Sir, with reference to GDPs' views on stainless steel crowns (BDJ 2005; 199: 453–455), it is such a relief to have, at last, a paper that gives the GDP's point of view. It is easy for those academics in their ivory towers to deride us and our multiple shortcomings.

I find these Adult Dental Health Surveys particularly upsetting in the way they highlight findings such as 'regular attendees have fewer sound teeth than irregular attendees' or 'regular attendees suffer more dental abscesses than irregular attendees', or the fact that there is no difference in periodontal health between regular and irregular attendees.

We seldom use rubber dam, we do not survey casts or design partial dentures ourselves and we do not often use semi-adjustable articulators when carrying out crown and bridge work. Our impressions are, apparently, of poor quality.

All this time I have thought that perhaps we should try and do better, to set our sights as high as the specialists do. Now I have read the articles by Milsom, Tickle et al., I realise that it should really be the other way round. If we do not use stainless steel crowns, it means that they should not be used and the specialists are wrong. What a relief!

Does this mean I can stop using those awkward and uncomfortable matrix bands now? And wedges. And gingival retraction cord!