The blog of Alun Rees, The Dental Business Coach
Tony Smith is a retired Dentist who has a passion for preventive Dentistry and is constantly trying to find new ways of spreading Dental education.
His web site is www.care4teeth.co.uk take a look.
Here’s his latest video, Yoga4Teeth.
We are all stressed these days. This is an idea on how to improve both your physical and mental health through OHI and not thinking. Give it a try, it only takes a minute.
“SARS-CoV-2 may cause epithelial changes to the upper surface of the tongue, causing patients with COVID-19 to experience bad breath. ” The alterations on the tongue surface may occur via binding with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which are present throughout the oral mucosa with the greatest expression on the tongue. These tongue alterations, in turn, can lead to halitosis. Other infections caused by the novel coronavirus may also play a role, the authors wrote. via Dr Bicuspid full link HERE
As the nation enters another period of local Covid-19-related lockdowns, dentists around the country are also having to grapple with another worsening public health crisis – and that’s tooth decay, especially amongst children.
Latest figures published by the Local Government Association (which represents councils across the UK) showed nearly 45,000 hospital operations to remove rotten teeth in children and teenagers – equating to a staggering 177 a day. During the summer, this shocking news led councils to warn of a potential post-coronavirus surge of dental treatments following the lifting of lockdown. Furthermore, the pandemic has caused a backlog of 15 million appointments, leaving many patients suffering badly – with some having to wait for treatment until next year. Continues HERE
This article by Jim Mckee is worth a read
“It’s just a clicking joint, it’s no big deal.”
“I’ve clicked for years and it hasn’t been a problem for me.”
“I used to click but it stopped, so I guess it isn’t a problem.”
These statements are common when patients and dentists discuss clicking jaw joints. Clicking joints have become so common they are accepted as normal or a variation of normal. While some patients have clicking joints that are stable and do not cause any problems, many other patients have significant issues….Continues here Spear Digest Weekly
This article was inspired by Kathy Kolbe and her work, I have been trying to find my notes from my last trip to Phoenix but they are hidden or hiding. It was then that I first heard Kathy talk about the concept of a bunch, a group and a team. In my work with small businesses I always refer to the collective as a team, although it is quite clear that they are not a true team as I would consider it.
Let’s look at the terms:
A bunch: A collection. In business these are people who operate within the same organisation, occasionally overlap but essentially are in their own zones or silos. I have encountered a fair few of these in dental practices.
A group: A number of persons considered as a collective unit, bound together by common standards or interests, or whose roles in a business or enterprise overlap and sometimes coalesce for the same common aim. This describes many dental practice units that describe themselves as teams.
A (true) team: A collection of people organised to work together. A number of players forming one of the sides in a sporting contest. One that is often the case in some workforces – 2 or more animals working together to pull a vehicle or agricultural equipment.
Once you have worked with, or as part of, a true team you will know the difference and find it hard to give your best in any other set up. To experience true synergy day in day out, a united force that understands why they are there and are clear about what is expected of them is a joy and makes work so much easier and more satisfying. It takes hard work both to build a team and to keep it together. I have been privileged to have been involved with building teams both in my professional and personal lives and still enjoy the challenges it brings. The lessons have shaped me and also made me sad for those who just don’t get what the difference between the three types of collectives are and would rather not work harder at building and maintaining.
One thing always surprises me and that is a reluctance of small teams to practice together. Whether that be soft skills, drills or technical elements, with the exception of the rules laid down around CPR very little seems to happen.
In the videos attached, the individuals are a true team, they each have a specific role which they clearly understand and at which the excel, they all rely on their teammates doing their jobs to the very best of their abilities and they practice, practice, practice until they live and breathe their jobs and they usually get it right.
But sometimes things can just happen and they go wrong, a great team will look at and analyse what happened, will not apportion blame and will work at getting right the next time.
A wonderful spoof via the essential John Naughton’s Memex
Friday
I’m walking by the Embankment when I see a man, in black suit and bowler with a briefcase standing by a tree.
He says, “Hello, Dominic, it’s been a long time.”
“Who are you?” I ask.
“Don’t you remember me?” he says.
“Were you on the Vote Leave campaign?” I ask.
“Oh, I met you long before that,” he replies.
“Do you know Gove?” I ask.
“In a sense,” he smirks.
I look over my shoulder and all along the Embankment in both directions, then whisper, “it wasn’t Russia was it? Because that was all a long time ago and I really can’t remember much of the details.”
“No, Dom, it was before Russia, don’t you remember?” he smiles.
“No, who are you?” I say.
“I’ve got something for you,” he says, opening his brief case and handing me a piece of paper. I read it.
“What is this?” I ask, incredulously.
“Don’t you remember? That late night in the Premier Inn at Durham Services. You were staying there after your night club had been closed down,” he asks.
“No, not you, it can’t be,” I reply.
“A deal is a deal, Dominic,” he says.
“Why now? Please, it’s too soon…” I tell him.
“It is dated at the bottom, Friday 13 November 2020,” he says.
“You’re the devil,” I say.
“Quite right, Dominic. All those years ago you sold your soul to me, in return for taking Britain out of the EU. Good deal that, got Farage with that one as well, two for the price of one,” he gloats.
“And being the most powerful man in the country, that was part of the deal,” I say.
“You’ve had that, couldn’t do much for Farage on that one,” he replies.
“Look, I’ll give you all I’ve got, anything, just don’t take me away. Surely, we can do I deal?” I plead.
“A sort of doubling down?” asks the devil.
“Yes, anything, please,” I beg.
“What have you got, that I could possibly want?” he says.
“How would you like to be the first chief executive of the Advanced Research Projects Agency?” I ask.
“Don’t you have to be a scientist for that?” he says.
“Don’t you start as well,” I reply.
“Intriguing, tell me more…” he says, and we wander off down the Embankment.
Full week available here
In which I re-read some of the books that have had a prolonged influence on me.
“Creative Visualisation” by Shakti Gawain
I bought (and read) this book in September 1988, I had just opened my first practice and had a week in London on the Cranio-Sacral course at the British School of Osteopathy – itself a bit of a mind blowing experience.
I think it was the first “self-improvement” book that I had experienced and the week spent at the BSO plus the benign influence of several dental colleague who became friends and great supporters meant that I was ready for something to encourage and help me to focus.
My initial sceptical thoughts were “wacky bo****ks / tree hugging”, but, ever keen to try new things, I gave the exercises a go and much to my surprise they worked – and still do.
The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open.
We all think that we are unappreciated in some way. Nurses, receptionists, hygienists, managers, therapists, dentists. Even business coaches, consultants and mentors. All of us in some shape or form believe that we give more than our patients or clients can see or realise. Every time I fitted a lovely crown, I tried to remember to deflect the patient’s thanks and say, “it wasn’t me but my technician who did the beautiful work” and vowed that I would pass on the thanks to the laboratory – often, but not always, I remembered and it used to make their day.
This piece in the NYT reminded me to consider the invisible ones who make things happen, and to be grateful for them.
Medical-laboratory scientist supervisor Marissa Larson is one of the COVID-testing lab technologists sharing how they are struggling under long hours, repetitive-stress injuries and intense pressure.
Full article HERE
Full quote: Grumbling about patient behaviour is not unnatural, but is often the parent of emotions that can cloud clinical judgement. There lie dragons.
Source: reestheskin’s blog, “The last three patients – General Practice.” Link HERE
A good and cautionary tale about “A request for a house-call, from forty-year-old man with a headache” and well worth a read.
Take a look at his online text book of skin cancer for (medical) students HERE. plus his Skin Cancer Atlas HERE.
The Incisal Edge 