Dentistry is not only his profession but also his calling life - Dr. Herrmann is a specialist in the field of endodontics.
His practice in Bad Kreuznach has now been in existence for over 25 years.
Why did you become a dentist?
There were several reasons. On the one hand, I wanted to do something scientific, yet also something involving craftsmanship. Ideally, I wanted to do research. Already as a child I was always into crafts and building mechanical devices. On the other hand, I wanted to become my own boss. As a teenager I worked during my school holidays to earn money. This allowed me to get to know a whole range of different jobs, which reinforced my decision to choose a profession that would inevitably lead to self-employment.
What do you do when you are not in the practice? (hobbies etc.)
I have many interests that could be summarized under the collective term of "fine arts". Art, design, architecture, literature and music. One of my actively-pursued passions is clearly photography. Whenever I travel, the camera is always there to capture the country and the people.
What was your most interesting experience in the practice/with a patient?
More than 90 percent of our treatments are revision cases, and many patients have had unpleasant experiences with root canal treatments, so their reserva-tions regarding the upcoming treatment are understandable. All the more reason for us to be pleased when patients, who initially appear in the dentist's chair with great fear, appear more and more calm over the course of the treatment, possibly even fall asleep in the middle of it, and say when the procedure is finished: "Actually a root canal treatment is no problem at all, on the contrary – it is much more pleasant than anything else I have experienced as a patient at the dentist's".
What has been your greatest learning experience?
I think my greatest learning experience was humbly recognizing the difficulty and how many factors are involved in establishing a desired standard in the practice. Above all, however, realizing that what you consider an absolute necessity is not always congruent with what the patient wants.
This means that I had to learn to recognize that patients may not necessarily attach as much importance to their teeth as I do. That is totally okay, because it's ultimately the patient's decision - you can only offer him help for the best possible dental preservation. But as a young, naive professional – I'm talking about myself now – you usually can't understand that at all, and you go home full of frustration and doubt. It takes a long time to realize that the patient is sufficiently satisfied with his choice, however imperfect it may seem to us. If I could give some advice to young colleagues reading this, it would be: Don't try to please all or as many patients as possible, but be true to yourself from the beginning and treat only those patients who are equally convinced of the need. Unfortunately, it took me many years to recognize this and to put it into practice.
What are your current challenges as a dentist?
None currently, but in principle: The challenge is to achieve the best possible result in every case. I heard the following saying from an American colleague: "First do it perfect one time. Then do it perfect again. Then do it perfect again and again and again..." I think that's what leads to a true mastery – achieving a high level of quality that is predictable and constant. This learning process has accompanied me all my life. Especially in this context, I find the Japanese culture very impressive and inspiring. There you can find this constant striving for improvement and perfection in many everyday areas. These are primary virtues that we here in Germany once stood up for, just think of the legendary "Made in Germany", but which we have lost more and more in recent decades. Today mediocrity reigns, and that is a very regrettable and unfortunate development.
How can you reconcile your professional and private life?
For me, it is relatively simple - dentistry is my life.
The boundaries between professional and private life are fluid in my case. Dentistry takes up a very large part of my time. This is probably more difficult for the people in my life. I am lucky to have a family that accepts and appreciates what I do. That gives me the best possible support.
Is the role of a woman dentist different from that of a man? (Topic of male/female dentists...)
The fact is that quality in dentistry is not dependent upon whether it is practiced by a man or a woman. Dentistry is not a male profession! A woman can definitely do everything in dentistry at least as well as a man. It is sad that this has to be mentioned at all nowadays. In other countries, for example in Rus-sia, there is a long tradition of women in positions of responsibility in the medical field. The work and life model for men vs. women is still mostly different, because traditionally the childcare was much more a woman's domain. However, it is only a question of organization towards combining practice and family in a meaningful way.
How did you come across Morita and how was your first encounter like?
I came across Morita as a manufacturer of large dental equipment because of my disappointment with the "dental establishment". After more than 20 years we had to change treatment units. I was very satisfied with my old treatment chairs. All the more regrettable, therefore, that the manufacturer's customer-unfriendly sales policy prompted me to look for alternatives. I attach great importance to quality, sustainability and longevity. A product pays off regardless of purchase price if the expectations placed in it are met or ideally exceeded. In 1993, I bought the Root ZX apex locator for electrical length measurement – the device hasn't failed once to date, it's still the gold standard and in terms of measuring accuracy, can still hold its own with new devices. This gets back to the Japanese mentality: Doing the best possible job. Thus, my collaboration with Morita started with a very small device, and later we added treatment units, CBCT devices and a laser.
What does Morita mean to you?
Quality, sustainability, durable and low-maintenance products.
That Morita is a family-run enterprise that places the long-term survival of the company and its products above short-term profit margins. And since you asked about my penchant for good design: At the beginning of my dental career, Morita was more known for very conservative product design. This has changed fundamentally. The Soaric, the CBCT Veraview X800, the Tri Auto ZX2 – those are examples of first-class, beautiful, modern industrial design. But that's just the icing on the cake, the encore, so to speak. For me, design is only decisive for a purchase if quality and all other requirements are fulfilled.
What would you like Morita to have in the future?
I hope that these attributes will continue to be upheld – that people will resist the 'dark side of the Force' – namely that they will deviate from these virtues in order to maximize profits. Increasingly important at a time when sales figures count far more than long-term reliability.
I also think it would be great if they developed products specially geared to the needs of the endodontic specialist.
3D X-ray diagnostics and the dental microscope are good examples of how products that initially only appear useful in one specialist environment can estab-lish themselves on a broad basis over time. That's why I hope Morita will try to further promote quality of treatment. Progress always comes from the top. For that reason, it would be commendable if Morita could enter into a dialogue with individuals who can provide new ideas in this respect.