- Published on
Orthodontics treatment is much more complex, different and difficult than what many young patients assume. A doctor dedicated to his or her craft puts much education, study and experience into each orthodontic case he or she treats.
Dr. Chris Baker's book, "Your Child's Smile" is the best parent guide for their child's oral health. It has also been used as a dental school textbook.
Orthodontics is the practice of the realities of moving teeth through bone over a period of time.
This past week, we had two high school students who are interested in dentistry spend the days with us in internships. They came in each morning and would spend about half of our office hours with us.
The students encountered orthodontics from a totally different perspective than what they experienced when they were our patients. They both agreed, very surely, that orthodontic treatment seemed much more complex, different and difficult than they had assumed when they were patients.
Isn’t that the way life works?
Perception varies according to the view through which we see it. It’s like looking into a room from a window on one side and seeing one part of the room -- and then from the other side, the view through a different window makes the room seem totally different.
What we regard is often limited by what we know and see.
To a teenager having braces treatment, the experience is one without much visual awareness of what is being done with those braces. While they're sitting in the dental chair, their minds are full of schoolwork, classmate matters, family matters, athletic and other activities of that evening, and so on.
The patient's awareness of what we are doing with the “hardware” of orthodontic appliances is minimal. Once the appointment is completed, they can “get back” to their “real life.”
But seeing us work with the realities of moving teeth through hard, mineralized bone was a different matter for our high school interns.
Think of a bone. It is miraculous that by placing the right force in the right direction on teeth, we can move teeth through that seemingly impenetrable, dense structure.
And, amazingly, the bone restructures and remodels itself to complete its presence around the tooth in the new position.
Our interns learned that we cannot move one tooth without anchoring somewhere, somehow to other teeth. They found out that it is a challenging, mechanical, engineering process to accomplish a bite that will work and last for almost a hundred years, and provide a smile that will charm, comfort, engage, and communicate the soul within.
Our interns were impressed with the time the human body requires to allow teeth to move, and to remodel the bone -- and why it takes the time. The human body is dynamic - always changing. It is not static - staying the same.
Orthodontic changes are not guaranteed; they are not totally predictable; they are not stable over time without retention, because of the dynamic properties of the muscles, speech, habits, tongue position, tooth clenching or grinding, eating, biting, opening, closing and even wear of the teeth.
Plus, a growing patient adds the challenge of growth changes to what we are working to do for them.
We were glad to share with two young people who wanted to understand more about what dental care can offer to each person.
We look forward to their joining the professionals who provide that care.
The students encountered orthodontics from a totally different perspective than what they experienced when they were our patients. They both agreed, very surely, that orthodontic treatment seemed much more complex, different and difficult than they had assumed when they were patients.
Isn’t that the way life works?
Perception varies according to the view through which we see it. It’s like looking into a room from a window on one side and seeing one part of the room -- and then from the other side, the view through a different window makes the room seem totally different.
What we regard is often limited by what we know and see.
To a teenager having braces treatment, the experience is one without much visual awareness of what is being done with those braces. While they're sitting in the dental chair, their minds are full of schoolwork, classmate matters, family matters, athletic and other activities of that evening, and so on.
The patient's awareness of what we are doing with the “hardware” of orthodontic appliances is minimal. Once the appointment is completed, they can “get back” to their “real life.”
But seeing us work with the realities of moving teeth through hard, mineralized bone was a different matter for our high school interns.
Think of a bone. It is miraculous that by placing the right force in the right direction on teeth, we can move teeth through that seemingly impenetrable, dense structure.
And, amazingly, the bone restructures and remodels itself to complete its presence around the tooth in the new position.
Our interns learned that we cannot move one tooth without anchoring somewhere, somehow to other teeth. They found out that it is a challenging, mechanical, engineering process to accomplish a bite that will work and last for almost a hundred years, and provide a smile that will charm, comfort, engage, and communicate the soul within.
Our interns were impressed with the time the human body requires to allow teeth to move, and to remodel the bone -- and why it takes the time. The human body is dynamic - always changing. It is not static - staying the same.
Orthodontic changes are not guaranteed; they are not totally predictable; they are not stable over time without retention, because of the dynamic properties of the muscles, speech, habits, tongue position, tooth clenching or grinding, eating, biting, opening, closing and even wear of the teeth.
Plus, a growing patient adds the challenge of growth changes to what we are working to do for them.
We were glad to share with two young people who wanted to understand more about what dental care can offer to each person.
We look forward to their joining the professionals who provide that care.
- Published on
The challenges of orthodontic case finishing.
Even identical twins can have very different orthodontic needs. (Photo Raul Carabeo / Wikimedia Commons)
Dr Chris next teaches at the RMO Diagnostics & Early Treatment Seminar in Denver, August 18-19. For more information, call (303) 592-8268.
Dr Edward H Angle (1855-1930) is considered to be the father of American orthodontics. (Wikimedia Commons image)
Dr Chris Baker's book, "Your Child's Smile", is the premiere guide for parents who want to learn more about their children's oral health.
Dr Chris is very happy to lead a very happy team at the Advanced American Dental Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Orthodontic treatment challenges the best of us. What seems easy to many patients, is often a tough job for the orthodontists!
Those of us who provide orthodontic treatment develop a keen awareness of the difficulties in our work with the constantly-changing human body. And, it’s over a relatively long period of time to accomplish orthodontic results.
Can you imagine? — We have learned ways to attach braces to teeth, move the teeth through bone, and remove the braces without harming the teeth? That in itself is almost crazy.
Even in this day and age of high tech, lasers, 3D printing and other miraculous medical treatments, it is still amazing that we can move teeth through bone into nicer positions. And more amazing, is that Dr. Edward Angle was doing it in 1900. (Dr. Angle was the inventor of modern orthodontics.)
It is of critical importance that in our performing the miraculous feat of moving teeth through hard bone, we take the health and well-being of the whole patient into consideration.
Of course, you say.
BUT that can be very difficult when coupled with the fact that each human body reacts differently to everything. Even identical twins’ teeth and treatment results are different.
Why is that a problem?
Because the variation in the human body’s reactions means that you can provide seemingly the exact same orthodontic treatment sequence, wires, brackets, and plan, and the results you see will vary so widely that it scares the bejiminy out of you!
Your patient treatment that you planned to make everything better for your patient puts you in a fret and worry fest. You start out to help and now you ask, “Why, oh why are the teeth doing THAT? And what should I do about it now?”
Or, how did I get into this pickle and how do I get out of it?
The inevitable, every-patient variations - the crazy-making happenings that scare you or prolong the patient’s treatment and take much more time than your patient wants, is, in the orthodontics world, called “finishing” the treatment.
“Finishing” starts before you bond the braces on. You work to identify the areas of likely challenge, the “outliers” in the patient’s presentation.
Then you work and practice to learn the many strategies to help address and salvage the orthodontic treatment so the problems don’t prolong treatment time and make patients, parents and you frustrated and unhappy.
