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10 Reasons Why You Need to Join Dentaltown.com Today by Bradi Boyce, DDS

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by Bradi Boyce*, DDS, Active Townie

I know I am not alone when I say that my involvement with Dentaltown has absolutely changed my life and career for the better. I first heard about Dentaltown when the Dentaltown Magazine started arriving at my office. It wasn't until I was Googling something about bonding agents that I became familiar with the actual Web site. I debated whether to sign up; I was worried about viruses and spam and all of that other good stuff associated with giving out information on Web sites. I actually asked my husband to check it out and make sure it looked secure (it sure was!). So with his blessing, I became an official Townie... little did he know that once I was "in," I would be addicted! I am not sure where the summer of 2007 went! I was on Dentaltown.com day and night. I asked questions, looked at pictures and read more. I read about everything from root canals to bonding to practice management. I was completely overwhelmed by the differences between my style of practice and how others practiced. I think it was during dental school I read that you are at your best when you have been practicing 10 years. Ha! I thought I was doing pretty great. What an awakening...

1. Dentaltown Goes Beyond Clinical
In the past five years, I have used the site for just about every aspect of dentistry. I've used it for better managing my practice, scheduling my day, billing, writing office manuals, job descriptions and even developing a new position in my office. While on Dentaltown I met one of the greatest pioneers in our profession, Dr. Mac Lee. He and his right hand, Jolene Jackson, spent two days in my practice teaching us how to go from being a crazy busy practice that was losing control daily to a well-oiled machine that could handle twice the workload with only a fraction of the stress. They helped us develop a patient care coordinator. Now, I cannot imagine practicing dentistry without this position. This might be one of the best things I have ever done for my patients, my staff and myself.

2. Keeps You Dentally Charged
The real benefactors of my addiction to Dentaltown are my patients. I believe as dentists, we can easily get stuck in ruts and routines, destined for burnout. I love that every morning when I wake up and log onto Dentaltown.com, there is a whole list of today's active topics that act as a cyber charger for my dental battery. They refill me with the importance of checking for oral cancer, nodes, perio, recession, wear, attrition, erosion and all those things that we get so used to seeing but not necessarily addressing. Most patients don't want to hear about this stuff. It usually starts difficult and lengthy conversations. But after looking at a few cases on Dentaltown.com I am recharged with passion as to why it is important to delve into these conversations and pass onto the patients the benefits of treating these things early.

3. Community and Camaraderie
I practice in a small community where there are few other dentists. I think this kind of practice can get "professionally lonely," meaning there are few others around who truly understand what you do day to day; few who understand the difficulties of working in the mouth, running a practice, managing employees and coping with the physical stresses of our profession. I have met some of my best friends on Dentaltown.com. Conversing, venting, consoling and laughing with them on a daily basis, I have learned to trust people as colleagues and as friends. Each year, at Townie Meeting, we all meet up, hang out and enjoy the camaraderie in Las Vegas. (Editor's Note: Read about Townie Meeting on Page 22). Not only do I value the advice and feedback I receive from these people, but I love the community to which I belong.

4. You'll Find Unbiased Opinions
After graduating from dental school and completing a residency, I thought I was well armed to tackle the issues of everyday practice. However, because of practicing alone, over the years, I didn't get a lot of exposure to various products and techniques. I was always open-minded to learning new things but mostly what I was learning was what my supply rep was telling and selling me. I had no access to unbiased educated opinions on products, materials and techniques. I have found Dentaltown to be a huge resource for getting opinions on products, equipment and techniques from dentists and staff who have no vested interest. They are simply the people using them day in and day out, seeing the results on real patients in the real world. And since that is where I practice, these are the opinions that I value most!

5. You'll Receive Quality Feedback
It didn't take me long perusing Dentaltown.com to figure out that I had plenty of room for improvement clinically. And what I thought was great work, was really marginal at best. So, with the aid of my new found peers, I set out to improve. I found most Townies to be very honest, encouraging and constructive with the feedback they provided. One of the neatest things about Dentaltown is that the people providing you with the feedback are real-world dental professionals who are out there in the trenches, drilling, filling, prepping, managing staff and doing all of the things about which many of us have questions every day. It's like learning from hundreds of your best friends' experiences.

