THE CHALLENGE OF DENTISTRY

a Spring City woman is being honored tonight on the skip Sherman heartwarmers show which features behindth scen stories about interesting men and women Mrs Evelyn Carson a 438 Circle Drive mother of two children waged and won a courageous fight against cancer just relax Miss Carson you'll be on in just a few minutes hey Char P that baby little camera right where Okay hold it he I put I Juni bring up home in sharing the salute with Mrs Carson are some of the people who helped her to recovery among them the man who first detected the disease in its early stage leading to the early treatment which saved Mrs Carson's life he is Mrs Carson's dentist Dr Robert a Ford all right places everybody 10 seconds stand by since this story really began in a dentist's office we call this program The Challenge of Dentistry n [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hi Dr Ford Jim come on in how's the basketball coming oh okay been down to the library thought maybe he'd give me a lift home since you live only down the street oh sure I'm just about through here today have a cup of coffee oh thanks say I saw you on TV I didn't know you were such a star being a star isn't exactly down my alley that sore you happen to see in that woman's mouth you knew it was cancer why you really saved her life well let's just say that I started a series of events which helped her get treatment early enough thank goodness but what's new with you since I saw you last nothing much school and stuff except that yes well I've been thinking about what I want to be but Jim I thought you were going to be a race car driver I sure like cars but I mean deciding what I'm going to do after I leave school well you mean deciding about a career I kicked a few things around and being a dentist is one of them well if you're looking at me Jim I'm prejudiced it's my favorite profession that's why I wanted to talk to you well maybe I can be of some help and deciding whether Dentistry is or isn't right for you either way I'm glad you're starting to think about it now Jim because the next few years of your life are going to be awfully important next few years I'm going to be in school that's what I mean you see Jim what you do during those next few years in school what you study and how will influence your whole life there are a great many opportunities open to you a lot of fields for you to enter but the important thing Jim is to choose the career that's right for you because there are many things that you might study [Music] for they say a dentist is many things all rolled into one a surgeon a scientist an artist and a psychologist too it's true I guess that's one of the reasons why I think Dentistry is one of the most interesting careers a person can choose but wait a minute Jim now we're talking about your career your opinion of it is what's important you say you're thinking of becoming a dentist what does that mean to you well it used to mean mostly well fixing teeth till I saw you on TV I never realized there a lot more than that to being a dentist Jim fixing teeth as you call it is an important part of our job but there is a great deal more to Dentistry it's one of the most important of the Health Professions and the dentists who care for the teeth and the oral health of our nation are among the best in the world it's a profession a man can be proud to be part of you know Dr Fort I always notice something about you you seem to get a kick out of what you do and you should too Jim everybody should sure we all have to make a living and we should be able to make a comfortable one but there are more important things a man wants to be respected for what he does and I want to do something that's important really means something Jim if what you're looking for is a sense of satisfaction there's nothing that can beat helping others that's something you've got to have to be a good dentist the desire to help people you see every person who comes to you needs your help every time that door opens you're faced with a different challenge my first patient this morning for example little Kathy Lawrence she doesn't look like much of a challenge does she but if Kathy were your patient Jim if you were the dentist you'd know that nature intended our teeth to last a [Music] lifetime so you as the dentist wage a constant war on dental disease you fight to help your patients no matter what their age preserve their teeth and if you can get them into the habit of taking care of their teeth chances are they'll keep that habit for [Music] life of course often a dentist doesn't see the patient until he is already in trouble Advanced parodontal disease that's a serious disease of the gums and the supporting bone when a man is in danger of losing his teeth and he looks to you for help it's a great feeling to know that in your fingers and in your hands and in your head you have the ability to help sometimes of course it's too late to save a person's natural teeth many patient comes to you discouraged and unhappy she doesn't feel well because without her teeth she cannot eat properly she cannot speak clearly and she looks a lot older than she should you have the experience and know how to help this patient too you have learned to imitate nature to Fashion substitutes for the natural teeth which you've been lost this calls for scientific and technical skills of course but you have to be something of an artist too you stop the relationship of the color of the teeth to the skin and the eyes and the hair and the relationship of tooth size to the size and shape of the person's face it takes time and patience but when you're finished well just like the artist you have the satisfaction of having created something something that's really worthwhile you know when you come to think of it during your lifetime you have the opportunity to help thousands of people men and women in pain accident victims who come to you with broken and disfigured mouths and youngsters who were once too self-conscious to smile and now well you can make them feel just like the other Kids on the Block yes things like this are rewarding [Music] Jen although sometimes the reward isn't exactly what you bargain for I guess I never realized that Dennis do so many things go ahead Jim look around make yourself at home [Music] you know it's funny I've been seeing this office since I was a kid but today well things look different somehow you're seeing them through different eyes now Jim