Page 5 - Bulletin Vol 30 No 2 - May - Aug. 2025 FINAL_

Message from the Editor

Old School

We treated our last patient on a Thursday night. The staff went home, I went
into the operatory, patted my chair and turned off the lights.

Looking back on 40 years treating patients, 37 in that one operatory, I guess I
was old school. I proudly wear that moniker, knowing I did it my way, one
patient at a time. After a few years of treating patients, most of us know the
procedures we enjoy and how we want to practice. For me it was crown and
bridge and operative at first, then, in the latter part of my career, restoring

implants.
Practicing on Long Island, surrounded by a multitude of talented specialists, it was easy to refer out

procedures I preferred to not do. I never felt the need to keep treatment “in house,” it was never all
about the production. I was always busy in the office, treating patients at my pace, never scheduling too
much strain on my body – we all know what it feels like after a long hard day of tough cases. Some days it
just happened and was brutal, but never by design.

It saddens me to realize my approach to practicing dentistry may be in its twilight. I was old school, a
practice setting soon to disappear. Dentistry has changed. The delivery of care has been transformed by
many forces. Dental graduate debt, private equity, insurance company stock prices, economy of scale,

driven production numbers, automation, even AI are all business concepts putting the individual sole
proprietor model in jeopardy. I ask you, are patients better treated today? Is the waiting room a more or
less pleasant place? How much time is spent in one’s private office going over complete, comprehensive
treatment options with a patient today? Are you frustrated when you go to your physician and feel
rushed? Is this the future of dentistry? Has that future already arrived?

I hope the sole provider and small partnership model survives. It is one way Dentistry stems the mass
delivery of care which has infected our medical colleagues. No one wants to be treated as just another

mouth, and I would suggest treating every patient as if he or she was your mom, spouse or child.
Respecting our patients and honestly striving to provide the best care possible is the truest way to
success.

Change happens, and our profession must and will adapt to the new reality concerning delivery of care.
I hope the new business models, and unknown models in the future (did someone say robot?) still em-
brace the old school philosophy that creates a relationship with our patients where their needs come first.
I truly believe that core philosophy leads to practice success regardless of how care is provided.

I am retired from practicing for a month now. I couldn’t be happier. Honestly, it’s like summer camp, and
I wish and hope all of you get here as well. Dentistry is a wonderful profession, I loved treating patients,

Continued on page 8

Nassau County Dental Society ⬧ (516) 227-1112 | 5