Doctor, another unique service of your Ticonium Laboratory. An award-winning magazine you can read with interest, with pleasure, and with profit.

the bottle-fed infants ... It may come as a surprise to you but the Journal of Periodontia in a study of almost 500 smokers and non-smokers found that there was "no significant difference between plaque accumulation in non-smokers and smokers regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked daily . . . . " We've heard of a "wolf in sheep'S clothing" but never of a "goat in sheep's clothing." Yet, scientists found that sheep reared for the first few months of life in sheep­goat herds showed a strong social preference for the goats. Kids are full of surprises.

EXERCISE SHOULD BE FUN

If you think exercise will keep you living longer, don't bet on it, you may not be around long enough to collect. There still is not enough valid, scientific evidence to prove that exercise will increase your life span. However, regular exercise will improve the quality of life, for the physical and psychological bene­fits allow you to live life more fully. This is particu­larly true if the exercise is fun, if it is a game. Exercise is an important ingredient for a satisfying life, despite George Bernard Shaw, who once remarked that the only exercise he ever got was walking behind the funeral bier of his friends who had exercised; and Robert Benchley, who had a theory that in all our joints - knees, hips, elbows, ankles, wrists - there were important fluids that were not to be disturbed, so that one should not move too much or to SWiftly.

TIPS FROM THE ADAA The American Dental Assistants Association puts

out a four-page quarterly, Tip Sheet, that contains in­formation and helpful hints for the dental assistant which, in turn, can be advantageous to your practice.

Assistants are advised to "take a good look" at the patient before he or she is seen by the dentist. An observant assistant can spot shortness of breath, anx-

\/@Ug FOR

~ '1-;=1 ~

iety, sweating palms, physical abnormalities, emo­tional stress, etc., and alert the dentist so that he can be better prepared in his initial interview with the pa­tient.

Dentists are often cautioned about speaking over the heads of their patients. But how about dentists who speak over the heads of dentists? Specialists, in particular, are guilty of using overblown words, per­haps to enhance their own image or because they just don't know how to write in simple prose. For exam­ple, here is a direct sentence from a brochure an­nouncing a course on peridontia for the general practitioner: "The appropriate selection and sequenc­ing of initial preparation modalities will be covered." How about appropriate words, doctor? .. For those gaining weight, how about "food apportion for girth control."

DENTAL DILEMMA In taking an impression and bite, The dentist's result was a sight. Though his technique was mastered, The patient was plastered And didn't know his left from his right.

RESEARCH (Continued from Pagel2) "to develop a multidimensional attitude measurement device" to " . . . collect sufficient behavioral data to relate each attitude dimension to its associated be­havioral correlates" and to " ... define in detail the experimental design including statistical analysis paradigms." Some others:

-Why people fall in love, "especially men and women."

-Hitchhiking. -The social behavior of the Alaskan bear. -The African climate during the last Ice Age.

Amen!

"UH, OH! I THINK WE'RE IN TROUBLEI"

16 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

An award·winning magazine for Dentists, Dental Assistants, and Dental Hygienists

Publis ed monthly by TICONIUM COMPANY Division of CMP Industries, Inc •• Albany. New York

Editor Joseph Strack Contrib ling Arthur H. Levine, D.D.S.

Editors Maurice J. Telfelbau • D.D.S. Cover Artist Edward Kasper

NOVEMBER 1979 Vol. XXXVIII No. 11

CONTENTS

DfNJlSTS III GOVERNMENT The Only Dentist in the Congress ..... .

II Dentist Gove rnors

III Dentist Leg islators and Mayors

IV Politics at the Grass Roots

A PKTORIAt HISTORY Of DENmTRY Here is the concluding Part 2 of Dentistry in the 18th Century, the fascinating 10th installment of Curt Proskauer 's great pic-

1

3

5

7

ture history . . ..... .... .. ... '. .. . . . . .. 8

THE WORlDS OUTSIDE Collectimania . ..

Children Study Hypertension

Research : the bureaucratic way .

IMPROVING BUS1NESS MAHAGEMfNT 1M YOUR DENTAl OFFICI New Approaches to Collections :

10

11

12

Dentist, Lawyer, Indian Chief .. .. 13

The Statement Showdown ... 13

Goodbye Month Iy Billing? .. 13

Fixed -Fee Collection Firms ... .... 14

The Sales-Pitch Seminar

AN6lES MID I ESSIOIS Dentist solves art treasury robbery New idea for forensic dentists . . . Exer­cise should be fun ... Dentists who talk

14

over the heads of dentists ... ..... ... .. .. ... . 15

I aa I MEMBER PUBLICATION ae Al\IlERICAN AsavCIATION OF DENTAL EDITORS

Send editorial contributions and corresponlle!lce to Joseph Strack, Box 4()7, North Chatham, N.Y. 12132; ch e·of· ilddress notices to Circulatton Manager, TIC, Box 350, Alban1 N.Y. 12201

TIC Is microfilmed by UnIverSity MicrOfil ms, Inc., 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 481 06. T IC's International Stand4rd Serial Number IS: US 0040'071& TIC. Copyright, 1979, T1conlum Company, Division of 0 P Indu tries, Inc •• 413 North Pearl St reet. Albany, New York 12207 Opinions exprrssed by contributors to TIC do not necessarily reflect the v ews of the publishers. Printed In U.S.A. by Jersey Printllllil Co., Inc., Bayonne, N.J. Ann I Subscription. $5.00

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

Daniel B. Crane, MC

Dentists I n Government I The Only Dentist in the Congress

In the middle of his first term as a member of the 96th Congress, Representative Daniel B. Crane, who put aside his dental practice to speak in Washington for a half-million "friends, neighbors and fellow residents" of Southern Illinois, still decides his vote on the deluge of legislation which swamps the lawmakers by the answers to four simple questions:

Is it constitutional? Is it in defense of the freedoms we cherish? Is it within the framework of a balanced budget? Is it a "rip off" of the taxpayers? Congressman Crane, the only dentist in the 96th Congress, tells

his colleagues in the House and his constitutents back home : -Government is spending too much money. -The House can and ought to do something to tighten the na-

tional purse strings. -Salaries of Senators and Representatives should be cut. -Americans over 65 should have the right to earn money to

supplement their Social Security benefits without being pen­alized by having those benefits reduced.

-Washington should stay out of state affairs. -Washington should put an end to its "blackmail" of states and

cities with threats to withhold federal funds . Congressman Crane, a veteran of Army service in Southeast Asia,

licensed to practice dentistry in three states, and the father of a family with five children, tops a long list of dentists serving in government, from the local school board all the way up to the Governor's mansion and at every level in between.

Congressman Crane is dedicated to the need for Americans to

I

"get involved," especially in government. His involve­ment resulted in election last November to a Congress which most national observers say is confronted by the "worst crisis of confidence in government" in American history.

Congressman Crane blames a "schizophrenic Con­gress" for overspending and insists that the House has to assume the personal blame, since all money bills originate and have to be approved there.

He thinks that Congressmen-Senators and House members-get paid too much and wants their salaries cut. He doubts that the bill he has introduced to make such a reduction will pass, but he is making the effort.

