Pennsylvania Dental Journal Pennsylvania Dental Journal

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Pennsylvania
Dental Journal
Vol. 77, No. 1 • January/February 2010
11
Day on the Hill Rescheduled
21
What Were You Thinking?
42
PDA’s 142nd Annual Session
T H A Y E R
D E N T A L
L A B O R A T O R Y ,
I N C .
Thayer’s discount policy
doesn’t rely on coupons
or gimmicks . . .
Thayer Dental Laboratory has offered
the same volume discount to its customers
for over 30 years. We don’t offer special
coupons to anyone - and we only have
one price list for all our customers. Our
discount policy treats everyone fairly.
Pay your statement balance by the 10th
of the month:
For balances of $5,000 or more take
10% off your statement balance if you
pay by check - or 8% by credit card.
For balances of $2,500 to $4,999 take
pay by check - or 3% by credit card.
... that’s a
smart move.
For balances of $250 to $2,499 take
pay by check.
It’s just that simple.
THAYER DENTAL LABORATORY, INC.
131 Old Schoolhouse Lane • P.O. Box 1204
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
717-697-6324 • 800-382-1240 • fax: 717-697-1412
www.thayerdental.com
“ Yo u r
P a r t n e r
i n
M a s t e r i n g
N e w
Te c h n o l o g i e s ”
®
P e n n s y l v a n i a D e n t a l J o u r n a l • w w w. p a d e n t a l . o r g
Dr. Bruce R. Terry (Editor)
85 Old Eagle School Road, Wayne, 19087-2524
(610) 995-0109 • pullpulp@aol.com
4th...Dr. Michael S. Shuman…2013
1052 Park Road, Blandon, 19510-9563
(610) 916-1233 • msshuman@epix.net
Dr. Joseph J. Kohler III (Associate Editor)
219 W. 7th Street, Erie, 16501-1601
(814) 452-4838 • docjjk3@gmail.com
5th...Dr. David R. Larson…2013
1305 Middletown Rd. Ste 2
Hummelstown, 17036-8825
(717) 566-9797 • PDATrustee5th@hotmail.com
Dr. Brian Mark Schwab (Associate Editor)
1021 Lily Lane, Reading, 19560-9535
(610) 926-1233 • brianmschwab@aol.com
Rob Pugliese (Director of Communications)
P.O. Box 3341, Harrisburg, 17105
(800) 223-0016 • FAX (717) 234-2186
rap@padental.org
Dr. Richard Galeone (Editor Emeritus)
3501 North Front Street, Harrisburg, 17110
(717) 234-5941 • FAX (717) 234-2186
rjgdds59@comcast.net
Dr. Judith McFadden (Editor Emerita)
3386 Memphis Street, Philadelphia, 19134
(215) 739-3100
Officers
Dr. Andrew J. Kwasny (President) 3219 Peach Street • Erie, 16508-2735
(814) 455-2158 • kwas2@live.com
Dr. William T. Spruill (President-Elect) 520 South Pitt Street, Carlisle, 17013-3820
(717) 245-0061 • wtspruill@comcast.net
Dr. Thomas W. Gamba (Immediate Past President) 255 S 17th Street Suite 2807
Philadelphia, 19103-6228
(215) 546-2311 • twgamba@mac.com
Dr. Stephen T. Radack III (Vice President)
413 East 38th Street, Erie, 16504-1621
(814) 825-6221 • stradack3@aol.com
Dr. Dennis J. Charlton (Speaker) P.O. Box 487 • Sandy Lake, 16145-0487
(724) 376-7161 • djcdmd@windstream.net
Dr. Gary S. Davis (Secretary) 420 East Orange St. • Shippensburg, 17257-2140
(717) 532-4513 • doctord@epix.net
Dr. R. Donald Hoffman (Treasurer) 105 Penhurst Drive, Pittsburgh, 15235
(412) 648-1915 • rdh2@pitt.edu
6th...Dr. John P. Grove...2011
PO Box 508, Jersey Shore, 17740-0508
(570) 398-2270 • jdgrove@uplink.net
7th...Dr. Peter P. Korch, III...2010 4200 Crawford Ave., NorCam Bldg. 3
P.O. Box 1388, Northern Cambria, 15714-1388
(814) 948-9650
pda.seventh.district.trustee@gmail.com
8th...Dr. William J. Weaver...2011
Brookville Dental, 123 Main Street
Brookville, 15825-1212
(814) 849-2652 • wjweaver@gmail.com
9th...Dr. Joseph J. Kohler III...2012 219 W 7th Street, Erie, 16501-1601
(814) 452-4838
docjjk3@gmail.com
10th...Dr. Donald A. Stoner...2011 Oakmont Dental Associates
154 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont, 15139-1801
(412) 828-7750 • oakmontdental@msn.com
ADA Third District Trustee
Dr. Charles R. Weber
606 East Marshall Street, Ste 103
West Chester, PA 19380-4485
(610) 436-5161 • crweberdmd@comcast.net
PDA Council Chairs
Council on Communications & Public Relations
Dr. David A. Tecosky
Council on Dental Practice
Dr. Bruce Parker
Council on Government Relations
Dr. Herbert L. Ray, Jr.
Council on Membership
Dr. Karin D. Brian
PDA Committee Chairs
Trustees By District
1st...Dr. Thomas P. Nordone…2013
207 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, 19107-1500
(215) 557-0557 • drtpn@aol.com
2nd...Dr. Bernard P. Dishler...2011 Yorktowne Dental Group Ltd.
