Present laughter
Are we nearly out of the pandemic or not? Will Christmas be cancelled or not? At the time of writing the media rumour mills continue to churn out their equivocal predictions. One thing is clear, in general, we are in a better position than we were a year ago, even if dentistry still feels like it is being delivered in a PPE warzone. We do have short memories though and it is difficult to believe that the first vaccination was given at the end of December 2020.
Not wishing my life away, I am looking forward to next Yuletide when hopefully we will be back to an even more normal, normal and will have resumed face-to-face conferences and events such as Showcase – due in March 2022 at the London Excel Centre. Amongst other reasons is so that I can gather ideas for my traditional suggestions of gifts for the dentist who has everything. So, for this year I am suggesting taking a break from even mentioning dentistry over the holiday season and rewarding your loved one with something that takes their mind completely away from the surgery. What a happy change that would be.
Holiday movies
As if we haven’t had enough opportunity in recent times to endlessly watch old movies at home, I am sure the usual Christmas crop will be trotted out. Whether they will include the 1990s film Cape Fear remains to be seen but it has been revealed that Robert De Niro reportedly paid a dentist $5,000 to have his teeth ground down, sharpened and deformed for his menacing role in it, rather than using a prosthesis. He then reputedly paid the dentist a further $20k to have his smile restored subsequently.
It reminds me of a case when I worked for one of the dental indemnity organisations. The teenage patient of an orthodontist had requested to have her fixed appliances recemented for continuity reasons as scenes from a movie she appeared in had to be re[1]shot some months later, and after the braces had been removed at treatment completion. However, I don’t think the teenager paid anywhere near $20k for the procedure.
…and relax
Although not from a Christmas song, the lyric “looks like we made it” (can you name that tune?) seems appropriate as we stretch to reach the end of another troubled professional year.
I wrote 12 months ago that it was my earnest wish for 2021 to be better than 2020 – and I think it was, just – and I now have the same wish for 2022, and again, I think it will be better. The team at The Dentist has managed to bring you every issue as before and are grateful for your continued positive feedback and support. They join me in filling up this last corner of the last page of an another extraordinary year by wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.