You’ve heard of FoMo (Fear of Missing out) …… but what about the FobR ?…..Fear of Being Replaced.
In an ever-evolving world driven by technological advancements the 'Fear of being Replaced' has become a serious concern for many. But as dentists we’re safe….right?
One could argue the ‘Fear of being Replaced’ is not new in the Orthodontic world. The specialist Orthodontists have, to some degree, been worried about GDP’s stealing their work (despite there being far too much work out there). But what about Ortho Therapists as a threat to Orthodontists? …. One could argue it’s ‘cheap labour’ as why pay an Orthodontist when you can get a therapist to do the work for a fraction of the cost.
So thats that then. We argue that we will always need people knowledge to asses patients, change the archwires etc. so we are safe. Well not quite…. Think again.
The introduction of ‘guided consultations’ means that someone with, lets say very little knowledge, can ask the appropriate questions with AI running in the background…listening…recording…prompting. Regarding arch wires, we all know theres a move to aligners for anyone that walks through the door. Direct print aligners can vary the thickness of the aligner so we may even get to the stage where we can ‘torque’ with ali
gners. As they are thermoplastic we can really ‘grip’ the tooth and still make them easy to insert and remove. But we still need a ‘clinician’ right?
Well…..imagine this patient journey ….
The client/patient comes into the ‘surgery’.
May be they have already sent their images
They could already have an idea of what’s needed (as AI would have created a simulation and sent it to then/client/patient)
They could do their own scan…. AI giving Immediate feed back and assistance.
AI designs and prints aligners…
Robots already remove the prints from the build platform and ‘post print process’
Aligners are then posted to the client/patient.
So where do you fit in?
I’m twitching. And I won’t even mention 'teaching' and ‘expert witness’ work. Oh well, theres always the bike.
So what you going to do?
For me, I m lucky... I have a fantastic 'coaches'. To overcome the fear of being replaced its time to adopt a 'growth mindset'. Instead of viewing the tech advancements as a threat, its an opportunity to upgrade my skills, explore new avenues, and reinvent myself. The UKSF lads (who I'm soooo lucky to be adopted by) talk about fear.... its time to reframe this fear .... its an opportunity for growth and personal development. By embracing the change, continuously learning, developing new skills (forget wire bending) and building resilience, we can overcome our fears and thrive in a dynamic environment. Remember, the 'Fear of being Replaced' can be the fuel that propels us towards a brighter and more fulfilling future.
So now…. I m super excited as it’s time to be ‘re-born’. Let’s get go.