Are Baby Boomer Dentists retiring in increasing numbers?

Lately I've seen an uptick in new patients entering our practice.   It seems that an increasing  number of my contemporary dentists (baby boomers) have chosen to retire and some of their patients were not particularly happy with their younger replacements.  Boomer  dentists are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964 and many are retirement age. 

When I queried these new patients as to why they left their previous dentist,  many were unhappy with the dentists who took over a prior dentist who retired and they implied that either they didn't feel like they were getting the same "personal attention" and/ or the new dentist was finding problems that their previous dentist didn't mention.

Over the years I have had the good fortune to take over a number of dental practices when collegues have chosen to retire. I can attest that this is both an opportunity and a challenge. While I feel flattered that these dentists have chosen me to be their successors, It can be delicate performing my first examination on their patients. The fact is that examinations and treatment planning is not perfectly standardized among dentists. 

When I perform my examinations I often give my patient a tour of their mouth and try to differentiate between treatments that must be performed now and those that might wait for a later time. I emphasize the need for regular recall appointments both to keep their teeth and gums health and also to perform timely interventions when restorations really need replacing or new cavities develop.  Also I usually do not strongly promote invasive cosmetic procedures unless a patient expresses strong interest in improving their smiles. I may demonstrate what is possible but leave it up to my patient to decide if they are interested in exploring their elective options ( tooth bleaching, orthodontics, anterior veneers or crowns).

I believe that when a younger dentist takes over another dentists practice, they should tread lightly on their new patients and not resort to "hard sell" tactics to strongly encourage elective procedures that may not be absolutely necessary to ensure a patients dental health. While it is our obligation as dentist to educate our patients to make informed decisions, we must resist the temptation to promote what amount to necessary procedures especially when a patient has the option to do nothing or select a less expensive dental option.