TTC_03_21_18_Vol.14-No.21.p1-12

March 21 - 27, 2018 www.TheTownCommon.com Page
Health & Wellness
By J. Peter St. Clair, DMD
No matter what you do for a
living, the most important key to
success is to be principled. Those
who follow indisputable and
grounded principles are much
more likely to achieve successful
outcomes and realize satisfaction
from a job well done.
However, change is inevitable.
And, change is not always easy. Let
me use dentistry as an example,
since this is what I know best.
Technology and techniques in
dentistry change. Some dentists
jump on the bandwagon right
away with every new gadget.
Sometimes it’s hard to resist
because there are so many cool
things available. There are others
who are late adopters. Dental
technology and techniques may
change, but principles don’t.
Principles are based upon a
sound foundation of trying to
do what’s right and what’s fair.
Incorporating innovations in
the practice of dentistry enables
a dentist to be successful and
simultaneously remain principled.
For example, a couple of years ago
I invested in a piece of equipment
How can you keep from falling
prey to online scammers? It’s
getting more difficult every day.
Here are a few steps to stay
safe:
* Step one is to slow down.
Use bookmarks for the sites you
regularly visit. That will keep you
from accidentally typing in the
wrong name in a rush. Type in
even one letter wrong, and it may
send you to a fake site that looks
identical to the one you want to
visit. Once there, you might be
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that I had resisted for a long time. I
was unsure of the amount I would
be able to use it and continue to
stick with my principles. Today, I
can’t imagine practicing without
it. It has made me a better, more
conservative dentist.
However, I have seen and been
on the other side as well, where
there is a sense of urgency to
“buy” the technology in order to
just have it without completely
understanding the relevance. This
can lead to technology ending
up as a coat rack and a relatively
wasted investment.
For others, change might be
difficult. It is easy to get bogged
down with tradition. That can
be good and that can be bad.
Sometime the best solutions we
have are tried and true. However,
it is important to keep an open
mind. If a new technology or
technique is scientifically tested
and the dentist feels it improves
the core foundation of grounded
principles they use to treat their
patients, they almost have an
obligation to adopt it.
Other than having a firm set
of principles, another key to
success is learning people skills.
Interacting with people can
sometimes be tricky. Everyone
has their own set of “issues”, and
everyone has their good days
and their bad days. We don’t
have to like everyone we come in
contact with, but learning how
willing to sign in because you
think you’re in the right place.
It’s called typo-squatting,
and scammers actually register
domain names that are spelled
incorrectly because they know
there are common misspellings.
Even big names like Google,
Apple and Microsoft have been
hit with typo-squatting. Only do
banking online if you’re very sure
of the safety. (Better idea: Don’t
do online banking.)
* Have a long password, at
least eight characters, and be sure
to have symbols and numbers in
it for any site where you need to
sign in.
* Beware putting your creditcard
number on an online retail
site. (Better idea: Call in your
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to deal with all kinds of people
is a valuable skill. When it comes
down to it, this brings us back to
our core set of principles. If we
center our conversations around
our principles and people see our
interactions are genuine, trust and
friendships can be made.
Those who have grounded
principles and have achieved
some level of success in their own
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look for
Common
in a dentist?
eyes find themselves wanting to
become better and better. It is
important to become dedicated
to the pursuit of excellence, no
matter what you do, and to seek
out the expertise and knowledge
of others.
Your principles will guide you
through whatever lies ahead, and
your flexibility will enable you to
handle whatever the future holds,
which is something nobody
knows for sure. Perseverance, one
of my favorite words, is defined
as, “steady persistence in a course
of action, a purpose, a state, etc.,
especially in spite of difficulties,
obstacles, or discouragement.”
Dr. St. Clair maintains a private
dental practice in Rowley and
Newburyport dedicated to healthcentered
family dentistry. If there
are certain topics you would like to
see written about or questions you
have please email them to him at
jpstclair@stclairdmd.com. You can
view all previously written columns
at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com/
blog.
order instead. Talk to a person.)
* If you’re on a social site, don’t
upload photos unless you know
for certain that the location
information has been stripped
from them. Use a fun screen name
that isn’t your own name. Never
announce that you’ll be away on
vacation. That would sound like
an invitation to a scammer who
can figure out where you live. (It’s
not difficult.)
* Keep the grandchildren off
your computer unless you have
a child safety program running,
such as CyberSitter. (Better idea:
Have computer games they can
play, but turn off the Internet.)
* Keep your privacy settings on
high.
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Our office provides individual attention
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Learn More: www.stclairdmd.com
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