Independence Celebrates Freedom but Freedom Requires Responsibility

Among all the nations of the earth, America is unique. America is perhaps the only country whose citizens hail from every ethnic group, creed and color.  However, what makes America truly special is that it is the only country founded on an ideal—the ideal set forth by our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  This ideal is the glue that binds all Americans together.  It is striving for that ideal that has made America world leaders in almost every endeavor.

It is no secret that America is in a struggle for its very existence against an evil cabal that has conspired to take away our freedoms and exert control over us.  We celebrate this year’s July 4^th with a mixture of gratitude and prayers for a brighter future—a future without war, a future without hunger and homelessness, a future with true freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

I have had an amazing career in Dentistry, and I am grateful for the opportunity to practice ideal dentistry.  I am especially grateful for my mentor, Dr. Elliot Feinberg, who placed me on the right road early in my career. However, dentistry is not practiced in a vacuum, and over the course of my career I have seen the profession veer off the track like a derailed runaway train.  My perspective is different from that of most practitioners because I know where the profession came from, and I know it is going in the wrong direction.

So, while I am grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed on me, I have deep concerns for the future of Dentistry.  Here is a summary of my prayers for the dental profession as I contemplate how to create a better future on Independence Day:

1. Debt-free Education: I pray for the newest generation of dentists—that they graduate in future years debt-free so that they can concentrate on building their knowledge and skills upon graduation. [We have to make this happen!] I pray that this new generation of dentists demonstrates moral integrity with focus on helping patients instead of lining their pockets to pay back loans. I pray that they will be eager to pursue a career of lifelong learning, seek out mentors, and be open-minded to new ideas.  I pray that they will want to give back to the profession through volunteerism and through taking care of the less fortunate.

2. Freedom from Corporate Control: I pray that dentists snatch the profession from the greedy fingers of corporatism. Corporate entities seem to be dictating the course of the profession through subsidizing  undergraduate and graduate dental education.  These entities do not prioritize the best interests of dentists and patients.  They only care about their “bottom line profits.”  There once was a time when these entities were eager to help all dentists—including dentists striving to practice quality dentistry.  With bottom line thinking, these entities now only cater to the lowest common denominator.  I pray that the profession veer away from educators who do the bidding of corporate entities and that corporate sponsorship will not be a major consideration for choosing the  speakers that are allowed to grace academic stages.

3. The Teaching of Critical Thinking Skills: I pray that dental teaching institutions become real centers of learning instead of centers of indoctrination. It is my hope that these institutions learn to embrace the ideas of outsiders and free thinkers who can contribute new ideas to the profession.  I pray that dental education will focus more on developing critical thinking skills and less on promoting lucrative and invasive procedures.  Doctors are not supposed to be rote purveyors of dogma. Dental institutions should also understand that it is a mistake to focus solely on teaching digital skills.  It is important for dentists to have analog skills as well as digital skills—so that they are equipped to help patients anywhere under any circumstances. Dentists without analog skills have no skills if computer-driven equipment is not available. In addition, dentists who have a good grasp of analog techniques will easily grasp digital counterparts. However, learning digital skills first does not translate to analog skills later.

4. Freedom from Government Intrusion: I am praying that more dentists understand how government intrusion affects their ability to practice dentistry as they see fit. State legislatures issue dental licenses and these entities have the power to alter or abolish those licenses at any time. Dentists should understand that their profession is subjected to a continual onslaught of increasing restrictions, rules and regulations. Many groups are also vying for a piece of dentistry to the detriment of the profession and the public.  The only defense against this onslaught is a strong professional association. The more members support their ADA, the more clout dentists have with legislators, politicians and the public.  Over the course of my career, I have seen the election campaign system turn into a corrupt system of extortion that is quite distasteful. Contributions to political campaigns have become a pre-requisite for communicating Dentistry’s point of view on issues to legislators. Despite the ugliness of politics, it is important that dentists are “players.”  So please “hold your nose” and contribute PAC donations so that Dentistry can have the best seat at the discussion table. The dental association needs the support of all dentists—not just with membership dues dollars, but also with volunteerism, with communicating opinions on issues and with new ideas for shaping the association’s policies and services. Volunteers entirely determine the policies and projects of organized dentistry, as well as the future path of the profession. One need only look at medicine to see what can happen without adequate support.  Physicians did not support their AMA and now they have nothing to say about how they will deliver medical care.

5. Repairing Dentistry’s Reputation: Lastly I pray for the restoration of Dentistry’s once great reputation.  I see the profession’s reputation sinking daily to new lows.  Dentistry once had a stellar reputation for quality, longevity of restorations, and over-the-top caring that soared way above patient expectations.  Today patients are being subjected to overly invasive treatments, complete disregard for case longevity, and treatment planning that does not include contingencies for the prevention of future problems. There seem to be more complaints from unhappy patients than ever before. My deepest prayer is that this trend will be reversed.

As we launch fireworks, wave flags and eat hotdogs to celebrate Independence Day, let us focus on what independence really means. Independence means freedom from the tyranny of outside authorities.  The turmoil that is currently occurring throughout the land is a result of the fact that we—the citizens—were not vigilant enough to stand up for freedom when the onslaught of evil was in its infancy. Evildoers and corruption almost resulted in the loss of the America we love and want to believe in. We are learning the hard way that true freedom is possible only through eternal vigilance and exercising responsibility. Every citizen has a responsibility to stand up against wrongdoing and tyranny, no matter how seemingly innocuous.

This idea carries forward to every aspect of life—including the professional life of dentists.  Our charge is not just to be great dentists within our individual practices, but to make the profession of dentistry great for all dentists as well.

Let’s launch some fireworks to honor  the profession we love and believe in. Together we can create a new path based on the ideals that Dentistry’s founding fathers set forth. Let’s stand up for our new professionals so that they do not have to follow the wrong path in order to survive in their careers.  Let’s resolve to work together to make a better future for all.

I pray that we will one day remember this year’s Independence Day as the turning point–the day we set out to overhaul the runaway train and rail it back on track.