say Dr Ford how long it take before you start to practice not so fast Jim there are years of learning and hard work behind anything worthwhile and that goes for Dentistry too look I'm not afraid of hard work but well I don't know where to start sure you've got a lot of questions Jim you're probably wondering about what subjects to take in school how long you'll have to study how much it will cost things like that well that's right let's see see if I can fill you in on a couple of these things first of all where do you start high school is the ideal place to start planning a career in dentistry this means the student should take courses which will permit him to enroll in any liberal arts college liberal arts I would think science would be the well now science is important Jim and you'll be taking a great many science courses in college and dental school but a professional man is also expected to be a leader in his community and this means you'll need a broad well-rounded education you'll find every bit of that knowledge valuable later on when you start to practice classes in art for example are helpful in developing visual perception psychology is helpful in doctor patient relationships and the humanities help the student understand his responsibility to his patients and to the community now if you're like most Young Folks Jim you're probably wondering how long you'll have to go to school a dentist must have at least 2 years of pre- dental college work and four years of dental school that means a minimum of 6 years now maybe you've heard that it's tough to get into dental school but that's not necessarily so sure dental schools want good students who are willing to work so you do have to be a good student but you don't have to be a straight a brain and there are dozens of dental schools if one can't take you try another the big point is that if if you can qualify there's always room in some dental school for the young man or woman who wants to become a dentist and here's something else that's important dental schools are as anxious to help the student make the right decision as he himself is so to be sure you have the right qualifications that you don't flunk out later on you will have the opportunity to take an aptitude test to help determine whether or not you've got what it takes assuming you can qualify Jim chances are the next thing you'll wonder about is how much it costs well a dental education is expensive but then so is an education for any profession educating the modern dentist is an involved and extensive process but what you pay during your years in college is just part of it because it costs the dental school several times as much to educate a young man as the tuition he pays in order to finance this education some students get help from home others help themselves through with parttime jobs and of course more and more scholarships and Loans are constantly becoming available the truth is Jim any young man or woman who really wants to make a career in dentistry can find a way and when you do concentrate on your studies because the years you spend a dental school are a big investment in your future you see Jim there are other careers in which you can make more money immediately but in the long run the young man or woman who becomes a dentist will eventually enjoy an income which is well above the average okay Doctor let's say I've applied to a dental school and I've been accepted now what Jim from the very first day you enter school you'll begin to feel part of a privileged [Music] profession many dedicated men will be passing on to you the accumulated knowledge of centuries of Dentistry but something inside of you will tell you that it is not enough just to accept the gift of the profession it will be your responsibility to advance it to raise the standards higher still so the four years you spend at dental school will be interesting stimulating years a constant challenge to a Young Person's curious mind you will be preparing yourself to go out into a scientific-minded world to put science to work improving the health of the nation you will study pathology surgery and principles of medicine so matter of fact all the biological sciences you will practice and perfect the technical skills so important to our profession you will search and study you will experiment and [Music] investigate you will ask questions and you will discover answers remember little Kathy it is in dental school that you start to learn how to help your patients keep their teeth for a lifetime of use to fully understand a child's dental health problems the dentist must first understand the child that's why you'll find yourself studying such subjects as child psychology you will chart the growth and development of the child's jaws and teeth and face and you will learn to recognize and understand various microorganisms because dozens of different types of these organisms live in the normal mouth you will also need an understanding of nutrition and how it affects the oral tissue you will learn how to operate X-ray equipment to expose and process the radioraps which reveal so many secrets of the mouth as a future dentist the young student must also know about various drugs and their effect upon the body and you will even learn to care for handicapped children youngsters with diabetes for example the cardiac defects blood disorders and emotional disturbances of course some of these youngsters are unable to cooperate during office treatment and so they require hospital care with work done under a general anesthetic remember my second patient every dentist is called upon to treat patients with diseases of the gums and other soft tissues and you'll be preparing for this all through dental school for this reason the young student attends classes such as hystology the study of human tissue and pathology a study of the changes produced in the body by disease because there are many diseases including cancer and anemia that have oral symptoms which the dentist must be taught to recognize and the woman who came to me for dentures this calls for education and practice in the technical aspects of dentistry and also the study of dental materials their qualities and their effect upon various patients the dental student attends lectures he works in the laboratory and then he works in the clinic with actual patients under conditions which parallel the practice he will soon enter and before long the once Mysterious World of the mouth becomes