Publication: Montana Woman Magazine
A funny thing happened the other day. My mother was visiting for Mother’s day and her conveniently appointed, ‘Extreme Makeover’. My laboratory technician had worked late on her case, and I was able to redo all of her 10 crowns on her upper teeth. I realized that it was just not fair. Her treatment took almost 8 hours that day, nonstop for me, and my assistant Dawn. We worked diligently and were able to have Mom in her prototype crowns with a new awesome smile, and we were tired. My beautiful Mother, on the other hand, seemed almost refreshed afterwards smiling happily after her mild sedation, (yes, I gave Mom drugs). She remembered very little of her appointment and was thrilled with her pretty new grin. I was wiped out, after focusing on almost microscopic details all day in the confines of my mother’s smaller than average mouth. I thought to my self that it was all worth it to see the smile on her face and know that for the rest of her life she will be smiling and bragging about the smile that her son created for her. I am sure I will never hear the end of it and I don’t mind, as long as I don’t have to do it again!
On this year’s Mother’s Day, I was seeing things differently than I ever had before. Love has transformed my life and brought Holly, Arthur, Amber, Kate, Loren, Julia, and Rusty the dog, into my life. My appreciation of motherhood is exceptionally acute this year because of the little girl growing in Holly’s womb. I don’t begin to have the words, if they exist, to describe the greatness of mothers, so, for the record, I am blown away! The love, patience and perseverance of mom’s, is something powerful. Only love could power an engine with that much energy, and caring. We can all learn from and use the energy that love gives us, after all it is the most powerful emotion we have. Moms know this, and they will someday rule the world because of it.
Dentists the world over are caring people who love to help other people improve their health. It takes patience, skill, compassion, and did I mention patience? Performing intricate sculptures on living tissue inside people’s steamy mouths is a challenge not many people want to undertake. It can be challenging and stressful dealing with the intricacies of treatment, while at the same time, managing staff and business. Training, practice, patience and compassion are required in great quantities to maintain a level of performance adequate to satisfy the high standards of most dentists. Dentistry is a unique blend of art and science delivered as health care, that must be guided by principles and ethics in a balanced fashion. I treat every patient with respect and dignity, and give them
the information and options for the best treatment, as well as other options. I have found that when people feel they are being respected, they respect themselves and make good choices for their long term dental health. When they see the value and benefits of good oral health, the choices become easier to make. As my old partner used to say, beware of bargains in parachutes, brain surgery, and dental work!
My mother is arriving tomorrow, so that we can complete her treatment. She will be able to eat better and smile with confidence. I love to see the way her face lights up when she looks in the mirror. This is the reward of the dentist. To be able to lift spirits and change lives for the better is a great feeling.
Love makes the world go ‘round. Actually I think it is gravity, but both are indomitable forces of nature that are immensely powerful and affect every moment of our lives. If only we could harness and focus that power to change things in the world for peace and harmony with each other and the planet, our lives would be transformed. Love is the one thing we should focus on, besides flossing, because it has the power to effect all kinds of changes, all good! That is my philosophy for the future. My new practice will be called One Dental, to reflect the one thing we all need to focus on in all our decisions and actions. It is the only way we will survive the darn mess we have created. When we start loving ourselves and each other, we may stop trashing our mother(earth), for monetary gain and create a home for her children to be safe and healthy. Come visit us at Onedentalcenter.com. I will post pictures of mom’s teeth so you can see her smile too!
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