The Margin

In Blog by Dr. Ronni Brown

As dentists, the quality of our work and the success of the restorations we place often comes down to the “margin”- the interface between the restoration and the tooth. The margin must be closed and sealed to prevent entry of cariogenic and periodontal pathogens, but it also needs to be well-contoured to prevent irritation and damage to the periodontium. But as dentists, is the restorative margin the only margin that defines our success or perhaps our failure?

Last week, while attending VOCO’s 6th Fellow Symposium in Cuxhaven, Germany, a conversation led me to question my definition of success! One afternoon, during the 3-day Symposium, the fellows were given a guided tour of VOCO’s manufacturing facility. I was amazed to see how products such as Admira Fusion and Profluorid are produced and packaged! I was surprised to see workers constructing product boxes, packaging the contents of each box (composite, shade card, accessories, bond) and precisely placing the product label on the outside of the box. I have to admit that this would not be a job that I would want to do! Can you imagine individually packaging boxes of composite, day in and day out?

As the tour was coming to a close, I pulled Dr. Axel Bernecker, head of marketing at VOCO, aside and asked, “why doesn’t VOCO use machines to do this work?” He responded by talking about “the margin!” He stated that what separated VOCO from its competitors, what separated a very good product from an excellent product, was The Margin! He agreed that machines could in fact package and label VOCO’s products with about 90% accuracy. For many companies, a 10% deficit was acceptable, but not for VOCO! The company wanted its products to be hand-packaged by its employees who pour their heart and soul into each dental material box, employees who share VOCO’s commitment to excellence, and employees that can create product consistency with 99.7% accuracy; thus, closing the marginal gap!

This made me think about my willingness to go the extra mile! This made me think about the deficits in my work that impact both quality, intention, and outcomes! In my new role, as Senior Community Health Planner, for San Mateo County, I am responsible for raising awareness of the opioid epidemic to vulnerable members in the community and increasing access to harm reduction strategies that decrease the risk of overdose and death. Yes, in this role, there is a lot at stake, much more than the restorative margin! But what will define best practices and outcomes for the community that I serve…what will define best outcomes for the communities and patients that you serve, will be the marginal deficit that you and I are willing to accept! I challenge myself….I challenge you to strive towards the smallest margin of error!