Book review

  • Barrie Lawrence
Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd price £8.99 pp 310 ISBN 9781781483657 | ISBN: 978-1-7814-8365-7

Patients from heaven is one of those literary pieces that any dental care professional can relate to. It brilliantly explores Barrie Lawrence's plethora of patient experiences and stories in an equally hilarious and tasteful manner. Being a dental professional exposes us to a vast array of patients providing a wide range of wonderful and not so wonderful memories. John takes us on a journey through all the memorable patients he has seen and all the lessons he has learned, whilst also respecting patient confidentiality (and brilliantly using fictional names and clever puns).

Not only does he provide many anecdotes from the cases he has seen, he also covers many of the other issues facing professionals practising dentistry in the United Kingdom from the post-war era and the introduction of sugar rations, right through to the introduction of the National Health Service and the move from a paper-based healthcare system to one that is run digitally. Looking back at these times makes one realise how far dentistry has come in the last century. Keeping abreast of these changes, whilst also managing several busy dental practices provides further depth to the book.

As a dental practitioner one is inevitably bound to come across a whole host of interesting, delightful and fascinating characters that become etched in one's memory for a whole variety of reasons. Whether it be their warm, friendly nature, their morals/ethics or even the life experiences they share with you. It can make one's job much more satisfying, devoting part of your day to improve the oral health of such individuals.

By that same token you will inevitably come across characters that you would dread to see on your day sheet. Patients that would perhaps disagree with every intervention/treatment you suggest or just try everything imaginable to make your life difficult. Barrie discusses the patients he has seen that fit both descriptions in such a manner that proves to be an extremely entertaining read.

He also gives very frank accounts of more difficult situations that have led to complaints, legal interventions and GDC hearings. Although all the aforementioned are extremely disheartening experiences to encounter, Barrie's stories make very inspiring reading. They show that whilst these encounters can be highly stressful, it is still possible to act ethically, appropriately and with dignity, and still achieve a positive outcome. Patients from heaven is a delightful read.