Lifelong Learning

2012 is a great year to be a dentist!  Those of you that know me know that I am an optimist.  For me the glass is not half full, but it is completely full, overflowing the brim.  This perspective serves me well.  It might work for you too.  While optimism is my general outlook on life, there are specific reasons why I am bullish on dentistry.

Here are 5 reasons why I am bullish on dentistry:

New technology makes dentistry fun!        Manufacturers are constantly coming up with new technology to improve the delivery of dental care.  For example, Ultradent recently created a cordless version of their Valo curing light.  If you haven’t seen this, check it out:  http://www.valo-led.com/Pages/default.aspx.

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Before turning the page to a new year, I’d like to spend some time reflecting on what I learned in 2011. My reflections below are somewhat random but each presented a huge learning opportunity and will influence my work in the future.

In early January, 2011 I made a visit to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit Ultradent and meet with Dr. Dan Fischer. The time I spent with Dr. Fischer was enlightening. He is the absolute epitome of passion in dentistry!

The story of how he started Ultradent in his garage is the classic American success story, but with a dental twist. While I love their products and have huge appreciation for the engineering innovation of their factory in Utah, perhaps the biggest thing I learned from Dr. Fischer is his humanity. He cares deeply for all 1,200+ of his Team Members and they in turn are committed to creating awesome products that will improve dental health worldwide. I am excited to be speaking on behalf of Ultradent in 2012 and beyond.

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The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) just released their report documenting their survey results about the state of cosmetic dentistry in the US. Incidentally, if you are interested in cosmetic dentistry I highly recommend becoming a member of the AACD. I have found the membership of the AACD to be a fantastic group of people genuinely interested in helping dentists deliver beautiful cosmetic dentistry. Their annual meeting, held in the spring each year, provides a wealth of information related to cosmetic dentistry. Their website is www.AACD.com.

I found the information in this AACD report to be absolutely fascinating! The great news is that it looks like after a number of years of declining interest in cosmetic dentistry we are now experiencing increased consumer interest in beautiful smiles! There is a plethora of information in this report and I would encourage you to read it for the complete story. Here is the link:

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“It’s what you learn after you know it all, that counts.”

                                         -Coach John Wooden

I am an extreme advocate of the concept of Lifelong Learning!  It is absolutely no coincidence that the most successful dentists are constantly learning how to better serve their patients. I have observed that dentists who are top achievers often pursue a balanced education combining equal parts clinical, business, and behavioral knowledge.

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It has been my life’s work to study successful dentists. One of the common denominators of successful dentists is they embrace lifelong learning and are constantly challenging themselves to learn more and expand their skills. I cannot recall a single exception to this approach of embracing lifelong learning.

My inspiration for this blog post was the writing of Dr. Lee Ann Brady. Here is what Dr. Brady had to say about staying engaged in dentistry. 

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“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

                                                                                   -Hellen Keller

Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced his retirement as CEO of Apple. In his announcement, Steve indicated that he always said if there came a day when he could no longer meet his duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, he would be the first to let people know. Unfortunately, Steve said that yesterday that day had come. We can only speculate the reason for his announcement but it would seem that it is related to his declining health, likely somehow related to his battle with pancreatic neurorndocrine cancer.

Steve Jobs has been another mentor of mine and he is such an amazing example of someone with vision and passion. He has much more to teach us all. In 2005 he gave a Commencement Address at Stanford University. Below is a link to the written transcript of that address:

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Many of you may know that I am very fond of the late Coach John Wooden. He was an amazing man and he has been a mentor of mine for many years now. I have over 30 books in my library either written by or about Coach Wooden and I routinely re-read these books to learn new insights. While his accomplishments in the world of College Basketball are legendary, he has even more to teach us about life.

Coach Wooden carried a little index card that his father gave him as his high school graduation gift. On this card were the following six guidelines:

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