...and doggonit people like me.

I had a patient the other day.
She is one these patients that likes everything we do here.
She is in her mid-thirties and appreciates the atmosphere that try to create.

They say (who is they you ask, I don't know) that the office with attract the people in age group around 10 years from the age of the dentists.
So I can see that my practice is filled with 30-50 year olds.
I think I break the mold a little because I am 39 (NOT almost 40) but I act like I am 25.
So my crowd does dip into the 20's as well.

Anyway, this patient really likes me.
She proceeded to tell me this story.
She was referred by this family. Dad, mom and two daughters, who at one time liked me (So much that they were referring their friends).
When this patient was coming in last week she was at their house and said I have to go to Dr. Gammichia's today.
She was talking to the Dad, when he said, "Yeah, mom and the girls still go to him and like him but I am not going to him anymore."
She said, "What happened?"
He said, "He said something that made me mad and I won't go there anymore."
"Well, what did he say?" she said.
He goes on to tell her that one time him and I were talking and he asked me if I would take his front teeth out and give him some sort of denture.
Now this kind of stuff turns me off. People not taking care of themselves and then just asking me to do stupid stuff like this. I don't do this kind of dentistry which is why I am not surprised by my smart-al-ick response.
She said I said to him, "If I take your teeth out, how am I going to feed my kids?"

I shook my head like, yeah, that is something I would say.
I was thinking to myself, "that's it?" He was mad at me for that. I was kind of relieved because I have a tendency to tick people off for way more than that. If you think the blog is the only place I get in trouble, well you are way wrong.

We have a practice that has a certain niche. We do great work here and I find that your office kind of attracts the people that you cater to. I cater to the people that care about their teeth. We, without knowing it, talk people out of the dentistry we don't like to do and into the stuff we do like doing.
Same with the type of people. We could care less about the people we don't like and bend over backward for the people that we like. So we build a practice full of people we like and do all the things we like doing.

I don't like grouchy people and I like to save teeth.

So I ended up defending myself to this patient. I said, "Listen, when I was younger, this story would of been a crushing blow." I had the mentality that EVERYONE must love me and anything else is failure.
But now that I am more mature (and I use that term loosely), I tell myself that I am okay with everyone not liking me.
I went on to tell her, "I am a certain way. I am a jokester. I like a light atmosphere. I like to make people feel comfortable, sometimes with hugs and sometimes with humor.
I do this day in and day out. MOST people like it. I am not going to change the way that I am. I think I have a good thing going here (and she was nodding in agreement). If one person doesn't like it then I have to be okay with that."

I have been watching a bunch of Stuart Smally and agreeing with his philosophy, "I am good enough, I am smart enough, and doggonit people like me".

I want you to know it pains me to say this. I still in my soul want everyone to like me but....
I can't do it. I have so much crap going on in every aspect of my life I don't have the energy to go after the one percent anymore.
Now all you people out there that feel the same way as I did, stop. Stop trying to please EVERYONE. You can't do it.
I think dentists are wired a lot alike. We are a breed that takes failure very hard. We liked to be liked.

So, of course, I say this to you but in the back of my mind I keep thinking should I pull this guys chart. Should I write him a little note. Should I give him a call and apologize. I...can't....let....it....go....
I mean do you think the Ritz-Carlton's motto is "Let's try to please most people"
But again, as good as they are they don't please everyone.

This is how I justify this to myself.
Listen, I have a wife that loves me, unconditionally. I have kids that love me (because they don't know any better and genetically wired to do so). I have a great practice (I think) and some really great friends, and I am going to heaven when all this is done.
What more can a guy ask for?
As the great Billy Donovan said once, "Don't mess with happy."

See you guys Friday,
I hope you are enjoying the blog,
john

AGD Fellowship

Okay I have a dental topic I want to talk about.

Oh, before I forget my wife wants me to tell you we don't beat our kids. In the last blog I spoke of spanking our kids and smacking the attitude out of them. To all HRS and child service employees out there. It is more like gentle rebuking.