Like with anything, you get what you give with Dentaltown. If you are willing to put yourself out there and be open-minded to differing opinion, criticism and praise, it is unbelievable the amount you can learn and the dentist you can become.

6. You'll Get Help with Techniques
I was really struggling with posterior composites for a while. Too many of my patients were having sensitivity. I was frustrated. I had tried everything my supply rep could suggest. I was at my wits end. I truly thought I was alone in these struggles. I found threads on Dentaltown.com that addressed every single complication I was having. It was real people, having real problems, just like mine! Several Townies recommended Surpass bonding agent. (This is another Dentaltown pearl that I could not practice without). I found that the rubber dam was not obsolete and some great new matrix bands. These three simple things changed the dynamic of my daily practice. The post-op pain phone calls were reduced to virtually none. It was absolutely unreal. My assistants were excited. They no longer held their breath every time a patient requested a white filling. And best of all, my front desk no longer dreaded answering the phone and had tons of extra time to complete other more productive tasks.

7. It Keeps You Motivated to Do Your Best
I remember a time when I was getting bored with dentistry. It seemed like the same thing day in and day out. Drill, fill, impress, seat. Then I stumbled on a thread about posting your pretty amalgam carvings. Now I know what you are thinking... who carves amalgam anymore? Well go on Dentaltown and you will find out! Regardless, some of the carvings on this thread were absolutely gorgeous, they looked like cast restorations. I started looking at my own carvings. They were slightly better than the ol' thumbprint style. The more I looked at this thread the more I wanted mine to look like the amalgams being posted! I carved and practiced. I asked questions about instruments used and how to use them. Finally I was ready to post a picture. Scared and nervous I did so, really late at night hoping everyone would go to bed and not see it! But to my surprise, I was met with some praise, some tips and a lot of encouragement! I kept posting and every day they were getting better and better. My patients and staff got a kick out of my taking pictures of their silver fillings and loved the excitement and artwork. I love seeing my amalgams at hygiene checks now! So even on the worst days when everything is going wrong, when I go to do a hygiene check, there is usually a pretty little silver filling smiling back at me reminding me that this job can be fun and rewarding.

8. It Saves You Money
I can't imagine the amount of money Dentaltown has saved me over the years just simply by asking questions about products or equipment before buying. If you are looking for an opinion on a piece of equipment from someone who is not on the company's payroll, Dentaltown is a hearty resource. When it comes to dental technology, some of the best minds in the business are there and more than willing to help out. I have consulted the powers that be when buying lasers, microscopes and every other piece of technology I have or have not purchased in the past five years.

9. It's the Best of Its Kind
Over the years I have checked out other dental Web sites. I think one would be hard-pressed to find one that has a more knowledgeable, diverse, passionate team than the one Dr. Howard Farran has assembled at Dentaltown.

10. It's Free
Just in case you still need another reason to join, it's free. Yes, you heard right, free. So really, what's holding you back? Get on, get involved and get ready to be your best. Dentaltown makes learning fun. As I reflect back on the last five years, I've used Dentaltown to post pictures, get feedback on crown preps, gold work and even placing rubberdams. I've used it to choose my CE, for travel advice and even just for conversation among friends (including: politics, music, socks, shoes, handbags, exercise motivation, sports and kids). I truly love my career and I am not sure I would be able to say that were it not for my involvement with Dentaltown.
Author's Bio
Dr. Bradi Boyce has a private practice in Sebewaing, Michigan. She, an associate dentist and their team perform general and cosmetic dentistry. In addition to her passion for dentistry, she enjoys tennis, running and shopping. You can find Bradi on Dentaltown.com by her display name “Bradi” or e-mail her at bradiboy97@yahoo.com.
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