In orthodontic treatment we must learn a lot of strategies, so we have a lot of tools in our toolbox, since EACH patient’s teeth will react differently.
We must choose the appropriate tools, or at least tools that seem as if they will be helpful, employ them and see what happens. Sometimes the tools we employ are not helpful. It depends on that human body’s physiology.
Like everything in life, finishing takes learning, practice, and more practice. As they say, “Why do you think they call it dental practice?”
An overview of finishing of orthodontic treatment entails a few areas:
First, learn to identify when and where the treatment has stopped progressing in the best ways and directions. Even that can be tough.
Secondly, learn and understand what you can do and what you cannot do. There are late growth patterns that befuddle you. We must learn what strategies may help, which strategies may intercept or guide growth even a little bit, and which strategies may worsen the situation.
We must learn what tooth eruption problems will likely not respond to efforts to get the teeth to erupt, and when we must counsel the parents and patient about implant replacement.
We must understand how difficult asymmetric treatment can be, and what may help. What to do with the peg lateral you want to maintain as a natural “implant,” and what to do with the missing lateral space?
Third, we gain capability in treatment strategies AND communication strategies to aide in addressing problems encountered mid to late treatment, such as inadequate molar buccal overjet, open bites, inadequate elastic wear, space that doesn’t close, crown and root torque problems, and marginal ridge height discrepancies.
Most of all, in order to prevent being in a pickle, early identification before you start treatment and consideration of the options of alternative treatment plans that may be better, gives us more awareness.
We can help the patient and parents understand realistic expectations concerning treatment time, pitfalls and possible complications.
Not getting into the “pickle” and also knowing what to do when it is unavoidable, is a powerful, valuable body of knowledge called “finishing.”
Learning more and more is the key!
Those of us who provide orthodontic treatment develop a keen awareness of the difficulties in our work with the constantly-changing human body. And, it’s over a relatively long period of time to accomplish orthodontic results.
Can you imagine? — We have learned ways to attach braces to teeth, move the teeth through bone, and remove the braces without harming the teeth? That in itself is almost crazy.
Even in this day and age of high tech, lasers, 3D printing and other miraculous medical treatments, it is still amazing that we can move teeth through bone into nicer positions. And more amazing, is that Dr. Edward Angle was doing it in 1900. (Dr. Angle was the inventor of modern orthodontics.)
It is of critical importance that in our performing the miraculous feat of moving teeth through hard bone, we take the health and well-being of the whole patient into consideration.
Of course, you say.
BUT that can be very difficult when coupled with the fact that each human body reacts differently to everything. Even identical twins’ teeth and treatment results are different.
Why is that a problem?
Because the variation in the human body’s reactions means that you can provide seemingly the exact same orthodontic treatment sequence, wires, brackets, and plan, and the results you see will vary so widely that it scares the bejiminy out of you!
Your patient treatment that you planned to make everything better for your patient puts you in a fret and worry fest. You start out to help and now you ask, “Why, oh why are the teeth doing THAT? And what should I do about it now?”
Or, how did I get into this pickle and how do I get out of it?
The inevitable, every-patient variations - the crazy-making happenings that scare you or prolong the patient’s treatment and take much more time than your patient wants, is, in the orthodontics world, called “finishing” the treatment.
“Finishing” starts before you bond the braces on. You work to identify the areas of likely challenge, the “outliers” in the patient’s presentation.
Then you work and practice to learn the many strategies to help address and salvage the orthodontic treatment so the problems don’t prolong treatment time and make patients, parents and you frustrated and unhappy.
In orthodontic treatment we must learn a lot of strategies, so we have a lot of tools in our toolbox, since EACH patient’s teeth will react differently.
We must choose the appropriate tools, or at least tools that seem as if they will be helpful, employ them and see what happens. Sometimes the tools we employ are not helpful. It depends on that human body’s physiology.
Like everything in life, finishing takes learning, practice, and more practice. As they say, “Why do you think they call it dental practice?”
An overview of finishing of orthodontic treatment entails a few areas:
First, learn to identify when and where the treatment has stopped progressing in the best ways and directions. Even that can be tough.
Secondly, learn and understand what you can do and what you cannot do. There are late growth patterns that befuddle you. We must learn what strategies may help, which strategies may intercept or guide growth even a little bit, and which strategies may worsen the situation.
We must learn what tooth eruption problems will likely not respond to efforts to get the teeth to erupt, and when we must counsel the parents and patient about implant replacement.
We must understand how difficult asymmetric treatment can be, and what may help. What to do with the peg lateral you want to maintain as a natural “implant,” and what to do with the missing lateral space?
Third, we gain capability in treatment strategies AND communication strategies to aide in addressing problems encountered mid to late treatment, such as inadequate molar buccal overjet, open bites, inadequate elastic wear, space that doesn’t close, crown and root torque problems, and marginal ridge height discrepancies.
Most of all, in order to prevent being in a pickle, early identification before you start treatment and consideration of the options of alternative treatment plans that may be better, gives us more awareness.
We can help the patient and parents understand realistic expectations concerning treatment time, pitfalls and possible complications.
Not getting into the “pickle” and also knowing what to do when it is unavoidable, is a powerful, valuable body of knowledge called “finishing.”
Learning more and more is the key!
- Published on
You must set goals for yourself. You cannot "hit a target" if you don't know where it is.
Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie (1857 – 1926) was a French psychologist and pharmacist who introduced a method of psychotherapy and self-improvement based on optimism. Coué's teachings have influenced many writers, such as Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller.
When you think about it, you have been doing the best you can. Everyone always does.
YET — what would you need to change to do differently — and better?
This week, Claude and I thought out the basic fundamentals of doing “better” than what has been our “best,” up to now.
What would we need to change to do differently?
Here they are:
ONE: You must set goals for yourself. You cannot “hit a target” if you don’t know where it is.
TWO: Give yourself time. You can’t change your result immediately, but you can change your direction immediately. You can begin moving in the direction of your dream - right now!
Remember that it is the tiny little productive actions, repeated consistently over time — that add up tot he difference between failure to reach your goal, and success.
The challenges that seem overwhelming today are actually opportunities.
Steve Harvey says, “Your setback is just a set-up for a comeback.”
Change yourself by changing your philosophy - your beliefs - through your thoughts.
Decide to believe you CAN do it.
Think, “Difficult takes a little time; Impossible takes just a little longer.”
Think, ”There is a way to do it.”
Think, “Every day, in every way, I’m doing better and better. Every day, in every way, I’m happier and happier. Every day, in every way, I’m stronger and stronger.” ~ It was Emile Coue de la Chataigneraie (that's his photo, on the left), who said it first in French, “Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux.”
Every time you have a disappointment, think, “Disappointment has reminded me. I have the opportunity to change my beliefs. I can see this as opportunity to move toward my dream.”
As you change, everything around you will change too.
Truly.
Love,
YET — what would you need to change to do differently — and better?
This week, Claude and I thought out the basic fundamentals of doing “better” than what has been our “best,” up to now.
