This is Dr. Searby wishing you a Happy New Year and belated Merry Christmas.

Last week was my 65^th birthday. I guess I’m officially old. Quite the milestone, but hardly the end of the road.

There’s nothing like getting old. Kids don’t get it. Middle agers don’t understand either… Yet.

Getting old isn’t fun. I’m not looking forward to more loss of strength, arthritis, trouble sleeping, and peeing issues.

What’s with that, anyway?

Adding insult to injury, if you ask me…

But I’ve found a Mission for myself and my dental practice.

And it’s you. And all of the other aging good people like us.

We don’t want or need the dentist of our childhood.

We need a dental specialist in the unique problems of older folk.

Turns out, that’s me.

God has blessed me with great health, and apparently, a long working life helping people.

People like us. Older folks with simpler desires and requirements.

Standing in the gap, alone

I wish I could tell you that there are dozens of dentists who are focused on us older Americans.

Who go out of their way to make us comfortable and give us solutions that are age-appropriate and thoughtful.

But there is nobody else that I know who tries to care for the dental health of seniors and the elderly.

I find myself absolutely alone in my chosen elder dental niche.

And I’ve tried so many times to get more help with Seniors and their catastrophic tooth and health related problems:

The Government has rejected us. There is no Medicare coverage for teeth. Every other body part is covered, except the mouth which so commonly falls apart! How did that happen?

Insurance companies avoid us. There is no private dental insurance available anymore. Unless you still work for IBM or another big company, you are completely on your own financially.

Physicians have rejected my offers to help and educate their older patients. One even threw me out of his office because I wanted to talk to him about helping his own patients get healthier. I imagine if I’d been a drug company rep with a bucket of money, I’d be welcomed.

(They are almost all on the take. Try Googling ‘Dollars For Docs’, you'll see what I mean).

Organized Dentistry ignores us. There are recognized specialists for children, gum disease, root canals, public health (whatever that is). But NO Geriatric dental specialists. We don’t exist, I guess.

Local dentists focus on our checkbooks only offering only the most expensive treatments possible, ignoring the classic, age-appropriate more economical solutions. It’s all implants, all the time.

Nobody other than I has an in-house denture lab so that they can treat seniors. Nobody.

Will you please be a Good Samaritan and help me help other old folk?

Your referrals matter immensely, so please tell everyone you know!

Most of the people I see each day have been referred by their friends, family, and co-workers.

It’s truly humbling and I appreciate it so much.

Only by being Good Samaritans and actively trying to help our fellow older friends can we make a difference.

To hear you tell it, you have already told lots of friends and family about our ProDentures practice and me. But honestly, you may have to push your loved ones into calling us.

Who looks forward to going to the dentist?  Nobody, me included.

It’s scary, unpleasant, not cheap, and often a bit painful for a while. Yuck!

But it’s the right thing to do. And if you don’t help them help themselves, there’s NOBODY ELSE who will even try.

Don’t let them ignore their pain any longer.

And don’t let them make a bad choice by going to someone who doesn’t respect the reality and the dignity of aging.

I hope 2019 is a wonderful year for you (and for me... for us!).

God bless you and yours.