Orthotown June 2020 - 6

embrace progress

Politics, Religion and ...
Yes, Orthodontics
by Dan Grob, DDS, MS, editorial director, Orthotown magazine

If there has been one habit of civilized society-or,
put another way, keeping peace among friends, family
and professional colleagues-it has been to keep your
personal thoughts to yourself. When we were younger,
our parents told us that when we went to Uncle Bob's
house for Thanksgiving or a party hosted by the neighbor
down the street, we should leave the discussion of politics
and religion behind. There are so many other topics to
bring up, so many comments and observations to mention,
that we didn't have to venture into someone else's sacred
or otherwise untouchable areas.
But differences of opinion are bound to come up even
in the most mundane subjects-and more frequently
in areas of contention-which means the challenge
today is not about whether you have the right to express
a contrary viewpoint, but how respectfully you should
do so, especially in public forums.

Considering the alternatives
Social values typically were shared among cultures
and societal groups. In a less mobile world-at least
when and where I grew up, on the wrong side of the
tracks-a sort of monolithic group could evolve where
members could progress through their entire lives without
coming into contact with members of other political or
religious groups.

Share a case-or
your opinion-online
Orthotown's message boards
are designed to be a place where
clinicians can discuss topics, cases
and opinions with the intention of
improving everyone's practice.
To ask a question or share an answer
or opinion, head to orthotown.com
and click "Message Boards."

6

Which meant those groups could become stagnantly
consistent. When a family who's never been able to
attend college has that fi rst son or daughter who does,
he or she graduates and steps out into society carrying
not only a degree but also new, different thoughts and
ideas that have been learned from interaction with
others in this new environment, or thrust upon them
by the institution.
The COVID-19 crisis has delivered yet another
way to illustrate how divided our country is as a nation,
and how opinionated everyone has become. Numerous
comparisons are made to us "all being in this together."
But are we?
People take different sides about wearing face masks,
staying home, businesses opening or not opening. Neither
the committees that brief the press every day nor the
reporters who ask the questions can hide their beliefs.
Sometimes it's difficult to believe anyone, because the
facts or attempts at getting them are clouded with so
much bias and innuendo.

Challenging knowledge bases
Lately, it's become a more harrowing experience
for an orthodontist to express thoughts and opinions
about treatment plans, outcomes, patient management
and the like. Too often on our message boards, threads
related to genuine calls for assistance or proud postings
of cases get torpedoed because of members who post
brusque or rude comments about how the original
poster's ideas don't mesh with their own.
I have many thoughts on this, so please read on.
Most of us are a product of our advanced training
programs. In both dental and orthodontic schools, the
department chairperson who makes the most noise
typically gets to call the shots, which means that school
becomes known for that department or is recognized as
"the best" in that division or field. The departments we

JUNE 2020 // orthotown.com

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Orthotown June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown June 2020
