It’s on a pretty regular basis that I write about what we need to hear—not necessarily what we want to hear, because as you all know by now, I like the challenging discussions while keeping it raw, real, and undeniably interesting. Having COVID-19 and encouraging everyone to talk about it—whether their experiences were good, bad, or indifferent—was no exception.
Your stories regarding COVID-19 have been all over the board, but one common theme is that you’ve all persevered. That says a lot. From shutting your entire office down, dealing with new infection control protocols, and, at times, a lack of PPE, to having crazy patients refusing to take their masks off to get treatment, we are still...making...it...happen.
I am feeling so encouraged—now more than ever—because we are part of a community that has seen and continues to make progress in a situation that at one point was almost considered to be an impossible hurdle. Think March 2020. And here we are in January 2021. Enough said.
The dental community is strong. We have advocates everywhere. We have strength in a multitude of forums that put legitimate information out to promote the health and well-being of those of us in the dental profession, and as we all know, this trickles down to how we manage our staff and patients.
We still have work to do. We need to continue to be advocates for the profession, lean on and learn from each other, and mostly, continue doing what we do because let’s face it—Walgreens and Dr. Google just can’t fix teeth.
So, have a cup of coffee with me, and let’s keep the dialogue rolling. Send it all to me. We’ll get through this together!
Cheers! S
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Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Through the Loupes newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles at this link and subscribe here.
Stacey L. Gividen, DDS, a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry, is in private practice in Hamilton, Montana. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Montana in the anatomy and physiology department. Dr. Gividen is the editorial codirector of Through the Loupes and a contributing author for DentistryIQ, Perio-Implant Advisory, and Dental Economics. She serves on the Dental Economics editorial advisory board. You may contact her at [email protected].
