As more dental professionals take part in the social media market, standing out can be an uphill battle. During the COVID lockdown, many of us turned to our devices for entertainment, education, and engagement, and now it’s difficult to look away. We log on to memorize the same dance steps, or to find out which thermos is the next must-have. Walking past a group of teenagers all sporting the same aviator sunglasses reminded me how badly people want to fit in.
This pattern used to serve us. If we were living during caveman times, an outlier might not have survived a harsh winter without the support of the pack. Although we no longer need each other to hunt for food, I argue that the collective whole is crucial for comradery and helping to avoid burnout. Just knowing that someone, even if they’re across the country, might be experiencing the same challenges can reduce the sense of isolation that dental hygienists can experience in the operatory.
What to do if someone steals from you
Unfortunately, staying relevant can expose a dark side in people. There’s a saying, “Thievery is the greatest form of flattery.” It’s a good feeling to find out that someone thought your idea was great enough to use it themselves. But what if it’s stolen? What if there’s no acknowledgment or reference to the originator? Weeks, months, and someone’s heart and soul may have gone into creating the content, only to have it passed off as someone else’s.
Now more than ever, hygienists have a platform to transform how the world views our profession. Patients need us to pick up the slack where medicine leaves off, and we can better accomplish this if we learn from each other. Rather than ride into battle with a cutthroat attitude, we need to gather the troops and march under the same flag.
In the May 2023 issue of RDH, Jackie Sanders wrote, “To protect their intellectual property, many professionals have turned to trademark and copyright law.”1 Let me be clear … I understand and I would feel the same way. In some cases, livelihoods are at stake. Even before I hit send to submit this article, I searched in the RDH website and learned that Jackie wrote about this topic last year. Her article is called “Intellectual Property: What is it, and how does it apply to dental hygiene?”1
The Oxford Dictionary defines influence as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.”2 The title of influencer should come with great responsibility, and the dental hygiene oath should speak to our moral compass in and out of the operatory. I urge giving credit where credit’s due. Acknowledge the originator if you can and support them on their journey to share their gifts with others. It’s a very fine line between sharing a concept and flat-out thievery.
Today, we’re bombarded by mass-produced sameness. To future leaders, celebrate and flaunt what makes you different. I delight in finding new thoughts, concepts, and dreamers to follow. I love learning how someone else approaches an issue and I enjoy being inspired by visionaries in our field. For those of you brave enough to step out of the box, I can’t wait to see what magic you create.
References
- Sanders J. Intellectual property: What is it, and how does it apply to dental hygiene? RDH mag. Published May 8, 2023. Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/14293541/intellectual-property-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-apply-to-dental-hygiene
- Influence. Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/influence_1
Disclosure: No AI was used in any part of this article. No financial relationship exists in the creation of this article.
