Attitude is Everything
About 4 years ago, I went through a very bad business situation while working for another dentist/dental practice. This led me to having a negative attitude and outlook. The last few years of my life, I have been mentored, coached, counseled and have read many books about attitude. What exactly is attitude and why write a blog about it on your website about dentistry? https://youtu.be/KLn6OOicCz0 Attitude is a noun that is defined as: 1. a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes. 2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude. Now that we know what attitude’s definition is, lets look at my definition. To me, attitude is a mindset, that is naturally developed over time, through experience and learning. It comes in two forms, positive and negative. Positive attitude is a mindset, where things, situations, etc. are going to be okay to good. A negative attitude is a mindset where its believed things are going to go wrong or not work out for the best. Again, these mindsets can come from experiences over time, which develop into beliefs which effect attitude. So, what does this have to do with dentistry? Everything! Lets look at a positive patient attitude verses a negative one: Positive attitude when going to the dentist: Everything is going to go great, It’s not going to hurt, I am glad I am taking care of this and myself, I am in good hands, This is a good investment, etc. Since learning about attitude and how it works, I constantly work on a positive attitude. A positive attitude attracts others with positive attitudes, allowing for successful situations. Negative attitude when going to the dentist: Its going to hurt, Why am I here? This sucks, I could be doing better things with my time and money)It works the same way for patients. When I get in the dental chair, I need a dentist with a positive attitude. This helps put me at ease, knowing two positive attitudes are coming together. I know two is definitely better than one! I see this first hand, patients come in with positive attitudes, it rubs off on the office, so our attitude gets better, which leads to a great visit. I truly feel that positive attitudes lead us down a great path in life. People want and need to be around other positive energy. Is it always easy to have a positive attitude? No, our mind wants to go negative very quickly. I work on my attitude daily, and if my attitude is not where it needs to be, I tell people to let me know about it. My staff, wife, friends all are quick to help make me aware of my current attitude. My 9 month year old daughter is the best detector of my attitude each day. Here are some books that I have read on attitude: Attitude is Everything: by Keith D. HarrellAttitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. MaxwellThe Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success by John C. MaxwellLittle Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS by Jeffrey H. Gitomer There are many great books out there on attitude. They all stress what this blog does. Have a great day.
Most Dental Problems are Silent
Daily, I get asked from patients, if I am not having pain, why do I have to get a filling? Like cancer and heart disease in the body, most dental problems are silent. Lets look at a few silent dental problems. Cavities When a cavity starts to hurt, that is when it is almost too late to just simply do a filling! Cavities do no hurt until they get close to the nerve in the tooth. The tooth has 2 layers to protect the nerve, the enamel and the dentin. The enamel is one of the hardest elements of the human body, its amazing to think microscopic bacteria can destroy it. Once the bacteria sets up in the dentin of the tooth, the tooth can literally become an eggshell and still look like nothing is wrong. The longer the bacteria sit inside the tooth, the more they destroy by their acid secretion/waste. The bacteria work their way through the dentin to the nerve. This is when pain can start. By then, the nerve has bacteria in it and an infection develops at the root tip of the tooth. The only way to save this tooth now is a root canal and crown, when a filling would have been more simple and cost effective. The assumption is if the tooth doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t need to be fixed Gum Disease Gum Disease is bacteria, plaque and tartar, that develops under the gums. The bacteria also secrete a substance that can kill and destroy bone structure around the teeth. As painful as that sounds, it can present no pain. With destroyed bone around the teeth, teeth can eventually get lose and fall out. Generally, this process can take 5-15 years, but can also happen rapidly, depending on diet, hygiene, bacteria levels in the mouth, etc. Existing Root Canals Once a root canal is completed, there is no more nerve in the tooth. At the bottom of the tooth (the root tip) is where a infection can set up. Bone doesn’t have nerves like tissue does, so therefor if there is an infection underneath a root canal, it can’t be felt. Once this gets to a large level, prognosis of retreating the root can decrease. Implants Dental implants can get gum disease around them and fail as well. Anytime a dental implant becomes loose, its a failure. So, the point of this blog is for me to show you examples of why and how most dental problems are silent. After any dental work is completed it should be checked yearly with an x-ray. The more dental work you have completed, the more work it takes to keep the work lasting. Don’t take chances and see a dentist routinely, so we can get to the problem, before other major problems creep up on you.
To know or not…
Today I had to go to the Dermatologist to get some bumps on my thighs that had developed over the last few years The Dermatologist thought they were lipomas (a non cancerous tumor that is made up of fat) It was optional to get them removed, they were not hurting, but I didn’t want to take any chances. (In my business, just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean nothing’s wrong, so I took the same philosophy in this situation ) It had taken me 8 months to get in and get this done. It was mainly fear that held me from not going in for so long. So, I can understand why people take their time and don’t go into the dentist right away. So, today I was on the end of the needle, scalpel, stitches, etc. I have to admit, I can give shots with no problem, but when it comes to taking them, I am terrible at it. Needless to say, the procedure went well and was way less than my mind had conceived with worry. When getting stuck (the only part of it I felt), I was glad to know when it was coming. I am not sure how all people feel about this. Some people seem to want to know, some don’t. I myself like to know, so in that split second, my mind can prepare my body to feel something. Let me know what you like. See you in the chair.