What would we need to change to do differently?
Here they are:
ONE: You must set goals for yourself. You cannot “hit a target” if you don’t know where it is.
TWO: Give yourself time. You can’t change your result immediately, but you can change your direction immediately. You can begin moving in the direction of your dream - right now!
Remember that it is the tiny little productive actions, repeated consistently over time — that add up tot he difference between failure to reach your goal, and success.
The challenges that seem overwhelming today are actually opportunities.
Steve Harvey says, “Your setback is just a set-up for a comeback.”
Change yourself by changing your philosophy - your beliefs - through your thoughts.
Decide to believe you CAN do it.
Think, “Difficult takes a little time; Impossible takes just a little longer.”
Think, ”There is a way to do it.”
Think, “Every day, in every way, I’m doing better and better. Every day, in every way, I’m happier and happier. Every day, in every way, I’m stronger and stronger.” ~ It was Emile Coue de la Chataigneraie (that's his photo, on the left), who said it first in French, “Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux.”
Every time you have a disappointment, think, “Disappointment has reminded me. I have the opportunity to change my beliefs. I can see this as opportunity to move toward my dream.”
As you change, everything around you will change too.
Truly.
Love,
- Published on
Kindness, commitment, dedication and integrity are key factors in a winning team. Dr Chris Baker and her husband Claude (back row) love working at the American Dental Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Build a winning life with your team by using the strategies Dr Chris shares in her book, REAL.
The Pediatric and Orthodontic Department of the American Dental Center in Abu Dhabi.
At the American Dental Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE, I am so very fortunate to work with some amazing team members.
These ladies (and a gentleman or two) are the kind of people who make the world better just because they are in it.
These doctors and staff are kind, committed, dedicated, and have integrity. As most folks, each has a story of major challenges and the courageous ways they handled or are handling those challenges.
To start with, they have each left their home country after dental school or training, and come alone to the UAE to work. That takes some bravery!
Each morning, as we close our half hour report with “words for the day,” these ladies bring amazing words and energy to all of us.
They give me strength and make me better! How it could be that God has put me in the midst of this powerful love, I do not know. But there I am, smack dab in the middle of it!
Each and every one in this team, gives the patients love and exquisite orthodontic care, AND a smile. A smile for every single patient and parent. And you know what? We get it back - compounded interest. More back than we “put in.”
The wisdom this team lives carries us all in joy:
Play and laughter give us strength and heal our souls.
You don’t have tomorrow yet, and yesterday is gone. Make everything of this moment!
Miracles are ours so we can celebrate life. My smile and joyful energy flows through me to others and makes them happy.
And that makes me happy!
Hug your team this week. Isn’t life precious?
Love,
These ladies (and a gentleman or two) are the kind of people who make the world better just because they are in it.
These doctors and staff are kind, committed, dedicated, and have integrity. As most folks, each has a story of major challenges and the courageous ways they handled or are handling those challenges.
To start with, they have each left their home country after dental school or training, and come alone to the UAE to work. That takes some bravery!
Each morning, as we close our half hour report with “words for the day,” these ladies bring amazing words and energy to all of us.
They give me strength and make me better! How it could be that God has put me in the midst of this powerful love, I do not know. But there I am, smack dab in the middle of it!
Each and every one in this team, gives the patients love and exquisite orthodontic care, AND a smile. A smile for every single patient and parent. And you know what? We get it back - compounded interest. More back than we “put in.”
The wisdom this team lives carries us all in joy:
Play and laughter give us strength and heal our souls.
You don’t have tomorrow yet, and yesterday is gone. Make everything of this moment!
Miracles are ours so we can celebrate life. My smile and joyful energy flows through me to others and makes them happy.
And that makes me happy!
Hug your team this week. Isn’t life precious?
Love,
- Published on
Raising confident, self-reliant children should be a priority in modern society. The combination of gratitude and perseverance will serve them all their lives.
Dr Chris Baker's book, REAL, gives life strategies, including guidance for parents wanting to raise responsible, mature children.
A sense of personal responsibility is vital for children to develop happy and productive lives.
Dr John Rosemond's book, New Parent Power!, is a classic work on how to raise emotionally mature, stable and responsible children.
Putting your children on the right path to emotional stability and maturity requires giving them life tasks that accustom them to responsibility and confidence.
Her mother and father are in grief, probably still every day. Maybe she had siblings who are as well. She died one morning in August, 2016, when she took her life, jumping from her eighth floor medical school dorm room in New York City.
The medical school is scrambling to “pledge more compassion,” according to the dean of the Mount Sinai Medical School in his essay in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Why would he say that? People who go into Medicine are typically quite compassionate to begin with. They care about others. Most of them.
Of course, within any group of people, there are those who may be driven more by financial reasons, or who have mental health issues, even severe ones. But still, why would he say they will pledge more compassion? He’s on the hot-seat. His school has lost two medical students to suicide recently.
So, the spokesperson for the school has to respond.
Let us look at what seems to be going on.
Firstly: Culture of blame/victimhood. Our culture has become one of blame - both through our human wish to not think “bad” things are our fault and through our legal system that follows and assigns blame, and quite honestly, punishment, for the blamed.
Shall we call it blame?
Or shall we call it victim-mentality?
We have lost way too much of our sense of personal responsibility. We are not teaching our children responsibility. Our culture is rife with children who are not growing up well. The media is full of information about how the millennials, our young people “need” more support and direction in the workforce, and are not as capable of full responsibility and enjoyment in the working world as their predecessors.
Should a physician not be one of the MOST responsible members of society? The “millennials” are reputed to be sensitive, incapable of the kind of responsibility and commitment that their parents and grandparents exhibit. They have been called “snowflakes” referring to their fragility.
Do we want fragile physicians?
Secondly: Belief in mental issues, mental illness, and need for psychiatric counseling. The follow-up to the medical student suicides has the schools looking at how they can provide more support to the students in the area of psychiatric visits for mental health support at discounted fees, and “breaks” after the adult medical students experience the death of a patient.
Reading a recent Wall Street Journal article (Lagnado L, After Tragedy, Med School Pledges More Compassion. WSJ 2017.03.23), I found myself agape.
As a 10-year critical care nurse, I not only experienced death of patients on a regular basis, but was responsible for the life-saving measures to attempt to save and prolong life. Did we nurses feel affected when a patient died?
Of course. What did I feel when the cardiologist patted me on the shoulder, and said, “Do what you can,” and left the ICU? I felt a sense of huge responsibility, commitment, love and concern for the patient and family.
What did I feel when we had lost a child patient in the emergency room and the attending ER doc said, “Would you go tell the family?” Huge responsibility, commitment, love and concern. I knew I could do that well, even knowing I would most likely be teary with the parents, and help them through the first moments.
And these docs who delegated huge responsibility to a capable and dedicated nurse were not snowflakes. They were quite responsible with venerable careers in medicine who were sharing shouldering the burden of human suffering.