8118 Old York Road Ste A, Elkins Park, 19027-1499
(215) 635-6900 • dishyork@aol.com
3rd...Dr. D. Scott Aldinger...2012 8555 Interchange Road, Lehighton, 18235-5611
(610) 681-6262 • dist3bot@ptd.net
Access to Care Committee
Dr. Bernadette A. Logan
Annual Awards Committee
Concerned Colleague Committee
Dr. Bartley J. Morrow
Environmental Issues Committee
Dr. Marian S. Wolford
Forensic Odontology Committee
Dr. Jeff D. Aronsohn
New Dentist Committee
Dr. Brian Mark Schwab
2
January/February 2010 • Pennsylvania Dental Journal
PDA Central Office
3501 North Front Street
P.O. Box 3341, Harrisburg, 17105
(800) 223-0016 • (717) 234-5941
FAX (717) 232-7169
Camille Kostelac-Cherry, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer
ckc@padental.org
Pennsylvania
Dental Journal
Mary Donlin
Director of Membership
med@padental.org
The Official Publication of the Pennsylvania Dental Association
January/February 2010 • Volume 77, Number 1
Marisa Swarney
Director of Government Relations
mss@padental.org
Features
Rob Pugliese
Director of Communications
rap@padental.org
Rebecca Von Nieda
Director of Meetings and Administration
rvn@padental.org
Leo Walchak
Controller
ltw@padental.org
Board Committees Legend
Executive Committee
Chairman
Budget, Finance & Property Chairman
Bylaws Committee
Chairman
EDITORIAL Board
Dr. Daniel Boston
Dr. Allen Fielding
Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat
Dr. Kenneth G. Miller
Dr. Andres Pinto
Dr. Deborah Studen-Pavlovich
Dr. James A. Wallace
Dr. Gerald S. Weintraub
21
By Dr. Bruce R. Terry, Editor
24
New Members Share Their Experiences
31
Your New ADA Trustee: Dr. Charles R. Weber
Departments
5
7
9
15
47
49
50
51
53
59
Impressions
Letters to the Editor
Government Relations
Membership Matters
It’s Your Money
Awards & Achievements
In Memoriam
On the Lighter Side
Continuing Education
Classified Advertisements
The mission of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal is to serve PDA members
by providing information about topics and issues that affect dentists practicing
in Pennsylvania. The Journal also will report membership-related activities of
the leadership of the association, proceedings of the House of Delegates at the
annual session and status of PDA programs.
PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL (ISSN 0031-4439), owned and published by the Pennsylvania Dental Association, 3501
North Front Street, Harrisburg, 17110, is published bi-monthly: Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec. Address
advertising and subscription queries to 3501 North Front Street, P.O. Box 3341, Harrisburg, 17105. Domestic subscriptions are
available to persons not eligible for membership at $36/year; International subscriptions available at $75/year. Single copies $10.
Periodical postage paid at Harrisburg, PA. “The Pennsylvania Dental Association, although formally accepting and publishing reports
of the various standing committees and essays read before the Association (and its components), holds itself not responsible for
opinions, theories, and criticisms therein contained, except when adopted or sanctioned by special resolutions.” The Association
assumes no responsibility for any program content of lectures in continuing education programs advertised in this magazine. The
Association reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any reason. Copyright ©2010, Pennsylvania Dental Association.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pennsylvania Dental Association, P.O. Box 3341, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
MEMBER: American Association of Dental Editors
3
4
Impressions
Batter Up
I love technology. There is nothing
quite like LCD televisions. My new
46-inch LCD is a thing of beauty. The
picture is fantastic and the clarity is
like nothing else. Case in point, there
is nothing quite like baseball in 1080p,
whatever that means!
This past October I found myself
glued to the television during the
baseball playoffs and subsequent
World Series. Now, I am no stranger
to the game. I remember bringing a
transistor radio to elementary school
and junior high in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
For those of the X, Y and Millennial
generations, that was the 1960s
and 1970s. As my eight-year-old son
would say, “Were you alive when
Lincoln was President?” Abraham
Lincoln was year zero for my son.
But back to baseball. I am what you
would call a fair weather fan of the
sport. I may go to one or two games
per year. I don’t watch much baseball
on TV, and I only became really
interested in playoff games in the past
few years as my adopted team, the
Phillies, rose to national acclaim. So,
you could say I like the game but I
don’t love the game.
2008 was quite special when the
Phillies went all the way to win the
World Series. At that time, I watched
all of the games on my traditional
36-inch old style tube television. Only
three years old at the time and already
obsolete. The series was exciting and
the outcome was even better.
This year as the playoffs approached
I was again excited. Not to see my team
go all the way, but to see the games
on my new HD LCD TV. During the
first playoff game, I noticed something
I hadn’t paid much attention to in the
D r. B r u c e R . Te r r y
past. Maybe it was because I was not
in the 400 section of Citizens Bank
Park, or maybe it was because I had a
front row seat with High Def. I began
to notice all the spitting. Not just the
occasional “THWAT,” but a constant,
steady stream of sputum that only an
internist could love. Every camera
shot revealed players moving their
mouths with the sole purpose of
winding up and delivering a lugee
with curve ball precision. Some loads
contained juices from smokeless
tobacco, some from Big League Chew
bubblegum. Still others contained
fragments of sunflower seeds. Each
was unique and each was choreographed like the corps de ballet.
As a dentist and health-care
provider, my thoughts began to turn
to how unsanitary the whole thing
was. I wouldn’t want to step anywhere
near these guys without a full Hazmat
suit. The respective dugouts really
scared me. I imagined the floor of the
dugout to resemble a five-day-old,
uncleaned birdcage. Is there enough
hand sanitizer to spray on the entire
field before and after every game?
During the first World Series game
the expulsion of bodily fluids continued with reckless abandon. I wondered
how all of this began. Baseball was
unique in the players’ quest to remove
all liquids from their head and neck
region. Can you imagine a golf or
tennis player spitting with the same
abandon as a major league baseball
player? Players in other sports can be
seen chewing gum occasionally, but
nothing like baseball players. Was
it the long intervals of inactivity that
spawned this need to spit, or was
there another reason?
