By Joe Blaes
It is close enough to Thanksgiving to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! What a special time of the year. Here in the Midwest, we have finished raking most of the leaves and the trees are barren. There is a fresh feel in the crisp fall air and thoughts turn to football, feasting, and family.
What a great time to look back on the blessings that we have received over the past year. I give thanks for my family and for our health, and for the fun we have had together this year. I give thanks for my wife, Sue, who loves me in spite of all my faults. She inspires me everyday with her faith and her love.
I give thanks for all the great people down in Tulsa, Okla., who make me look good every month. They include my publisher, Lyle Hoyt, who always gives me great advice; my editorial director, Mark Hartley, who keeps me on the straight and narrow path; my editors, Penny Anderson, Linda Holeman, Vicki Cheeseman, Kevin Henry, and Ted Anibal, who take the written words and create a story complete with wonderful artwork; and for our hard-working Dental Division secretary, Carroll Hull. I give thanks for Genna Leutzinger, my personal assistant, for bringing order to my life and a smile to my face.
This magazine would not exist if it were not for all of the vendors who place their advertisements. I give thanks for them for making possible all the editorial that appears each month. I give thanks for our great sales force including David Schuh, Chris Page, Craig Dickson, Marv Ashworth, Breven Clark, and Kim Price. Good friends all!
I give thanks for all the people who write for Dental Economics. Wow! When you consider all the man hours that go into the writing, it's overwhelming! Many of the feature articles are written and then rewritten. A special thanks to all of you who have responded to my short deadline requests.
I give thanks to you, the readers, for the support that you give to the magazine. Thanks for all the great comments you send to the writers and me. Thanks for all the personal comments that you have made to me at meetings throughout the country. You have made Dental Economics the best-read magazine in the industry!
Last month, I wrote about taking care of the dentistry for the people who work for you. Now, let's take a look at the dentist. This past month, I had the opportunity to restore the mouths of two dentists. I was very flattered that they chose me to treat them. One was from out-of-town and the other was a friend of mine from St. Louis. Both are fine, restorative dentists who give their patients treatment options. Each had a nagging question: "How can I recommend this treatment when my own mouth is not fully restored?"
It is really a mater of "Walking the Talk." They can now talk about the impact that restorative dentistry had on their lives. When they smile, their patients will recognize the importance of esthetic dentistry. I hope that you will all take a long look in the mirror and realize what your patients see. If you don't like what you see, do something about it!
I hope you read the feature article in the October issue by Dr. Richard E. Mounce. I was so impressed with his writing that I created a new column, "The Endo File." The column starts this month and will be full of great tips to make endo a part of your general practice.
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500
