I was sitting next to my classmate attending a well-known Periodontist and one of the authors of our reference books. The entire auditorium was filled by our colleagues and our teachers and professors just listening to his lectures.
I was a 1st year Master’s Degree in Periodontology, and this seminar was one of my most awaited lectures.
As he was talking about the techniques and showing pictures of his cases on a very large screen behind him, one thing caught my eyes.
His Periosteal Elevator was scratched all over and showed a lot of sharp and rotary instruments hitting it during his operations. By then I was a young dentist with little experience specially in the field of surgery, and I bought all my expensive instruments myself. So, I leaned towards my friend and classmate and said; “despite his expertise why he cares less about his instruments! Why should a periosteal elevator be like that while its job is just to elevate the gums!”
My friend looked back with surprise and while smiling replied, “that shows years of experience and many treatment cases he had performed. One day you will get it too!” I smirked and said; “you know how I take care of my tools!”
Now after almost 10 years and treatment we have performed my assistant brought me one of my Periosteal Elevator and told me it better to disregard it (picture below). By seeing the elevator, the first thing came to my mind was my best friend’s saying that one day I will have one. This showed after I had graduated, I was blessed enough to be treat these many patients and this elevator is like a gray hair on a man.
“Ut est rerum omnium magister usus” ~ Julius Caesar in De Bello Civili
Roughly means: “experience is the teacher of all things”