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QUARTER 2 | 2014 | CERECDOCTORS.COM | 7
anything similar professionally, for many
new users it is simply a case of “not
knowing what you don’t know.”
In the profession, we NEED a good
reason to rally. The advent of unabashed
marketing and advertising, while well-
intentioned, has led to more division
than cohesion. Insurance companies are
winning the battle to break our profes-
sional bonds and pit us against one
another. We have trade websites and
publicationswhere traffic and readership
thrives on vitriolic rhetoric in the place
of constructive feedback. Not tomention,
that attitude is in turn bandied about as
progressivism. We think our colleagues
are the competition when in
reality our foes are apathy and
consumerism.
Despite all this — or
perhaps in spite of it — we
have CEREC. And, for the
sake of our profession, we
should be very glad we do.
The camaraderie and
collegiality of our commu-
nity harkens back to the
reason we became dentists in
the first place: to foster and
experience personal interac-
tions that benefit those on the transac-
tion’s opposite end. It just so happens
that, with CEREC, those interactions
include colleagues as well as patients.
When I began mentoring CEREC
courses in Scottsdale, Ariz., I found
myself surrounded by not only amaz-
ingly gifted but also like-minded clini-
cians. The instant connection of shared
understanding is the foundation for the
greatest friendships I have experienced
in this profession, from Rhode Island to
California, and everywhere in between.
Regardless of context, such common
experiences are essential to ongoing
constructive dialogue, and transcend
mere communication because they
are mutually beneficial to everyone
involved.1 In our world, the context
— the language — is CEREC.
The development of meaningful
personal and professional relationships
with other mentors nationwide makes
logical sense, as it is not unduly hindered
by proximate geography. What surprises
me, however, is how that same collegi-
ality has extended to the local level, and
manifests itself through our local study
clubs nationwide. Here in Lincoln, Neb.
(a city where a cynical banker once told
me, “You can’t swing a dead cat around
here without hitting a dental office”),
I now count many of my study club
colleagues as my closest friends. It is
an exhilarating and liberating feeling to
honestly hope for and work toward the
success of a colleague — even more so
when they practice across the street!
CEREC technology has put us on the
same team, and “pulling on the same
rope” is all too lacking in our profession
today. CEREC is the new language we
are learning, and we’re all working on
our fluency.
Last year’s Scientific Symposium put
a very fine point on this for me person-
ally. We had a large local contingency,
and many were able to experience the
Spear Campus for the first time. All were
able to expand the width and breadth of
knowledge accompanying their CEREC
journey. All were able to enjoy the
company of colleagues first, and dental
education a close second. I can scarcely
describe how refreshing it can feel to
put these in the proper order.
cerecdoctors.com and the CEREC
community at large have created a
culture which allows the transfer of
knowledge to flow back and forth freely.
As faculty, mentors and cliniciansworld-
wide, we contribute ourselves and our
talents to “the market” with the poten-
tial and hope for reciprocal knowledge
gain. Over time, whether that exchange
is face-to-face or virtual is inconsequen-
tial because our context is already estab-
lished in real and personal relationships.
This, of course, is just a fancy way of
saying we like hanging out together, and
that mentality trickles down
to the local level because it’s
infectious.
So, what’s my point?
Committing wholeheart-
edly to CEREC is self-serving;
it is the ultimate give/get
scenario. So, embrace the
technology instead of just
dipping your toe in it. Pick
the training that meets you
where you are and do it. If
you’re not on the cerecdoc-
tors.com site, log on. If you are
just “lurking” in the Discussion Forum,
post. If you’re already posting but only
in reply to someone else, try starting
your own conversation. Post a case for
the first time. Engage in your local study
club and share your expertise. Reach out
to a colleague, CEREC or otherwise. The
ROI on your CEREC machine is pretty
impressive, but the ROI on yourself, your
skills and your professional relationships
is unlimited; and youmight just help save
your profession in the process.
For questions and more information,
Dr. Vacek can be reached at
cpvdds@hotmail.com.
REFERENCES
1 Dahms, M.Ed., Director of Organizational and
Learning Development, Boys Town, Omaha, NE
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