It's Only Monday

It is only Monday but I have already heard from SIX young dentists asking me questions about their work or informing me of the progress that they are making in their work. This is just incredible on several fronts:

1. It shows that my young colleagues WANT to improve their skills despite the less than ideal dental school educations that they received.

2. Quality young dentists are the only hope that the profession has against the Corporate take over of dentistry. If that happens, dentistry of the mid 2000s will be considered the golden era of American dentistry.

3. It demonstrates that despite being in my mid 60s, I am still a relevant factor in my profession and a value to my patients.

To this last point, my patients should know that we have made 5 major technological changes/improvements in our our practice:

1. We recently purchased a new CEREC machine which will permit us to do single appointment crowns , bridges and onlays. Despite the fact that it has been our goal to keep as much tooth structure as possible until our patients are older, many have reached their late 50s and early 60s without any crowns but their teeth cannot have any additional fillings.

2. We are transitioning over to electric hand pieces (drills) which are quieter and more powerful. I was one of the first in the country to try electric hand pieces almost 20 years ago but they were so heavy that I eliminated them from my practice. I tried again to change over to electric  hand pieces 10 years ago but they remained heavy. Now, because there are so many female dentists, with  smaller hands, the hand pieces are no longer heavy.

3. I started using a different matrix system to create beautiful resin bonded front fillings. My previous matrix was introduced into my practice in 1998.

4. Instead of paper forms we introduced iPads so that you can enter your information electronically or online.

5. We are confirming our appointments with emails and automatic computer phone calls rather than have Donna do this manually.

I know of no other older dentist still at the forefront of technology and a willingness to help young dentists with their work.

I want to remain relevant and take care of you at the highest possible level.