I want to talk to you about the AGD Fellowship Award.
I have always been an organized dentistry person. I have always been a big believer in continuing education.
I have always thought that the AGD was the perfect organization for me. I am a big believer in raising the bar.
I am in the AGD because they speak my language. Always in the back of my mind I have thought about the Fellowship Award they give.
As a young dentist I knew it existed but thought it might be 15 years before I got all the hours needed to qualify.
Then at an AGD annual meeting I saw a person I went to dental school with. She was in the class under me. She said she was taking the exam. Humm, I said to myself.
If she could do it, maybe I am getting close to being eligible.
I called the AGD (a person answered, what a concept) and they were able to tell me how many hours I have. I think it was something like 625. I said, "I asked how many hours do you need to be eligible for the award?"
She said, "500".
What me, a fellow? I started to get really jazzed.
I then told her I where she could send my award.
NOT SO FAST SUCKA.
She told me I needed to take the exam and then go accept your award at an annual meeting.
WHAT?!! An exam. Whatyoutalkinaboutwillis?
I thought I was done with that. I barely passed all my exams in dental school what makes me think I can pass this one.
It took me awhile to call back but I did. I then bought the study review packet. This packet gives you a bunch of information but what it does is gives you past tests to review. It gives you the question and it breaks down the answers. Why one is right and the others are wrong.

I start to take a review test. I think I started with pathology. Big mistake. I got ALL of the questions wrong. Not all but one but ALL. I went to read the explanations and it was like I was reading a Chinese manuscript.
I took a deep breath and decided to try one that I know I am a ringer at. Operative dentistry. This is my favorite topic in all of dentistry. Of my 600+ hours of C.E. more than half are on this topic.
I don't know why I am wasting my time taking the review test because I know it all.
WRONG.
I got less than a 50%. WOW. What a blow to the ego. What the heck am I going to do now.
If I stink at the stuff I (think I) know then I am in real trouble when it comes to this exam.
Oh, by the way, when I signed up to get the review packet I payed to take the exam.
So I was going to take the exam the question was when.

Let the procrastinating begin.

I told myself I would study and I didn't. I didn't want to fail.
But I would say to myself, "I am too busy to study. I have to do this thing. My kids need me."
So time went by and nothing.
Then I heard from someone that just got the award that he took this review at the annual meeting and then took the test. It went great, he said.
Okay this is what I was going to do.
I signed up for the review and the test in Denver. Very nice meeting. Great city.
The review days were Thursday and Friday and the test was on a Saturday. Perfect, I thought.
I was so excited about this review that was going to get me through this test.
Oh my word.
I am trying to describe the review in words and I can't. It was a 18 hour review that if done properly could of been done in about a 100 hours.
There was so much information that there was not enough time to absorb it. At the first break my head was spinning. It was like all of the book work in dental school wrapped in a two day course.
I was out of my league.
I needed my mommy.
I tried to stay positive though. The second day came and it was so so bad. Oral path, systemic path, pharmacology, pediatric dentistry, endo, prostho, radiology and all the other topics that apparently I don't know anything about.
I went back to my hotel room and told my wife there is no way I am passing this exam.
But I had paid my money and I am hear. I might as well take the thing.
The next morning I took the test. WOW. It was very difficult. Although the review reminded me of the information that I don't use anymore (like, if you move the xray cone beem back, how does that affect the KVP?) I didn't know it enough to get a question right.
Man did I feel small. Did I mention that I was out of my league?

I blew it. That night we went to a Colorado Rockies game and that was the last time I thought about the exam (at least this is what I told myself).
6 weeks later I was sitting at my desk and a letter from the AGD came. It sat there for a couple of days. I kept telling myself that I was a good dentist. People liked me. No one is really going to know if you failed. (except for my staff. They were waiting to let me have it if I failed).

I finally opened it. I PASSED.

I don't believe it. The passing grade was a 50 (thank God for the bell curve) and I got a 51.
I am not ashamed. Passing is passing. YEAH BABY. (and I didn't have to hear it from my staff and to tell the truth they were quite proud of me).
Now let the bragging begin. I told everyone. Mom and dad. My kids, my patients, people I passed in the streets.
I kicked that test's butt. It was NO PROBLEM. Yeah, that test was easy.

In all seriousness it was hard. But I am proud.
I do like to tell people I am getting my award in Orlando this year. I stick my chest out a little (I don't tell them the 51 thing).
I am going to buy the graduation picture and I am going to put in up in my office.
It is not something that was a walk in the park, but I am so glad I did it. Things have a way of working themselves out.
I am proud to be a AGD member and I am really proud to be a Fellow in the AGD.

