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#1. Why dentistry for you?
I wanted to do something that benefited people, and dentistry is wonderful because you can really see the benefit and the result of your work.
#2. What's the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is when a child is afraid and then becomes unafraid and becomes a good patient, a good oral healthcare person for their life.
#3. What keeps the dentist away?
Dr. Bekker: Flossing every day.
Interviewer: All right. So it is true. It's not just something y'all say all the time. It really does make a difference.
Dr. Bekker: It is so true.
#4. What's the worst thing I can do for my dental health?
Soda pop. Soda is very acidic. And so many people drink it, and it's a long duration. For instance, you can eat 12 candy bars and swallow them all in 5 minutes, right? And that's five minutes of exposure to sugar for your teeth. You're sucking on your Big Gulp little by little all during the day, and it's just a constant exposure of acid and sugar to your teeth. And that's the worst thing you can do.
#5. How can somebody who comes to you help you help them?
Come regularly, don't put it off. When you have a problem, something that hurts, don't put it off.
#6. What's a surprising way that dental health impacts your overall health?
If you improve your oral health, diabetes is more treatable and less acute. Cardiac patients also have great improvement in oral health. You can get gum disease, which really affects your overall health in those two areas.
#7. What's something you wish you never had to say to a patient again?
"We need to pull your tooth." Yeah, if we could save people's smiles, save their teeth. Of course, now we have great alternatives. We can restore. But prevention is always best.
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