Archive for the ‘Real LIfe’ Category

I read an article the other day about “fear tax.” It was referring to the cost of being afraid. Fear extracts a tax on many levels… our national fear of terrorism has cost billions; not in rebuilding vandalized structures but in screening millions of travelers in their socks. Many companies fear failure and so never try to open new markets. Often people stay in jobs they do not enjoy rather than risk trying something else they may be passionate about.

OK, so now for the dental part. I see folks all the time who have let fear keep them from properly maintaining their teeth. They may be are afraid needed procedures will be uncomfortable, or expensive, or time consuming. Maybe all three! But the Fear Tax exaggerates, and encourages procrastination. And guess what… the longer maintenance is delayed, the larger more problems grow.

So we as a nation spend countless valuable man-hours being screened in airports. We leave many possibly exciting new endeavors untried. And we compromise our health, our appearance, our self confidence, our warm friendly smiles… because we give in to fear. I know for a fact that most fears are revealed to be mostly empty worries when confronted. And dentally speaking, when needed treatment is planned and those plans are systematically carried out, people feel (and look) so much better! One nasty fear conquered! So, as Nike famously said, “Just Do It!” Let’s not let fear tax us to death!

The other night we had fresh corn on the cob… and it was fantastic! I love good corn! When I was finished, my wife looked at my plate and said “wow! Look at that!” I was wondering what she could find so fascinating about empty corn cobs, but she commented on how well I cleaned up every morsel of wonderful corn. Now I have to explain why this is noteworthy…

I am almost done with my Invisalign treatment to straighten my teeth. I never felt my teeth were grossly crooked, but I could tell that some areas were wearing prematurely, as teeth often do when they are crowded or crooked. So I decided to have my teeth straightened – but I was not interested in all the metal brackets and wires needed to straighten teeth in the past. Instead, I chose Invisalign, because I would not have to show off any metal in my smile, would not have the discomfort of all that hardware in my mouth, and it would be so easy to keep my teeth clean during Invisalign treatment.

So now, as I am almost finished with my Invisalign treatment, I have been happy with the alignment that has been achieved. I appreciate the improved looks, the better balance of my bite. But I had not really paid attention to the improved function…My bite is more efficient now! My empty corn cobs look clean and well eaten, instead of all raggedy like before. And I don’t get all the stuff stuck in between my front teeth like I used to!

So the moral of this story is: if you want to show off well eaten corn cobs, use Invisalign to straighten up your teeth! Ok, maybe that’s not the best take-away point here. But protecting your teeth by balancing your bite pays dividends far beyond a gorgeous smile – you become more efficient! And when it comes to fantastic food… don’t waste another bite!

I just attended Union College graduation ceremonies. The class president, Justin Gibson, gave a great speech, during which he referenced the above quote from Winston Churchill. I wasn’t the only one that enjoyed it – I have never before seen a class president get a standing ovation for a graduation speech!

It is exciting to celebrate momentous achievements – graduation from college certainly qualifies. But really, such milestones are just a scenic overlook on the highway of our lives.

In other words, we should never stop learning, never stop growing, never stop moving forward. To continue the highway metaphor, if we stop on the highway very long, someone or something will run over us!

Whatever field we have chosen, whether we have just graduated or been in our business for decades, there is always plenty more to learn. We need to take the time to read books about our professions, continue to take classes, and maybe study something in a totally different field… you never know how it may help out! To paraphrase good Winston, I would say – all our life experience to date is just the start – we are now ready to get out there and start moving!

So to all the graduates this month, I say congratulations! Take a day, maybe even a week, revel in your accomplishments! Then join the rest of us, and get back to work! Move into the fast lane! Accelerate! Revel not only in where your life education has gotten you so far, but in the exciting places you may head for now! Make your future worthy of you!

They also serve, who only stand and wait.
–John Milton

Let’s face it… most people are geared to DO things. We want to ACCOMPLISH, and we want to do it NOW. Dentists are certainly like this. As you know, I am a dentist, and I am definitely into DOING stuff.

But really, I am all about service. I love serving others, whether it is in hosting a party, facilitating a meeting or providing the best possible treatment to my patients. However, sometimes service involves more than doing…. Service may involve waiting. Listening. Paying attention. Discovering what a patient’s true desires are for their life, and how optimal oral health fits into the picture.

So I have to curb my typical dentist’s desire to jump in and fix things! I have to slow down, listen to wants, discuss and evaluate options. The goal is to arrive at a treatment plan for each patient that lets them proceed to their goal at a pace that is comfortable to them.

This is how I think a service oriented dental practice should be run. I try hard to treat all my patients this way. In addition, I think that many other businesses would benefit from taking some time off of doing, and spend more time in waiting.

Maybe if John Milton was writing today instead of in the 1600’s, he would say “They also serve, who really listen before doing!”