Have a great Monday,
john


And to be honest with you I am eyeing that Masters award now, but don't tell anyone.

Cheating

I know this is a mostly dental blog but there are so many social issues that come up all the time I think it is better to be dynamic.

So here is a social issue that is really "blowing my skirt up".

I was listening to the radio yesterday morning in the office. Not a terribly loud or obnoxious station (which I have been known to have on). It is a mix between 70's, 80's and 90's.
You know, an office station, Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Sade. Now yesterday morning the DJ was asking people to call in with secrets they keep from there spouse.
So this 28 year old woman calls in. She obviously has a couple of kids because you can hear them in the background.
The DJ asked the woman, "Do you have a secret that you keep from your husband?"
Let me preface this with this could of been a funny bit if they have the right people called in.
Something like...
I like wearing my spouses underpants or I have my own separate checking account or I get up in the middle of the night and eat crackers in bed while watching the reruns of the Oprah show.
You know what I mean.

But it was just their luck that this woman called. She said "Yes, I have a secret but I could get in trouble if I say it."
Now with a little egging on from the DJ she goes on to say that she just went back home to see her parents and she "got together with the boyfriend she had before she got married."
Now she went on to say that they didn't "do IT" or anything but she hasn't kissed like that since she was 13.
She went on to say that everytime she goes home her husband is accusing her of shacking up with her old boyfriend. And goes on to tell that she has never done anything so this time she just went ahead and did it.
The most disturbing part about the story is all throughout the story you could hear her kids in the background.

This is totally unfair to the husband. I can see the conversation when she got home from one of trips back home.
"Hey honey, how was the trip? Great, how is the family? Great, did you see anyone? Oh, you saw your old boyfriend again. What!? I thought we talked about that. I don't have a problem with your old boyfriend but I know you think you are just friends but I am telling you men can't be friends with woman without thinking of IT. You are fooling around with him aren't you?"
(I can assure the conversation is not like it reads. There most definitely some screaming and some F-Bombs going off, but you get the point).

"Why do you have a problem with my old boyfriend and I being friends. I have known him since high school and just because we did IT in high school doesn't mean we can't be friends now."
WHAT!!?!!

Now the DJ played along and played the neutral party.

I was shocked by the whole story.
My assistants and I haven't stopped talking about it since yesterday.
I know before you go there, I am very naive. I truly don't know the ways of the world.
I have been sheltered all my life but I can't help it. I am about to give you opinions but you know what they say about opinions... (if you don't email me and I will tell you...too crude for this family blog). I know people have affairs and it is for many reasons. I know people are unhappy and hurting and look to the arms of another but...

Where does it say that this life is going to be easy? Where does it say that this marriage is going to be without strife? Did I miss the waver or the consent form?

Where does it say, "If it feels good, just do it". Or "if it is tough, just quit"?

I keep shaking my head at this woman. The kids are in the fricking backseat. KIDS. The things in the back that when you decide to have them you are to realize that the world does NOT revolve around YOU.
They are the people you give things up for. The people you are suppose to sacrifice for. The people you are suppose to work for.

Now one of my assistants is "worldly" and occasionally takes the side of the world. She said, "Sometimes people cheat in a marriage but still want to be married to their spouse."
My thing is that if you are unhappy in your marriage, do something about it. TALK. COMMUNICATE with your spouse.
Is this this woman's way of crying out to her husband? "I cheated on you, now will you listen to me?" Oh and by the way I told everyone in Orlando today because I announced it on the RADIO.

The worldly assistant does have some valid points sometimes (when she agrees with me). She says she thinks it is the way we are brought up. Parents give their kids everything. If they don't the kid cries and the parent then give it to them anyway.
If the kid is in trouble at school with a teacher the parents have to step in and not encourage discipline by the school but to be their advocate.
This is BS. If my kid gets in trouble at school and I hear about it, they are going to get whipped at home.
How about when they are at college? Mommy, my Chemistry professor is being mean to me (you have to say it in baby talk). Okay, mommy will call up the Chemistry professor at Cornell and ask them to stop being mean to you.
Or how about when they get a job. My boss is being a real ass, I am just going to quit.
Good honey, you just keep quitting jobs until you find a real nice boss that lets you do whatever you want. And, Oh, if you need money for rent when you are unemployed you just come back to mommy.
My wife blames our social issues entitlement.

