by Joe Blaes
Here we are in March already! One third of 2007 is almost gone. March is a busy month for me. I start by attending the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. This is a week-long meeting that is what I call “the best kept secret in dentistry.” If you are looking for a meeting with a very different package of speakers and topics, you should plan on attending the 2008 meeting at the Hyatt Regency Tamara near Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N. M.
The third week of March is the Hinman Meeting in Atlanta. This is always a highlight for me because I have so many friends in the Hinman Society, and the weather is usually nice in Atlanta. They have a great group of speakers coming for the meeting this year.
Right after the Hinman, I am off to Cologne, Germany, and the world’s largest dental meeting - the International Dental Show. I wish you could all experience the IDS meeting. There are no continuing-education courses, but the exhibit area is huge - bigger than anything you have ever seen at a U.S. dental meeting. The IDS is held every other year in Cologne. In the coming months, I will tell you about some of the new products and techniques shown at the IDS. This is a tough job, but someone has to drink the beer and eat the bratwurst!
Don’t forget to sign up your dental assistants for the Professional Dental Assisting meeting May 10-12 in Indianapolis, Ind. The PDA is a one-of-a-kind event that focuses only on dental assistants. They will have the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops presented by nationally known educators, as well as listen to seminars conducted by some of the nation’s most widely recognized speakers. This is a PennWell-sponsored event. Visit us online at www.professionaldentalassisting.com for more information and to register for PDA 2007. I look forward to meeting some of your team members there.
If your hygienist wants some excitement this summer, be sure to tell her about RDH Under One Roof Aug. 2-4 in Washington, D.C. Last year’s meeting drew more than 1,000 dental hygienists who learned a lot and had a great time doing it. Join us at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to reconnect with friends and develop your skills at a very unique meeting.
I want to call your attention to a new column on dental lasers. As I travel to dental shows, I find a lot of misinformation about lasers. Some courses on esthetic dentistry do not allow you to register unless you have a soft-tissue laser. Many dentists have come up to me on break during my seminars to ask me what kind of laser they should buy. These dentists have been on the exhibit floor listening to the laser hype and have come away completely confused. The purpose of the new column is to enlighten you about lasers. The executive director of the Academy of Laser Dentistry, Gail S. Siminovsky, will match the articles on the subjects we have requested to the best authors who will give you the information you need to make good choices.
This month, we begin a section of the magazine dedicated to dentists who have graduated from dental school less than 10 years ago. This “New Dentist” section will be filled with information pertinent to a group who sometimes struggles to find their place in dentistry. Kevin Henry (DE’s managing editor) and I will call on authors who cannot only tell stories of success, but explain the steps to ensure a successful outcome.
This past week, I lost a gold onlay on tooth number 31. Recently, I had a new dentist friend of mine prep the tooth for a new gold onlay. As I sat through the procedure, I thought of many things he could have done differently to make the procedure more efficient. Then and there, I decided to become a mentor to this dentist. If you are a new dentist, find another dentist you respect to be your mentor. You will be amazed by how many things you will learn from this relationship. My mentor and I became lifelong friends!
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor - e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500