None of my colleagues nor the physicians that I knew well had psychiatric or psychologic counseling or “breaks” when the patient died. We all grew emotionally, spiritually, and in our awareness of the preciousness of life as well as the limitations of life, medicine — even modern medicine.
For me and my colleagues, in medicine and in patient care, each day is one full of anticipation and excitement for what we can bring to our patients. It is a day full of Gratitude as the day’s operative belief.
Why are medical school academics not familiar and comfortable for the medical student?
OK - I went to dental school, AND worked basically full-time as a nurse, through my four years of dental school. I have been appointed to faculties at 3 dental schools and taught medical and dental students, and I have been part of admission committees deciding which applicants get an interview, and which of the interviewees get an offer to be a student in that school.
I have watched my son become a dental school faculty member after his medical school education, and in addition to his huge responsibilities running two clinics, faculty practice, and the other a patient care clinic, he is doing his post-doctoral Master’s in Public Health and being an active husband and father in his nuclear family. (And yes, he has a wonderful wife!) He loves it all. It makes for a wonderful life of love of others.
As to the medical education and its academic pressures: The students admitted to medical school have demonstrated academic ability in the tough pre-med courses, and finish those with high GPA’s, high MCAT scores, and high involvement in extra-curricular activities. In fact, the committees aren’t interested in students who have not shown a high involvement in extra-curricular areas, including work.
Why? Because, the student who has not handled the well-rounded schedule of schoolwork, community work, and other areas of teamwork, will not thrive in medical school. Other areas of teamwork include athletics, music (choir, band, etc.), volunteer work. These help show an applicant’s balance and “whole-person-ness.”
Grueling academics? Sure, it’s top-level academics. Don’t you want your physician to know stuff? But grueling? These students have shown they can handle their demanding academics and still handle life. There are days, weeks, semesters, in medical school that challenge one, and especially the student with a young family, or with family members who are very ill, or a marriage that is not solid.
And, the schools might need to improve their support of those students in that the student should be encouraged to take a leave of absence in order to deal with the life-challenges and then come back to medical school if they feel — and are — ready.
Surely, even our most capable students, admitted to medical school, having grown up in our victim-culture, modern media, including news, movies and social-media, and resultant societal beliefs, are vulnerable to, as the articles suggest, the “burn-out” and depression of being a medical student.
It is the school’s responsibility to help any students that are not thriving, to be identified and counseled that the fit of the profession may not be for them, to encourage student groups to discuss and help each other in the experiences of medical training. But to decide that, as Mt Sinai has done, that “honors” should be given to more than just the 25% that earned it, that “high pass” should also be given to a bigger group, is absurd. Their rationale is that the system “PROVOKED intense rivalry among students,” is the same sort of thinking that leads every soccer player to get a trophy.
And so, Mt Sinai med school “hopes to drop these limits altogether.” Every student will be equal.
REALLY?
Isn’t that more of what got us into this mess already? When the students have no evaluations or performance grading, how will the residencies and post-doctoral specialty programs choose their applicants from the pool. The suicidal med student will be an equivalent candidate to the most mature med student?
What kind of medical care will be provided by the student who has been told he is “honors” material when he is not, or by the student who believes he is “burned out” when he graduates, or by the student who utilizes the psychiatrist who is treating the mental health issues the young physician believes he has? Do you want your physician to be one of those doctors?
And, as my husband Claude points out, after his law school education, what a field-day the lawyers will have when a family or patient sues the doctor who has a history of psychiatric /psychologic counseling throughout school and beyond. (HIPAA, you say?
There is no such thing as confidentiality today. Just ask the leakers of the highest level confidential and classified information in the news, no less. No, on top of burn out, those physicians will have a hell of a time with the lawyers.
Yes, the medical schools owe their students the responsibility of taking the most ready, capable, mature, mentally healthy applicants, and then monitoring them at every level possible, and guiding, supporting and mentoring them to remain capable, mature, and mentally healthy. The schools must understand that what we believe is what we become.
The physicians who are responsible for these medical students must be brave enough to notice, say so, help as they can, including limiting the at-risk student to a leave of absence, or out of school. That is far better than seeing medical student lives lost to suicide, AND patient lives lost to mentally fragile physicians.
And we as parents must work on teaching our children responsibility and not victimhood. Let us have days full of Gratitude as the day’s operative belief. It is time.
The medical school is scrambling to “pledge more compassion,” according to the dean of the Mount Sinai Medical School in his essay in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Why would he say that? People who go into Medicine are typically quite compassionate to begin with. They care about others. Most of them.
Of course, within any group of people, there are those who may be driven more by financial reasons, or who have mental health issues, even severe ones. But still, why would he say they will pledge more compassion? He’s on the hot-seat. His school has lost two medical students to suicide recently.
So, the spokesperson for the school has to respond.
Let us look at what seems to be going on.
Firstly: Culture of blame/victimhood. Our culture has become one of blame - both through our human wish to not think “bad” things are our fault and through our legal system that follows and assigns blame, and quite honestly, punishment, for the blamed.
Shall we call it blame?
Or shall we call it victim-mentality?
We have lost way too much of our sense of personal responsibility. We are not teaching our children responsibility. Our culture is rife with children who are not growing up well. The media is full of information about how the millennials, our young people “need” more support and direction in the workforce, and are not as capable of full responsibility and enjoyment in the working world as their predecessors.
Should a physician not be one of the MOST responsible members of society? The “millennials” are reputed to be sensitive, incapable of the kind of responsibility and commitment that their parents and grandparents exhibit. They have been called “snowflakes” referring to their fragility.
Do we want fragile physicians?
Secondly: Belief in mental issues, mental illness, and need for psychiatric counseling. The follow-up to the medical student suicides has the schools looking at how they can provide more support to the students in the area of psychiatric visits for mental health support at discounted fees, and “breaks” after the adult medical students experience the death of a patient.
Reading a recent Wall Street Journal article (Lagnado L, After Tragedy, Med School Pledges More Compassion. WSJ 2017.03.23), I found myself agape.
As a 10-year critical care nurse, I not only experienced death of patients on a regular basis, but was responsible for the life-saving measures to attempt to save and prolong life. Did we nurses feel affected when a patient died?
Of course. What did I feel when the cardiologist patted me on the shoulder, and said, “Do what you can,” and left the ICU? I felt a sense of huge responsibility, commitment, love and concern for the patient and family.
What did I feel when we had lost a child patient in the emergency room and the attending ER doc said, “Would you go tell the family?” Huge responsibility, commitment, love and concern. I knew I could do that well, even knowing I would most likely be teary with the parents, and help them through the first moments.
And these docs who delegated huge responsibility to a capable and dedicated nurse were not snowflakes. They were quite responsible with venerable careers in medicine who were sharing shouldering the burden of human suffering.
None of my colleagues nor the physicians that I knew well had psychiatric or psychologic counseling or “breaks” when the patient died. We all grew emotionally, spiritually, and in our awareness of the preciousness of life as well as the limitations of life, medicine — even modern medicine.