I was reminded of my days in
college. One afternoon in early
spring, my fraternity brothers and I
stepped out onto the lawn like sea
lions on a floating piece of ice in the
Arctic Ocean. Some of my brothers
had developed a habit for smokeless
tobacco. I had never seen this before
in real life, only in the movies. I
thought those that chewed were
either from 18th century England,
the Wild West, or 20th century coal
mining towns. Sorry, no offense to
the coal mining townspeople!
Each of these brothers were talking
and simultaneously spitting into a
plastic beer cup, of which our fraternity
had ample supply. The juices that
accrued into these cups looked something like the backwash bottom of a
cup of Guinness beer. Thank goodness they used the cups, otherwise I
don’t know where I would have been
able to step.
Another freshman brother approached
the social gathering outside. I watched
(continued on page 6)
5
Impressions
as he joined the conversation and
tried desperately to fit in. In just a few
minutes, he had acquired his own
plastic cup and began telling a story
about some girl he met the other day
while breaking momentarily to spit
into his own cup. He didn’t notice
that the others where chewing and
spitting, nor did he notice that his cup
was filled with clear fluid while the
others were filled with a brown juice
that needs no further explanation
from me. The conversation continued
and the other brothers were beginning
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to snicker at the actions of the freshman. Finally, one of them exploded in
laughter and asked the freshman what
he was doing. He looked embarrassed
and had no answer. The older brothers
began to tease him and he walked
away. He was just trying to fit in.
I wonder if it’s the same in Major
League Baseball. Are they all trying to
fit in, or is there a reason for their
oral habits? I checked online and with
some acquaintances in the sport and
nobody was able to give me an answer.
I am still looking, and I would greatly
appreciate an explanation for this
behavior. Even if you don’t know the
answer but have a really good guess,
let me and your colleagues know.
For more information about the
dangers of smokeless tobacco for you,
your family, friends or patients, go
to www.ada.org and enter smokeless
tobacco into the search engine.
The ADA has many good references
for those interested.
—BRT
Letters to the Editor
Dear Bruce,
You are doing a nice job with the
Journal. It was nice to feature the dentists who volunteer their time both
locally and internationally. Thanks for
mentioning DVI. I have been there
11 times and go almost every year. We
have several dentists from the Philly
area who go there often. Jeff Blum, of
Wynnewood, Stu Messinger, of
Broomall, Eric Cantor, of Center City
Philadelphia and myself.
We also now have an American
Friends of DVI, which mainly does
fundraising and meets annually
at the New York Meeting. Thanks
again. I hope we get many more
volunteers. Let everyone know that
they can get more information about
Dental Volunteers for Israel and
American Friends by going to the DVI
website at www.dental-div.co.il.
Shel Bernick
Reitz Becomes AADA President
Pennsylvania’s own Carol Reitz was installed as president of the Alliance of
the American Dental Association (AADA) October 4 during the AADA’s Convention
in Hawaii.
An alliance member for nearly 30 years, Mrs. Reitz brings a wealth of national,
state and local experience to her latest position. She has held virtually every office for
the Alliance of the Pennsylvania Dental Association and the Alliance of the Berks
County Dental Society, from dental health chair to president. She also has served the
AADA as a member and liaison to its Council on Government Affairs.
“That position gave me great insights into issues affecting dentistry and our
dental families,” Reitz said. “This is an area where the Alliance can double our efforts
in the legislative arena on both the state and national levels.”
Carol is a past recipient of AADA’s Thelma J. Neff Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions and service to the alliance.
As president, she will be leading AADA’s efforts in legislative advocacy, dental health education for
children and seniors, well-being of the dental family, leadership and membership. One priority for her term
will be increasing AADA membership through strategic planning efforts that she is chairing.
Carol is the fifth AADA president from Pennsylvania, following
Alma Berk (1961-62), Rosemary Fitzpatrick (1980-81), Ellen Pagano
(1986-87) and JoAnn Thomas (1994-95).
She and her husband, Dr. John Reitz, a Reading general dentist,
have three children; Christopher, 26, Eric, 23 and Lauren, 18.
In her spare time, Mrs. Reitz competes on a U.S. Tennis Association
adult tennis team that went to the Nationals in 1999 and is captain
of a tennis team.
PDA member Dr. Dave Aucther,
AADA president Carol Reitz and PDA
president-elect Dr. Bill Spruill.
7
The Pennsylvania General Assembly
returned to session in late January to
begin the second year of the two-year
legislative session. This gives PDA one
year to advance its legislative priorities
before legislation “dies” during the
sine die period at the end of the year.
Any legislation that fails to pass in
2010 must be reintroduced the following year for the new 2011-12 legislative session, and once again move
through the entire legislative process
of approval from various committees
before it gets voted on by the full
Senate and House.
PDA has listened to our members
and understands that you are most
concerned about insurance practices,
scope of practice issues and fair
licensing regulations. Over the last
year, PDA’s staff and lobbyists worked
continuously to introduce legislation
that will alleviate some of those
concerns while ensuring patient safety
and access to dental care. But your
help is needed to educate lawmakers
about the need to pass these important pieces of legislation, and time is
of the essence.
Members’ participation in PDA’s
grassroots advocacy efforts is essential
to passing legislation before it dies at
the end of the year, losing any momentum we achieved during the 20092010 legislative session. We had to
cancel our annual lobbying event at
the Capitol in October due to unforeseen circumstances in which the
legislature canceled its session days,
but we encourage you to come to this
year’s Day on the Hill, which has
been rescheduled for Tuesday June 8.
The legislature will be in session!
Please register online at
www.padental.org or submit the reg-
istration form found on page 13.
Why is it important that you come
to Day on the Hill this year? Here are
three reasons:
1. If you are upset about receiving
notification from an insurance
company that it wants you to sign
an amended contract capping the
fees you set for non-covered services or any service provided after
patients exhaust their maximum
allowance, then you’ll want to
come to Day on the Hill to talk to
you legislators about it.
