Presidents Message, Montgomery Bucks Dental Society

Be As Good As You Can Be!

Many years ago, listening to a famous clinician, I heard a story that has resonated in my mind since that time. It seems that this dentist was delivering a crown, the fit was acceptable but not quite perfect, nothing that would cause a decrease in longevity of the prosthesis. On checking contacts, floss “popped” but it wasn’t snug. He adjusted the occlusion and after he was done, from being heavy, it now showed a very mild contact, contour was a bit flat with the color a bit light. On inspection the patient saw the color and contour weren’t perfect but said, “Well it is in the back of my mouth and who sees it anyway.” The dentist took it back in the lab to polish and before he realized what he was doing grabbed the crown and a pliers, and crushed the crown.

Bruce A. Singer, D.D.S.
President

I was told once and have repeated many times to many of my students that there is plenty of room at the top of the profession but no room at the bottom. As dental students, we meander through our training with hopefully more victories than defeats, but we are birthed into practice with many choices. In directing the second year Crown and Bridge Course at the University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Ed Marcus many years ago we had the opportunity to evaluate the sophomore class year after year. Of 120 students we consistently found eight who looked like they had been practicing for many years. There would be two who looked like they had been attending classes at the Vet School, and the rest of the class was in between. Yet for ninety percent of all students, the difference was not in ability but in perseverance. These were the students who continually tried various procedures, pushing themselves to do as well as they could. Even though not all students actually achieved their potential, ninety-eight percent of them were capable of “B” work, at least.

The formula is straightforward, keep abreast of newest techniques and be persistent in your quest for quality. One of the finest benefits of Montgomery-Bucks membership is great choices in continuing learning opportunities. Dr. Larry Stone, CE Chair has organized our dental society this year in offering you five full days of Continuing Education from some of the finest clinicians in the country. Under the leadership of Dr. Jeff Sameroff, our evening meetings will also offer six fine educational experiences. At the Annual Valley Forge Dental Conference in March, there will be three full days of CE and exhibits provided by your Second District Dental Association. You can find the complete listings in this month’s Bulletin.

We are all fortunate to be practicing in Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Beside a high quality of life, we have a congenial, educated group of dental practitioners who can help each other hone our skills.

Any suggestions you may have regarding programming, services you would like the Dental Society to offer, changes in meeting nights or days, my email inbox is always open. Please email me at singerbruce@gmail.com if you have any ideas to help make our group better. Please use your dental society, one of the best in the country, to help you in your quest for excellence. I look forward to seeing you at our lectures!

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