We think we deserve everything. Where does it say this? I do deserve things but it is not EVERYTHING.
I deserve to get fired if I suck at my job. I deserve to go hungry if I don't have a job. I deserve to lose my house if I can't pay the mortgage (MOMMY).
or on the other hand some of our thought are...

I deserve to have a sweet automobile even if I can't afford it. I deserve to buy that stupid thing that I can't afford to impress the people I don't like.
I am being to naive.
I am being to conservative.

The bible speaks a lot about raising kids...
There is a proverb that says, "Train (that is a good word, train) up a child in the way he should go and they will not depart from it."
Well, unfortunately in some cases, this is what is happening. We are training our children to act this way and they are becoming adults that act this way.
My eight year old is starting to complain everytime he doesn't get what he wants. Now I have given him grace up until now. I told him the next time he complains to me about not getting what he wants, not only will he NOT get what he wants, he is going to get the "rod of discipline".
This is the Bible's way of saying, I am going to beat the attitude out of him. Do I like "disciplining" (we don't call it spanking anymore)? Hell no. It totally sucks when I have to spank my kids (I mean discipline). I hate it. But another Bible verse is "...spare the rod, hate the child."
I discipline him or her because I LOVE him or her.

Now back to this woman. She has just "kissed" the rest of her life away. Do you think it was worth it. Now comes the arguing. Then the separation. Then the divorce. Then the custody hearing (Judge: Son who do you want to live with? Your mom or your dad?).
How many marriages will she go through until she grows up and realizes what it takes to make it work? COMMITMENT. WORK. SWEAT.
How many people are going to be ruined before she learns?

Damn, I am opinionated.
Well, what do you think?
Am I off my rocker?

Have a good weekend,
john

Augusta

THE MASTERS

Well, I have been to Augusta National. I think I have a glow (like Moses did when he came down from the mountain).

My father and I got back last night at about 11pm (yes, I am working today, I have to work to pay off those tickets).
I want to tell you about it but I don’t know where to start.
The trip up to Augusta was good. It was about 6 and half hours but we MapQuested it, so even though we felt like we were lost at some points we stuck to the directions (it helped to see middle aged men with golf caps in the car next to you).
We got to Augusta about 7:30pm so we decided to go right to the course just to see the entrance.
Well there isn’t really an entrance. When you think Augusta you think a huge entrance with fountains and lights on a huge sign saying AUGUSTA NATIONAL. No so. It is just an entrance with a guard gate. The exit must be somewhere else because the entrance was no bigger than one side of the road.
So from the street you have no idea what is back behind the wall of trees.

