I saw some excess composite core material on the disto-proximal chamfer of the crown prep. Was that a overhang? I just took a probe to check the finish line. Ping! The paper thin core, that had been pretending to cover the coronal seal, popped into my hand! But by now the crown was already loaded with luting resin cement and the assistant was just waiting for my signal. It was too late for me to change things. Obviously this was a horribly done endodontics on a tooth on which I was requested to cement a crown. The maker of these âcreationsâ was absent and was blissfully enjoying his vacation on some sunny beach far away while I was toiling hard to finish my cases as well as his!. I just picked the crown and stuck it in place and avoided looking at it till the cement set. You see it is said âout of sight- out of mindâ!
And yes the crown was no better. The crown prep was actually a hacked off tooth which was passed off as a crown prep and the temporary crown mentioned on the case paper was missing since the day the tooth was prepped. By now, in a monthâs time, the occlusal surface of the prep was touching the opposite tooth. I had to grind off virtually the entire occlusal surface of the ceramic crown with a couple of near perforations. Did I mention the open contacts?
The patient had left for his month long vacation immediately after the crown prep. When he was back, it was now the turn of his dentist to head for his vacation! That is how I came into the picture.
Ofcourse the patient did remind me time and again what a nice person and great human being the creator of the two âmasterpieces âwas. He settled his bill and he left with a smile of contention on his face!
I then stepped out of this clinic a bit unsure of myself and shortly got lost in deep contemplation. I even tripped over myself a couple of times.
The flowery compliments the patient had paid his original dentist was what had started my thought processes churning wildly. In ten minutes I was a visibly upset man.
How do patients evaluate their doctors? Was being nice the only quality needed to be successful? And how come his receiving compliments was upsetting me? Was I getting envious?
Tossing and turning in my bed night I spent time going over the eveningâs case. For the patient the previous guy was a big hero and a role model. Never mind the rotten dentistry. His lack of dental skills was his âcompulsionâ `and forced him into âpseudo sainthoodâ! What I call âcompulsive compassionâ.
So did quality dentistry matter ever? Or was it something meant to be easily forgotten the moment the dental degree was acquired? Well then all that hardwork & honesty in studying and attending lectures, and conferences and everything else was a complete waste. Probably learning to sweet talk your patients was all that was needed.
What is it that happens in the long run to all these below average dentists? Do they end up packing their bags and closing shop in a couple of years?
Well that is an outcome we pray for all the time, after all we believe in justice, that if you do good you get good, if you do bad then you get bad too. Thatâs what our wise elders have rightly taught us. However it doesnât happen that way in real life! The below average, the good and the excellent all survive. We see it all around us all of the time.
And why does this always go against the law of nature taught to all of us?
Simply because what the patient thinks is important to him is different from what we think is important for him! The patientâs criteria for evaluating us are very different from what we think! So good and bad all survive.
So the patient that day had put âbeing a gentlemanâ as a top requirement of a good doctor. Never mind the quality of dental work. Quality of work was secondary to him. Some want âprompt dentistryâ, never mind how you do it. Others seem to search for an âeconomicâ practice and want âaffordable dentistryâ. And yet others want âquality lasting dentistryâ. The list of criteria could be endless.
So it makes perfect sense for the dentist and his patients to mutually assess whether they have common goals of therapy.
In the absence of common meeting points all you have left with you at the end of the day is a severe pounding headache!
Author: Dr. Sanjay Jamdade is a senior practitioner practicing implantology, oral rehabilitation, conservative dentistry, and endodontics, with over 35 years of exemplary service in advancing dental care. He has been a speaker on dental implantology and a respected visiting implantologist across various clinics in Maharashtra, his expertise is widely recognized. Currently serving as the CEO of Dr. S.D. Jamdade Dental Clinic, he leads an establishment renowned for its excellence in aesthetic dentistry, microscope-assisted endodontics, dental implants, and comprehensive oral rehabilitation. Strategically situated near the prestigious Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) in Boisar, Taluka Palghar, District Palghar, the clinic stands as a trusted bastion of high-quality dental care. For professional inquiries or consultations, Dr. S. D. Jamdade may be contacted via email at sanjayjamdade@gmail.com..