Have you ever left your office and had the “glazed eyes – burned out look”? I cannot begin to tell you how many times I came home from my office over the past 30 years, looked at my wife, and said, “I am not going back tomorrow!” As a general dentist, we face many challenges. We attempt to run a profitable business; mechanically yet medically treat our patients; attempt to make them happy, pleased and satisfied with our dentistry; realize that the patient thinks what we did to them is permanent and forever; deal with upsets of some patients, staff and suppliers; and, at the same time, attempt to keep current in the rapidly-changing profession of dentistry.
I did not have a clue dentistry would be so challenging. I graduated from dental school in 1978 and I drilled, filled and billed my first five years. I soon realized I had chosen a profession that could be monotonous and a bit mundane. And I began to question if I had made the right professional choice.
In 1983, I signed up for my first continuing education (CE) course sponsored by Dentsply. The weekend
topic was esthetic dentistry innovations. And yes, we had some innovations in esthetic dentistry back then. I recall it was a two-day course. But I immediately realized that I was learning things I had not been taught in dental school. I came back from the course renewed and ready to modify my drilling and filling techniques. I figured out quickly that CE courses stimulated my brain and gave me a renewed feeling to go back into the office on Monday.
I took my first comprehensive orthodontic CE course in 1988 and it changed my life forever. I had discovered the “missing piece” of my practice. What if I had never attended that orthodontic CE course? Would I be in dentistry today? Maybe an implant course changed your dental path. The point is this: if you had sat in your practice and not pursued CE, where would you be today? There is always more than one way to skin a cat or treat a patient!
Whether it is continuing education in Endo or Perio or Ortho etc., you only know what you know and you don’t know what you don’t know! I had a comment recently from a doctor who has studied with me, stating that he had observed many clinicians simply place direct bond tubes on the first and second molars. He asked why I opted to band the first and second molars on my patients. I gave him my explanations and ended our conversation by challenging him to give direct bracketing of tubes to the molars a try and see how it works.
As stated earlier, my orthodontic CE path began in 1983. Since then, I have thousands of CE hours and I am still going. I always took away something from every course I attended and employed some things I learned and discarded others. But I stored all of the various “pearls” away in case I ever needed them. Again, learning new techniques decreases the monotony of general dentistry.
“Birds of a feather do flock together!” And, doctors who stay up on the latest techniques and concepts in dentistry have a tendency to hang around with other doctors of the same character. Whether you attend a one-day weekend course, a comprehensive course or a continuum program, doctors who stay active and involved in continuing education are simply better and more well rounded practitioners. Plus, attending meetings like the American Orthodontic Society’s annual meeting not only sharpens your orthodontic education in the various lectures offered, but also provides you the opportunity to learn many orthodontic concepts outside the lecture rooms, with one-on-one conversations with other clinicians.
I have found that while at our annual AOS meetings, I often learn just as much in a one-on-one encounter during a break. I will often corner one of my pediatric friends and get a mini-education in growth and development from them. Knowledge is power and sharing knowledge with each other is empowering.
The Social Aspect of Continuing Education
I can honestly report that the social value of continuing education, especially annual meetings like the American Orthodontic Society, has made a great impact in my 60-year-old life. I have made everlasting friend- ships and bonds that will exist for eternity. For most of us, dental school was not a self-esteem builder. It was competitive; some instructors were ruthless; and teamwork was non-existent (at least in my experience). We graduated and immediately learned we were in a very competitive field.
For many clinicians, dentistry tends to make us reclusive, defensive and skeptical. Instead of supporting each other as a profession and “covering” each other, giving each other the benefit of the doubt, we instead “bury” our fellow clinician by throwing rocks at one another, never attempting to understand the whole story. I always have believed that what you reap, you sow; and when we do not support each other, we lessen our profession.
When I attended my first annual meeting of the AOS around 1990, I realized I had found a dental home. I immediately knew I wanted to hang out with these types of practitioners. They seemed to be a different breed. It was sort of like finding a new church home where everyone really cared about each other. The average AOS member, I have come to know, works hard, keeps current in CE, supports each other, develops deep friendships with one another, and finds time to have some fun. I will never begin to be able to express the importance of the American Orthodontic Society in my social life. It has transformed me into a much better clinician.
Credentialing & Tier Advancement
As I was walking a patient back to one of my operatories one day and he passed the many certificates I so proudly display, he said, “This must be the “I love me” wall”! I remarked, “Yes I do love myself!” But it also displayed to this patient (as well as all of my patients) that I take my profession seriously; that I stay up with the latest techniques; that I pursue education with passion; and I am trained to treat them orthodontically.
When you go see your doctor, don’t you read his plaques on the wall? I do. I want to know everything about the guy who is treating my family and myself. I am proud of so many of you in the AOS who have achieved a Diplomate status or have begun to progress though our Tier Advancement program.
Many of you will not realize the importance of these achievements until (God forbid) you have a legal issue. I serve as an expert witness for general dentists in orthodontic litigation. The opposing attorneys are always attempting to discredit the orthodontic education of the generalist. I always challenge them to come to one of our meetings and look at the Diplomate cases presented. I will put the cases of our Diplomates up with any orthodontically treated cases in the world. If you have your Diplomate with the AOS, you are an excellent orthodontic clinician. And having the Diplomate in a legal proceeding is a plus to put it mildly. I challenge each of you to pursue tier advancement with our Society.
Please continue your orthodontic continuing education path. Please do not stop with a four-weekend course and think you have all of the answers. Diversify your knowledge by experiencing all of our talented instructor/clinicians in our Society. And pursue continuing education in all modalities of dentistry you perform within your practice.
Life is short, my friend, and all you have is now. It is what you do with the now that matters. Be the best clinician you can be. And, enjoy each day that God has given you.
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