Toothy

Working alone in the new school is plain sailing. Everyday's a routine, not challenging yet energy depleting. Its been awhile since i last solved a problem at work. O, i dont even recall a difficult situation-be it clinical or clerical. I've not been using my brains and i feel like a machine. These cotton kids magically fire the ingratiated tone in me, deliberatly.

Seeing patients one after another non stop puts my bladder at risk, wringing seconds to sip my daily caffeine fix increases my caries risk.
Answering calls from overly anxious parents and spoilt kids who want treatment right away raises my blood pressure. You are turned away, tactfully. In the private sector, appointments have to be made-much more the Sch00l Dental Service. Sorry, not gonna!

You know you're well-liked by the general population when you receive greetings and smiles when you're out of the clinic, when students drop by during recess, when they say "thank you" and skip out of the office. I know i'm well liked. Because i respect and sincerely want the best for my clients.

My seni0r manager called some time ago, questioning a procedure (preventive resin restoration) i did. The preventive resin restoration is a logical extension of the sealant philosophy. The preventive approach of sealing susceptible pits and fissures is combined with conservative occlusal cavity preparation. Instead of the traditional "extension for prevention" philosophy, PRRs limit cavity preparation to discrete areas of decay. These preparations are filled with a preventive restorative material, such as a resin or glass-ionomer, or a combination. Then the restoration and entire occlusal surface of the tooth is sealed. Sounds good?

Her questions, tagged with evident hostility clearly displayed her outdated belief in long deceased G.V.Black's principles. In short, if i recalled accurately, she said/asked (my reply) , "I checked your returns and saw that you did PRRs. (Yes) Are you taught to do so? (Yes) But PRRs are done only by clinical supervisors. You're taught to use CR? (Yes, but i used GIC because I have no access to CRs) I need to check if you're allowed to do PRRs. (Ok no problem. Shall i recall the patients, remove the GIC, deepen and place amalgams?) I think you leave it but let me check if you can do PRRs.

And you wonder whats the fuss over moisture forgiving, economical, possibly environmentally hazardous, questionably toxic mercury, durable, occupational hazardous, in-adhesive amalgams-Aesthetics.

My stand is, the advantages of newer materials far outweigh amalgam restorations, hence the material of choice for the permanent dentition. Yet, credits to amalgam and its minimal technique sensitive advantages cant be denied-use em in the primary dentition lorr.

I want the best for everyone i meet. I, too, desire good karma, my dears.

All in a day's work. All for a paltry sum credited to the non-existant zeros on my bank account.