Editorial
C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 9 , Nº 1 0
Generous Colleagues Kerry K. Carney, DDS, CDE
W
e do not learn best from the content forced upon us. We learn from doing and through experiences and lessons from mistakes.” This quote was sent to me by a colleague from Michigan recently. It makes clear the importance of learning from our mistakes. Scholarly publications like the Journal of the California Dental Association provide information for the benefit of the profession of dentistry. The Journal has three main target groups for the information we provide: dentists, scholars/researchers and policymakers. The Journal emphasizes translating research data into practical information that can be incorporated into everyday clinical practice. In addition to helping dental practitioners improve their skills, both therapeutic and diagnostic, the Journal helps scholars/researchers perfect the communication of their findings. The information presented in the Journal has been the evidenced-based underpinning for much state and national policy. The Journal provides a classic avenue of scientific education. However, the opening quote points out that learning is not restricted to the classic didactic medium. Learning also springs from trial and error. An instructor in dental school told us that if we are perfect in everything we try in dental school, then we have wasted the opportunity to learn from our failures in a safe and supportive environment. Ours is a profession of perfectionism. That sounds like an admirable goal – everyone striving to be perfect. However, perfectionists tend to concentrate on the goal and not the measures necessary
The definition of generous is showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected or showing kindness toward others.
to get there. What makes extreme perfectionism so toxic is that those in its grip desire only success. They are focused on avoiding failure, resulting in a negative orientation. They believe that the esteem and approval of others is always and only dependent on a flawless performance. Like in gymnastics, every deviation from perfection results in a reduced score. In the case of dentistry, a reduced score results in a diminution of self-esteem. Our dental education was based on achieving the perfect tooth preparation, the perfect crown retention, the perfect endodontic cleaning and fill. The goal was to recreate a perfect bench procedure inside the mouths of our patients. And therein lies the problem. Our perfected bench skills are heavily impacted by the live, conscious patient variable. The typodont or manikin is cooperative, dry, easy to visualize and infinitely patient. The manikin never sighs, looks at her watch or asks repeatedly “how much longer?” The human part of dentistry is very difficult for perfectionists. Another dental editor once told me he wished that there existed a Journal of Bad Outcomes. He reminded me that research that fails to support the research hypothesis is seldom considered important enough to publish. If there were a Journal of Bad Outcomes (JBO), it could be a great help to the practitioner. The JBO
could save us time, embarrassment and wasted money (consider all the money we spend on gadgets or materials that sound wonderful and turn out to be worthless). The JBO could also spare us the emotional pain that goes with recognizing that we are not perfect. I would want a lifetime subscription. Until there is a JBO, another avenue of trial-and-error learning exists: our generous colleagues. Dentistry can be a lonely practice. A sole practitioner may have little opportunity to establish a community of peers, colleagues who are generous and secure enough in their own abilities to share their less than perfect results, their trials and errors, their bad outcomes. These generous colleagues are not to be confused with practitioners who really are unable to produce good reliable outcomes with good prognoses for acceptable longevity. The former encourage us to learn and progress. The latter need to remediate and improve their proficiency. Generous colleagues are not interested in propping up their own self-esteem by diminishing others. They understand what every dentist goes through and offer advice from their own laundry list of “bad days” or bad outcomes. They remind us that we are not the only one who has our night’s sleep ruined when we see the name of a certain patient on the next day’s O C TOBER 2 0 2 1
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