As usual, we tend to get busier as the year comes to a close. My life has been a whirlwind for the last few months, beginning in September with seminars on a Wednesday in White Plains, N.Y., for the Ninth District Dental Association. I flew back to St. Louis afterwards, arriving close to midnight and staying at an airport hotel so I could catch a 6:15 a.m. flight on Thursday to Chicago, and then on to Chattanooga, Tenn., for an evening dinner seminar. The next day I attended the Chattanooga Area Dental Society meeting. My intent was to fly home on that same Friday night, but a severe thunderstorm grounded me in Dallas, and I spent the night at the DFW Hyatt. I arrived home on Saturday morning.
The next week I was in charge of my St. Louis University Dental School Reunion. We had 20 classmates out of the remaining 34 of our class of 58 men. We had a wonderful time reconnecting, telling stories, remembering our missing classmates, praying for our fallen ones, having quiet conversations with close friends, and making the most of the joyous celebrations of being together again. We made a firm commitment to do it again before another five years goes by.
During that celebration, I had to sneak off to Springfield, Ill., to speak to the G. V. Black District Dental Society (just a quick two-hour drive from St. Louis). This may all seem like a lot of work to you, but to me it is a joy to be teaching and helping dentists to be aware of new and innovative materials and equipment that can make dentistry faster, better, easier, and more fun for the entire dental team.
My wife and I and her brother and his wife took a vacation to Branson, Mo., the first week in October. This is one of my favorite areas to kick back and relax. It is located in the Ozark Mountains near Springfield, Mo., close to the Arkansas border on Table Rock Lake. The scenery is breathtaking, and the shows are terrific. We saw Andy Williams, Ann-Margaret, and SIX, a terrific magic show in which Kirby VanBurch made a helicopter disappear from the stage!
Iattended the ADA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in mid-October. One highlight was the introduction of the new Philips oral health care division, which will include the Sonicare line of oral care devices, and the newly acquired Discus Dental whitening, prevention, and restorative products. Another high point was my discovery of the DrQuickLook Dental Viewer. Be sure to see my Pearl on page 72.
At the end of October, I was in Atlanta visiting Carestream to see the new products they will launch soon. Then it was on to Effingham, Ill., for the grand opening of the Patterson Technologies Center. This new center is amazing, since its sole purpose is to service Patterson customers in the best way possible. I will have more on this in the January issue of DE.
Ispoke at the Greater New York Meeting on Sunday morning and afternoon, November 27, in a glass classroom. My topic was "New Products for 2012." I hope you were in attendance.
Right now, we are in the process of redesigning the magazine. We redesigned our cover a couple of years ago, but not the inside, which has become dated. So, with the January 2012 issue of DE, you will see an entirely new design style, which I know you will enjoy. The type font is new, the organization is new, the artwork is new, and we are all excited to see what you think about it. There will be more white space and an easier-to-read format.
Finally, as most of you already know, this is my favorite time of the year. I loved hearing Andy Williams sing "The Christmas Song" during his show in Branson. It always makes me feel good!
This is a time for family, sharing gifts, good wishes, and fond memories, and celebrating our good fortune to be together. This is a year that our family is happy to see pass. It has had many highs and many lows. But with faith, family, and so many good friends, we have made it. A healing has begun to take place.
My prayer to those of you who celebrate this holiday is for a wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with God's blessings! To my readers of other faiths and beliefs, I wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — email: [email protected]
Past DE Issues