The unbusinesslike operations of government also pain Congressman Crane who pointed to an instance when legislators were given only ten minutes to study several budgetary line items amounting to $38 billion. A vote was taken and passed even though some Con­gressmen argued it would take days to digest all the material.

"I demanded a roll call vote, just to know who the big spenders are," he said.

A fervent believer in "state's rights"-he cites Arti­cle 10 of the U.S. Constitution-he frowns on too much interference from Washington in the lives of Americans and the rights of local governments to make the decisions. He cites as an abuse of the cen­tralized power, the threat of Washington to withhold federal funds from those states which did not enforce the 55 miles an hour speed limit.

Congressman Crane agrees with those who call Washington the "Disneyland of the East" but is firmly convinced in the need for all people to become inter­ested, involved and active in government.

He charges that the "people are not being told the truth" and that personal involvement will do much to give the people "a more active voice" in the law­making process .

Congressman Crane comes from a family active in government. His brother, Representative Philip Crane, who represents the Chicago area of Illinois, is now a candidate for the Republican nomination for President.

Congressman Crane's "involvement" has not been without its price, for he has had to wind down a suc­cessful practice in Danville, Illinois, which took many years to build.

His public statements, before Rotarians, before Chambers of Commerce, before the Home Bureau, before the Farm Bureau, before grammar school chil­dren, before partisan political supporters-all carry the central theme of why he made the choice of pub­lic service:

"If the public does not become involved, the nation will fade into the sunset.

"Involvement by every citizen is necessary to save the greatest system of government ever conceived."

2

Busy Congressman Crane hangs coat on doorknob

Dr. Crane, .now Congressman Crane, insists that more professionals should take a role in politics even though such an involvement is an "intrusion on your professional image."

"In no way has my decision to enter politics, to be involved in government, compromised my profes­sionalism or my relationship with my patients," he explains.

"In fact, there is evidence of a greater respect, a recognition of the imperative to be concerned," he says, adding:

"The dentist-patient relationship is such that pa­tients have an established trust and loyalty which rec­ognizes that you are not trying to impose your beliefs and convictions upon them. Given this implicit assur­ance, they give you respect for your convictions and your right to express them publicly."

He is convinced that patients would rather get a firm, definite, honest public opinion, rather than a squeamish, fence-straddling politeness which tries to accommodate and please everyone. "The good guy who tries to agree with everyone will soon be seen for the shallow person he is."

"There is a unique, personal intimate relationship between dentist and patient which permits such phy­sical closeness as working on the patient's mouth," he pointed out. "There is a complete and total reli­ance on the dentist by the patient, who entrusts his health to his hands. That kind of relationship cannot be compromised by the intrusion of politics into the practice of dentistry. But it does establish a trust and respect that carries over, outside of the office, outside

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

by Maurice J. Teitelbaum, D.D.S.

THISA AND DATA A dentist in England was responsible for the re­

covery of over $1 million worth of stolen art treasures when he telephoned authorities at Scotland Yard about the ravings of a patient, who, while under light anesthesia, talked about the location of the loot. It was a definite triumph for law and justice, but one wonders whether a patient's uncontrolled babbling under the influence of anesthesia should be guarded as zealously as the confession to a priest or a chat with a psychiatrist. Incidentally, theft of art treasures ranks second only to narcotics as the leader in world-wide crime ... The NYU School of Dentistry, one of the largest private dental schools in the nation with the facilities for treating over 1,000 patients a day, seems to be out of step with the general economic trend. The tuition at NYU has gone down - $1,100 less than in 1978. Probably out of step but marching to a brighter tune . . . Dental study clubs are extremely popular among dentists who profit by the exchange of informa­tion and are stimulated by being with other practi­tioners in discussing dental problems and techniques. If you do not belong to a dental study group then you are definitely in the minority in our profession ... All things being equal, why are some people more sus­ceptible to certain diseases of the mouth than others? A study both at the State University of New York at Buffalo and UCLA reveals that a "weakened defense against the gram negative bacteria implicated in perio­dontal disease may be the cause ... " They also find that, strangely enough, the older the patient the great­er the number of antibodies present to combat oral disease. It should follow then that the older a person gets, the better the defenses are against periodontal disease . .. On February 17, 1980, the American Fund for Dental Health will mark its 25th anniver­sary. The Fund has helped hundreds of dentists now in practice through scholarship and loans, and has supported many research and teaching projects. One of the chief contributors is the W. K. Kellog Founda­tion of Battle Creek, Michigan, who recently donated $102,465 to evaluate a peer review system to assess the quality of dental care provided to members of

TI C, NOVEMBER, 1979

prepaid, publicly-funded dental care plans in that state. The contribution was part of a $2.5 million com­mitment by the Kellog Foundation. Happy Birthday to the Fund!

The Swiss have come up with a new idea to help forensic dentists in the identification of mass disaster victims. They advocate sealing a miniaturized gold chip in the tooth enamel using a "fire resistant red composite material." The chip would have identifying coded numbers on it - Social Security numbers, for example. For most people, sealing the chip under a filling or crown or in a root canal might be more practical and simpler. ... Gold bars, securities, real estate - there are many ways, the financial experts say, to "consolidate your holdings," "hedge against inflation," "beat the recession," or "feather your nest egg." But here is another way to "invest wisely" -buy wine. Not any wine of course, but special wines with special artistic labels. It's a heady idea, for wine gets better with age and therefore becomes more valuable. At least that's the opinion of those grape­of-the-vine connoisseurs, the editors of the Interna­tional Review of Food and Wine. They report that a fine Baron Rothschild double magnum of wine with a label designed by Andy Warhol sells for $300. Since Warhol paintings go up in value, the wine bottles with his art work should increase in time. However, lest you think this is something new, since 1927 painters like Braque, Dali, Chagell, Kadinsky, and Picasso have all designed wine-bottle labels. One supposes that even if you empty the contents of one of these beverage masterpieces, having the empty bottle will be like having your cake and still eating it. The only problem is, how does one go about framing a bottle?

Although automobile accident fatalities have risen 7 percent in the last four years, motorcycle deaths have increased to 41 percent, trucks 41 percent, and vans and pickup trucks 37 percent . .. Studies show that breast-fed babies have still another advantage over the bottle-fed infants. Although the breast-fed infants started to suck their thumbs at an earlier age, they gave up the habit sooner and were less likely to have dental problems because of thumb sucking than

15

1. Have each date within the cycle contain approxi­mately the same number of accounts.

2. Base "the frequency" (i.e. the number of dates each month that statements are sent) on your dental assistant's workload. The greater the frequency, the greater the number of interruptions in her (or his) other routine tasks.

3. Allow a few days after the end of a 30-day per­iod before a statement is mailed. This ensures that all charges and payments have been recorded . Thus, unpaid services accrued on the 5th can be mailed to the patient on the 7th.

4. To determine the proper time length between the billing's closing date and the patient statement mailing date, determine the capabilities of your ac­counting system. Efficient systems have a short lag period between the two dates.

5. If you implement cycle billing, include your dental assistants in the planning stage. Ask what fre­quency would best accommodate their existing work schedule.

6. Offer another approach to cycle billing that is not alphabetical, but based on another determinant. This may be (a) location of residence, (b) amount of a patient's balance, (c) a patient's income/ wealth, or (d) patient's past paying habits.

