Gary Vaughn, CDT, CTO
The story is told of an elderly couple who had spent the better part of twenty years scrimping and saving, literally sacrificing many of the comforts of life to achieve a lifelong goal of going on a cruise. Based on the husband’s humble salary, the needed accumulation of cash had been a slow and arduous process. But alas, despite the seemingly endless months and years of careful saving and judicious spending, the time finally came that the acquired funding appeared to be adequate to purchase passage on a beautiful cruise liner that would take them on the vacation of a lifetime. The wife could hardly believe her dream had come true. She carefully selected from the available, affordable cabins, the most economical quarters offered. After all, the prices of these extravagant v
oyages had gone up significantly over the many years they had been saving. So much so, that the accommodations they had originally budgeted for, were still out of financial reach. But, no matter, the couple had devised a way to still book passage, albeit in the smallest cabin with no window, no balcony, nestled deep in the bowels of the ship, so close to the engine room that the dull hum of the large diesel engines that propelled the ship to destinations the couple had only dreamed of up until now, were unmistakably audible. As they departed from home port, each mentally went through a checklist of all the things they had brought along on the cruise. They had also carefully planned out what they wanted to see at each of the destinations the ship would carry them to. Accordingly, they budgeted precisely how much money they would spend at each stop, mindful that a reserve needed to be maintained for any emergency that might possibly arise. In their luggage, they had packed canned items and dry food that they would eat in their cabin and also carry with them in a nap sack when exploring the port towns. Each morning they would hear a member of the crew over the intercom discuss the various activities on the agenda for the day. They were enjoying the voyage at a level they had expected but were oblivious to what they had been missing on the trip. Finally, on the last evening of the voyage, the Captain himself came to their door, curious to see if the couple was alright, as he had not seen them all week. He went on to extend them a personal invitation to dine at his table on this, the last night of the cruise. The husband pulled his wallet from the back pocket, then somewhat timidly appealed to the Captain to disclose the price of this special dinner. The Captain chuckled a bit and assured them it would cost the same as all the other dinners and meals which had been provided on the vessel all week long. The couple had never attended even one dinner or meal on board which prompted the gentleman to inquire yet again. The Captain, this time notably incredulous, remarked, “This meal, just as all the others, is included in the cost of your ticket for the cruise.” Shocked, the two just looked at each other and shook their heads. You see, as much as they had enjoyed this vacation of a lifetime, they had forfeited the fun, the pleasure, the satisfaction that could have been theirs had they simply paid closer attention to the “all inclusive” nature of the cruise. Unfortunately, their limited mindset had convinced them that every meal, activity, movie, performance and dance offered certainly had to come at an additional fee. They had literally spent the past week, each evening opening a can of pork and beans or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat in their dormitory. In their minds, they were convinced that there had to be an additional cost to fully participate.
Many are the analogies that can be drawn from this story, such as: “Never sell yourself short,” or “Always read the fine print.” However, I choose to draw a comparison to your participation with the PAC. Many doctors are missing out on the “all inclusive” offerings of the PAC simply because they hold a false notion that there must be an additional cost to participate fully. Every Spring and Fall we have a circuit we travel that takes us to major cities across the country. Your ongoing participation with Corr Dental Designs and Pacific Aesthetic Laboratory Group qualifies you to participate along with your team in all of the world class programs and courses provided by the PAC. CE credits are also provided for attendance at these programs. I recently returned from such a program in Denver. At this particular live patient program, Dr. Mike Miyasaki was the featured PAC presenter. The subject was full mouth reconstruction. Once again, much as I have experienced after attending all past PAC programs, I marveled at the content of the comprehensive message and mind enlarging material presented.
How often is there turnover in staff members in your office? Are you bringing your new team members up to speed on the information they need to support a successful practice? Certainly we risk “missing the boat” if we are not arming the new team members with vital information. Our programs are “all inclusive” when you “cruise” with the PAC and Pacific Aesthetic Laboratory Group.
As mentioned in a recent newsletter, the laboratory recently purchased milling equipment that has expanded our capability to better serve our doctors. Our milling department has received ongoing training and have been consistently producing a beautiful product. We are confident that the crowns and framework they are carefully fabricating are of the utmost quality and consistent with the high standards set by the doctors we serve. We also now have the necessary software and capability of receiving inter oral scans. As many of you have and will integrate this technology in your practice, be sure to let us know what system you have acquired, so that we can begin to service those needs immediately. As we continue to navigate through the exciting waters of innovation in dentistry, remember the PAC provides every dental practice opportunities to enlarge, improve and expand. No one needs to “stay in their cabin” relying on their own resources. All are invited to dine at the Captain’s table…. It’s all inclusive!
If you have questions about my article or if you would like to send a case, please contact the Pacific Aesthetic Laboratory Group at www.pacificaestheticdentalstudio.com, Gary Vaughn, CDT, CTO (916) 786-6740, or via email [email protected].
