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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

February 6-12, 201212 Comment United Kingdom Edition T here is nothing quite like a global economic crisis to focus the mind. It is that very focus during hard times that often leads to change, innovation, business success and an evolution that is almost Darwinian in the sense that a recession is a merciless arbiter of business survival. Tough financial times also force us to reassess our priorities and clearly in dentistry we will see health take precedence over appearance. Dentistry is a profession that has rarely stood still and al- though there have been times when change has been more rapid and tumultuous than others, it is to our credit that we have usually found ways to adapt and reinvent, review and revise. When I started dental school, I was warned it was a career that was self-limiting as fluoride treatment, educa- tion and wealth would put dentists out of work. It wasn’t and it didn’t. Just think how the words we use about our- selves have changed – dentists have evolved to smile special- ists, “practices” are now “spas” and increasingly Botox and fill- ers are on sale. Clearly we are still learning and adapting to a highly sophisticated and com- petitive market that is shaped by economics, health policy and patient demand. Global connection Of course, the global connection will also play a huge role and even a cursory glance across the Atlantic suggests that there too, is greater emphasis on the health benefits of dentistry. There has been a steady in- crease in sleep clinics, chronic pain and TMJ management, ap- pliances and procedures to deal with sleep apnoea and nasal problems. Here, sports dentist- ry is really starting to come of age with new university courses encompassing effective treat- ment for trauma and the devel- opment of mouth guards, the effects of sports nutrition and other products related to sport and oral health. Cast your mind back to the UK’s post-fluoride generation of Austin Powers lookalikes who had teeth that were generally healthy, but aesthetically unsat- isfactory. People were seduced by images and perceptions of perfection, and with cash to spend, cosmetic dentistry in the UK boomed. We became more like our American neighbours in accepting orthodontics as a regular branch of dentistry; braces were no longer ugly met- al cages worn by a very few un- fortunate teenagers but became All change? Or back to basics? Michael Sultan discusses the winds of change in dentistry ‘Dentistry is a profession that has rarely stood still...although there have been times when change has been more apid and tumultu- ous than others’ Dentistry has evolved over time especially with braces