7. Consider a system that incorporates the sending of statements first to patients who usually pay their bills quickly.

The overall financial impact of cycle billing on the practice is relatively minor. More importantly, it should be a personnel decision. Evenly distributed workloads reduce stress within your dental office.

FIXED·FEE COLLECTION FIRMS There is a new way to collect from delinquent ac­

counts after you've exhausted your internal proced­ures. No longer does your dental office have to write off the account or pay a collection agency the high 50 % commission on collections. The increasingly popular alternative: fixed-fee (or flat-fee) collection firms.

For a fixed fee, sometimes as low as five to six dollars per account, a company will try to collect for you. If unsuccessful in, for example, 60 days, the ac­count is returned to you.

There is a variety of fixed-fee firms. Some firms are computer letter writers. Others charge a fixed fee to establish the account and then charge a mini­mum percentage on small accounts and up to 30% on larger accounts. One that we know of is a full­service collection firm for a fixed fee.

Most companies work this way: 1. They sell the dentist 25 to 100 transmittal

sheets for a fixed amount. 2. The dentist verifies the patient's data (name,

address, amount, etc.) which is sent to the collection

14

agency. From there, the firm mails out the notices. 3. The agency notifies the patient that they are op­

erating on behalf of the dentist. They request the money be sent to the dentist. (Most firms remit money to the doctor within 60 days if payment is mailed to them.)

Once the initial courtesy contact is made, each firm has a different technique:

1. Some mail a series of 5 to 10 increasingly curt letters 4 to 5 days apart. The dentists may have a choice of computer prepared letters in different styles and languages.

2. Others use conventional collection action, such as telephone calls and personal notes, if form letters are unsuccessful. If these procedures prove fruitless, the account is returned. Another account can usually be substituted at no cost. A few firms even guarantee a collection mUltiple, sometimes up to three times the dentist's investment.

3. Some firms offer the dentist or office manager a toll-free number which can be used to stop further collection action.

4. Other companies will arrange, upon the dentist's request, for court action to begin. (This is usually not done by most dentists.)

Although cost, approach and guarantee vary among fixed-fee collection firms, many dental prac­tices have found that a suitable firm can be very cost effective.

In fact, many dentists have found that 40% of their delinquent accounts were collected.

The Sales Pitch Seminar No matter whether you've read it in the Wall Street

Journal or the New York Times, computer seminars conducted by computer manufacturers are sales pitches. Don't waste your time unless you specifically want information about that firm's computers-or you simply want to get out of the office for the after­noon

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

of the practice, and makes service to the community more possible."

There is a similarity between the profession of den­tistry and the practice of politics, Dr. Crane explains.

-There is a close relationship between patient and constituent, because both place their welfare in your hands.

-Both require-oblige-mutual trust and faith and rely on integrity for the quality of service rendered.

-Management of office, of staff, of attention to patients as persons, with individualized and spe­cialized needs is the same as the Congressman's concern for administration and the people he represents and serves.

"I have always been interested in governnient, not in the exercise of its power, but because it must re­main the servant of the people," he says.

"I had all the material things I wanted, thanks to my dental profession, plus a good family and a happy existence. But I also had five children and I had to be concerned with their future, for preserving the kind of government that I felt was necessary. If you believe that the system of government is in jeopardy, you are obliged in conscience to act, to come to its defense."

Dr. Crane's interest in government came early in life, at the age of five, when he "supported" Wendell Wilkie in the 1940 Presidential election.

In 1966, he had a brief excursion into politics, running in the primary, only to find that his brief, six weeks campaign was too short, too unorganized.

Dental research had taught him the imperative of doing "your homework" and the lesson served him well later in his political life.

In 1978, he won a three-way primary race for the Republican nomination for Congress and in Novem­ber of that year he scored a startling upset in a district that had been Democratic for 50 years. He won elec­tion by 54 percent of the vote of the sprawling, 20-county district in Southern Illinois.

For the first year of his term, he returned to his

hometown on weekends to finish the treatment of patients who were under his care. He plans to wind this down to concentrate "on representing my people" in Congress.

Congressman Crane's district includes 500,000 people, and covers more than 10,000 square miles­as large as six of the eastern states.

As the first year of his Congressional term comes to an end, the dentist-lawmaker repeats his call to fellow dentists:

"Get involved in government, be actively engaged in politics. Good government needs dedicated, con­cerned people."

Daniel B. Crane was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1936, received his A.B. degree from Hillsdale College, Hills­dale, Mich., in 1958, his D.D.S. degree from the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1963 and did graduate work at the University of Michigan, 1964-65 .

He has served as research consultant and clinician at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, as a consultant to the Indiana State Board of Health, and as director of the Crane Clinic, 1963-1967.

He served three years as a captain with the United States Army, a year in Southeast Asia and two years at the Fitzsimmons General Hospital, Denver, Colo­rado.

Dr. Crane passed the dental boards in three states, Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado.

He was selected as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1970 and has been selected for Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in Michigan Football, Notable Americans of the Bicentennial Era, and Indiana Lives.

He is co-author of Psychology Applied, and au­thored several research papers in biochemistry and preventive dentistry, and articles in Dental Manage­ment and Dental Economics.

Actively involved in community organizations, he has served more than 15 of them as president, director, member or consultant.

II DENTIST GOVERNORS F or hundreds of years of American history, den­tists have filled government offices at the highest legislative levels, but not until the 1970's did they assume the executive leadership of so many American states.

At the beginning of the decade, the dental profes­sion could count but one of its members who had served as governor of an American state.

As the decade nears the end of its last year, three states and a Pacific territory that one day might be part of the 51 st State had been served by dentists as governors. Two other states had nominated dentists for their highest executive offices. Dentists have filled

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

the governor's mansion in Tennessee, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Guam. And Texas and Georgia con­sidered dentists for those high posts.

Nine of the decade's 10 years have had a dentist as governor in at least one American state.

The dentist governors have been : Bryant Winfield Dunn, Tennessee; James B. Edwards, South Carolina ; Rudolph G. (Rudy) Perpich, Minnesota; and Carlos Garcia Camacho, Guam.

In the mid-70's, Georgia dentist John Savage ran for lieutenant governor and James Granberry won the Republican primary for governor in Texas.

3

The Dunn Story Bryant Winfield Dunn could have easily found

success elsewhere, as a lawyer rather than as a den­tist, in Mississippi rather than in Tennessee.

For those who have an allegiance to the power of fate, Dunn was destined for the Tennessee state house by way of a dental career that won him prominence in his profession.

He was born to a Mississippi lawyer who was a former member of the U.S. House of Representives, and enjoyed success as an investment banker, an in­surance agent, and shoe salesman before settling down to a career as a dentist, a career that led him to the governor's chair.

The governor's chair did not come easily to him. He was a Republican in a state that had elected

Democrats for 50 years before him. Three opponents challenged his nomination in a

primary to pick the G.O.P. gubernatorial nominee in 1970. At age 43, he was elected in November 1970, by receiving 52 percent of a record million votes cast by Tennesseeans, as the first Republican governor in half a century.

A Constitutional provision limited him to one four­year term as governor, from 1971 to 1975.

