Education

I am firm in my conviction that education secures success.

Dr. Bulford, one of my oral surgeons and the director of implant program at Ellis Hospital informed me last year that the then current group of dental residents were lacking in their ability to diagnosis and treatment plan especially in the areas of cosmetics and implant restoration. I volunteered to present lectures to lasts year's residents but we never got around to putting our thoughts into action.

This year, however, Dr. Bulford and I agreed that our new residents, lacking the same dental skills as the previous group, would have the opportunity to learn more. I agreed to present 3 three hour lectures to his residents in an after hour dinner program.

The residents have had their fundamental beliefs shaken to the core when I presented the concept of using direct resins (placed under a rubber dam) to preserve beautiful natural tooth structure. Dental School taught them all of the information that I was taught 40 years ago when the information was valid.

"This can't be correct!" was the response to my first lecture because we were taught that it won't work.

After placing direct posterior resins for almost a quarter of a century, I think that I would know what works and doesn't work.

Before my second lecture, several residents told me that they had rethought the information in my lecture  and were thinking that the maximum preservation of natural tooth structure was a worthy goal.

I have one last lecture to present next week and I think that I will have had a profound impact on my young colleagues. One resident said, " We weren't taught any of this information at SUNY/Buffalo Dental School."

Do you see why I want to fire half of the faculty and double their pay? We cannot have the same old, same old and survive in the new world.