I breezily walked into the treatment room, where a patient of many years was waiting for me to treat a lower molar. "How's your lip feeling? Are you numb yet?" I asked cheerfully. David, a trim gentleman with a delightful British accent, responded, "How are you doing today? I am well, thank you."
I stopped in my tracks. I had, at least momentarily, forgotten the person behind the tooth being treated and left behind the good manners my mother had certainly taught me.
David's gentle "how are you doing?" was a lesson and reminder to me to engage with my patient as an entire person. I learned he was retiring within the next few weeks, and had become a US citizen. He was looking forward to his first 4th of July as an American.
My love for dentistry really does have more to do with the relationships I build with my patients, and less with the science and physics of teeth restoration. Thank you, David!
