As the summer marches away, we in Britain will no doubt look back in years to come and think how glorious it was. The Olympics has brought with it a definite vibe of optimism and the feel good factor from some of the great moments of the games will no doubt linger long in the memory but does the reality of the summer match the view from our red, white and blue tinted glasses? Given the summer's OFT report and the way it has been reported in the mainstream media, all those who work in dentistry should be familiar with the concept of perception being separated from reality so let's try and look at the summer objectively.
The weather was a disappointment on the whole, with record rainfall in many areas. The economic situation may have been improving but was still slow, and though the Olympics will be remembered for many gold medals – sport in general still brought us disappointment. Former British Olympic hero Amir Khan was knocked spark out to lose his title. Yes Andy Murray won gold, but the real tournament was Wimbledon where he failed in the final. And what of our national sport? England and Team GB crash out of their respective tournaments – both on penalties! So was the summer really so great? Bah humbug!
I'll admit my mood towards the summer may be clouded by the personal disappointment that my first issue as editor of The Dentist got off to something of a false-start with a number of the first issue being printed with the incorrect comment page (June's repeated). For those who received copies with the wrong comment page I apologise; the printer has been flogged and assurances have been made such a mistake won't happen again. For those who received the correct version and would have preferred the June comment, again, I apologise! The start doesn't always reflect the true course of a venture though. The Titanic, for example, was a wonderful pleasure cruise for the early part of its first journey yet it would be hard to describe its maiden voyage a triumph, and on the flip-side Paul McCartney's performance of Hey Jude at the opening ceremony nestled neatly into the 'painful to watch' category, yet the Olympic Games was still a great success. So too, I hope, will be The Dentist magazine, in spite of this unfortunate hiccup. Rest assured I will endeavour throughout my time in charge to keep a weather-eye open to avoid icebergs and old Beatles for the sake of all readers.
So, second time lucky, welcome to The Dentist magazine! As well as a welcome in this issue (our BDTA Dental Showcase edition) I would also like to offer an invitation. For all you attending Showcase this year, please come along to The Dentist's (stand Q06) and say hello. I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your opinions on the magazine. Let me know what you enjoy reading (and what you don't), tell me what you want more of and the issues you would like to see covered. All feedback is welcome. I hope to see you there!