The dentist’s office is not generally thought of as a fun destination. It is filled with scary instruments, scowling doctors, and tooth pain. But, as the video shows, the people working there are human too. Henry Schien Dental, a company that sells supplies to dentists and orthodontists, created a fun calendar from an office photo shoot. While it is unclear in the video if these are actual dental staff members or models, the rapid-paced behind the scenes footage shows a very fun, silly, and human side of the medical profession. This is capped off by the calendar photos, which are all bright, attractive, and themed to the appropriate months.
It can be difficult for those who don’t work in medicine to see healthcare workers as people. In fact, the media often portrays them as almost superheroes. They save lives every day and show no signs of slowing down. While the reality is much more likely to show burnout and exhaustion in these workers, this isn’t what shows up on the news or in online tributes. So for many, doctors and dentists are these unreachable figures. Since they are so high above common humans in their eyes, they might be more hesitant to make appointments or otherwise interact with doctors. This can be intensified even more with dentists and orthodontists, since they work in the mouth and there is no choice but to be vulnerable with them.
Things like a silly calendar or social media dances serve not just to blow off steam in a high-stress work environment, they also show viewers the silly, fun side of these jobs. A doctor doing a Tik-Tok dance might be still a skilled surgeon who saved multiple lives that day, but they are also shown to be a human being who laughs and listens to music. So if other people can see doctors and dentists in this light, they might be less afraid of them. This can have a major impact on the quality of care that doctors can then provide for their patients. The patients will be more willing to actually come into the office, meaning they won’t miss annual wellness checks. Since these wellness checks are happening, doctors can find small problems before they become big problems. This saves more patients time, money, and potentially their lives. This lifesaving impact comes back to things like calendars and Tik-Tok dances. By showing their human side, these medical professionals are doing even more good for the world.
