This Dentistry Thing is a Pretty Good Gig

We have all had them. If you have been at this game long, you have had days where nothing seems to go right. And, it all seems to happen on the same day. Crowns that do not fit well. Impressions requiring multiple re-makes. A class II composite with an open contact when you are already 20 minutes behind, and you thought this was the procedure where you might pick up a little time and get back on schedule. The whiny kid with the hovering parent. The inferior alveolar block that makes you feel like you are using expired anesthetic. This is all before lunch. I could go on. You know exactly what I am getting at. At the end of the day, you feel like a rag doll that has just been drug through a knot hole. When you arrive home, you just want to be alone and decompress. After kicking the family dog, he then emerges as the only one in the family that can stand being around you. At this point in time, you have nothing left to give to those who mean the most to you, your family.

Fortunately for all of us, days like this are typically few and far between. Nevertheless, they do happen. In addition to being exhausting, they can also bring us to our knees, physically and spiritually, and even make us question if dentistry is right for us. You begin to wonder, “Did I make a mistake? Am I in the wrong line of work? Surely there must be something better...”

It is usually at about this point in the day that you slowly begin to wake back up to reality. You re-discover, all over again, that yes, this dentistry thing really is a pretty good gig. You see, I have some perspective on this. Prior to dentistry I was a jack-hammer and bore-gun operator for the Tempest Company. The Tempest Company installs natural gas lines for the Questar Corporation. While a jack-hammer is likely familiar to most of you, a bore-gun may not be. A bore-gun is a beast of a machine used to drill under roads and other structures. It is notorious for either pinning its operator to the side of a ditch, or throwing him to the ground. Neither is very fun. The mere mention of it sends chills up my spine. The guy running the bore-gun and the jack-hammer is the lowest man on the totem pole. He does everything that everyone else up the line, the welders, the pipefitters and the backhoe operators, either would not, or could not do. As I recall, it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. If it was not dusty, it was usually muddy. The hours were long and the pay was poor. But, it was a job, and at the time, I felt lucky to have it.

As time has passed during my career as a dentist, the full value of that miserable ditch digging job began to sink in. Its real value was the perspective it gave me on my current occupation. It always served to quickly bring me back to the realization of just what a great profession we have in dentistry. I have also learned that bad days can happen in any line of work. Why should dentistry be immune? Additionally, I have learned to expect a few “bad days” now and again. Moreover, I have discovered that bad days do not have to last all day. The whole day does not need to take on the label of “bad.”

From time to time, it is good to remind ourselves just what an awesome opportunity it is to be a dentist. We do work hard, but most of us would not have it any other way. Think about it, the list on the positive side is long. This is my top ten: 1. Flexible hours – If I want a vacation, I take a vacation. 2. Flexible modes of practice – We do the procedures we most enjoy doing. Dentistry gives us such variety. 3. Security – We will not be replaced by a robot, nor can our work be done remotely, at least not anytime soon. 4. Money enough for a comfortable lifestyle, a reasonable retirement, and even a few toys. 5. Comfortable, climate-controlled, indoor environment, unlike my other job digging ditches. 6. The opportunity to make a profound difference in the quality of life for many people – Wow, this is a biggie! 7. The development of lasting friendships with staff, patients, and colleagues. 8. The intellectually stimulating marriage of art and science that is so much a part of our work. 9. The ability to have a life outside the office in order to pursue other interests. 10. Autonomy1 – We do not have someone looking over our shoulder checking our work.

Photo: Image licensed by Ingram Image

So, there you have it. We really do have a pretty good gig. I love being a dentist, and hope you feel the same way!

Dr Mark R. Taylor UDA President Elect

1 This autonomy, of necessity, stipulates that we practice ethically and with the utmost integrity. In the next issue I would like to review the ADA’s Code of Ethics and focus on our ethical responsibility to ourselves, our staff, our patients and our profession.