Dr. Dunn-former Governor Dunn-was born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, aspiring in high school to follow his father's footsteps as a lawyer. But iron­ically, his father recommended a career in dentistry, instead.

His undergraduate years were focused on the law, but after marriage to his college sweetheart he turned to dentistry. Upon graduation from the Univer­sity of Tennessee College of Dentistry, he joined his father-in-law, Dr. Frank Pritchard, in practice in Memphis.

He entered politics in 1962, ran unsuccessfully for the state legislature that year, and became Republican county chairman for two terms. Two years later he won the gubernatorial race.

The Dentist Who Beat a General Dentistry was not in the plans of 16-year-old James

B. Edwards, a self-described "mediocre student," when he graduated from high school in 1944. Like many boys with no firm conviction about their future, he took to the sea and for the last year of World War II, helped ferry American troops across the Atlantic.

The "sea" ultimately supported his decision for den­tistry, for it provided the "scarce" dollars for studies at the College of Charleston, S.C.

Dentistry was the "family profession"-a brother, an uncle, a cousin, all were dentists-but it almost refused him. The fierce competition among war vet­erans after World War II for places in dental school denied him admission on his first try. The "sea" that saved him after high school, "saved" him again after

4

college. It was a letter written, "pouring out my heart" to the Louisville University School of Dentistry, from the sea that opened the door to the dental school.

After graduation he spent two years as Navy dentist, returning from service to complete his professional studies and to establish himself in Charleston, the second oral surgeon in South Carolina.

After five years as Republican Party chairman in Charleston, he was elected to the South Carolina Sen­ate in 1972. In the middle of a four-year term, he defeated General William Westmoreland, who had at­tained considerable stature as American commander in Vietnam, in the Republican primary in 1974 and went on to win election as governor that November. By law, he too, was limited to a single term.

The Perpich Brothers It seems that it was inevitable that a dentist by the

name of Rudolph G. Perpich would become the gov­ernor of Minnesota.

There were three dentists by that name, all broth­ers, all serving in the Minnesota State Senate.

Fate tapped the oldest, Rudy Perpich, for the honor, a few days after Christmas, 1976.

At 48, his inauguration capped one of those it­could-happen-only-in-America success stories.

In a moving and emotional inaugural address, on December 29, 1976, he told the people of Minnesota:

"Forty-three years ago I entered the kindergarten in a small school on Minnesota's Iron Range. At that time the nation was in the grip of the great depression. Millions were unemployed, many were ill-nourished or ill-housed and few had any real economic security. As I entered class that day, my father was unemployed and I spoke no English. And yet, today, I have taken the oath of office as the 34th Governor of Minnesota.

"WHAT WORRIES ME IS THAT HE'S OLD ENOUGH TO YOTE!"

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

Improving Business Management in Your Dental Office

by Practice Productivity, Inc.

Practice Productivity Inc., Dental Practice Division, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a man­agement consulting firm which offers educational and motivational workshops in business concepts to dentists and their dental staffs; and provides in-depth consulting to dentists in private practice.

NEW APPROACHES TO COLLECTIONS Dentist, Lawyer, Indian Chief ... The Statement Showdown ... Goodbye Monthly Billings? ... Fixed-Fee Collections Firms

DENTIST, LAWYER, INDIAN CHIEF

When do the lawyer and Indian chief come before the dentist? When it comes to being paid.

We realize that late payments are no joking matter, but what many dentists don't realize is that consumers are becoming more aware, and even being told, that their dental bills can be moved to the bottom of the pile with no negative reaction. A Family Circle article (2/ 1/79) defined nine types of household bills and the order in which they should be paid. (If you're having trouble guessing who was number nine, here's a hint - it wasn't the butcher, baker or candlestick maker!)

Why did this popular publication advise its readers to pay their dental and medical bills after all others? Because, it said doctors don't charge interest, won't feed information to credit bureaus, and maintain, at best, wishy-washy collection methods.

While Practice Productivity doesn't advocate add­ing interest to monthly statements we do recommend defining and adhering to a firm collection policy, and the use of competitive statements.

THE STATEMENT SHOWDOWN And, believe it or not, the appearance of your pa­

tient statement can make you a loser in the constant battle to collect. Unless you collect at the time of service, you're in direct competition with some for­midable opponents.

After a family is housed, fed, and provided trans­portation, income is distributed among bank, depart­ment store, credit card, entertainment, dental, medi­cal, and other obligations. Many in this group charge interest on unpaid balances, encouraging quicker pay­ment. The statements usually are printed by computer, with purchases itemized, and are crisp and business­like.

And then there's the dentist's bill. Many are photo­copies of the patient's ledger card. They are often smudgy, too dark, or too light. If you photocopy, buy

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

the best machine for your needs: one that provides clean, neat copies.

If your statements are handwritten, make certain they are done with care. Also, be sure to itemize serv­ices rendered. Handwritten statements that are sloppy or barely legible are not competitive. Neither are statements that only indicate the total balance due.

Although it's better than handwriting, typing is not foolproof. Get a good electric typewritter and prepare a professional looking statement that includes itemiza­tion of - to repeat - services.

So bring out your best guns and make your shots count. Make your patient statements competitive. You'll probably come out a winner.

Although the most common frequency of sending patient statements is monthly, some practices are find­ing a viable alternative. It's called cycle billing.

The mailing of statements is done throughout the month. Pre-determined dates are set aside for differ­ent segments of the patient file.

Practices, particularly larger ones, find that (a) statements are mailed sooner; (b) employees who mail statements have more evenly distributed work­loads; (c) any downturns in the local economy are realized a few weeks sooner than those practices which have monthly billing cycles.

The adoption of cycle billing is sometimes met with employee resistance. Disgruntled employees feel that their work is never caught IIp. Others maintain the new system does not fit into their daily work schedule.

With cycle billing, different letters of the alphabet­corresponding to the first letter of the patient's last name-are billed on a specific date each month.

For example, A through D is mailed on the 8th of each month; E through L on the 14th ; and so on. The balance for collection is taken from the previous 30 days services. Any previously existing balances are also included.

To make a cycle billing system work better for your dental office, consider the following suggestions:

13

Hypertension (Continued from Page 11)

program. Because there are no symptoms of hyperten­sion, "we focus on the effects of hypertension such as heart attacks and strokes," said Dr. Howell. The children will study the cardiovascular system and how the heart and vessels work from models of the human body, and they will learn what they can do in their daily routines to reduce their chances of developing hypertension.

According to Dr. Howell, the course stresses the effects of smoking, salt intake and cholesterol and encourages the children to examine the history of hypertension in

their families to determine if any of their relatives have had heart attacks or strokes.

The ten schools will serve as "demonstration sites" this year, said Dr. Howell, who developed the curriculum in cooperation with the Virginia State Department of Health and the American Heart Association in Virginia. He hopes, however, that the curriculum will become a model for the state.

To help determine the effectiveness of the program, Dr. Howell said a "knowledge and attitude test" will be given not only to the sixth grade students but also to their parents and teachers.

RESEARCH: the bureaucratic wa~ Research is science's lifeblood.

On the way to graduation - and after - dentists have suffered the agony and anguish of many research projects in and out of the laboratory.

For them, research and its conclusions have been a valuable support of their profession.

The federal bureaucracy has its own thoughts on research.