For me and my colleagues, in medicine and in patient care, each day is one full of anticipation and excitement for what we can bring to our patients. It is a day full of Gratitude as the day’s operative belief.
Why are medical school academics not familiar and comfortable for the medical student?
OK - I went to dental school, AND worked basically full-time as a nurse, through my four years of dental school. I have been appointed to faculties at 3 dental schools and taught medical and dental students, and I have been part of admission committees deciding which applicants get an interview, and which of the interviewees get an offer to be a student in that school.
I have watched my son become a dental school faculty member after his medical school education, and in addition to his huge responsibilities running two clinics, faculty practice, and the other a patient care clinic, he is doing his post-doctoral Master’s in Public Health and being an active husband and father in his nuclear family. (And yes, he has a wonderful wife!) He loves it all. It makes for a wonderful life of love of others.
As to the medical education and its academic pressures: The students admitted to medical school have demonstrated academic ability in the tough pre-med courses, and finish those with high GPA’s, high MCAT scores, and high involvement in extra-curricular activities. In fact, the committees aren’t interested in students who have not shown a high involvement in extra-curricular areas, including work.
Why? Because, the student who has not handled the well-rounded schedule of schoolwork, community work, and other areas of teamwork, will not thrive in medical school. Other areas of teamwork include athletics, music (choir, band, etc.), volunteer work. These help show an applicant’s balance and “whole-person-ness.”
Grueling academics? Sure, it’s top-level academics. Don’t you want your physician to know stuff? But grueling? These students have shown they can handle their demanding academics and still handle life. There are days, weeks, semesters, in medical school that challenge one, and especially the student with a young family, or with family members who are very ill, or a marriage that is not solid.
And, the schools might need to improve their support of those students in that the student should be encouraged to take a leave of absence in order to deal with the life-challenges and then come back to medical school if they feel — and are — ready.
Surely, even our most capable students, admitted to medical school, having grown up in our victim-culture, modern media, including news, movies and social-media, and resultant societal beliefs, are vulnerable to, as the articles suggest, the “burn-out” and depression of being a medical student.
It is the school’s responsibility to help any students that are not thriving, to be identified and counseled that the fit of the profession may not be for them, to encourage student groups to discuss and help each other in the experiences of medical training. But to decide that, as Mt Sinai has done, that “honors” should be given to more than just the 25% that earned it, that “high pass” should also be given to a bigger group, is absurd. Their rationale is that the system “PROVOKED intense rivalry among students,” is the same sort of thinking that leads every soccer player to get a trophy.
And so, Mt Sinai med school “hopes to drop these limits altogether.” Every student will be equal.
REALLY?
Isn’t that more of what got us into this mess already? When the students have no evaluations or performance grading, how will the residencies and post-doctoral specialty programs choose their applicants from the pool. The suicidal med student will be an equivalent candidate to the most mature med student?
What kind of medical care will be provided by the student who has been told he is “honors” material when he is not, or by the student who believes he is “burned out” when he graduates, or by the student who utilizes the psychiatrist who is treating the mental health issues the young physician believes he has? Do you want your physician to be one of those doctors?
And, as my husband Claude points out, after his law school education, what a field-day the lawyers will have when a family or patient sues the doctor who has a history of psychiatric /psychologic counseling throughout school and beyond. (HIPAA, you say?
There is no such thing as confidentiality today. Just ask the leakers of the highest level confidential and classified information in the news, no less. No, on top of burn out, those physicians will have a hell of a time with the lawyers.
Yes, the medical schools owe their students the responsibility of taking the most ready, capable, mature, mentally healthy applicants, and then monitoring them at every level possible, and guiding, supporting and mentoring them to remain capable, mature, and mentally healthy. The schools must understand that what we believe is what we become.
The physicians who are responsible for these medical students must be brave enough to notice, say so, help as they can, including limiting the at-risk student to a leave of absence, or out of school. That is far better than seeing medical student lives lost to suicide, AND patient lives lost to mentally fragile physicians.
And we as parents must work on teaching our children responsibility and not victimhood. Let us have days full of Gratitude as the day’s operative belief. It is time.
- Published on
Activities for children where they learn real-life skills are far healthier than screen use.
Cris A. Rowan's book, Virtual Child, describes the dangers to children created by screen use.
Excluding screen use by children helps create a bright future for your child.
Handheld Devices should be banned for children under the age of 12, AND screens and technology should be severely limited with all children.
Why? The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics say:
Because use of screen technology (TV, cell phones, electronic games, internet, iPads, tablets, computers) is associated with:
Pediatricians report seeing patients age 3 to 6 years old who have become addicted to their devices and do not sleep more than 4 hours a night, and cannot cope with the device being taken away.
High frequency gamma brainwaves are associated with perception and higher brain activity, and are present when a child is telling a story, listening to a story, drawing or playing imaginatively with other children.
Research shows this brain activity flatlines (is ABSENT) when children are on screens. This is serious, especially in a child whose brain should be rapidly developing at age 2... or 3... or 4... or 8 or 9…
Instead, the doctors are seeing the children because they do not sleep, have delayed speech and have persistent headaches, ADD, ADHD.
The terrifying truth is that technology is taking our children’s futures! Read: Virtual Child: The Terrifying Truth About What Technology is Doing to Children by Cris A. Rowan . (See the left column to order this book.)
We have gone down the wrong path. Technology as a learning mechanism is just plain wrong. I know, I know. How could alll these educators be wrong? We don’t know until we know. Now we are seeing the results, number 1 through 10, above.
Protect your child. Take away the handheld devices; seriously limit ALL screens - TV’s, movies, games, iPads, tablets and all!
Why? The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics say:
Because use of screen technology (TV, cell phones, electronic games, internet, iPads, tablets, computers) is associated with:
- stunted, delayed, impaired, and decreased brain growth.
- developmental delays, poorer literacy, poorer learning and poorer academic achievement;
- obesity and diabetes;
- poor sleep;
- poorer grades;
- mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, attachment disorder, attention deficit disorder, autism, bipolar disorder, psychosis, behavioral problems and aggression;
- decreased concentration and memory, due to the brain not developing neuronal tracks to the frontal cortex;
- addictions;
- radiation illnesses, including cancer. Children are more sensitive than adults because their brains and immune systems are still developing;
- lack of a good future.
Pediatricians report seeing patients age 3 to 6 years old who have become addicted to their devices and do not sleep more than 4 hours a night, and cannot cope with the device being taken away.
High frequency gamma brainwaves are associated with perception and higher brain activity, and are present when a child is telling a story, listening to a story, drawing or playing imaginatively with other children.
Research shows this brain activity flatlines (is ABSENT) when children are on screens. This is serious, especially in a child whose brain should be rapidly developing at age 2... or 3... or 4... or 8 or 9…
Instead, the doctors are seeing the children because they do not sleep, have delayed speech and have persistent headaches, ADD, ADHD.