PDA sought sponsors in both the
House and the Senate to introduce
legislation that prohibits all
insurers operating in Pennsylvania
from capping services not covered
by their plans or any services
provided after patients meet their
maximum allowance. Sen. Kim
Ward (R-Westmoreland) introduced a bill in January and it is
currently assigned to the Senate
Banking and Insurance Committee
for consideration.
2. If you are tired of not getting paid
when your patients choose you as
their doctor but you are not a
provider in the patient’s insurance
plan, then you’ll want to come to
Day on the Hill on June 8 to talk
to your legislators about this.
PDA is working with a representative to introduce legislation that
would require insurance companies
to assign benefits to providers in
cases where you are a non-participating provider treating a patient
with its insurance plan. PDA
believes that this is primarily an
issue of patient choice, and
secondly, that it is fundamentally
unfair for dentists to never receive
payment for services rendered.
Once introduced, this bill will be
assigned to the House Insurance
Committee for consideration.
3. Have you ever faced a situation
where an insurance company is
demanding patient records for
review, costing you and your staff
valuable time and money? Most
insurers exercise a policy of
reviewing dental claims no matter
how long ago they were submitted
and paid. If you would like to level
the playing field with insurance
companies, then you will want to
come to Day on the Hill to talk to
your legislators about HB 215.
Rep. Stephen Barrar (R-Delaware)
introduced HB 215, legislation that
would prohibit insurance companies from retroactively denying
dental claims after one year. This
legislation passed the House
Insurance Committee in the fall and
now faces consideration from the
House Appropriations Committee.
But PDA and other health-care
provider groups face strong opposition from the insurance industry.
The House Insurance Committee
tacked on two amendments before
passing HB 215, essentially weakening the bill. These amendments
extend the official retroactive review
period from 12 to 18 months, and
9
allow for “tolling,” a mechanism
that allows insurers to effectively
extend the review period indefinitely
by making repeated requests for
documentation from providers. We
need your help convincing members of the House Appropriations
Committee to remove these amendments from HB 215.
These issues will be of primary
focus for PDA during Day on the Hill,
but they are far from the only issues
impacting the dental profession.
Dentistry faces challenges on scope of
practice issues for members of your
dental team, restrictions on the use of
dental amalgam, funding for Medical
Assistance and dental education
programs and insurance mandates
that will allow you to provide better
care for your patients. Please take the
time to attend Day on the Hill on
June 8. Though it might mean one
day out of your office this year, your
presence increases the likelihood of
passing insurance reforms significant
enough to impact the bottom line for
your business for years to come.
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11
12
13
Membership Matters
15
Membership Matters
16
Membership Matters
17
Membership Matters
18
Membership Matters
Welcome New Members!
Following is a listing of members who have recently joined PDA, along with the dental schools from which they
graduated and their hometowns.
Dr. Leyla A. Abdulhay
University of Pennsylvania
Breinigsville
Dr. Joseph F. De Santis
University of Pittsburgh
Garnet Valley
Dr. Kristen D. Falanga
White Hall
Dr. Shimma Abdulla
Temple University
Philadelphia
Dr. Rishin N. Desai
Philadelphia
Dr. Jarrett B. Foust
University of Tennessee
Pittsburgh
Dr. Timothy J. Atkinson
University of Detroit
Mountain Top
Dr. Richard V. Eidelson
Temple University
Bala Cynwyd
Dr. Brandon Goldwater
Temple University
Conshohocken
Dr. John D. Basile
Fairview
Dr. Susan D. Ermish
Temple University
Berwick
Dr. Michelle L. Halpern
Harvard Dental School
Bala Cynwyd
Dr. Thomas Lin
Boston University
Aldan
19
What Were
You Thinking?
By Dr. Bruce R. Terry, Editor
Not everyone knows they want to be a dentist
when they are eight years old. That’s what I noticed
when I moved from elementary school to high
school, and from college to dental school.
In junior high I needed to pick a career and
write a report. Mine was titled “The Tooth, The
Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth.” The
letter grade on the outside cover was a B-. It was
not because of content. I had interviewed my
family dentist and my orthodontist, I included
radiographs and panographs and I also had
statistics. No, the problem was my writing skill.
The teacher actually wrote, “Good Luck,
you’ll make a great dentist, but you need more
help with writing.” I’m not kidding when I say I
was told not to pursue a career in writing. I guess
that helped cement my decision to become a
dentist. But did I really know what I was getting
into? No way.
Nobody really tells any of us what we are in
store for. Whether you thought about dentistry at
the freakish age of 8 or when you were 21, it was
likely an emotional decision rather than a carefully
analyzed career path. Few if any of us had demographic information on trends in dentistry, and
even fewer knew what dental school was all about.
B-
The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth
by Bruce Terry
21
I remember the first time I met with my high
school guidance counselor. Mrs. Cheeks (her real name)
asked what my career goal was. Without a moment’s
hesitation I told her that I wanted to go to dental school.
She looked at my grades and said, “Sounds great.” No
comments like, “Are you sure you know what you are
doing?” Or, “Did you know that the cost of 8 years of
college and dental school will be $30,000?” That was if
you graduated in 1986. Today that number is $300,000.
Mrs. Cheeks did not give me information on how to
set up a dental office or find a practice when I graduated.
Mrs. Cheeks did suggest colleges that would be good
for a science bound student like myself. She did not give
me any guidance for what I was about to embark upon.
No discussion about how to handle college or what to
expect in dental school. Nobody taught me about
incorporating a business, opening a checking account,
hiring or firing staff or buying dental supplies. For that
matter, no one in dental school taught me any of these
things either. So, most of us find ourselves in dental
school without a clue. Sure we are smart enough to
score well on tests, but we have no street smarts. The
residents that I see at the dental school each year have
nearly made it to the end of their mandatory education
and they have no idea what’s next. They ask me
questions like, “Where should I go to work?” or “How
do I know that I have a fair contract?”
