Time is the problem. There just isn't enough of it these days. It seriously is my biggest problem. I find that I never have time to sit down and relax. Certainly not at work and very rarely at home. Looking at this vexing problem from a different angle, life certainly isn't boring - there is just no time to be bored.

I have found since adopting CEREC into my practice that it is partially responsible for my lack of time. I am so glad that it is. In the early part of my CEREC experience, time was taken up with learning. Reading everything I could get my hands on, interpreting it and then going to the machine to confirm its usefulness. Later, it was the implementation of what I had learned. It took me a very long time to get through a CEREC appointment. When I worked hard to cut down the time it actually took to complete and deliver a crown suddenly e.max came along. I was so happy to have it available, but it added a 29-minute crystallization process to the appointment. All of my hard won time savings went right out the window.

Slowly, we were able to shorten the process down again and now have a very respectable super-fast crystallization process. I was enjoying the extra time I now had when suddenly in-office fabrication of Implant crowns became a reality. Such a great evolution and a great service for the patient. I do most of these restorations during my spare time. Ha, there is no such thing. I fabricate these during lunch, which I never actually schedule, or after hours. I get a great sense of accomplishment when a crown fits without adjustment and it was fabricated solely by my own hand. To do that, however, it takes time.

So with time at a premium, I have resorted to making lists. If I don't have time to do something right away, I put it on a list to get to it at some point. The list is growing ever longer. It includes so many cool things that I look forward to getting to, like abutment fabrication, a short term ortho class and spending time to get a better understanding of the InLab software. Like I said, the list is too long to even remember everything on it.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy that my time is being taken up with so many rewarding things. It's a great time to practice dentistry. I already have gotten into the habit of waking up earlier in the morning to get things done. Maybe I should stay up later at night. Sleep is a waste of time anyway. Enjoy life while you can and make the most of every moment!