Over the years there have been many uniquely dis­tinctive research projects commissioned by the many federal agencies.

Some of them have earned special awards, such as "The Golden Fleece" award of Senator William Prox­mire, who recognizes them for - as he puts it - be­ing "the biggest, most ridiculous or most ironic ex­ample of wasting federal tax dollars."

Here are a few, culled from a long list of such awards:

-$46,000 to find out how long it takes to cook breakfast. Using Time Measurement Units (TMU) which it arbitrarily set at 0.036 second, it figures it takes 838 TMUs to fry an egg in a skillet; 1,222 TMUs to come up with a 6-ounce order of hash; 860 TMUs for French toast - and for the French toast, 22 TMUs to get the egg and 15 TMUs to break it against the bowl. (Take heart, a similar study is planned for lunch and dinner.)

-$27,000 to find out why inmates want to escape prison. The finding : "The increase in predictability of escape from R= .64 when secondary variables are used singly and R=.61 when questionnaire variables are used singly to R=.77 when both are used co­jointly, empirically demonstrates that escape is asso­ciated with both static and dynamic factors."

-To measure human aggression by timing, how long a motorist stalled at a stop light takes to honk his horn when he sees a pretty girl provocatively dressed crossing the street, when the same girl crosses the street wearing an outlandish clown mask, and, later on, when she hobbles across on crutches with a bandaged leg.

12

-$57,800 to do a study of the body measurements of airlines' stewardess trainees, to design "safety equipment." The 103-page report, dealing with 79 measurements, did not note how many 37-24-37's were among the measured, but did include the meas­urements of " ... the skinfold of the upper arm and the posterior calf; the vertical height of the sphyrion ; the popliteal length of the buttocks; the transverse dis­tance between the centers of the anterior superior iliac spines; the knee to knee breadth while sitting; the maximum horizontal width of the jaw across the go­nial angles" and, yes, the height of the nose.

-$500,000 to find out how and why and when monkeys, rats, and humans bite and clench their jaws. (Who knows about monkeys and rats, but people do it when they get mad.)

-$89,000 to produce a dictionary of Tzotzil, an obscure and unwritten Mayan language spoken by 120,000 corn-farming peasants in Southern Mexico.

-$2,500 to find out why people are rude, cheat, and lie on the local tennis court when they play this game of "love .. . "

-$225,000 on a report to forecast transportation needs in the year 2025 under four different "scen­arios": (1) where the United States undergoes an Ice Age; (2) becomes a dictatorship; (3) is transformed into a hippy culture; or (4) blossoms into a society which the authors call "the American dream."

-$6,025 film project that features taking movies of crepe paper and burning gases thrown out of an airplane.

-A $97,500 grant to study behavior and social relationships in a Peruvian brothel (by a researcher who had just written a book on how to win academic and grantsmanship games). Among the articles pro­duced by the research project: "Aymara-Quechua Relations in Puno" and "Inequality in the Peruvian Andes, Class and Ethnicity in Cuzco."

-$220,000 to study motorists' attitudes toward large trucks in which the researcher was expected

(Continued on Page 16)

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

This could not happen in many parts of the world." Rudolph G. Perpich was one of three sons of Mary

and Anton Perpich, immigrants from Croatia. The fourth and youngest became a psychiatrist-attorney, practicing in Connecticut.

Brother Tony, 46, is a dentist in Eveleth, Minne­sota, and a former state senator; brother George, 43, is a dentist practicing in Chisholm, Minnesota, and a three-term member of the State Senate. Brother Joe, 35, is the psychiatrist-attorney.

Rudolph Perpich practiced dentistry in Hibbings, after receiving his dental degree in 1954 from Mar­quette University School of Dentistry.

A two-term member of the Hibbings School Board, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1962, reelected in 1966, and, in 1974, was elected lieutenant governor with Governor Wendell R. Anderson.

The election of Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale to the vice presidency, under President Jimmy Carter, left a Senate vacancy that was filled by the appoint­ment of Anderson to that post. Anderson's resigna­tion as governor gave that office to Dr. Perpich, who was defeated for governor in November 1978.

Guam's Dentist-Governor The first of the dental governors of the 1970's was

Carlos Garcia Camacho, Governor of Guam.

A toothache, strangely enough, put him on the path to both careers.

The pain of an extraction as a seven-year old pro­duced the determination to be a dentist, and it was recognition as a dentist that delivered him to the ex­ecutive mansion of the idyllic Pacific isle that aspires to American statehood.

As a boy, he learned that preventive and corrective measures could avoid pain.

As a man, he found that the same applied to gov­ernment: preventive and corrective measures carefully planned and efficiently applied could avoid the suf­fering of neglect.

Dr. Camacho was in office as the Governor of Guam when the decade of the 70's began, appointed to that office on May 6, 1969, by then President Rich­ard M. Nixon.

A native of Guam, he suffered through 32 months of enemy occupation in World War II before he had the opportunity after the end of the war to come to the mainland for studies. He attended Aquinas Col­lege in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and received his dental degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry.

The 1970's saw more dentists serve as governors of American states than in any previous decade.

III DENTIST LEGISLATORS AND MAYORS In addition to State houses , dentists have served

at the head of this country's most important-and progressive-municipalities.

Success in lower level government offices has often catapulted them into positions of greater governmental responsibility.

In Georgia, John Savage, D.D.S., a highly effective member of the State Legislature, was nominated for the office of lieutenant governor. He startled the politi­cal pundits when he made abolition of the office he sought a major issue of the campaign.

In Texas, the eyes of that great state were turned to Dr. James Granberry, an orthodontist, because of his success as mayor of Lubbock. Dr. Granberry's Lubbock performance propelled him into state poli­tics and, as a result, he won the Republican statewide primary for nomination for governor.

Neither Dr. Savage nor Dr. Granberry won the statewide office, but left an indelible mark on their states' political scene.

Dr. Savage served two terms in the Georgia State Legislature, and one of the most important pieces of legislation he sponsored authorized the fluoridation of Georgia's water system. Georgia was the first South­ern State to take such action.

He became the first candidate for statewide office in Georgia to volunteer to disclose campaign contri-

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

butions, from whom they were received and how they were spent.

This act, in 1974, has been the forerunner of state and federal legislation requiring such disclosure by political candidates.

Dr. Granberry'S efforts on behalf of Lubbock, a Texas city of 150,000, won statewide attention for him and victory in the Republican primary for the

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEGISLATIVE INVOLVEMENTS

The 1977 S'ur l'ey oj Denri.HS conducted b the merican Den tal " O':la tlOn re" ea ls intere5ting

s tatl~tlcs about the politi al contn butlons and lcg­l ~ln tlve 1m Ivement t dent! ts

Nea rly hal f of thc survey respondents cont ribute to their ~t a te dental p liti 'al al tlon committee.

Contnbutlom also var' n:gl na Ll) Dentl ~ts m the \'\'e~t . outh Cent ral aled (wh ich include. Oklahoma. Texas, Arll.an ~, and I.ouhiana ) . are by far the most Itkcly to cont ribute. With 66 per­c nt ontributtng as ompared to the n,\llOnnl aver­age of 495 pe r ent . ContributJ ns drop to 30 p rcent m the New Engl.md rea.

