Over Rating Efficiency?

There is increasing pressure on our young colleagues to become ever more efficient, since this will increase the profitability of the practices they work in. Ok- I understand the need for not wasting time, but not if this “efficiency” impairs our ability to create adequate restorations that stand the test of time and help preserve our patients’ teeth.

I guess in a strictly business driven model this is not of the utmost importance, since more frequent replacement of filling or even teeth , can make dental practices more profitable. After all shorter life spans  for restorations correlates to higher productivity.  This thinking to my mind is a perversion of our profession.

Good work takes time and is not easily accomplished by a clinician who is “rushing” and playing “Beat the Clock ( a game show from the 1950’s).  Besides there is little professional satisfaction in producing shoddy restorations.

One of the greatest professional satisfactions that I experience is examining my patients during their recalls. Seeing a mouth in which my restorations have stood the test of time, and my patients continuing good oral health, can be extremely rewarding.

After all we should see ourselves as dental healers and not factory workers turning out short term solutions for our patients. Truth be told there have always been dentists practicing different levels of dentistry. Some have preferred turning out very affordable restorations and there will always be a place for them in our profession, but it seems  that nowadays there is ever more pressure by dental  insurers and group practices to join their ‘club”.  

When I first got out of my residency, I worked in many of these types of settings. Even though my salary was low, I chose to use them as an opportunity to practice my profession and improve my dental skills. Never mind that my employers wished I would “pump out” more work, that wasn’t terribly important to me. I knew that “practice makes perfect” and I would bide my time until I had sufficient skills and knowledge to open my own practice and produce the kind of dentistry that would truly help my patients.

Yes, in dentistry the managed care train is leaving the station, but we do not have to board it. If a young dentist chooses to get on the train, hopefully, once fully mature in their abilities, they may opt to get off the train and practice dentistry in the manner they truly desire.