|  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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