I recently came across a great post written about dental humor and the internet.  Why do I think it was great?  Well, because it was about me, of course!  No really, while that’s partially true, I wanted to thank The Curious Dentist for what he had to say.  The article wasn’t entirely about me, but was mostly about dental humor and its viral nature these days.  Instead of regurgitating what he said, I’ll let you see for yourself. 

Chris discusses how the inside jokes that dentists make have always been around, but they’ve been kept “between us.”  The internet has enabled some of us to speak out while preserving anonymity while others, like me, take credit for what we have to say.  I get it– staying anonymous is probably the more responsible path to take.  I was too scared to say anything while I was still in practice.  Even now I still worry that my old patients will see my blog– sort of.  Part of me worries that they will think I hated them or that I wasn’t doing my best work for them while I was at it.  That is definitely not the case.  The other part of me realizes that those patients that cared about me the way I cared about them will understand.  They will appreciate our time together, and they will be happy for the person I have become and the truth of which I now speak.  And who really cares about the rest?  It’s safe to say those likely inspired the 10 reasons I probably hated them too anyway.

What is most surprising about it all is the freedom I have found with being honest about how I feel about dentistry and patients.  In any service business (not just as dentists) we bite our tongues so many times in an attempt to keep the peace, that we are really just stuffing down our true feelings and waiting for them to explode.  For many years I stayed silent, and I realize that having a voice makes life way more fun.  You should try it!  Come here and rant if you’d like, and you can still stay anonymous.

As I start another blog for my new job, I think about how careful I must be again.  How do I find that fine balance between “genuine honesty” and “the truth hurts honesty”?  I still don’t have the answer to that, but for now I guess I better behave myself.

Come check it out at idealdiet.wordpress.com  I’ll share some of the things I love: recipes, healthy eating tips, and a few rants.