So to the motel we went. This was a bit of a challenge because it is dark by this time, you are in a foreign place and there was construction everywhere.
We finally get to the motel after 3 phone calls to the guy at the counter (notice I didn’t say concierge). I thought we would never get there. My father and I have ZERO short term memory (I swear it is genetic). I hear my dad on the phone with the dude, “Go South on SR 20, take exit #194, go left and then take the second left. You say I can’t miss the hotel. Thank you so much sir, I guess I will see you in 5 minutes”. So dad what did he say, “He said, take exit #120 and we can’t miss it.”
“That can’t be right, we just passed exit #195, #120 doesn’t seem like 5 minutes away.” Do you feel my pain?
We get to the hotel (and I use this term loosely). I am looking at this place and asked my dad how he came to rent this place. He said, “I got it online. I did a search as the closest and least expensive place to the golf course.”
I can ‘t argue with this, this is probably what I would of done but this place is what Bart Simpson calls the Rusty Pelican. It was a roach motel.
So the dude at the counter says, “Okay one room with a king size bed.”
WHAT!?!!
Visions of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles start coming to mind. “Those aren’t pillows!!”
I looked at him and then looked at the dude and said, “Do you have rooms with two double beds (Please God)?
“Yes” he said “but it is going to cost a little more.” As an aside he could have said it was going to cost $400 more and I would have paid it.
It was twenty dollars more. SOLD.
We dumped our stuff off and went out to eat. We went to Sticky Fingers Rib Shack. It was good and here is the first place where we came into contact with people.
People in Augusta are so nice. Everyone was excited to have us. We sat at the bar and had dinner. Being our first time we asked everyone questions about parking and such. They all wanted to help. Next thing you know we have two guys righting directions on a napkin telling us where the least expensive parking is.
Back to the motel, no problems this time, where we watched the second half of the NCAA basketball championship game. I am the only one that thought it was kind of boring without the Gators in it?
Crashed.
I was awoken at about 3:30am by my dad snoring. Now I am a light sleeper as it is but this was bad. He can really snore. (imagine if we were in a king size bed together). He sounded like Chewbacca with a chainsaw. There was no sleeping with that going on.
So I didn’t know what to do so I took all the covers and blanket and put myself on the floor next to the air conditioner. White noise.
Now this did drown out the snoring but now I was cold and I was on the FLOOR of the roach motel.
The wake up call came at 6am (which the night before sounded like a good time) and according to my calculations I slept about 4 and half hours.
We arranged for a round trip car service to pick us up. This turned out to be a great idea because we would leave the entire decision making up to someone else.
We got in the car and the driver said, “You are not going to bring that camera are you?”
I said, “Yes, everything I heard so far was that you could bring in a camera for the practice rounds and NOT for the tournament.”
He said, “I dropped someone off yesterday and there were signs that said NO CAMERAS.”
I ended up putting my camera back in the car in the parking lot of the motel.
We got to Augusta National Golf Course and we were so excited. We were early and they had us all waiting in line. Everyone that worked at the course reminding everyone NO CELL PHONES.
We were in line and funny thing, I was seeing a bunch of cameras. So asked someone in the know and he assured me that it was okay to bring in a camera. DAMN IT!!
I mean all I have seen so far was the parking lot and even it was nice.
I tried to put it out of my mind. I will think about it later. Let’s just go in and see what is up.
The first thing you come to is practically a strip search. Metal detectors that airports would be proud of.
The second thing after you get in was the gift shop. We had some previous advice, “Go to the gift shop first and buy all you want, check the bag and then don’t think about it again.”
We went into the shop and WOW. It had more Masters stuff than you could ever imagine. Now you have to understand. There is only one place to buy Masters stuff and that is at the Masters. So we loaded up. Shirts and a bunch of golf crap that all your friends would be jealous of. $500 later we were done with that (the guy at the register next to me bought $1200 worth of stuff, all before 8am). Double click on the image and you will see the gift shop at 7am.
Then it was off to the course.
I have three words to describe the course…OH MY GOSH.
I imagine this is what the Promise Land looked like to the Israelites (a land of milk and honey).
If you are not a golfer or a golf fan, the Masters is not all about the sport of golf. It is not just about Tiger and Phil or Jack or Arnie, it is about history. It is about beauty.
It is almost indescribable. The grass is perfect. But that is not all, the course is on rolling hills surrounded by blooming azaleas and dogwood trees. There is cascading water that just adds to the perfection.
The best part about it was my dad. He said to me, “Before I forget, I just want to say thank you (I bought these tickets for my dad for Christmas). I never thought I would ever get to see this.” He was like a kid. He kept OOHing and AWHing all day. A lot of “this is amazing” and “unbelievable” and “did you see that?”.
It is a place where not many people get to see other than on TV. It is a place where a 63 year old man can just walk around and just be at peace. It was a place where you can go and forget about work and just admire God’s creation (and what pesticides and millions of dollars can do with it). And it was cool to hear him on the phone telling his friends about it.

This is getting long so I will stop here.
I was able to get a ride back to the hotel and get my camera (fricking taxi driver).
So here are some photos.
I will tell you more about it on Friday.

Wow what a couple of days.
I am off to a baseball game then Bible study tonight. I have got to get some sleep.
Talk to you later,
John

What a week

Okay, now that the lovefest with Mark is over, you got me.
I have to write this kind of rushed because of my crazy schedule.
I am working today (now you know I don't work on Mondays) because I am off tomorrow.

I am leaving in 10 minutes to drive to AUGUSTA NATIONAL to go see the MASTERS practice round. Yeah, you read right I get to see Tuesday's practice round.
(Don't think I am that special, if you had $700 you could go too).
I am so excited I couldn't even sleep yesterday.
I get to go with my father. I bought him these two tickets for Christmas. It seems silly but when you get to see your father cry over a gift you know it is special. Then he asked me to go. Even better.

I am all packed and ready to go.
I know you are all GREEN with envy.

