AFTER almost 40 years of peering into people’s mouths, the scenery is about to change for Orange dentist Edward Furze.
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Dr Furze, who is retiring next month, has served patients in Orange for almost 30 of those years and says the timing is right to put down his dental mirror and push back his examining light for the last time.
However, he will carry with him into retirement the marks of hands used so intensively for a range of procedures over so many years, in a profession that has seen dramatic changes.
“I still have the calluses on my hands from the times when you would have to hand-file for an hour and a half during root canal therapy,’ Dr Furze said.
“That time is now a third of what it used to be and is one of the big technique advances, its now about 40 minutes for a molar root canal,” he said.
As a young lad of 14, Dr Furze was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who began practising in 1918, and his uncle, who was also a dentist and a man he greatly admired.
Dr Furze said one of the highlights of the changes in dentistry over the last few decades was advances in microscope technology, which made the diagnosis process much easier.
However, he said it was concerning to see young children with poor dental hygiene who had not established good brushing habits.
“Of course we have electric toothbrushes now and they are fantastic, because the average person doesn’t brush for the required two minutes and it helps remind you,” he said.
“But parents have a pivotal role to play, as young children don’t know how to brush properly until they are in double digits.”
Dr Furze recalled one of his first experiences practising in country NSW, when he had to help a 24-year-old woman who was having trouble with her dentures, after having all her teeth removed at 14 years of age.
“Thank heavens we have come a long way from the days when it was seen as an honour to have your parents pay to have all your teeth out for your 21st birthday or your wedding,” he said.
“It was common practice in years gone by.
“Now we do absolutely everything possible to save teeth.”
Although he is taking a 12-month sabbatical from his tutoring position in the Charles Sturt University School of Dentistry, Dr Furze hopes to return to the university after a break.
“There are still so many exciting things happening in dentistry, like the new wand system for taking digital impressions to create crowns,” he said.
“Gone will be the days of having to take manual impressions.”
Dr Furze says he will miss the contact with his patients and thanks them and his staff for their loyalty and support.
Dr Francois Bothma has reclocated from Sydney to take over the practice and will be assisted by associated Dr Mark Bennett.
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au
