Don't be a Soviet Blockhouse of dentistry
Ever since someone created art, there's been some Debbie Downer that's been arguing about what a waste of effort it is.
Why bother putting paint on that canvas when you could be paint the walls at the orphanage?
Why was so much money spent on fireworks when people are starving?
Why was so much effort put into that occlusal anatomy when the patient won't care?
That's doctor-centred dentistry
Yet there have been times in history where only practical things received attention. Times when there was no architectural beauty. When art was seen as frivolous. When there was nothing to inspire, to uplift, to feed those parts of our life that cannot be fed with money.
The truth is, we all have dentists around who don't do any doctor-centred dentistry. Who only do patient-centred dentistry. They do dentistry fast. They do crowns with overhangs. They keep costs down. Patients love them. At least at first.
At its extreme, patient-centred dentistry is rubbish
Patients don't know what's good for them.
But if we do something well, we often don't get thanked. We may earn a little less. Or a lot. We have slower starting practices. We need more discipline and endurance.
If we just focus entirely on the practical, the economics, the population health (those most concerned about population health no longer do dentistry...
🙂 ), become like a Soviet Block house. Grey. Miserable. Dull. Money can compensate a bit. But not enough.
Only having some fun alleviates this. Maybe you entertain yourself with occlusal tints. This is the reward for doing a meticulously sealed filling with perfect isolation. You are rewarded with the beauty of your work.
The perfectly closed suturing. The glossy twin flash diffuser pictures of the soft tissue graft sliding into place.
Without this, why would we bother doing excellence?
No one else will thank us for our efforts.
So go ahead. Do some doctor-centred dentistry. Do some dentistry you enjoy. Have some fun. Your best work will come when there is something in it for you as well. Something beyond grey economics.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Please comment, share or like.
