DentalTown is pleased to present the results of the
Townie Choice Awards

When we created DentalTown.com, the whole concept was based on creating a place where dentists could easily connect so that no dentist would ever have to practice solo again. Let’s face it; dentistry is very stressful and dentists crave camaraderie and a connection with their peers. Now, thanks to Al Gore’s Internet, dentists are easily able to get advice on their most difficult challenges as well as share their knowledge and advice with dentists from all over the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The conversations have become so passionate, powerful, honest and intense that over 1000 new dentists join us each month. Once a dentist visits the website and reads Today’s Active Topics, they are generally ‘hooked.’

I have always said we would all be practicing on a street corner with sticks and rocks if it weren’t for the continuing efforts of dental manufacturers to invent and perfect their products and equipment. Every single day dentists from around the world wonder what everyone else is doing and using. We want to know about other dentists’ experiences because we are excellent consumers and generally do not make fast decisions. Unfortunately, many of us suffer from paralysis by over-analysis. Unless we know a product has received a thumbs-up from other dentists, we are reluctant to change our procedures.

The DentalTown message boards are filled with information from dentists representing every one of the nine dental specialties. Even dental manufacturers have specific forums devoted to their products where they frequently interact one-on-one to answer questions and directly address concerns. To enable us to make good purchasing decisions, I felt it would be extremely valuable to have the Townies vote on their favorites and create a “list” of preferred choices. Thus, the birth of your first annual “Townie Choice Awards”.

This program represents a very historical event in dentistry because the registered dentists of the DentalTown community determined the ranking of products in every category. No homespun science, big marketing budgets or flashy advertisements existed…just a simple democracy––one Townie, one vote. There is not one other award in dentistry that takes the pulse of the dental community so directly.

Unfortunately, space only permits us to publish the selections earning the highest votes in each category. The results of the Townie Choice Awards will be posted online at www.dentaltown.com. I strongly encourage you to visit the website and review the results for yourself. Often, the difference between the highest score and the next leading selections within a category was only a few votes. We will keep the results posted throughout the year so that you can easily reference them when making your purchasing decisions.

Howard Farran, DDS, MAGD, MBA
Founder and CEO, DentalTown.Com