For more than 15 years I have presented the
practice management information that these residents
need. While I am only scratching the surface, it’s clear
how hungry these students are for information on
the “real world.” Just like you and me, they have spent
from 8 to 10 years in higher education. They have
learned all of the science, diagnostic tests and medically
necessary information. They have practiced their skills
on mannequins, classmates and patients from the inner
22
city. They are confident in their skills as clinicians but
scared to practice in the “real world.”
So, like you and me, these students begin thinking
of the future some time while they are in dental school,
somewhere between oral pathology and beer pong.
Some students will continue on the path as a general
dentist. For many that means a general practice residency
(GPR) followed by a position as an associate dentist.
Statistics from a 2008 ADA report of dental graduates
showed that 33 percent of students moved onto private
practice. Another 33 percent went into an accredited
AEGD or GPR program, and the other 33 percent
went into a specialty training program like endodontics,
periodontics or others.
For those entering private practice, the real learning
is just beginning. Joining a practice has always been an
eye opener for a new dentist. Patient no-shows, insurance
company denial of claims and patients’ failure to pay
are just a few of the exciting experiences that these new
dentists will face.
We have asked six new PDA member dentists to
share their experiences from dental school to “real world”
practice. Dr. Alejandro Montalvo currently practices at
Community Volunteers in Medicine, West Chester.
He was as surprised as you that he ended up at CVIM,
but he couldn’t be happier. Dr. Drew Carlin is a pediatric dentist and he has a great vision for his profession.
Dr. Connie Wilson returned to the rural part of
Pennsylvania she originally came from. Dr. Sara Haines
and Dr. Jessica Guy are both general dentists AND also
full-time moms and both have traveled unique and
fascinating paths to where they are. Dr. Stefanie Walker
was born and raised in Germany, came to the United
States to pursue her education and is now doing the
invaluable work of educating others.
Enjoy their stories.
Dr. Jessica Guy: Career and Family Takes Multitasking to New Levels
As a kid I often thought about becoming “a
doctor,” but I didn’t discover I wanted to be a dentist
until college. In fact I spent a good portion of my
young life dismissing the idea because spending all
day with your hands in someone’s mouth seemed
too bizarre.
One Memorial Day weekend I was home from
college visiting family and pondering my future. My
uncle, a dentist, asked if I could help him with an
emergency since his assistant was away for the
holiday. I agreed simply because I had nothing better
to do but it was as if fate handed me an evacuator.
What had once seemed like a “gross” career became
grossly interesting. I ended up assisting for his
associate over summer break and by fall knew I was
going to apply to dental school.
I graduated from Wilkes University in May of
2000, married in June, and in August entered the
then Temple University School of Dentistry. My first
two years were harrowing. I thought I was studious,
but the volume of information presented was
overwhelming. I thought I was dexterous, and then
I tried to carve my first tooth out of wax (we nicknamed it “little nubby”). Still, as I trudged on my
brain and fingers fumbled less. The best encouragement actually came from the faculty with the worst
reputations. You have to grow up a little to realize
not every professor who “grades hard” is “being mean”
and that most of the so-tough-they-make-you-cry
row instructors are just brutally honest and very
demanding in their expectations, as they should be.
With their guidance, I was almost confident when I
faced my first patient.
Senior year was exhausting and not just from
preparing for Boards. In December of 2003, we learned
I was expecting. My husband and I were excited and
a bit unsettled. Like most students I had considered
the specialties, but after 20 straight years of school
(not including kindergarten or pre-K) I was ready to
take a break. I entertained the ideas of NHS or the
military but I had to think of my new family: Would
my husband be able to find work where I’d be
assigned? If deployed, could I leave our little boy?
Ultimately we decided we needed geographical
stability and decided to go into private practice. We
considered the options (solo or group, start-up or associate) and were fortunate enough to find a solution.
The next year, 2004, was another busy year. I
graduated and moved back to the Poconos, where I
had grown up. That August I had a beautiful baby
boy and 10 weeks later I entered practice as an independent contractor sharing space in the office of my
uncle, Dr. R.C. O’Boyle. The easiest part of entering
practice was clinical: Temple trained me to use my
hands and mind. The business end was more difficult:
24
knowing how to run a handpiece doesn’t mean you
know how to run an office.
I learned so much that first year, most of which
seems rote when I try to write it out. For example, I
learned there are really many great resources available through PDA!
I learned I shouldn’t have waited so long to join
my local dental society. Professional camaraderie
is something one takes for granted while in school.
It’s nice to have colleagues to commiserate with.
I learned it’s good to have a mentor. I appreciated
all the knowledge and experience my uncle shared
with me.
I learned that, sadly, even those patients who
understand the mouth-body connection can doubt
its value. No one would haggle about setting a
broken arm, so why do they quibble about restoring
Jessica A. Guy, DMD, wife
and mother of two, is a
general dentist with Pocono
Kids Dental Care located
in the Valerie M. Hodge
Memorial Dental Clinic
in East Stroudsburg. She is
a 2004 graduate of Temple
dental school.
a broken molar?.
I learned when it comes to billing and insurance,
a great office manager is a must and that your team
must share your vision. When they do, you gain a
little island of consistency in the stormy sea of everyday surprises.
And I learned that balancing my personal life was
even more complicated than office affairs.
My husband and I were used to long days. He’s
always worked a heavy schedule and my studies had
demanded a tremendous amount of my time. So
when I traded them for charts and EOB’s it wasn’t too
different for us, but it was hard for our baby boy. I
know childcare has become necessary for most families, just as dual income has, but with a fledgling
practice and my husband commuting, we found our
son could be in daycare for 10-12 hours each day.
Career and family: it is difficult to have both
without sacrificing something. It was difficult to face
the fact that our little one spent so much time away
from us. Since the practice was so new, my husband’s
job was providing our financial stability but it offered
no flexibility. After much deliberation I consolidated
my schedule to allow for more time with our son.
Time flew by and before I knew it our baby boy
was old enough for preschool! Since he was in class
five days a week, I began opening up my schedule.