The terrifying truth is that technology is taking our children’s futures! Read: Virtual Child: The Terrifying Truth About What Technology is Doing to Children by Cris A. Rowan . (See the left column to order this book.)
We have gone down the wrong path. Technology as a learning mechanism is just plain wrong. I know, I know. How could alll these educators be wrong? We don’t know until we know. Now we are seeing the results, number 1 through 10, above.
Protect your child. Take away the handheld devices; seriously limit ALL screens - TV’s, movies, games, iPads, tablets and all!
- Published on
PEDO - ORTHO WEEKEND
March 23-26, 2017
Crowne Plaza Hotel - Nashua, NH
Space limited to 35 participants. Your enrollment reserves your space in the complete package. For further information, contact Dr. Nicholas Roy at toothdoc17@gmail.com
IAO NEW ENGLAND
Study Club
March 31 - April 2
Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport
Windsor Locks, CT
Contact: Dr. H. Michael Sefranek - IAO New England Section - 401.247.1777 - mike@smilesdr.com
Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport
Windsor Locks, CT
Contact: Dr. H. Michael Sefranek - IAO New England Section - 401.247.1777 - mike@smilesdr.com
- Published on
Find the Joy in Your Everyday Practice Life:
Part II - The Critical Elements
Part II - The Critical Elements
A classic book for improving your life and your business is Dr Norman Vincent Peale's "You Can If You Think You Can."
Though it was written for parents, Dr Chris Baker's book, "Your Child's Smile," has been used as a textbook for dentists who want to treat children.
Dr. Wayne Dyer's classic work, "You'll see it when you believe it," takes readers on a step-by-step path toward living and loving both life and career.
Critical element 1: Gratitude
As you drive in to your practice in the morning, spend the drive-time in gratitude, loving your life and yourself.
Think about your simple gratitude, and about your sacred gratitude. While you may have some current situational gratitude - the new car you are driving, your daughter’s amazing sports performance last night, also remember the simple gratitudes - your home, your work, your shower this morning, the way your staff makes your patients happy.
And, practice your sacred gratitudes: feeling grateful for everything in your life - even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come.
There is no substitute for feeling grateful, happy, blessed.
By the time you get to your office, you will be ready for a fantastic day where things seem to turn “your way.” I love the story of the doctor whose staff knew what sort of day “they were in for,” when they noticed how the doctor got out of the car - slowly, slumped, low-energy, or, on some wonderful days, upright, with energy, smiling.
Before you walk through the door, take a nice slow breath through your nose. This engages the peace of your para-sympathetic nervous system. It changes your physiology immediately to one of peace. Then, you can walk in to your office and greet each team member by name.
We all love to hear our name. It has been said that your name is the most beautiful word in the whole world. Yes, greet with love and their name! And feel your gratitude for each one of them. Why not? - the alternative is not going to make you feel happier, and gratitude can make you remember all your joy.
Critical element 2: Your beliefs and thoughts
Decide to love your practice. Assuming you are continuing to practice dentistry, you don’t have to love your practice. Your choices would appear to be three: You can:
1. ...transition/sell your practice if you’re not happy with it,
2. ...keep trudging through your days and practice, facing the difficulties and challenges with dread at the worst, coping at the best, or...
Critical element 3: Decide to love the practice life, and do what you need to do to see it as joyous.
I know one general dentist in a small upper mid-western town who so loves his practice, patients, and staff! His life is full and his family reaps the benefits of a joyous husband and father.
Years ago he did not feel quite that way about his practice. It was much more work, not financially great, and he came to the fork in the road - toward joy? Or toward the "same old, same old"? His beliefs and thoughts had to change, and when they did, he ran smack into the knowledge and guidance he needed to transform his practice to GREAT, and with that, his life to GREAT.
You may think, “Dr. Chris, you have no idea…”, or “It’s just not that simple.”
Indeed, it’s not that simple. But it IS that worth it! And it gets easier and easier. You can turn your beliefs / perspectives of your daily “grind” to daily joy.
You can if you think you can.
Yes, it will take work. Work that has the magnificent outcome of bringing you to a joyous existence.
The work can be magnificently successful if you “get out of the way”, and get into the belief state as soon as possible. Nothing will change until you do.
How do you get out of the way? You might call this release, or surrender, or focusing on what is right in your life/practice. Dr Wayne Dyer liked to remind us, “You’ll see it WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT.”
Focus on what’s right. Act as if. Walk in that door in the morning and act as if your practice is the best place in the world to be. If it were, would you ignore the staff, or would you say a bright and cheery “Good morning, Claire” to each person you see, greeting them by name?
If your practice were such a happy place to be, would you look at the schedule with dread over the patients who are scheduled? Or would you think how lovely it will be to see each one? Act as if…
Believe it TIL you see it!
The change is in YOU.
Your belief, your trust, your joy will change everything, including your practice. And when that happens, you will truly be living your magical, miraculous, magnificent life of your dreams!
Just you wait!
Your staff will become wonderful (or you’ll find new staff who are wonderful and fit your new life well.) Your patients will be delightfully happy with your care (or the grumps will leave.) You will have created your great practice!
More critical elements to come next time!!
As you drive in to your practice in the morning, spend the drive-time in gratitude, loving your life and yourself.
Think about your simple gratitude, and about your sacred gratitude. While you may have some current situational gratitude - the new car you are driving, your daughter’s amazing sports performance last night, also remember the simple gratitudes - your home, your work, your shower this morning, the way your staff makes your patients happy.
And, practice your sacred gratitudes: feeling grateful for everything in your life - even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come.
There is no substitute for feeling grateful, happy, blessed.
By the time you get to your office, you will be ready for a fantastic day where things seem to turn “your way.” I love the story of the doctor whose staff knew what sort of day “they were in for,” when they noticed how the doctor got out of the car - slowly, slumped, low-energy, or, on some wonderful days, upright, with energy, smiling.
Before you walk through the door, take a nice slow breath through your nose. This engages the peace of your para-sympathetic nervous system. It changes your physiology immediately to one of peace. Then, you can walk in to your office and greet each team member by name.
We all love to hear our name. It has been said that your name is the most beautiful word in the whole world. Yes, greet with love and their name! And feel your gratitude for each one of them. Why not? - the alternative is not going to make you feel happier, and gratitude can make you remember all your joy.
Critical element 2: Your beliefs and thoughts
Decide to love your practice. Assuming you are continuing to practice dentistry, you don’t have to love your practice. Your choices would appear to be three: You can:
1. ...transition/sell your practice if you’re not happy with it,
2. ...keep trudging through your days and practice, facing the difficulties and challenges with dread at the worst, coping at the best, or...
Critical element 3: Decide to love the practice life, and do what you need to do to see it as joyous.
I know one general dentist in a small upper mid-western town who so loves his practice, patients, and staff! His life is full and his family reaps the benefits of a joyous husband and father.
