You could not have missed the news that Charles Dickens would have been 200 this year. Recently, his ivory handled tooth pick sold for £7,000 at auction in America. Dental history in the making - we can only imagine the life of this toothpick. Victorian London was a dirty, poverty stricken place.On leaving his home in the morning, he wondered around getting inspiration for his writing. A bit like me!

Studies on stress in dentistry make stressful reading! Dentistry has one of the highest stress levels of all professions. Why is this? Let's start at the beginning. I entered dental school in 1968. I did not feel any stress then. Things were great. I had been given my place at UCH with the condition of obtaining three 'Es' at 'A' Level. No stress there then!
There were only 50 on my course.

It gives me great pleasure to be invited to write this piece for ARD, and I hope that it is the first of many.  I qualified to practice dentistry here in the UK in 1973 and spent 35 years in general dentistry, before retiring in 2008.  In conversation with Dr. Neil Hiltunen, I feel like minded in supporting the fact that thinking about retirement should be gradual, and planning for the event is crucial and should also be enjoyable.

Here in the UK, many dentists stop work. Period. Many do not have other interests and some others, apart from playing golf, seem to lack enthusiasm in retirement.

A note from the author:
Howdy, Friends.  On November 5, 2011, I had the great pleasure of sharing the lecture platform with Dr. Susan Hollar and her husband/manager Mark Absher in Charlotte, NC. at the Holiday Dental Conference. Now I can legitimately say that I have been blessed to work in your profession for FORTY YEARS!! I began serving as a consultant to Drs. Sam and Jim Callender in 1971. Jim arranged for me to conduct a two-day personal growth retreat for the orthodontic residents at the dental school in Kansas City that year.

When Neil Hiltunen asked me for yet another essay on happiness I agreed to tackle it. I hope you find it useful. Please keep in mind that as difficult as it seems, happiness is a choice. Whenever we entertain a thought that detracts from our peace and happiness, if we are willing to exercise the discipline, we have the ability to choose again! We can always replace negative thinking, which is always fear-based with positive thinking, which is invariably love-based. Also keep in mind that "victimhood" is always a choice.

Peace, Bud