The logical next step would have been to buy into
my uncle’s practice but I wasn’t entirely sure about
this decision. While private practice was fulfilling, I
often found myself wishing I could do more. Like
many areas of the state, mine has a large problem
with access to care. And like many, I couldn’t work
the state plans into my practice, so I started to look
outward. I told my family that before I committed to
partnership I might want to give clinic work a try.
I applied to work at St. Luke’s Union Station Dental
Clinic, but the position had been filled. However,
they still needed doctors to serve on their mobile
dental clinic, the HealthStar II, providing care to
underinsured children in the Bethlehem/Easton area.
Eagerly, and a bit nervously, I agreed. As my first day
drew near the common fears raced through my head:
kids can be unpredictable and uncooperative when
fully immersed in clinic care, working part-time for
both health systems, I knew I had found my passion
in public health and, surprisingly enough, pediatrics.
When a full-time position opened with PHS, I
resigned from active duty at St. Luke’s, ending my
commute.
So what now? I’m very happy but I wish I could
do a pediatric residency. It’s not just because I’m tired
of having to remind parents that, “although we’re a
pediatric practice, I’m just a general dentist who
likes working with kids.” I want the skills that come
with the credentials. Pocono Kids Dental Care is still
a basic needs clinic; currently myself, two hygienists
and two assistants provide preventative, restorative
and some surgical care under cooperation and local
anesthetic. Children with complex cases behaviorally,
medically and dentally are referred to a pedodontist.
Dr. Jessica Guy
using big pokey metal tools to perform uncomfortable
procedures on them. Kids hate shots. Kids cry! In
reality I knew it wouldn’t be that bad as I had a
handful of pintsized patients in private practice. Still,
being able to handle the occasional pre-adolescent
is not the same as working a full schedule. The
funny thing was, once aboard I found things really
weren’t that bad; actually they were very, very good.
It wasn’t too long before I realized I wanted to do
public health full-time. While I loved my private
patients I knew if I closed my practice they would
be able to find new dental homes, as there are many
top-notch doctors in my county. My concern was
more pedestrian: the drive to and from Bethlehem. I
know a lot of people are commuters, but I am not
one of them. That’s when chance smiled on me again.
I was contacted by Pocono Health System (PHS)
about a part-time position in their Valerie M. Hodge
Memorial Dental Center providing basic needs care
for children ages 3-18 on state assistance. I grew up
in Stroudsburg, and my mom has been an RN for
PHS since before I was born. When I began my search
for clinic work my first thought was Pocono, but no
positions were available at the time. Working for
their clinic, Pocono Kids Dental Care, I would finally
be able to help out in my own community, so I said
yes to PHS and goodbye to private practice. Once
Still, residency would mean a two-year sabbatical
and uprooting my family. The goal is selfless, but to
reach it I’d have to be selfish. I know I’m doing good
work but I feel capable of doing so much more. For
now I’ll look for other ways to improve and expand
the program.
And my family? On an average weekday, I get
to spend about four waking hours with my kids:
one before work, three after. Yes, there are kids now.
In August, just before our little boy turned five, we
welcomed a beautiful baby girl. I only took eight
weeks leave and decided to stay full time as I had
“my other kids” at the clinic to consider. My mom is
watching our little girl, and although I miss my
baby terribly while I’m at work, I feel less guilty about
my hours because I know she’s with her Grammy.
Kindergarten keeps our son busy during the day.
We try to make the most of our free time. Once the
kids are in bed, I get two hours to spend on my
hubby or CE or bill paying or laundry or, even sometimes, me. Often I find there aren’t enough hours in
the day so I cheat, like tonight when I’m up past
bedtime, and deadline, trying to care for our baby
girl and type at the same time. But stealing time only
works for so long. There are people who don’t need
sleep, but I’m not one of them. So, off to bed I go to
dream of what fate might hand me next.
25
Dr. Drew Carlin: Conquering New Challenges Every Day
I didn’t commit to becoming a dentist until late
in my college career. I was still considering medical
school, but every physician I spoke to openly discouraged me with complaints of long hours and
poor compensation, loss of autonomy for treatment
decisions and oppressive insurance companies.
In the fall of my senior year I spent an internship
with a family dentist who obviously enjoyed his
profession. He felt very rewarded practicing and
running his own business, and the dentist’s patients
made it known how much they appreciated his efforts.
Looking back, I understood very little of what clinical dentistry was about, but the idea of being able
to treat pain and dental disease, be your own boss,
improve a person’s self-image and avoid much of the
upheaval overtaking modern medicine was very
alluring. By the end of the semester, I had decided
them at an early stage.
When I became aware of the number of dental
specialties that existed, I was intrigued by the idea of
becoming a specialist, focusing on one specific
problem within dental medicine and helping to
coordinate care within that discipline. I never had
that one pivotal moment or patient that sent me on
the path to pediatrics, but a series of experiences
that culminated with my application to a pediatric
residency position.
Pediatrics is probably the scariest field for most
dentists. Like most of my classmates, I had written
off ever choosing to treat more children than I
absolutely had to early on. I was fortunate to have
some very good instructors and a handful of patients
that I enjoyed working with. I also had a series of
personal revelations as I related to dentistry. A lot of
Dr.DrewCarlin
to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
Dental school is mostly long stretches of monotony
punctuated by moments of terror, unless you are
fortunate enough to have good friends to share the
experience with. Hearing the experiences shared by
other graduates, I don’t think I am doing a disservice
to my alma mater by saying this. Dental schools
(and faculties) do not seem to spend much time
coddling their students. There is little to prepare you
for the experience, especially when the day comes to
begin caring for live patients, and there is little assistance for those who struggle.
