Howard Speaks by Howard Farran DDS MBA MAGD

Why do some dentists grow professionally while others stagnate? It could be many reasons—fear, risk or the damaging effects of self-labeling. Becoming successful takes a very positive mental attitude and a love for risk and adventure! Many dentists allowed themselves to become intellectually stunted in life by parents, siblings and teachers who inflict negative attitudes and self-defeating labels. They not only believed the labels, they still act them out every day as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I graduated from UMKC dental school back in 1987 and posterior composites seemed like Russian endo roulette to me at the time. In 1987 molar endo took me three one-hour appointments. Persistence paid off and I was able to throw away the amalgam triturators in 1991. Today, 15 years later, with Profile .06 tapered nickel titanium rotary files from Tulsa Dental Products that same procedure usually takes about an hour.

The first implant I surgically placed failed and I ended up paying an oral surgeon to redo it. Now, 100 surgical implants later, they are starting to become predictable. Removing third molars used to make me sweat and get my hands shaky. Today, removing impacted molars is one of my favorite procedures.

I can still remember back in 1987 when a patient’s Mom would ask if her child would need ortho. I can still remember saying, “I don’t know! What do you think?” And of course mom would say, “Well I thought you would know since you’re the dentist” during which time I was thinking to myself that I really didn’t have a clue. Today, after studying with ortho professionals like Harry Green, Jack Sheridan, Richard Litt, and Brock Rondeau, I love to answer parents questions about ortho for their children and truly enjoy doing the case. In fact now, whenever someone refer to cosmetic dentistry, I start thinking of ortho and bleaching long before veneers even enter my mind.

I have heard more than 100 dentists say, “My dental school instructor said I was horrible in surgery and I haven’t pulled a tooth since!” Someone gave them a label and they continued to believe this fallacy. ! How many dentists do you know personally who still claim they are horrible in endo yet haven’t done a molar root canal in ten years? In fact, the truth is, they have never attempted to perform a root endo even though modern technology now offers instruments like Profile .06 tapered nickel titanium rotary files and Root ZX apex locators that make the procedure infinitely easier.

Are labels from your past inhibiting your professional growth? Create a “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill positive mental attitude! The inside front page of the IBD (Investor’s Business Daily) always lists the ten secrets to success. The #1 secret is: How you think is everything: always be positive. Think success not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

The #4 secret to success from the IBD is: Never stop learning—Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills. Cross training is the key to success in any endeavor whether it is sporting or intellectual. Deciding to earn my FAGD (Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry) and my MAGD (Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry) was single handedly the best dental decision I ever made. The forefathers of the AGD (Academy of General Dentistry) set up a well-balanced curriculum of 16 different categories. This forced me to gain advanced training in areas I probably would have never become proficient.

L.D Pankey said “you can’t sell a product if it’s not sitting on the shelf.” To be a well-rounded family practicing dentist you need to know a lot about almost everything. Carl Misch says it was his background in removable prosthetics that allowed him to master implantology. Brock Rondeau swears that you could never master TMD if you do not understand orthodontics. As family practicing dentists, we will never be a specialist in anything, but we need to know a lot about everything. The more you learn in one area of dentistry, the more you start to understand other areas of dentistry.

The goal of this magazine is to provide you, the family practice dentist, with information that will empower you to excel at daily routine procedures and challenge you to widen your abilities and incorporate specialized areas into your work every day with accurate, predictable and profitable results. Drop those antiquated labels…we’re here to help!