But let me tell you real quick about last week.
(I will get to the consent forms soon, I am doing some research)
It was spring break in central Florida.
This is affectionately called HELLWEEK for our office.
From the very beginning I see kids. My dad would rather not see kids or anyone under 16, so this is how I built my practice. I went to schools, I sponsored baseball teams, I coached flag football and basketball. I started seeing alot of kids. I treated then well (if I don't say so myself). My practice started to grow. I then started seeing the kids parents and their neighbors. Then the kids grandparents. You know how it goes.
I still love to see kids. I think this is the engine that drives my practice.
But I forget how hellish Hellweek is.
Now you know that on spring break EVERYONE wants to get their kid in to get their teeth cleaned.
On Tuesday, I did 21 hygiene checks. On Wednesday I did 17 and on Thursday (a light day) I did 15. I couldn't wait until Friday afternoon.
I don't know how the pediatric dentists do it.
I have a full day on my side and then every 25 minutes or so I have to leave. Then they squeeze in an emergency and OH MY GOSH.
In the meantime we are in the process of hiring an associate (I will tell you about this after it is over, I don't know if any of the candidates read this). I am down to two.
So I have to talk to them because they are both waiting to hear from me.
I am giving a lecture on the 26th of this month for the South Carolina Dental Association and it is on my mind.
WOW!! My heart is racing just writing about all this.
My dad is in the car honking the horn. I have to go.

I will talk to you guys on Wednesday. I am sure I will be on cloud nine.

Faithfully,
john

A Changing Profession (editorial)

Okay,
Here is the deal. I write 50 posts and get a comment here or there. Mark writes one blog and lights up the comment section. Now when I said lets do some dialoguing here I didn't mean make John look bad.
Now the powers that be are thinking....Hmm, maybe we got the wrong cat to do this blog. Nice, real nice, way to go.
No, in all seriousness, it was great. I appreciate all your passion, as well as Marks.

Have a great weekend and I will talk to you next week.
John

As promised, here are my thoughts on the article.

When I first read the editorial, my knee jerk response was one of anger. I wanted to personally send a verbal triad in response to the attack on the profession I care so much for. This is just another in a long line of attacks on general dentistry. A reoccurring theme of each of these attacks is the famed “access to care” issue.

It amazes me that all these different dental groups have a different definition of this “access to care” term. It is also amazing that the solution to solve this yet undefined problem lies in some types of gain for the organization or group. All the solutions will transform the face and practice of general dentistry drastically.

After a period of cooling down, I thought of who wrote the editorial. These are two educators who see things very differently than someone who is actually in the trenches treating these patients. I believe the more practical solution should come from someone who is actually treating these patients, day in and day out. One would think dentists who treat these patients have a pretty good grasp on the situation.

While this idea and that idea may sound great, in the real world, it would never work. Dr. Glick relates to the medicine model which he claims to be so wonderful and successful. In the past the ADA has championed the slogan, “Dentistry is health care that works.”

Is Dr. Glick implying that this slogan is no longer valid or applies to dentistry?

Even with the flaws, I still believe it works better than medicine. How can the editor of the ADA discredit that slogan? Even while Dr. Glick expounds on the success of the medical health care system in American, I hear the two Democrat Presidential hopefuls talk about how the health care system in the United States is broken and needs a major overhaul. Dr. Glick also talks about the Surgeon Generals Report on Oral Health. Again, two people looking at the same thing and interpreting it differently. I have studied the Surgeon General’s report on Oral Health and I do not believe there is a reference to a mid-level provider. I do remember much was said about prevention, specifically fluoridated water, and oral health literacy.

Being an educator, Dr. Glick surely knows that more dental schools are opening therefore in the near future; more dentists will be delivering care. Why perpetrate second rate care on the American public when there will be more highly educated and trained dentists entering in the workforce in the near future?

Lastly, I believe the access to care issue is a funding problem. Period.


The ADA has championed this in the past, but has not correlated it directly to a funding issue. In a 2003 issues of JADA, the ADA championed the Michigan Healthy Kids model to solve the access to care issue. What happened? It was decided in Michigan through legislation to raise reimbursement rates to market values. Within a year, utilization rates increased dramatically which directly correlated to the fact that the number of dentists that became Medicaid providers increase enrolled and treating patients. One fact that is over looked is that the distance traveled by patients for appointments was cut in half. Simply, the program was funded and dentists provided the treatment. Great news! Why can’t folks understand that this is funding issue not a workforce issue? If the program is properly funded, utilization rates will increase because more dentists will come on as providers.

