When is "good enough" acceptable?

I've heard it so many times before where someone says "well it's only the primary impression so it's fine" or "it's good enough". I do take issue with this line of thinking because it raises the question of: When is "good enough" acceptable?

I would argue that we should be trying to do the best quality dentistry at every stage of the process or our results will suffer. If our primary impressions are bad, our special trays and planning will be compromised. Inaccuracies carry on down the line. If our cavity preparations are non ideal, our final restorations can't be as good as they can be. Which step is it ok to be bad at?

Records such as impressions, bite records, facebows and photos are extremely important. All of the planning occurs based on these records. Planning is the most important part of dentistry because it sets up your appointment sequence, treatment to be done, treatment order. Why do you want to compromise on this most important step?

In my mind, if you don't focus on getting the best out of every step you're doing less than your best and this will breed complacency in other aspects of your work. High quality dentistry isn't always about having the best tools or the highest skills but sometimes it is having the discipline to redo bad dentistry because it doesn't meet your standards.

It is important to learn to see your own work from an outside perspective. What would another dentist see if they saw your work? If it isn't right then it's wrong. Do it again.