My friends had two theories to explain the chair to
my left in the preclinical laboratory: either it was
cursed, or I was quietly driving people mad. During
my first year of dental school, three different students
sat to my left in turn. Each very suddenly departed,
to be replaced by another unsuspecting studentdoctor, never to be seen or heard from again. My
group of friends was close to the first girl, and we
took her loss very hard. By the time the third casualty
came along, it had become a source of dark humor
and we took strength in the fact that the rest of us
were going strong. I am sure those people are better
off today having figured out dentistry was not for
26
my adult patients were extreme dental phobics, and
hadn’t seen a dentist in many years, often because
of some traumatic experience at the hands of a mean,
sadistic dentist when they were young. A large
segment of the population avoids regular dental care
because of dental anxiety, which in turn contributes
to severe dental disease and a need for more invasive
dental procedures when the patient finally does turn
up. I wanted to get to these patients earlier, before
the cycle of chronic disease and debilitating anxiety
takes hold. I also found that I had much more
empathy and patience for a kid just being a kid, than
a middle-aged person being a really big child.
The profession also appeals to me because it is
multi-faceted. Pediatric dentistry has become the
specialty tasked with caring for patients with special
health care needs, as well as the field dedicated to
treating dentoalveolar trauma because of the
associated child behavioral issues. The challenge of
taking on patients who others may be unable or
unwilling to see, and treating others in times of distress, is very rewarding.
I was among the fortunate applicants to match
with a pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of
Buffalo, affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo School of
Dental Medicine. I only realized how privileged I really
was when, as a second-year chief resident, I helped
interview and rank prospective candidates. There are
a host of well-qualified and deserving individuals
intensely competing for a few precious resident positions every year.
What stands out from my two years at Buffalo are
a lot of late-evening and middle-of-the-night visits to
the emergency department while on-call, a lot of
hard work in the clinics on some (mostly) wonderful
patients, and the best group of fellow residents in
the world, without hyperbole. It was great-on-the-job
training, and I learned firsthand by observing my
attendings both what to do and what not to do.
Residency was a tremendous stepping stone from
dental school to private practice. I believe there are a
few special students who are equipped to make the
Drew J. Carlin, DMD,
earned his dental medicine
doctorate at Temple
University in 2007. An Erie
native, he now practices
n his hometown at
Beautiful Smiles Children’s
Dental Health.
transition without postdoctoral experience, but most
would benefit from even a year of additional training
as a few states now require. My patient load jumped
from around 2 a day to 16, I had regular collaboration with experienced colleagues in dentistry and in
the medical profession, and training in sedation,
anesthesia, pediatric medicine and trauma. It was a
hard two years and an invaluable experience.
The best part of pediatrics is being at the forefront
of dental public health, with the opportunity to educate parents and children and help treat the most
prevalent chronic childhood disease in this country.
I also have the challenge of treating patients who
otherwise might not receive care for health, developmental or behavioral reasons.
The easiest part of transitioning to private practice
has been the professionalism and support of my boss
and his staff. There can be a lot of social and political turmoil swirling beneath the surface of any busy
dental office. It says a lot about a group if they can
allow a young, untested dentist to come in and help
him to work up to his potential and feel welcomed.
The hardest part has been working alongside a
trusted and well-respected doctor who has been in
practice for more than 25 years. While his practice is
treating second-generation patients, for me gaining
parent (and patient) trust is a daily struggle. Every
week or so, just to keep me from getting overconfident,
I seem to get a precocious kid in my chair who asks
his mother something along the lines of, “does he
know what he’s doing?” Even worse are the parents
who show their obvious disappointment when I,
rather than the other doctor, come over to examine
their child.
On a personal level, for me the hardest part of
being a dentist is trying to leave the dentistry at the
office. I see a lot of children with severe dental
disease, and many of those kids and their parents
are ill-equipped to cope with treatment. Most of my
experiences are positive, but I tend to forget the
good and hold onto the bad. I am fortunate to have
a supportive wife and beautiful son to come home to
at the end of the day. I try to remember the wisdom
of one of my attendings, who told me that as time
goes on you will find you win more battles than you
lose, and I try to learn from each experience that
doesn’t exactly go my way.
To anyone soon to enter the practice of dentistry,
I think the best advice given to me was from an
instructor in dental school who said it was up to me
to graduate with a solid foundation, but I would
never leave knowing how to do everything well. There
is simply too much to know and too many methods
and materials to master. The key to a good dental
education is learning to be self-critical, to know how
to evaluate what you have done on your own and to
learn how to improve on your next attempt.
Next fall I will sit before the American Board of
Pediatric Dentistry to attempt to become boardcertified in my field. Board certification may be the
last important piece of paper on my office wall, but
the work of professional improvement is perpetual.
We have a lot of work to do as a profession and a
community at large to educate the population about
the epidemic of childhood dental caries and the
poor lifestyle decisions that contribute to this crisis.
Every day is a new challenge, and my patients are
never predictable.
27
Dr. Stefanie S. Walker: Going the Extra Mile for the Next Generation of Dentists
By Brian Mark Schwab, DMD, Associate Editor
As many dental school graduates flock to residencies and to the realm of private practice, we need to
remember that our dental schools are facing a major
crisis: a lack of faculty members to educate the next
generation of dentists.
This is a national problem, not just a Pennsylvania
problem. There are currently several hundred faculty
vacancies across the 58 dental schools in the United
States and Puerto Rico. This problem is only expected
to intensify and get worse over time.
The following story revolves around a discussion
that I had with my great friend and colleague, Dr.
Stefanie S. Walker.
Dr. Walker was born and raised near Stuttgart,
associated with general dentistry and that she would
excel in her pre-clinical and clinical experiences. At
one point in dental school, Stefanie considered a
possible interest in prosthodontics because she loved
cosmetic procedures, crown and bridge, and comprehensive treatment planning.
During dental school at Penn, Stefanie did an
externship for several weeks at the University of
Colorado at Denver where she spent most of her time
observing and treating patients in the GPR. She liked
it so much that she eventually decided to enter the
GPR herself where she mastered her clinical skills in
oral surgery, implantology, endodontics, and many
other disciplines.
