
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.
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