By Joe Blaes
Happy New Year! By the time you read this, all the holiday football games will be a memory and most of your resolutions will be broken. The holiday decorations will be put away for another year and you will be awaiting the credit card bills. Happy January!
I am proud to announce that you (our readers) picked Dental Economics as the magazine that you read first. This information comes from an independent survey (That means that we didn't have anything to do with it!) that was conducted in September of 2002. Thanks for your vote of confidence! I will continue to deliver editorial content that is informative and thought-provoking in an easy-to-read format.
Annette Ashley Linder, RDH, makes her debut as a regular author this month. Annette is a well-known speaker and consultant on dental hygiene. She introduces some of her concepts in a feature article that starts on page 46 in this issue. Next month, she will become a regular columnist for us. I have enjoyed listening to Annette speak for the past few years, and I have picked up some really great tips for the hygiene practice. Be sure to watch for "Hygiene: Up Close"
The program at the annual Ivoclar meeting at the Chicago Midwinter meeting last February impressed me. The program saluted the people who provide dental care to those people who do not have access to it. In a short program, Ivoclar President Bob Ganley was only able to introduce a few of the heroes of dentistry who were responsible for these programs. I know that there are many of these programs, large and small, that provide dental care across our great country. I wonder if the people who put together the "Surgeon General's Report on Access to Care" considered what these groups of people are doing on a volunteer basis.
A couple of months ago, Dr. Keith Phillips called me about a program that he had started. Keith has a dental practice and a consulting business in Winston-Salem, N.C. He and his wife describe their program in a new column — "Giving Back in Dentistry" — debuting this month. In future columns, Dr. Phillips will describe other volunteer dental programs. I think that it is important for us to know how dentists are giving back to their communities. Thanks for accepting my challenge, Keith!
Drs. Anne and Matt Bynum have done a wonderful job with the "New Dentist" column in 2002. They would like to take a sabbatical to enjoy their children and a new home. Dr. Michael Gradeless will pick up the reins and become the new author for this column. Michael has a private practice in Indianapolis, Ind. He has studied for a number of years with Dr. Jim Pride and the Pride Institute. He also teaches the practice-management curriculum at Indiana University's School of Dentistry, based on a model developed by Dr. Pride. I know that he will supply some great tips for the new dentist.
Dr. Albert Ousborne also will debut a new column called "Tips To Take You to the Top." Al has a thriving private practice in Towson, Md. (a Baltimore suburb). Al and I really enjoy spending time discussing the many different things that we have done to improve our practices and help them grow. He has so many great ideas that I have stolen and put into my practice. A year ago, we were together talking about dentistry (what else!) and he had one great idea after another. Enough, I told him. You need to be telling every dentist about this stuff. It took me a year to convince him that he had an incredible amount of great practice-builders to write about. Al is a down-to-earth type of guy who will give you tips that you can implement right away! I know that you will enjoy reading his monthly tips.
PennWell also will be launching a new publication for women dentists, Woman Dentist Journal, so look for it in the mail later this month. That's an exciting start for 2003. What a great time to be a dentist!
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