Dent isl 10 the hi 'hc&t c( ntnbuttng region are al ~o the most actlvc in ontacting their legislator; r gardlllg dental I ue .

5

gubernator,ial nomination, no mean feat in a tradi­tional Southern State, which is now electing Republi­cans to statewide offices.

An Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he worked part time for the local newspaper as a staff writer while attending Tyler Junior College as a pre­dental student. He was graduated with honors from Baylor University College of Dentistry, opened prac­tice in Lubbock in 1961. Three years later he was credited with having one of the largest orthodontic practices in the state.

An active involvement in community-Chamber of Commerce, United Fund, symphony orchestra, traffic commission-led to election to the City Coun­cil and then to the mayoralty. Success in the office was remarkable and his leadership after the disastrous May 1970 tornado won presidential commendation, world attention, and ultimately a call to bid for state­wide office as governor.

A highlight of his career-professional and politi­cal-was the receipt in 1971 of the American Aca­demy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award, inscrib­ing his name alongside of John Wayne, Bob Hope, James Michener, and Helen Keller.

State legislatures have offered many dentists oppor­tunity for service.

One of the most successful has been Dr. Bruce L. Douglas, professor of community dentistry and pre­ventive medicine at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry.

One publication called him "the most educated legislator" in Illinois. It said: "Dr. Douglas may well be the most 'educated' state legislator. A product of Princeton and N.Y.D. College of Dentistry, he also holds an M.A. (education), M.S. (oral surgery) and M.P.H. He earned a Professional Diploma (higher education) and Teaching Certificate (high school science) ." He went to Japan as a Fulbright profes­sor, served as a consultant to the World Health Or­ganization and to the Illinois Department of Health, and is considered an authority on hospital dentistry.

He earned the coveted William J. Gies Award, presented annually by the American Association of Dental Editors for the best editorial contribution to dental literature.

Dr. Richard L. Verbick, an oral surgeon in Elgin, Illinois, has the choice of being called doctor, council­man, mayor, and almost Congressman.

He entered the political arena as an appointee to the Elgin City Council in 1972, ran for a four-year term the following year, won overwhelmingly, and then ran for mayor the following year, beating the incumbent by a wide margin. Finally-or perhaps not finally - he lost a primary Congressional race to a long-time Republican incumbent.

Dr. Verbic received his degree in dentistry from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1950

6

and his master of science degree in oral surgery from Northwestern University Dental School in 1951. He has had offices in Arlington, Illinois, and practiced in Elgin for a quarter-century. He serves as a guest lec­turer of postgraduate oral surgery at Loyola Univer­sity of Chicago School of Dentistry.

Typical of the demands government office puts on a practicing dentist is the schedule of Dr. Anthony M. Villane.

He practices dentistry in Eatontown, New Jersey and serves as a member of the State Legislature in Trenton, a 75-minute drive from his office.

Monday and Thursday, he sits in the State Legisla­ture, for five to six months a year.

And when he is not attending commission or com­mittee meetings, testifying on behalf of legislation he sponsors or supports, and the political and social func­tions obliged by his office, he practices dentistry.

He does "legislative business" in his dental office with his dental patients.

Away from the harried halls of the State Legisla­ture, colleagues come to him for treatment, which, he says, "Gives me an extremely welcome opportunity to talk about problems of mutual concern. I find that we can talk more easily about the very real and clear needs of the people of the state, without partisan or political considerations intruding."

He laughingly adds: "I sometimes think that the leg­islators who come to my office do so as much from their need to talk to a colleague in a less frantic set­ting as they do for dental work."

It also helps to have a chairside assistant who dou­bles as the administrator of Dr. Villane's legislative office, which occupies a cluttered room in his dental office on the edge of the downtown business area of Eatontown.

"Sometimes," Dr. Villane says, "she can provide that extra little bit of convincing a legislator may need about something while she's assisting me."

REFERENCES Go, Janet G. "Meet the Governor." CAL 32:22-4. March, 1970. Ruby, Glenda & Lavidge. "The Governor is a Dentist." Codesco Communicator, 1 :4-6. Winter, 1971. Drier, David L. "Governor James B. Edwards." JADA 92:505-8. Dreier, David L. "Dentists make leadership contributions as Governors: Winfield Dunn and James B. Edwards." JADA 92:502-3,8. March 1976. "Dr. Rudy Perpich Installed as Governor of Minnesota." Northwest Dentistry 56 :A-19. Jan.-Feb. 1977. "Meet John Savage, D.D.S. Georgia Dentist Running for Lieutenant Governor." CAL 37:21. June 1974. Harrell, DeLinda & Lynch, Etta. "Multi-faceted James Granberry DDS." CAL 37:4-9. July 1973. "Portrait of a dental educator: Dr. Bruce Douglas' Commit­ment to Public Service." Dental Student 49:31. May 1971. Brophy, James M. "Oral Surgeon Serves as Elgin Mayor." Illinois Dental Journal 45:506-7. October 1976. Brophy, James M. "Doctor, Councilman, Mayor, Congress­man!" Illinois Dental Journal 47: 118-9. March 1978. Golden, Carl R. "Here , sir, the people govern." CAL 43 : 10-13. May 1978.

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

ample, a Lionel Blue Comet set of trains that sold for seven dollars in 1935 is now worth about $2,300. A wind-up Mickey Mouse toy that cost just a few dollars can bring in $3,000, while a turn-of-the century Fa­berge egg from Russia is worth $220,000. Old coins and stamps bring in tens of thomands of dollars and in the world of art and antiques, hundreds of thou­sands. A Chippendale chest of drawers went for $135,000 last year and the Gutenberg Bible changed hands for $1,800,000. For the average collector these transactions are merely part of a fanciful dream. Yet, profits can be made with collectibles if one makes a study of the items desired and keeps abreast of the market, the supply and demand. Conforming to Isaac Newton's principle, whatever goes up comes down, and prices on collectibles are no exception. Some paintings and antique furniture have dropped drastic­ally in value the past few years. Timepieces and old stringed instruments dipped about 30 percent since 1975. Then there is always the danger of being taken in by fakes if one is not astute or knowledgeable. Ac­cording to John Peterson in his book Investment for Pleasure and Profit, the best way to make money on collectibles is to "know more about the item than other people." To the serious investor, collecting is no longer a hobby but a business. He must study, take courses, attend auctions and lectures and shop at mu­seums and flea markets to increase his expertise. The amateur is often lulled into the so-called "market value" of a collectible, as if the prices quoted in a cata­logue or magazine are the g:ospel. The true value of any item is not the quoted asking price but rather the actual cash a ready buyer has to offer. For example, some stamps may be catalogued for $300 - but the true test of the value of that stamp lies in finding the buyer who will give you $300. A few years ago, beauti­ful engraved silver ingots were sold in sets for around $250 - with a forecast of good profits in future sales. Recently, a woman who had purchased a number of these sets as a means of investment in savings tried to sell them. The most she was able to get was the value of the silver at a loss of about $200 per set.

