Crush-It

Gary Vaynerchuk's new book, Crush-It, is a great read for those interested in converting one's passion into something more. He has lots of insights on blogging, social networking, business and how to use these techniques and insights in growing not only a business but to enriching your personal life. It is important to find something you love to do and put your energy into that endeavor, hobby or business. If it's your passion, it's really not "work" in the classsic sense, it's enjoyable no matter the hours needed to make it happen. The key is to realize the thing you love to do is the thing you were meant to do. Once you find that, if you put in lots of time and hard work, you will succeed.

I was privileged to meet Gary last year and listen to many of his ideas on business and blogging. I have even recently incorporated a few of his suggestions from his book into this blog including the link on the sidebar for those interested in making an appointment with our office:

I love my profession and I love to blog about it here. I hope to develop professionally and personally by following my passion blogging here about Pediatric Dentistry. It takes long hours and hard work, but constant improvement and excellence is something to which we all should all aspire.

(Gary if you read this, and I know you might, please feel free to comment).

Is Your Child's Dentist a Pediatric Specialist?

Many parents take their children to the Pediatrician for their expertise and training in the treatment of children and adolescents. This is also the idea behind the Pediatric Dentist. A Pediatric Dentist has completed additional education beyond dental school in an officially recognized specialty program. They are the Pediatricians of Dentistry.

If a dental practice says they treat children, are they "Pediatric Specialists"? Well, maybe --and maybe not. If you saw an add for these practices, wouldn't you think they are specialists in Pediatric Dentistry? Fact is, you cannot tell by the name or the advertisements:

Kids-R-Us
Little Smiles
Wee folks

I have run into an increasing phenomenon of practices "pretending" to be specialists in Pediatric Dentistry. They are usually general dentists who have set up a business model to emphasize the treatment of children. The most common manifestation is the clinic or practice treating mainly Medicaid insured patients. Now, a general dentist can legally treat children usually as part of a family practice. In fact, some general dentists do a good job, but do not have the additional specialty training and education of a Pediatric Dentist. In most states it is illegal to call onself a Pediatric specialist if one is not. These practices usually do not offer the full range of services as the specialist. Marketing can easily decieve the public. Don't assume that, if a practice looks like a kid's dentist, that they really are specialists.

Make sure your child's dentist is really a specialist in Pediatric Dentistry. If you are not sure, ask. Ask specifically if the dentist is a specialist in Pediatric Dentistry. Listen for the answer. If they say, "our dentists treat children" or "yes, we see children" or, "our practice is dedicated to treating children", they really did not answer your question. You need to be specific and get a specific answer. You can even research on where they did their specialty residency after dental school. Some states requre a specialty license. Now, sometimes there is a group practice that does actually have a Pediatric specialist on staff. However, is the dentist that is treating your child the specialist?--or, is that Pediatric Dentist retired, or only come in every other Friday? It could be that most of the dentists seeing your child are actually general dentists. Ask.

Letter to a Dental Student

A current dental was relating all the stress and frustration that is the dental school experience. I was remembering my time in dental school. That's a time most dentists want to forget. It is a stressful time with compressed time schedules, late night lab work, and endless examinations. We often had no dental assistant to help with patient treatment. There were what seemed like hours spent waiting for a "check" of a procedure from a faculty member. A doctor I know is an oral surgeon who has experienced both dental and medical school. He stated that dental school was actually much more difficult (although the medical residency was even more so). ---So, to any dental student:

For me the road seemed longest in my second year of dental school. One year completed and forever and a day to go. It is certainly a forbidding task to get all the "requirements" completed. Personally, I hated mundane lab work, carving wax patterns and setting plastic denture teeth in an articulator late into the night. I, therefore disliked prosthodontics (dentures). I knew I wanted to go into Pediatric Dentistry, so all this "other stuff" seemed designed exclusively to test my sanity. Still, in hind sight, all the difficulties you experience drift into the fog of the past and the skills and memories remaining that will stead you well. The juggling a dental student has to deal with is but a prelude to the business world's hustle. Enjoy, and do not fret too much. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I remember the latter part of my senior year--all of a sudden the faculty accepted me as a peer, with more respect, as some kind of equal. They have been there before too, and respected the fact you made it through with your head held high.

Photo curtesy of http://manicmolar.blogspot.com/