LOVE TO HATE DOCTORS?

We all are living today in an unusual bubble of mistrust and suspicion targeted at our life saviours and healthcare providers. A personal dislike towards doctors can be validated by any bad experiences one has had and definitely, spoilt apples exist in every field, even ours. So you may dislike them, but you aren’t allowed to disrespect them – and violence is the lowest form of disrespect. Violence is wrong and downright unacceptable!

As dentists, this is the time to reach out and support our medical counterparts to the fullest. The entire community of DentalReach strongly condemns acts of violence against doctors and stands in solidarity with them. 

We celebrate ‘National Doctor’s Day’ this month and traditional celebrations took place in most parts of the country. A day of appreciation is fine, but we hope that patients acknowledge the unspoken of, sincere efforts, put in by doctors day in and day out – always balancing between providing efficient health care and hospital limitations/politics – usually under a stringent pay scale.

 Just like some love to hate doctors, one thing we dentists love to hate is providing prosthesis to pedo patients! ‘Crowns used in Paediatric Dentistry’ talks about the prostho-pedo symbiosis and urges us to not stop at only restorations for children but also complete rehabilitation. Children are at a tender developmental age, and non – rehabilitation of teeth can cause impairments in speech, hamper chewing abilities resulting in digestive problems and act as esthetic failures causing psychological or social trauma at a young age.

Another concept we love to hate is competition. If clinics mushrooming at every corner weren’t enough, there’s a sudden rise in the branches of luxurious dental chains ‘with exciting offers’. One had offered free laptops and a scooter as ‘bumper prize’ for referring patients to their chain! Yes, they were served notices by the regional authoritative bodies. Read on to know more in ‘Corporate Dentistry – A Bird’s Eye View’ – the dynamics of these chains, their financial statistics, what they spend more on, who funds them, and whether to look at it as competition or a career option.

The next thing we love to hate or are plain lazy about – marketing. Part I of our four part article series mentioned branding and website management . ‘8 marketing tactics for Dentist – Part II’ talks about local business listings and social media as a tool for powerful, ethical promotions. 97% of consumers search for local businesses online – in today’s age, having an internet presence has become almost a compulsion. If it has to be done, might as well do it the right way!

One more thing we love to hate? GA in dental procedures. Only because we are fearful of what may happen if it gets complicated. ‘General anaesthesia/Sedation in dentistry’ talks in depth about the indications and management of complications, if they may arise, targeting the most common factor which causes hesitation in the general dentist’s mind to consider this option in their practice.

The next in the love to hate list is diagnostic imaging. How many times do we have problems with patients not cooperating because of stiff films/bulky sensors or poor quality of well taken X – rays? What if we had a device that makes it easier? ‘Vista Scan Image Plate Scanner’ represents a change over from an x-ray film to the much advanced digital image plate. The x-ray exposure procedure remains the same, whereas the reliability of diagnostics is increased. The image plates are flexible and thin and so are comfortable to the patient when used.

The final and most important pointer in the love to hate list – successful people. Sparks of jealousy are only natural but can work great if channelized in the right direction. Use envy as a tool to inspire yourself to achieve greater heights! ‘The top 10 influencers of dentistry’ lists down who the author believes has contributed immensely to our profession and helps us  get inspired by this lot when vulnerable conditions strike.

Sometimes, what we love to hate turns out to hold an important place in our life. Be it having a doctor around you who can save your life or little aspects of the profession which can uplift your practice. So be careful of what you love and be conscious of what you hate!

Highlights of our Monthly Editorial