Years ago he did not feel quite that way about his practice. It was much more work, not financially great, and he came to the fork in the road - toward joy? Or toward the "same old, same old"? His beliefs and thoughts had to change, and when they did, he ran smack into the knowledge and guidance he needed to transform his practice to GREAT, and with that, his life to GREAT.
You may think, “Dr. Chris, you have no idea…”, or “It’s just not that simple.”
Indeed, it’s not that simple. But it IS that worth it! And it gets easier and easier. You can turn your beliefs / perspectives of your daily “grind” to daily joy.
You can if you think you can.
Yes, it will take work. Work that has the magnificent outcome of bringing you to a joyous existence.
The work can be magnificently successful if you “get out of the way”, and get into the belief state as soon as possible. Nothing will change until you do.
How do you get out of the way? You might call this release, or surrender, or focusing on what is right in your life/practice. Dr Wayne Dyer liked to remind us, “You’ll see it WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT.”
Focus on what’s right. Act as if. Walk in that door in the morning and act as if your practice is the best place in the world to be. If it were, would you ignore the staff, or would you say a bright and cheery “Good morning, Claire” to each person you see, greeting them by name?
If your practice were such a happy place to be, would you look at the schedule with dread over the patients who are scheduled? Or would you think how lovely it will be to see each one? Act as if…
Believe it TIL you see it!
The change is in YOU.
Your belief, your trust, your joy will change everything, including your practice. And when that happens, you will truly be living your magical, miraculous, magnificent life of your dreams!
Just you wait!
Your staff will become wonderful (or you’ll find new staff who are wonderful and fit your new life well.) Your patients will be delightfully happy with your care (or the grumps will leave.) You will have created your great practice!
More critical elements to come next time!!
- Published on
Find the Joy in Your Everyday Practice Life: Part I
Recapture the passion for your dental practice! The key to this is the way you see everything.
The orthodontic wing of the American Dental Clinic in Abu Dhabi, where I practice.
The American Dental Clinic in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
It’s not only about technical skills! What are the differences that make the differences?
You can recapture the passion. Here I will share a totally different perspective that will change your attitude and mental approach to your practice, and will change your life!
Q: What do you have to change to make things change?
A: The way you see everything.
That may sound overwhelming, or ridiculous. Yet, no, it is actually a tiny simple shift in your thinking that can take you to the happiness you want, that can set you apart from other dentists. When your perspective on life changes, it can create powerful change. And, it all flows from love.
You see, when you start understanding that every tiny decision you make takes you where you go, AND, how your decisions are based on your beliefs,
NOW, you can change everything easily. It’s easy to do - and easy NOT to do! (I will introduce you to Jeff Olson in a bit, from whom I learned how it’s easy to do — and easy NOT to do.)
OK, now back to the way you see everything, and what love has to do with it. The two emotions from which all other emotions come, are fear — and love. In fear we worry. In fear we feel anxious, less than, depressed, despair, disgusted, helpless, even angry and lost. In love we feel grateful, hopeful, capable, curious and happy.
So, to begin to see everything differently, to begin to see things in your life change, you can look through the eyes of gratitude. Gratitude is abundance-thinking. When our view is one of abundance, our emotions are positive and our actions follow. When our thoughts are of stresses, our view is one of lack. And seeing lack, our emotions are negative, borne of fear. Our resulting actions stem from the fear.
When you look at for what you are grateful, your gratitude creates thoughts that change your emotion AND your actions. It all flows from love.
Bo Sanchez, Motivational Speaker, says there are three kinds of gratitude: Situational, Simple, and Sacred. In situational, you feel gratitude for a “big thing” like a new car, or getting engaged. Because we don’t have “big things” coming into our lives every day, we feel situational gratitude only occasionally.
Simple gratitude is what you feel across your life, and for all the simple things - your home, your family, your food, and so forth. That gratitude is better than situational, because you can feel it much more often so its feelings of abundance have the chance to impact your emotions and actions fairly frequently.
Finally, sacred gratitude is across the board feeling grateful for everything. This includes even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come. That’s the best sort of gratitude because it is all the time, and for everything.
Now, go out there and think about the abundance of your life. Read over this a few times so you can put it into practice. You’ll start seeing EVERYTHING differently!
And next time, we’ll talk about more critical elements to finding joy. Gratitude is more than enough for now!
You can recapture the passion. Here I will share a totally different perspective that will change your attitude and mental approach to your practice, and will change your life!
Q: What do you have to change to make things change?
A: The way you see everything.
That may sound overwhelming, or ridiculous. Yet, no, it is actually a tiny simple shift in your thinking that can take you to the happiness you want, that can set you apart from other dentists. When your perspective on life changes, it can create powerful change. And, it all flows from love.
You see, when you start understanding that every tiny decision you make takes you where you go, AND, how your decisions are based on your beliefs,
NOW, you can change everything easily. It’s easy to do - and easy NOT to do! (I will introduce you to Jeff Olson in a bit, from whom I learned how it’s easy to do — and easy NOT to do.)
OK, now back to the way you see everything, and what love has to do with it. The two emotions from which all other emotions come, are fear — and love. In fear we worry. In fear we feel anxious, less than, depressed, despair, disgusted, helpless, even angry and lost. In love we feel grateful, hopeful, capable, curious and happy.
So, to begin to see everything differently, to begin to see things in your life change, you can look through the eyes of gratitude. Gratitude is abundance-thinking. When our view is one of abundance, our emotions are positive and our actions follow. When our thoughts are of stresses, our view is one of lack. And seeing lack, our emotions are negative, borne of fear. Our resulting actions stem from the fear.
When you look at for what you are grateful, your gratitude creates thoughts that change your emotion AND your actions. It all flows from love.
Bo Sanchez, Motivational Speaker, says there are three kinds of gratitude: Situational, Simple, and Sacred. In situational, you feel gratitude for a “big thing” like a new car, or getting engaged. Because we don’t have “big things” coming into our lives every day, we feel situational gratitude only occasionally.
Simple gratitude is what you feel across your life, and for all the simple things - your home, your family, your food, and so forth. That gratitude is better than situational, because you can feel it much more often so its feelings of abundance have the chance to impact your emotions and actions fairly frequently.
Finally, sacred gratitude is across the board feeling grateful for everything. This includes even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come. That’s the best sort of gratitude because it is all the time, and for everything.
Now, go out there and think about the abundance of your life. Read over this a few times so you can put it into practice. You’ll start seeing EVERYTHING differently!
And next time, we’ll talk about more critical elements to finding joy. Gratitude is more than enough for now!
- Published on
Find the Joy in Your Everyday Practice Life:
Part II - The Critical Elements
A classic book for improving your life and your business is Dr Norman Vincent Peale's "You Can If You Think You Can."
Though it was written for parents, Dr Chris Baker's book, "Your Child's Smile," has been used as a textbook for dentists who want to treat children.
Dr. Wayne Dyer's classic work, "You'll see it when you believe it," takes readers on a step-by-step path toward living and loving both life and career.
Critical element 1: Gratitude
As you drive in to your practice in the morning, spend the drive-time in gratitude, loving your life and yourself.