no longer a mystery to [Music] him yeah yes going to dental school is a lot of hard work mixed with a little fun and you get a kick out of [Music] both gee it must be a great feeling when a fellow finally gets that diploma Dr Ford it is Jim the degree of DDS Doctor of Dental Surgery opens up a whole wide world of opportunity a modern dentist works with a team of assistants the dental hygiene Den the dental assistant and the dental laboratory technician the young man or woman starting out in the profession can go into private practice like most of us do in addition to working in his own office he may broaden his base of service by joining the staff of a hospital or the young dentist can choose one of the many other careers that are rapidly opening up in dentistry today there is a need for more and more Dental teachers this is rewarding work for men and women who have the ability to inspire and to pass information on to others public health is another highly important field the Public Health Dentist is a specialist in community health he works to improve the oral condition of all the citizens in his area then there is research in dentistry there are still many secrets to be solved many new discoveries to be made and then many young dentists decide ESP specialize Specialists work mostly on the more unusual dental problems for example klep pallet cases Jim I wish ever a young man and woman who's thinking of becoming a dentist could visit a cleft pallet Clinic where an entire team of men trained in different areas of Dentistry and Medicine work together to restore the god-given gift of speech and personality this little girl is Christine and she's 7 years old there are a lot of christines in our country one out of every 800 children is born with a cleck pallet a disfiguring condition which affects the personality as well as the speech of the child each of these men from the different Health Professions has a very personal interest in Christine because just a few years ago this is the way Christine talked listen L winter l m p po pop oh he L then this team of Specialists tackled the problem together the oral surgeon performed an operation to close the cliff the orthodontist moved the teeth into proper alignment the specialist in proston designed and fitted a speech Appliance the therapist worked with Christine on her speech the family dentist looked after her General Dental Health how successful has their work been listen to the way Christine Speaks now how clear and distinct are the words that were once halting and distorted May winter Lady M regardless of which branch of Dentistry a young man or woman chooses he or she can be sure of one thing they are needed and they're needed badly there just aren't enough dentists to go around and the way the population is growing the need for dentists will be greater and greater in the years to come this need for dentists and more Complete Dental Care is widely recognized it is recognized as a big problem in our nation's capital the department of health education and Welfare is working constantly to upgrade still further the public health of which we are so proud and for this reason its Dental public health programs are being expanded and intensified at the Department's New National Institute of dental research in Bethesda Maryland a never-ending campaign of fundamental research is being carried on even at the National Bureau of Standards work has constantly been done on important Dental Programs and we dentists as a group the 100,000 dentists who are members of the American Dental Association we are always working together to advance all aspects of our profession I'll say one thing Dr Ford I sure have a different slant a good slant on what being a dentist means gosh I'd like to gee it's late I'm sorry you must be tired well to tell the truth Jim I am but it's been a good day sort of a rewarding day Jim that's what Dentistry is a rewarding profession why I get a kick out of what I'm doing that nine out of 10 people never get out of their jobs but if of course there are other important rewards too like being able to provide a nice living for Mary and the [Music] kids and every once in a while being able to surprise them with some sort of a well you know special treat [Music] of course there are responsibilities that go with the profession also every once in a while you're invited to take part in some important aspect of community activities to accept leadership in Better Health campaigns and similar programs it's important to you and to the community too and you're happy to do it in dentistry you'll find a friendship and a fraternity that I doubt you'll find in any other profession we like to get together to exchange ideas take refresher courses compare notes about our work and we don't have any professional Secrets we're anxious to share our knowledge because we know many people will benefit Jim we dentists today have a great responsibility it is our responsibility to safeguard the dental health of our patients yes but in addition through our modern Education and Training we can and do help saf guard the patient's General Health more than ever before [Music] so the that's the story behind that woman on TV it didn't just happen you're finding cancer in her mouth but like they said on that program you actually saved her life Jim anything that any one of us has ever done before can't begin to compare with what can be accomplished in the future you young men and young women too will soon be doing things in the dental profession which some of us today can only dream about the progress that has been made so far is just a Prelude to the progress that you will make you the dentists of the future [Music] [Applause] [Music] you the dentists of the future are the Envy of the older members of the profession never has the opportunity for service been so great never has the satisfaction which comes from rendering such service been so rewarding [Applause] you young men and women who are studying Dentistry today will become privileged members of a dynamic and learned profession you will have an important and far-reaching effect not only upon the health of your patients but upon the health of the entire nation the immediate years ahead will be the most dynamic most gratifying and most challenging of any that ever faced dentistry and they belong to you every every one of you who are willing to accept that challenge you will write the headlines of the Dentistry of the future [Music]