Leave this world a better place than you found it. “by Robert Bowden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts.
As I navigate my way through my 20th year in dentistry, this quote resonates with me.
I think about all of the changes I have experienced in practice. From the explosion of digital technology, to ever changing economic landscape of dentistry, to my personal life as a young graduate dentist to a first-time mother dentist to single mother of 3 breadwinner dentist to multi-dental practice owner, writer, and speaker. In all of this, 2 truths: one, it’s been quite the journey and two, I far from done.
After all, “leave this world, a better place” is determined by the legacy we leave behind, right? So, what do I want my legacy to look like? As a wise coach and mentor of mine once said, “always measure backwards.”
As a health center dentist, I’ve always believed in the relationships I create with my patients and my team. I’ve always felt that relationship building is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling aspects of a dental career. Let’s take Anna, for example. When Anna first came to my practice, she was an awkward middle schooler so scared of dentistry that her parents we’re contemplating IV sedation for routine fillings. I met with Anna just to talk at first. My team got to know her and they held her hand. We worked through her fears slowly and patiently until we conquered them tooth by tooth even straightening the crooked ones and completing her smile.
I think about Donna, a bubbly smiley extroverted joy of a person. Donna, who at our first meeting, refused to remove her hand from the front of her mouth. She held her fingers together and a perfect cup shape blocking all visibility of the broken decayed teeth inside. Again, I listened and learned about Donna. Together we made a plan removing the hopeless teeth, crowning what we could and using implants to create the rest. Donna’s full mouth rehabilitation gave her the smile that had always been there just trying to find a way out.
And last, but not least, I think of Alexis. A young girl, I recently helped on her search for confidence in the tricky teenage years. Her two central incisors had distinct hypocalcification spots that had been there as long as she could remember. With the technological advancements in single shade composites, I was able to beautifully restore these teeth with minimally invasive techniques. Her hug when leaving my office, said it all.
To me, the Legacy of what we leave behind is in the lives we touch. I have seen this as a practice owner when working with team members who fail to see their potential and worth. Individuals that become professionals when respected and valued in their work life. Likewise, I have experienced the joy of teaching dental colleagues to be confident in the services they offer, to think outside the box when treatment planning and to understand the power of a health-centered philosophy.
My gift to you is to look around and be proud of the practice you have created. To take a moment and think about how you “will leave this world a better place than you found it.” And I promise, to continue, to do the same.
