The Stree in dentistry!

Women in dentistry is not a novel phenomena. In fact in any given dental college, the number of admissions of girls to boys, the ratio is always skewed towards the female population. My batch alone had seventy odd girls out of a hundred.Many parents choose to admit their daughters to the dental profession because it affords the respectability associated with being a doctor without the hassle of late night emergencies.
   Women dentists world over are working neck to neck with their male counterparts and have even embraced and out shown in the erstwhile male domain of Maxillofacial surgery.Being the daughter of the first lady president of the Oral and Maxillofacial Association in India i know first hand how tough the journey was for my mother to be first accepted and now glorified nationwide for her accomplishments. 
    Persistence, hard work and perseverance pays irrespective of gender. Having said that women are naturally empathetic and hence half the job is easier once you have laid to rest the patients dental fears and phobias. Women are also naturally gifted with a heightened sense of esthetics. P.S. ( I always allow my lady patients to assist me in selecting the shade of their restoration after all those years of practice of matching saree blouses does come in handy! ) 
       What led me write this piece is the shocking execution of Dr. Rou’aa Diab for treating male patients. Having studied in an Islamic institute namely Yenepoya Dental and medical college which was established to encourage Muslim women to study whilst upholding their religious beliefs, this deeply saddens me as I know for a fact that it's a gross misrepresentation of what Muslim women should and shouldn't do. A patient is patient irrespective of gender, there is a certain degree of decorum and an unspoken code of conduct followed by all doctors whether in dentistry or medicine.
    I've often been asked how i work on actors/models without being attracted to them, but honestly even in the face of gorgeousness its never happened.The entire focus is solely geared to maximize patient comfort, alleviate fears and restore and replace smiles with the best possible outcome.
       So its rather unfathomable that in this day and age there could be such a high price to pay for treating patients of the opposite sex.After all i am sure that no one slogs and toils for eight odd years inclusive of specialization  to hold a degree solely for the purpose of  ornamental value of the walls that they grace in our dental offices alone. It is a service industry and should be free of all gender biases at all levels.
        In deep condolence for Dr. Rou’aa Diab and may her story be an inspiration and not a deterrent to women power in dentistry the world over.

Menu card Dentistry - Sign of our times!!

         The emergence of social media and marketing has resulted in a paradigm shift in the manner in which a doctors services are now sought and utilized.
In the days gone by it was all about word of mouth referral from happy patients and their extended families, or based on vicinity and who provided the best services.
         The current trend of chain clinics and overzealous marketing leaves the patients spoilt for choice and confused with regards to the best treatment options for them.The trend in marketing is totally based on providing low cost treatment and literally hawking treatment and services solely based on the price point.
 To be fair im all for creating awareness, although advertising is still not accepted under the aegis  of the dental council of  India , unless there has been a change in location of the clinic.
           But what im against is the growing demon which i choose to call - MENU CARD DENTISTRY.
Where in patients are literally handed a menu of the services and materials and asked to choose solely based on their budget. Sometimes the most expensive or the cheapest option may not be right for the patients specific dental condition. The onus of guiding the patient to make the right choice keeping individual budgets in mind should be at the discretion of the dentist based on through examination and diagnosis which simply cannot be conducted over emails or telephonic inquiries.
            Iv had to refuse dental implants in some of the richest patients due to several medical conditions such as kidney disease or uncontrolled diabetes which can only be detected once a through medical and dental history is sought from the patient.
             In the last decade there has been an influx of restorative material in the form of dental crowns and veneers which can give a life like appearance and change in the smile of an individual in a matter of  hours or sometimes just a few days.Many patients seeking aesthetic work are once again handed over these said menu card or price lists without conducting a smile analysis or problems in the patients bite, thus resulting in failure. To quote one example a patient who was a model walked in for ceramic veneers and insisted that i give her the price quotation without allowing me to examine her. when i refused, she relented and to my surprise she had a severe case of flourosis , a condition when the enamel is soft and compromised. She was therefore a candidate full coverage crowns which would last her as well as give her the smile she desired for her modelling profession.
        Also there is a tendency to misrepresent and misinform patients by way of advertising, such as a whole walnut with the shell intact being bitten by complete dentures which would barely survive the impact without causing damage to the false teeth.
       Another emerging trend is of warranties and guarantees. All the material that are processed in the laboratories or companies which manufacture dental implants have now started issuing warrantee or guarantee cards. This is in the best interest of the patient when it comes to damage to the material per say especially in cases where extensive dental restorations have been undertaken. However the patients must be discerning enough to understand that the human life and the human body itself  comes with an expiry date. An implant patient laughed his head off when i told him that what good was the implant warantee unless he maintained oral hygiene and looked after his implant. What good would be a warrantee if he had to roam with his replacement implant in his pocket rather than his oral socket!!
         It is the duty of every dentist to customize treatment plans based on the patients oral condition and guide him into making a choice with regards to treatment options by creating a balance between cost versus benefit ratio.In my humble opinion those who ask for discounts even before a diagnosis or discussion are those who do not account for good work. At the end of the day its all about building trust via honest communication and concern for the health of the patients. Smiling patients are indeed the best testimonials!!

The tooth the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth

As far as i can remember my life has revolved around yes - believe it or not the "tooth the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth". I am as some would say to the manor born; coming from a lineage of path breaking dentists in India starting with my uncle Dr Prem Prakash -the pioneer orthodontist of our country. Ably followed up my my stalwart Parents Dr Anil S Malik an eminent orthodontist as well , My dental Celebrity Mom Dr Neelima A Malik an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
All three of them a tough act to follow ; stalwarts in their own right. Each day i try to live up to their name and am inching my way slowly but surely to carry on the legacy of excellence in dentistry.
My childhood ambition was to be a writer/Journalist and this blog is to satisfy my creative urges now and again as well as create public awareness with regards to dentistry and new dental breakthroughs.
Whenever someone asks me where i learnt dentistry i say i learnt it by Osmosis ; that leaves them dumbfounded but truly thats the best way i can describe it  as it was in my surroundings 24X7 hence the permeability was high. I was the cute kid in the clinic who sat on the receptionists table at age 5 and copied her mom by giving post tooth extraction instructions, or the child whose favorite pastime at restaurants was diagnosing faulty bites of fellow diners to impress my dad .Crazy right !! But thats the tooth the whole tooth (lol).
Why is my blog called Hand to Mouth Existence? Here's the story whenever im at parties and i introduce my self as a dentist/prosthodontist the follow up line is oh you must be loaded. I always tell them its a "hand to mouth existence" pun totally intended!! Our Hands in your mouth ; saving ; restoring ; beautifying those pearlies and its a tough job as any other; battling the wars waged by saliva and the mighty tongue each and every day and coming out a winner day after day every day is no mean feat. ;)
Here's to more of my random ramblings.
For now Be nice to your Dentist and have a nice day !!