By Joe Blaes
Please be sure to read this month's "Pearls for Your Practice" on page 162. In Massachusetts, dentists have led the way in helping to protect area children. In cooperation with the police and FBI, dentists are "tooth-printing" children in their offices. Some 120,000 children have been tooth-printed in that area. and the FBI says that child abduction has dropped dramatically in Massachusetts — all of this because one dentist chose to get involved!
Last October, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children presented its Citizen of the Year Award to Dr. David Harte for his involvement in bringing the idea of tooth prints to the Massachusetts Child Identification Program. Congratulations to Dr. Harte! He truly deserves this honor! Read "Pearls" and find out how easy it is to become active in this community service. Parents and children will love you and your staff for participating in this program.
Now that I have reinstituted the "Office of the Month," I have been deluged with emails from dentists asking how to get their offices featured in the magazine. I don't want this to be only the "Taj Mahal" offices. I want to include offices that demonstrate innovative use of space, functional use of space, and space that has been refurbished. Guidelines are in the box.
Guidelines for entries for Office of the Month
• Describe how your practice philosophy influenced design and construction decisions.
• Describe your patient- and staff-flow patterns.
• What makes your office design unique and innovative? Is it functional? What is the aesthetic impact of the design for your patients and the staff?
• What new technologies have you incorporated in the new or refurbished office?
• How have you achieved optimum function with your equipment? Did you buy all new equipment?
• What role did your staff play in planning the new office?
• Most new offices cost a lot of money. How will you get a return on your investment?
• What were the major influences affecting your design? Include seminars, books, printed media, industry publications, ideas borrowed from other offices, and staff ideas.
• How has the new office benefited you?
• What advice would you pass on to others considering the same move?
• With this information, include a photo of yourself, a floor plan, and some photos of the office.
I have created a selection committee to help me decide which offices to use in the magazine, and the decisions of that committee will be final. I look forward to seeing a variety of offices featured in the column in the coming months. Send the information to Dr. Joe Blaes, 1736 Gilsinn Lane, Fenton, MO 63026; or joeb@pen nwell.com.
This is the time of year for planning. We have had our family meeting to plan this year's vacation, and we are close to finalizing the plans for our next outing. If you don't set aside the time now, you won't be able to have those great memories. I have had some people ask if I really took my whole family to Disney World. Here's a photo to prove it!
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
