Professional Courtesy: Winners Vote, Voters Win by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

15 years of recognizing the best
Voting for your favorite dental products is the perfect diversion from the political controversies of the day. This is your annual opportunity to come together with colleagues and share what you enjoy using in your practice.

This year marks the 15th annual Townie Choice Awards (TCA), the survey of our members' favorite products and services. More importantly, this is your opportunity to help us recognize the companies that are leaders in their categories and the products that help us provide great dental treatment for our patients.

This month, a number of companies that are passionate supporters of our community are participating in a product showcase to help kick off our annual survey. The products and services included in our TCA Product Showcase (starting on p. 82) represent past winners along with products new to the market.

All are competing for your endorsement as a happy customer. As clinicians, we love to hear of patients who recommend our practice to their friends, or see positive reviews of our offices posted online. In a similar vein, dental manufacturers and service providers rely on word of mouth as well. Throughout the year, you may have a conversation with a colleague or you might share a case on dentaltown.com, but there are many products that might not get a mention because you didn't think they were critical to your success.

When someone shows off a beautiful anterior composite, he or she might mention the restorative material but neglect to mention the bonding agent, burs and polishers that were part of the case as well. We have created a ballot that identifies 13 categories representing the most commonly used and discussed products and services.

Once we tally all the votes, the results will be featured in the December issue of our magazine and posted online. In fact, you can view the results of every TCA survey since the first one in 2003 under the "Events" tab of our main menu on dentaltown.com.

This valuable data has served many Townies well when they are looking to change from a current product, or they are starting a new practice and need to build their shopping list of supplies.

What's in it for you?
Did I mention there will be prizes? For each category of the survey that you complete, your name will be entered in a drawing for one of five fabulous prizes. The earlier you complete your ballot, the more prizes you could win. Here is a list of prizes and the dates for choosing a winner:

• July 16—Apple AirPods
• July 30—$250 Amazon.com gift card
• Aug. 13—DJI Phantom 3 Standard quadcopter drone
• Aug. 27—Townie Meeting 2018 tuition
• Sept. 6— $1,000 and your photo on the cover of December 2017's issue of Dentaltown magazine

I hope you will take this opportunity to contribute to the community by sharing the products and services you use every day. The survey is multiple choice and very easy to complete. If there is a product you do not use or a name brand that's missing, you will have an option to share that information on the survey.

We want to hear your feedback whether this is your first year participating or your 15th.Please use the space provided to make suggestions and give your thoughts on the process.