Collecting for Pleasure Since there are many collectors who do not antici­

pate a profit from their collections, why do they per­sist in this pastime? For this vast majority of collec­tors there is the thrill of the hunt and the discovery of a missing long-sought-after item; the exhilaration of the completion of a collection; and the simple pleasure of admiring one's acquisition amassed through the years. The pleasure is further increased when one is able to display that collection for the admiring eyes of others. Psychologists say that one of the reasons for the popu­larity of collecting is the sense of order one gets in keeping, mounting, cataloguing and compiling a col­lection. There is also the sense of stability one gets

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

to offset the chaotic life around us and the ego satis­faction of possessing something that others may desire and admire.

Of course, there is no accounting for the taste of a collector - why one individual collects corkscrews and another pokes around a flea market and country store in search of cups and saucers. Dentists are no exception as far as the pursuit of collectibles. Many of them collect antiques, art, old dental instruments, stamps, coins - and one we know collected butter­flies. In some way the things we collect for the joy of collecting are a reflection not only of our personalities but also of our life experiences and contacts, it is part of our life style.

Children Study Hypertension Hypertension, a key factor in heart disease, will be

the subject of an experimental program for sixth graders in ten Virginia schools this year, the Health Insurance Institute reports.

Dr. Keith Howell, assistant professor of health edu­cation at the University of Virginia and program-founder, told the Institute that the eight-day curriculum on hyper­tension was developed in an "attempt to deal with (disease) prevention at an early age and encourage self­responsibility for health care."

Sixth graders were selected, he said, because "studies show that children at this age are more likely than younger children to follow instructions and benefit from the course."

The children will learn how to use the sphygmomano­meter and stethoscope in measuring each other's blood pressure. They will also be able to take the equipment home. The program, said Dr. Howell, is intended not only to teach children basic health knowledge they can use the rest of their lives, but also to teach their parents. "The school is one mechanism to get to the community," he said.

Learning to take blood pressure is just one facet of the (Continued on Page 12)

Inflation fighter How do big-city families cope with inflation? In the main, they cut down on their food bills. That, at least, was the most popular method

being u ed by residents of New York City, De­troit, Atlanta and San Franci ' co, according to a four-city survey.

The Center for the Study of Metropolitan Problems. which conducted the study, said the second mo' t used tactic was to try to work more.

According to the Center, over a third of the families tried to raise their incomes by overtime work or, les frequently, by moonlighting or ending an additional family member to work.

II

COLLECTIMANIA by Marc Tyler

What do cigar bands, beer cans, and shaving mugs have in common with music boxes, vases, and old dental instruments? On the surface it would appear that they have nothing in common, but actually they are all collectibles - objects prized by a vast army of hobbyists throughout the country known simply as "collectors." Now, more than ever before, it seems that people will collect just about anything for fun, for profit, or just for the pleasure of collecting. "Collecti­mania" is indeed sweeping the nation. You name it and someone somewhere is saving it, wants to sell it, buy it, or trade for it. It is difficult to account for the surge of collectors in any single aspect of our life style in the seventies. However, authorities in the field attri­bute the rising demand for collectibles to our affluence, inflation, increased leisure time, with more people re­tired or semi-retired at an early age, and the general increase in the price of just about everything plus the fear that prices will go even higher. Add to this nos­talgia. For during times of economic stress people tend to yearn for the "good old days" and it is this feeling of nostalgia that leads people to collect memen­tos of a bygone era.

What are collectibles? They are dolls, door knobs, napkin rings, spoons, thimbles, stamps, coins, match box covers, posters, cups and saucers, pewterware, corkscrews, old photographs, Indian relics, postcards, cameras, books, magazines, porcelain, pens, pencils, costumes, sculpture, art, campaign buttons, license plates, Civil War paraphernalia, cookie cutters, sheet music, autographs, playing cards, glassware, lamps, weather vanes, tobacco cans, comic books, bathtubs and even pieces of barbed wire - plus hundreds of other assorted items that would interest people be­cause they are old, beautiful, or a hedge against infla­tion. Collectibles are as varied as an individual's tastes and interests.

Collecting for Profit Basically there are two types of collectors. One is

primarily interested in collectibles for profit. He may or may not be interested in the item itself, but he is interested in it for the money he can make. The second

10

is the true hobbyist who collects things purely for the pleasure of amassing a collection. However, with the rising market on just about everything, the hobbyist may also have his eye on eventually turning a profit but this is not his primary goal.

Those who seek collectibles purely as an investment are not about to hunt for shaving mugs or baseball cards (although a Honus Wagner card, because only 19 were printed, recently sold for over $3,000). They are more likely to collect objects d'art, coins, antiques, rugs, art, porcelain, etc. Bankers will advance money on these items as collateral but even if you have a "friend" at Chase Manhattan don't expect to get a dol­lar for your collection of cigar bands. You will also find stamp collectors in this group of investors, for the value of stamps has been rising at a steady rate of 20 percent each year. Yet, most philatelists save stamps for the pure enjoyment of it. The majority of these collectors are specialists aiming for complete collec­tions (rarely obtained) according to countries, or such topics as medicine, dentistry, art, science, flags, bridges, animals, sports, etc.

Making money on an investment in collectibles is a matter of supply and demand. Something that is rare or that has changed radically or has suddenly come into fashion can bring unbelievable profits. For ex-

"THEY WERE DYING AT HOME, SO I BROUGHT THEM DOWN HERE FOR THE HOT AIR."

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

IV POLITICS AT THE GRASS ROOTS by Roni Borden

"M y first plunge into local politics came when I ran for the Board of Education in 1969. I not only won, but I led the ticket, which, of course, increased my appetite for politics," said Dr. Bernard G. Park, "a small-town dentist" (Colchester, Connecticut, pop­ulation, 7,000).

Although Dr. Park's interest in politics dates back to the time he was president of his fraternity in the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry, he was afraid to get involved in town politics during the early years of his practice. He thought that, as a pro­fessional , he had to remain impartial - that joining a party might antagonize some people and lead to some embarrassment.

"But I found out later that it just wasn't true," he said. "In fact, at one political rally a woman who was my patient turned to me and said, 'You're here! That's nice!' Only a few words, but it made me feel it was important for me to be active in the town."

It is Dr. Park's idealism that keeps him politically involved. "I watch the candidates and I see a great number of reasons for running, some good and some not so good. But in the structure of our democracy, where constitutionally everyone has a right to do all these things, people are elected and given positions of authority for which they are unprepared and un­concerned."

So Dr. Park considers it important to unseat or to prevent the election of people who run for the wrong reasons, or who lack the capacity for the job. In line with his convictions, he has devoted a lot of his en­ergy during the past few years to unseating people he considers to be party hacks.

In addition to working towards improving the cali­bre of the Democratic Town Committee, of which he is an active member, he is also chairman of the Board of Education. Moreover, during this recent election he was Colchester Coordinator for Ella Grasso, in­cumbent governor who ran for re-election, and cam­paign manager for a candidate for the State Senate. And he plans to continue seeking the opportunity to represent his town at state conventions and Presiden­tial primaries, which he has done in the past.

Politics is a source of never-ending fascination for Dr. Park. "I want to be there at the opening moment of any election, and if TV covered the setting out of the chairs for political conventions, I would watch that! I clearly remember the first election in which I was involved. I finished with a patient at 12 noon,

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

felt a sudden surge of energy when I realized that the polls had just opened, and had to rush down to the polling place. Of course, at 1 p.m. I was back in my office, ready for my next patient."

