What to Do With ‘That Case’ on Your Desk

It happens to the best general dentists from time to time. You come across a particularly tricky case and find yourself stuck. Maybe you can't think of a good workable solution, or maybe too many options come to mind. Either way, it's that case that sits there on your desk and stays in the back of your mind. It's the kind of case that often gets placed on the back-burner for a while, as you wait for inspiration, or for the time to do some research.

There is another approach to finding a solution that is often overlooked – and that is simply to ask for help. You spend so much time working in isolation that sometimes, you can forget that you are part of a dental community that is populated by other practitioners who also have a wealth of experience and insights. Why not tap into the power of that collective hive mind?

If you are part of a local study club, you have a built-in opportunity to share your most challenging cases and brainstorm solutions. Even if you are not part of a formal club, though, you still have a unique resource in the specialists you work with every day. Approach these clinicians, explain the roadblock you're facing and suggest using this as an opportunity to do a case study together. It's not a matter of giving up, or passing the buck; quite the opposite—it's about taking the care you give to a higher level.

Most of the best dental care is done in an interdisciplinary way. By bringing these other minds onto the case, you create a scenario where everybody wins – you get the insight you need to help you move forward with a challenging case, the specialists get to demonstrate their value and earn your trust and you all build stronger relationships with better communication. Best of all, the patient gets the benefit of having their course of treatment devised by the brain trust you have assembled.

So don't let that troublesome case linger on your desk or in your mind. Present it to your interdisciplinary team for analysis and discussion. I have known many dentists who take this approach regularly and turn some of their most perplexing challenges into their most rewarding triumphs.