Think about your simple gratitude, and about your sacred gratitude. While you may have some current situational gratitude - the new car you are driving, your daughter’s amazing sports performance last night, also remember the simple gratitudes - your home, your work, your shower this morning, the way your staff makes your patients happy.
And, practice your sacred gratitudes: feeling grateful for everything in your life - even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come.
There is no substitute for feeling grateful, happy, blessed.
By the time you get to your office, you will be ready for a fantastic day where things seem to turn “your way.” I love the story of the doctor whose staff knew what sort of day “they were in for,” when they noticed how the doctor got out of the car - slowly, slumped, low-energy, or, on some wonderful days, upright, with energy, smiling.
Before you walk through the door, take a nice slow breath through your nose. This engages the peace of your para-sympathetic nervous system. It changes your physiology immediately to one of peace. Then, you can walk in to your office and greet each team member by name.
We all love to hear our name. It has been said that your name is the most beautiful word in the whole world. Yes, greet with love and their name! And feel your gratitude for each one of them. Why not? - the alternative is not going to make you feel happier, and gratitude can make you remember all your joy.
Critical element 2: Your beliefs and thoughts
Decide to love your practice. Assuming you are continuing to practice dentistry, you don’t have to love your practice. Your choices would appear to be three: You can:
1. ...transition/sell your practice if you’re not happy with it,
2. ...keep trudging through your days and practice, facing the difficulties and challenges with dread at the worst, coping at the best, or...
Critical element 3: Decide to love the practice life, and do what you need to do to see it as joyous.
I know one general dentist in a small upper mid-western town who so loves his practice, patients, and staff! His life is full and his family reaps the benefits of a joyous husband and father.
Years ago he did not feel quite that way about his practice. It was much more work, not financially great, and he came to the fork in the road - toward joy? Or toward the "same old, same old"? His beliefs and thoughts had to change, and when they did, he ran smack into the knowledge and guidance he needed to transform his practice to GREAT, and with that, his life to GREAT.
You may think, “Dr. Chris, you have no idea…”, or “It’s just not that simple.”
Indeed, it’s not that simple. But it IS that worth it! And it gets easier and easier. You can turn your beliefs / perspectives of your daily “grind” to daily joy.
You can if you think you can.
Yes, it will take work. Work that has the magnificent outcome of bringing you to a joyous existence.
The work can be magnificently successful if you “get out of the way”, and get into the belief state as soon as possible. Nothing will change until you do.
How do you get out of the way? You might call this release, or surrender, or focusing on what is right in your life/practice. Dr Wayne Dyer liked to remind us, “You’ll see it WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT.”
Focus on what’s right. Act as if. Walk in that door in the morning and act as if your practice is the best place in the world to be. If it were, would you ignore the staff, or would you say a bright and cheery “Good morning, Claire” to each person you see, greeting them by name?
If your practice were such a happy place to be, would you look at the schedule with dread over the patients who are scheduled? Or would you think how lovely it will be to see each one? Act as if…
Believe it TIL you see it!
The change is in YOU.
Your belief, your trust, your joy will change everything, including your practice. And when that happens, you will truly be living your magical, miraculous, magnificent life of your dreams!
Just you wait!
Your staff will become wonderful (or you’ll find new staff who are wonderful and fit your new life well.) Your patients will be delightfully happy with your care (or the grumps will leave.) You will have created your great practice!
More critical elements to come next time!!
As you drive in to your practice in the morning, spend the drive-time in gratitude, loving your life and yourself.
Think about your simple gratitude, and about your sacred gratitude. While you may have some current situational gratitude - the new car you are driving, your daughter’s amazing sports performance last night, also remember the simple gratitudes - your home, your work, your shower this morning, the way your staff makes your patients happy.
And, practice your sacred gratitudes: feeling grateful for everything in your life - even the hard stuff, the challenges, the grief in loss, knowing no matter how difficult, there is benefit to you to come.
There is no substitute for feeling grateful, happy, blessed.
By the time you get to your office, you will be ready for a fantastic day where things seem to turn “your way.” I love the story of the doctor whose staff knew what sort of day “they were in for,” when they noticed how the doctor got out of the car - slowly, slumped, low-energy, or, on some wonderful days, upright, with energy, smiling.
Before you walk through the door, take a nice slow breath through your nose. This engages the peace of your para-sympathetic nervous system. It changes your physiology immediately to one of peace. Then, you can walk in to your office and greet each team member by name.
We all love to hear our name. It has been said that your name is the most beautiful word in the whole world. Yes, greet with love and their name! And feel your gratitude for each one of them. Why not? - the alternative is not going to make you feel happier, and gratitude can make you remember all your joy.
Critical element 2: Your beliefs and thoughts
Decide to love your practice. Assuming you are continuing to practice dentistry, you don’t have to love your practice. Your choices would appear to be three: You can:
1. ...transition/sell your practice if you’re not happy with it,
2. ...keep trudging through your days and practice, facing the difficulties and challenges with dread at the worst, coping at the best, or...
Critical element 3: Decide to love the practice life, and do what you need to do to see it as joyous.
I know one general dentist in a small upper mid-western town who so loves his practice, patients, and staff! His life is full and his family reaps the benefits of a joyous husband and father.
Years ago he did not feel quite that way about his practice. It was much more work, not financially great, and he came to the fork in the road - toward joy? Or toward the "same old, same old"? His beliefs and thoughts had to change, and when they did, he ran smack into the knowledge and guidance he needed to transform his practice to GREAT, and with that, his life to GREAT.
You may think, “Dr. Chris, you have no idea…”, or “It’s just not that simple.”
Indeed, it’s not that simple. But it IS that worth it! And it gets easier and easier. You can turn your beliefs / perspectives of your daily “grind” to daily joy.
You can if you think you can.
Yes, it will take work. Work that has the magnificent outcome of bringing you to a joyous existence.
The work can be magnificently successful if you “get out of the way”, and get into the belief state as soon as possible. Nothing will change until you do.
How do you get out of the way? You might call this release, or surrender, or focusing on what is right in your life/practice. Dr Wayne Dyer liked to remind us, “You’ll see it WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT.”
Focus on what’s right. Act as if. Walk in that door in the morning and act as if your practice is the best place in the world to be. If it were, would you ignore the staff, or would you say a bright and cheery “Good morning, Claire” to each person you see, greeting them by name?
If your practice were such a happy place to be, would you look at the schedule with dread over the patients who are scheduled? Or would you think how lovely it will be to see each one? Act as if…
Believe it TIL you see it!
The change is in YOU.
Your belief, your trust, your joy will change everything, including your practice. And when that happens, you will truly be living your magical, miraculous, magnificent life of your dreams!
Just you wait!
Your staff will become wonderful (or you’ll find new staff who are wonderful and fit your new life well.) Your patients will be delightfully happy with your care (or the grumps will leave.) You will have created your great practice!
More critical elements to come next time!!
