all of  my readers who are my patients because if it were not for YOU, none of this would be possible.  These gifts are in your name and in appreciation for allowing our office to take care of you.

An aside: More people read my previous blog on the need for philanthropy than any any blog that I have ever written except for my blog on turning 65...Hence the reason for additional comments.

I'll Say It Again

There is not a week that goes by that several people that I meet outside of my office ask the question, " Are you a REAL dentist or are you 'just' a cosmetic dentist?"

In 1995, I created the term "BenjaminSmile" and began to use it in all of my marketing efforts  to denote a one of a kind work of art. Oh really? My Smiles are different than other dentist's smiles in that:

1.  I personally create the prototypes for my smiles by spending hours of time in designing how the temporaries and the final veneers will look. (The overwhelming majority of dentists send the models to the laboratory to create the smile that THEY think the patient should have.)
2.  I spend one to two hours customizing the temporaries in the patient's mouth  so that the ceramicist knows precisely what the final smile should look like and so that my PATIENT has a true picture of what they will look like and offer comments if they want changes.
3. The overwhelming majority of dentists that I know take the veneers out of the box, bond them to place, remove excess cement, adjust the bite and dismiss the patient. We (Tricia, Jeanine and I) do all of the above but  then  we transform the porcelain by spending a final two hours by making the porcelain look like real teeth rather than a man made smile.

This intense attention to detail in creating a smile is what has become "THE BENJAMIN SMILE."
Does this mean that my veneers are stronger or going to last longer than other dentist's veneers?
                                                   
                                                                    NOPE

The problem is that people who are not my patients have come to take my exceptional marketing  efforts
to believe that I only do beautiful smiles.

I am a "REGULAR" dentist 95% of the time that I treat patients. We clean teeth, do fillings, crowns,  implant restorations  and  complex treatment which is referred to as full mouth rehabilitation.
It is correct that I ONLY  do restorative dentistry which means that I fix teeth and restore implants. I do not do root canal treatment, extractions, Invisilign  or gum surgery. But don't worry because if you need any of those specialities, I will refer you a fabulous specialist who is capable of treating you as well as you will be treated in my office.

I am a REGULAR DENTIST!

If you are considering looking for a new family dentist  please consider our office.

I am not just a COSMETIC GUY.

Angie's List

I frequently Google, "Cosmetic Dentistry Capital District, NY" to see what other cosmetically oriented dentists are doing. Angie's List came up in my Google Search and the blurb said:

'There are 73 cosmetic dentists in Saratoga Springs and 27 are TOP RATED.'

Oh really??????????

As a layman and reader of my blog, you already know that one of THE BEST ways to know if a dentist is competent in the area of cosmetic dentistry is to visit a dentist's website and see how many before and after  photos of actual cases ie those that are performed by the dentist and not PURCHASED by the dentist.
The overwhelming number of dentists who claim that they are 'cosmetic dentists' have NO photographs of their work on their website.

As you also know, the American Dental Association states that there is no such thing as a 'cosmetic dentist' and therefore, there are few standards of excellence that patients can use to determine how skilled a dentist is in the field of visually beautiful dentistry.

There are two certifying organizations that give patients a way to decide who may be competent  and who is not. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry has a rigorous Accreditation Process that is one valid way for patients to find a cosmetically oriented dentist. The other organization is the University of Minnesota which currently issues an ADA accepted and approved  Certificate of Proficiency in Esthetic Dentistry. The State University of NY at Buffalo was the first to issue this Certificate and I received my Certificate of Proficiency in 2001 from Buffalo. The SUNY/Buffalo Dental School caved in to the old timers on the faculty and closed the Esthetic Center which issued the Certificates in 2007

To my knowledge, there are no Accredited members of the AACD in the Capital District of NY and I am the only dentist with a Certificate of Proficiency in Esthetic Dentistry.  In addition, I am one of the few dentists with actual cases of the work that I have done placed on my website.

I am sorry, I cannot believe that fact more than 1/3 of the dentists in my small area are either competent or proficient  in cosmetic dentistry (a higher standard of excellence) as Angie's List implies. If someone from Angie's List would like to have this conversation so that I can understand their standards, I would be happy to engage them.

As the say in Missouri: "SHOW ME"

Some Get It

My good friend ,Dr. Ashok,  from Bangalore, India sent me an email this week after I sent him one of my cases for his comments. He said the following:

"Most dentists your age can only work 3-4 hours a day...You must be taking some Chinese medicine to keep you so young."

Working 10-12 hours a day is what I have done for my entire career and so far, it has not been an issue necessitating a shortening of my work day.

Today, I received an email from a patient that had  extensive cosmetic dentistry recently. Her email said:

"So glad! I am sorry it didn’t get done sooner! You’re the best – you and your staff are fabulous, and I have talked you up in conversations about teeth and dentistry! I am still having sensitivity with sweets and cold but not as much. It used to be Advil three times a day, but now I’m down to only once. I am hoping in a week or so everything will be fine." :)

Recognition is the most challenging accomplishment for any professional or business. I have worked hard for the past 37 years to perform the best dentistry that I could . I remain committed to maintaining excellence in clinical restorative dentistry and I am delighted to receive comments by both my patients and colleagues.

65 Isn't What It Used to Be

Susan and I met 45 years ago when we attended SUNY/Buffalo in the late 60s. We both grew up in lower middle class families where education was highly valued but money was scarce. You can say that our families lived paycheck to paycheck but the fact of the matter was that our parents paychecks did not last the entire 7 days. My Father would borrow $10 during the week and pay me back when he received his paycheck only to borrow the $10 again the following week.

Today is Susan's birthday  (65) and we took a short ride this morning and I asked her if she ever thought that we would have the life that we have.  She smiled and said, "Never."  Before Dental School, I was a high school teacher and Susan was a Child Protective Worker in Niagara County and we had more luxuries than our parents ever had. Luxuries meant that we could buy a pair of jeans when we wanted to and go out to a restaurant every Saturday evening, both were unthinkable when we were growing up.

Susan and I have both worked our entire lives and we continue to work.

I owe my success to every patient that I have every treated and I thank you for making me successful. My promise to every patient is that I will do the very best that I can to take care of you and to always put your best interest ahead of MY best interest. Just like I was trained to do.

I think that Susan looks pretty good  for her age.