‘Too old to panic’ about the impact COVID-19 will have on the future of dentistry

With an uncertain future ahead, Jan Einfeldt gives some simple practical tips to help and explains why he feels positive about the future of dentistry.

There I was in lockdown. Never have I been away from dentistry, my patients and my practice in such a long time. I started to worry what would happen, how would I ever practice dentistry again? What would happen to the patients, my brilliant team and my practice? The initial lack of information for dentists and then the blitz of new rules looked like a war had been declared on dentistry.

I turned to an ally – the internet. I quickly realized allies can be fickle – I was spending too much time online, especially with social media. At times it was tempting to call it anti-social media. It should connect friends and colleagues, but it can also drive us further away. So many opinions, intolerance of others’ opinions, ever-changing rules, conflicting advice, theories appearing as fact with little science to back it up and just plain propaganda, which we now call fake news.

There were days where I thought: ‘How is this even going to work after lockdown is over?’ and panic set in. What else was there to do for a German dentist stuck on an old RAF airfield in Kent? Not even our local pub – the Spitfire – was serving Jägerbombs. I went on runs – more like walks really – and it was during these walks and whilst listening to a biography of Sir Winston Churchill that I thought to myself ‘What would Winston do?’

That is when I realized, I’m too old to panic, but not too old to fight! Why don’t I stop worrying about the, admittedly, uncertain future and just focus on what I know and love – dentistry?

Positivity

On social media, I also saw lots of positive things happening. Dentists helping each other as colleagues and human beings. From videos of actual aerosol-generating procedures called AGPs (much less than anticipated) by professor Ross Hobson to dispel myths. To Facebook groups where dentists can send their concerns anonymously and receive support like ‘Mental Dental’ started by Lauren Sparkle Harrhy.

Even a whole new organization started by composite master and mentor Jason Smithson called the British Association of Private Dentistry (BAPD). This was formed to make strides for positive change in dentistry.

Individual dentists are offering their time and advice to help colleagues. Some colleagues have even volunteered to work for the NHS in urgent dental care centers (UDCs) or telephone support for NHS 111. This makes me proud and reminds me that we are a profession that should and can unify to help each other so that we may help patients better. What is good for patients is good for dentists and what is bad for dentists is ultimately bad for patients.

What can you do?

At some point, all of us have felt down during the lockdown. And more might come as we get back to working under new conditions. My suggestion is ‘do something physically or mentally positive’. I attempted to do both by timing a bike ride that finished at 8 pm on a Thursday. It still brings a smile to my face remembering all the people out clapping for me on the sprint to the finish line.

You could learn a new skill, eg a new language like German or how as a general dentist you can do cosmetic orthodontics. I can teach you both and at the same time. My passion is cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, and teaching. I enjoy the clinical side of treating patients and also teaching general dentists cosmetic teeth straightening for Six Month Smiles and intraoral scanning for Carestream.

From the inquiries I receive at my practice Staplehurst Dental, I can see there is still a great demand for such services. One patient said to me: ‘My holiday was canceled, so I decided to have my teeth straightening instead!’ During the lockdown, patients have not been able to go on holiday, the pub or the gym. Sadly, I’m proof of the latter, but it did give me an insight that people still want dentistry.

Prepare yourself

Prepare yourself for a positive future in dentistry. There has never been more technology and support to help dental professionals to achieve great results for patients. The digital revolution has expanded into all aspects of dentistry and an organization like the IDDA (International Digital Dental Academy) helps dentists to get to the next level in their digital journey. I am a UK representative and an orthodontic committee member for the IDDA.

There are courses that help dental professionals to improve communication with patients run by Ashley Latter and Jaswinder Gill. This reduces the risk of litigation, improves consent, trust, and treatment uptake.

Dentistry is about much more than blood, boils, tears, and sweat. It’s about helping people – patients and dental professionals. It means having the courage to look out for each other and make dentistry a proud profession again. If someone asks you what is our aim? You can answer: it is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror – victory, however long and hard the road may be.

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