I wonder if Dr. Glick’s embrace of the mid level provider is also the stand of the ADA. After all, the ADA 2007 House of Delegates agreed to the Community Dental Health Coordinator. This CDHC is not a mid level provider, but its creation does open the door for another provider of dental services.

You be the judge. Is the ADA advocating for the practice of general dentistry?

They have known about the ADHA’s ADHP for sometime and have not addressed the issue. They have remained silent. Where does that leave the general dentist?
The landscape of the practice of general dentistry may be changing. If it happens, it could be detrimental to the practice of general dentistry, all under the cloak of access to care.

The AGD is the only dental organization that has the general dentist’s best interests at its core. No other organization in the world will advocate specifically and solely for the general dentists.

Mark

A changing profession

As of now, you must be able to tell what kind of guy I am. I take what happens to me everyday and laugh about it. I am very passionate about dentistry and doing what I do better. I love what I do but am wired a certain way.
I practice dentistry and HOPE someone else it taking care of my advocacy issues. That is why I love being a part of the AGD.
I have never been very political. But thank goodness some are. Some dentists are just wired to do advocacy.

There is some really scary crap going on around us and Mark (not really a ghost writer if you know his name) has some really good points.
At the end if you feel like commenting do so and we can have a discussion (especially if you have an opposing comment).

Ps. I told you I was going to talk about consent forms but I thought this blog takes some precedent.
So here it is...


Change is always happening around us – sometimes good, sometimes not. Some changes we have to accept but others we can resist and fight against.


I sense a change in the practice of general dentistry. The change I am sensing in the practice of general dentistry is not natural. It is also not good for the practice of general dentistry. As a matter of fact, I think it is an attack on the practice of general dentistry. This change will transform the practice of dentistry as we know it today. If this transformation takes place, I believe the practice of dentistry will no longer be the esteemed profession that it is today. You may be asking yourself, “What is he talking about?”


Consider the trends; in 2004, the American Dental Hygienist’s Association (ADHA) House of Delegates passed a resolution for a mid-level provider to diagnose and treat dental disease. At their recent winter meeting, the ADHA Board of Trustees adopted the Competencies for the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP). Their Web site says “The ADHP model has been created by ADHA as an answer to the oral health crisis in America.” In the summer of 2006, the ADHP language was in the U. S. Congressional Committee Report, S. Rep. 109-103, which accompanied a bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies. The report “encouraged HRSA to explore development of an advanced dental hygiene practitioner... which prepares the dental hygienist to provide diagnostic, preventive, restorative and therapeutic services directly to the public in rural and underserved areas.” Now, the Minnesota legislature is seriously considering expanding the scope of the dental hygienists on the ADHP model that would allow the mid-level provider to perform extractions and restorations without the supervision of the dentist. Also this year, Senate Bill 2723 has been introduced and has language for an Allied Dental Health Professional. The most recent attack came from the American Dental Association in an editorial in JADA entitled Lessons Learned: Implications for workforce. The editorial basically asked the profession to embrace the mid-level provider and that the dental education community was in the “driver’s seat” to bring about this change in the profession.

These trends should cause most private-practice general dentists in America to take notice and be concerned. Change is always occurring around us – sometimes the change is good, sometimes not. I know this issue can be debated because some, even AGD members, feel it is time to have a mid-level provider that will diagnose and treat dental disease with less training and education than a dentist. The mid level provider will not affect the practice of any dental educator or dental specialist. It will only affect the practice of general dentistry. AGD President, Dr. Vinny Mahyer, wrote a letter to the editor in response to this editorial. I am very appreciative of Dr. Mayher’s quick and pointed response, but I want to carry it somewhat deeper. What are your thoughts about these trends – I’ll share some more of my own on Friday but I am interested to hear what you think.

Mark

Okay, to me this is some heavy deep stuff. Usually, when someone starts with the committee report section 109-103, I check out.
Today I stuck with it.
Is anyone lost?
Does everyone know what the mid level provider is?
Does everyone understand the crux of this argument?
The benefit to the blog is you can comment anonymously.
Okay so you have lots to comment on...
Give Mark you opinion so he feels wanted.

Talk to you later,
john