And though his deep involvement in politics has caused some problems-he is out more evenings than he is in, attending committee meetings, board meet­ings, finance meetings - he feels there are more pluses than minuses. And the big plus is the effect his involve­ment has had on his children.

"The kids (two girls and a boy, the oldest of whom is now a junior in high school) are extremely well­versed in every facet of the political process. They love to help out in campaigns, and particularly enjoy work­ing with me on election day, making phone calls to party members who have not voted, running lists back and forth, and so forth . But more than that, they have come to see the importance of involvement, and, in their own lives and on their own levels, they, too, are actively involved."

Would Dr. Park recommend political involvement for other dentists? "Absolutely. Not only do I recom­mend it, but I feel it is incumbent upon the people who live in a town and who practice a profession in that town to be active there. One of the worst things a prac­titioner can do is to cut himself off from people."

It is easy to get involved in the political structure, according to Dr. Park. Just join a board, a commis­sion or a town committee - any group where towns­people are given a say in how to run some aspect of the town. And Dr. Park believes that politics is an especially good field for dentists to get involved in, partly because the credibility rating of dentists is so high - people do tend to listen to what they have to say - and partly because the dentists can arrange his involvement to suit his personality, since political ac­tivity can be direct or indirect.

Dr. Park has no ambitions toward elective office, although four years ago he did have an opportunity to get his party's nomination for the State Legislature. His goal is to remain active and involved in local poli­tics in order to make his town as close to ideal as he can.

Dr. Park concluded by saying: "The nicest feeling comes when I can see some positive changes that have come about as a direct result of my activity."

Victoria Drive Colchester, Ct. 06415

7

ItTJ ' J I 1 T i:'F l' ll

.":~~- -. ,-L _ ,.

Like so many other things in this world, porcelain teeth owe their invention partly to chance. A French apothecary named Duchateau wore a denture made of the usual hippopotamus ivory. He was annoyed by the discoloration and odor of his denture, which grew worse every day. This was the year 1774. An idea struck him: some inorganic material should be used, since organic matter has so many disadvan­tages. He lived near Versailles, in the little town of Saint-German-en-Laye, a spot that happened to be very close to the world-famous porcelain manufactory of Sevres. It is quite possible that this proximity in­spired him with the idea of making teeth out of the same material as dishes, cups, and soup tureens, for household utensils come in contact with food and fluids, hot and cold, much as do artificial dentures, and without causing any fetid odor.

There are various stories about his endeavors to produce a porcelain denture. The most plausible version is that he approached a porcelain manufac­turer, one of the many in the region, who agreed to reproduce his ivory denture in porcelain. But since no allowance had been made for shrinkage of the porcelain, and neither party was experienced at mak­ing artificial dentures, the replica did not fit. Duch­ateau realized that he must contact an expert; he confided both his idea and his troubles to the well­known Parisian surgeon and dentist, Dubois De Chemant. This fox grabbed Duchateau's ingenious lOea, experimented with several substances variously mixed, and finally succeeded in producing porcelain dentures fit for use. Thereupon he unscrupulously pushed aside the true originator and this extremely important invention slipped out of Duchateau's hands. Fifteen years later, in 1789, De Chern ant pre­sented his artificial "teeth and sets of teeth of the new composition" to the Royal Academy of Sciences, which entirely approved and said of his invention : " ... those teeth and sets very nearly imitate nature,

8

Part X of A Pictorial History of Dentistry

Dentistry • In the 18th Century

- No.2 by Curt Proskauer, D.M.D.

as well by their form and colour as by the portions of artificial gums which support them, and to which M. Dubois De Chemant also gives a very great like­ness to natural gums. But what merits for them a considerable preference beyond all those which have been composed hitherto, is, that they are of a hard substance, upon which the saliva and the particles of food which remain in the mouth have no effect; whereas the others, made of animal substances, and little resembling natural teeth, are easily spoiled, acquire a dirty colour, and contract a smell as offen­sive as it is prejudicial to the health."

"In additian ta his porcelain teeth, De Chemant devised a new kind of spring .... "

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

In addition to his porcelain teeth, De Chemant devised a new kind of spring: "The whole sets are put in motion by means of springs which are very different from those used heretofore, and which not only separate the parts when the jaws are distended, but also allow the side motions." On the plates in Fauchard's work we saw that the springs used at the time were narrow elastic metal bands, bent in form of a U between the ends of the two dentures so that the latter were automatically pressed against the upper and lower jaws on the opening and closing of the mouth. But since these metal bands were flexible only vertically, the dentures also could move only vertically, "which caused a disagreeable and incon­venient resistance in the different motions of the mouth." De Chemant's newly invented springs for fastening whole sets of teeth were made of "gold of a certain purity, made into wire of the required strength." They were both flexible and solid, having "a rotary motion which artists had not before been able to give them, and there is nothing complicated in their contrivance, for their extreme simplicity enables everybody to be able to fix them."

In June 1791 De Chemant obtained letters patent from King Louis XVI for the exclusive manufacture and sale of his "incorruptible and odourless teeth and dentures of minera l paste" for a period of fifteen years.

He did not enjoy his stolen glory for long in Paris, however. The cheated Duchateau and some of the most eminent Paris dentists, among them Dubois­Foucou, dentist to the King and later to Napoleon, brought a legal action against De Chemant; they charged that he was not the inventor of the porcelain denture and demanded that the letters patent be withdrawn. They lost the lawsuit, but fate inter-

TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979

Caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson's copperplate "Mineral Teeth . "

vened. For the people of Paris the Frech Revolution was certainly a more important event than the inven­tion of porcelain teeth. Interest in De Chemant's incorruptible teeth dwindled. He lustily rolled the drums of publicity, but few attended. In an effort to capitalize on his find, he emigrated to England and met with great success. On May II, 1791, the Patent Office of Great Britain granted a patent for his "com­position for making artificial teeth, either single, double, or in rows, or in compleate setts."

The famous London caricaturist Thomas Row­landson (1756-1827) engraved and colored a copper­plate entitled Mineral Teeth, wherein "Monsier De Charmont from Paris" is r epresented. A handbill fastened to a wall announces that he "enjois to affix from one tooth to a whole set without pain. Mon­sieur D . can also affix an artificial Palate or a glass Eye in a manner peculiar to himself he also distills .. . " The Monsier De Charmont whose manifold talents are thus extolled is doubtless the Parisia n dentist Dubois De Chemant. This copperplate may be regarded as a realistic satirical take-off on a cer­tain method of dental treatment that was attracting wide attention at the time. Rowlandson was an artist inclined to portray the folli es and foibles of his fel­lowmen; he enjoyed ridiculing the social manners and crudities, the fashionable stupidities of his era. In this cartoon he reduces to absurdity the whole idea of porcelain teeth, applying his powers of keen observation and his talent for pointing up the comic aspects of a situation by exaggeration. This satirical portrayal is at once a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the history of dentistry and an inter­esting revelation of contemporary opinion of a den­tal fad. The artist enables us to consider the stylish treatment not with the eyes of the professional den­tist but with the eyes of the lay public. Such a carica­ture is almost a documentary record of contemporary evaluation of a dental achievement.

(Installm en t XI next month)

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