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Professional Courtesy: What's on Your Tray? Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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– by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

Once a year, I fly 2,487 miles to upstate New York for a golf and lake weekend with six of my classmates from dental school. If you have never been to the Adirondacks, you are missing one of the most beautiful parks in our country (Fig.1). Growing up, my family and I traveled from Syracuse to Big Moose Lake every summer for vacation; continuing the tradition with my classmates is truly a blessing.

Our group consists of three oral surgeons, two orthodontists and two general dentists. As you might imagine, some of our conversations focus on dentistry. We discuss materials, techniques and office management; the different perspectives are enlightening. This year, I had business meetings in Buffalo right after the getaway weekend, so I made a stop along the way, in Syracuse. There I spent time with one of my roommates from dental school, Dr. Brian Tromblee, and he gave me a tour of his brand new office he just opened with his wife, Dr. Teri Forth (Fig.2).



While touring this beautiful space, I couldn't help but look inside the drawers and ask questions like, "Why do you use this?" "What do you use for that?" "Why is this stored in the operatory?" and so on. A casual observer might think it was my first time in a dental office. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. I have worked in and visited dozens of dental offices in my career, and knowing how different practices are from one another, I'm always curious to learn what sets each practice apart from one another. The dentists I have known since dental school do some things a bit differently from each other and myself and I often wonder how that evolved.

For a little more than five years, Dentaltown Magazine has delivered a beautiful feature article series titled, Office Visit. This is our special spin on showcasing dental offices in our magazine. We look for an office with a unique story and then interview the owner to learn about his or her practice philosophy and some of the decision making that went into building their practice. This continues to be a very popular feature and we are looking to expand on this concept of visiting with our colleagues.

I'm pleased to announce the newest feature for Dentaltown Magazine in 2012, "What's On My Tray?" If Office Visit is the macro view of a dental practice, our newest feature will be the micro view of a single procedure in a dental practice. Throughout 2012, we will feature the tray set-ups of various dentists throughout the profession. We need you to send us photos of your tray set ups for any of the following procedures:
  • Composite/Restorative
  • Dental implants
  • Crown & bridge preparation
  • Endodontics
  • Scaling & root planing
  • Temporary crown
For your reference and as an example of what we expect, I've included a photo from my practice as a sample (Fig. 3). Here is some criteria we'd like for you to follow:
  • The photo should be a clear representation of the specific materials and instruments you use for that procedure.
  • We also require you to include a list of all items that appear in your photo to assist our team with identification and labeling.
  • Send your photo and list to tom@dentaltown.com. Please write "What's On My Tray" in the subject line of your e-mail.



Those who submit photos that meet the above criteria will receive a certificate for free online CE credit when you take your next course on Dentaltown.com. Dentists whose tray set-ups are chosen to appear in Dentaltown Magazine will receive a $100 Visa gift card.

You can look forward to the first installment of this new feature in the January 2012 issue of Dentaltown Magazine.
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