Stefanie also discovered that she had a special
knack for dealing with patients who had crippling
Dr.Stefanie
Germany and came to the United States to pursue
an undergraduate education at Oakland University
in Michigan. She graduated from The University of
Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2006 and
completed the general practice residency (GPR) at
the University of Colorado at Denver in 2007. She is
currently the director of the GPR and also maintains
an intramural practice within the University of
Colorado at Denver. She spends one day a week
teaching in the undergraduate dental emergency
clinic in addition to dividing the remainder of her
time between her obligations to her patients and her
residents.
Stefanie decided she wanted to work in the dental
field after she graduated from high school and
performed a six-week rotation at a dental hospital in
Tuebingen, Germany, where she assisted in multiple
specialties and clinics. Upon entering dental school,
she had also spent several months working in the
office of an orthodontist in Michigan. She had an
affinity for orthodontics and thought she would
possibly end up studying it someday. Little did she
know that she would fall in love with the variety
28
dental phobias. She was so good at dealing with
difficult patients that her colleagues were referring
patients to her that not only had special
emotional/psychological needs but also special medical needs.
“It really rounded out my education,” Stefanie
said, “and it allowed me to offer care to people whom
otherwise were not able to attain dental care.
“This is my greatest reward as a dentist and I recall
this whenever I feel consumed with too much work.”
Stefanie entered her residency in Colorado
expecting to become more educated in general and
cosmetic dentistry, after which she would join an
established practice or maybe even set up a practice
of her own. Because she was such an outstanding
resident, the faculty members at the University of
Colorado asked her to join them as a faculty member
at the dental school after she completed her
residency. They appointed Stefanie to the rank of
associate professor, and her responsibilities included
teaching one day a week in the clinic and devoting
the remainder of her time in direct patient care.
This lasted only a short period of time before
Stefanie was promoted, by her peers, to be the director of the faculty practice. The faculty practice is a
highly respected clinical practice composed of general
dentists and specialists, all of whom are clinical
faculty members who supplement their incomes by
providing care with a private practice feel within the
realm of the university. Stefanie was willing to take
upon the additional administrative responsibilities
of being director of the faculty practice, although she
admits the HR intricacies of a large university were
extremely frustrating and user-unfriendly, but she
did not want to give up her teaching time or her time
practicing dentistry. She continued to work three and
a half days as a dentist, one day as a teaching faculty
member, and half a day handing her administrative
duties, in which she oversaw over 20 doctors and
for the patient and the profession, and to uphold the
highest of ethical standards.
Stefanie touches the hearts of her colleagues,
students and patients alike. Her intense dedication
and professionalism are of the highest caliber, and
although she sets lofty goals, she never ceases from
hard work until those goals are materialized. One
undergraduate student shared with Stefanie that he
was unable to competently perform dental extractions. Stefanie worked one on one with this student,
explaining her technique, and not only was he able
to extract that tooth, but he reached competency in
oral surgery and is applying to oral surgery programs
as he finishes his dental school this spring.
If we sit back and recall our own dental school
experiences, we can each think of at least one faculty
Walker
dozens of staff members.
“I always hoped that I would end up teaching parttime in a university setting because I was a teaching
assistant at Penn for operative dentistry, removable
and fixed prosthodontics and worked as a tutor
for students who had trouble developing their hand
skills,” Stefanie said.
Her story goes one step further.
A few months ago, the Dean of the School of
Dental Medicine at the University of Colorado at
Denver, Dr. Denise Kassebaum, approached Stefanie
to ask her if she would consider becoming the
director of the GPR program. In her new role,
Stefanie would be totally responsible for the didactic
education and clinical experiences of her residents
as well as the administrative responsibilities involved
in running a program of this kind.
“It will definitely be a lot of work, but I know it
will get done, and at the end of the day, my residents
will be among the best trained in the nation!” she said.
Stefanie will hold her residents to the same
standards she holds herself to: hard work, excellence
in dental techniques and knowledge, advocacy
Stefanie S. Walker, DMD, is a 2006 graduate
of Penn dental school and a member
of the American Dental Association, the
Colorado Dental Association, and the Metro
Denver Dental Association.
member who really had a profound impact on us.
It is remarkable to see that despite a major loss in the
rank and file faculty members in American dental
schools today, there always were and always will be
special educators like Dr. Stefanie Walker who
will promote the art and science of dentistry in the
academic settings.
“Going the extra mile for my students is within
my role as a teacher and unlike some professors
who consider teaching to be just a job, I consider it
to be my life,” she says.
Thanks for all the hard work Stefanie. The
Pennsylvania Dental Association appreciates your
endeavors toward the betterment of dental education.
29
Dr. Alejandro Montalvo: Overcoming Initial Hardships Builds Confidence
Dentistry wasn’t a career I considered until years
after I graduated college with no prerequisites
completed for a medical career. I did, however, have
enough academic qualifications to work in advertising, and as luck would have it, I went to work for
a medical advertising firm that led to my exposure to
dentistry that eventually became an interest and
eventually a career.
I went to dental school in Massachusetts, and knew
early on that I was interested primarily in general
dentistry rather than a specialty degree. In retrospect,
I knew very little about the variety of positions available to general dentists, but knew that I would be
moving to Pennsylvania after graduation because my
wife had accepted a job offer in Philadelphia. Finding
Alejandro R. Montalvo, DMD is a 2008 graduate of
the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
phere I had recently left. Those few dentists looking
to hire associates had only limited hours to offer. I
was eventually able to assemble a reasonable parttime schedule in three different private practices and
a community health center. Again, there were
tradeoffs. While building a patient base was difficult,
observing the different styles of office and patient
management were a great learning experience.
After a few months, the community health center
offered me a full-time position with administrative
duties. I had experience working in a community
health setting previously, and while the pace of the
clinic can often approach that of the franchises, the
spirit of the work elevates it into something much
more rewarding. Improving access to care for an
Alejandro
Dr.Montalvo
a job can be tricky on its own, and having to do so
in another state while finishing dental requirements
did not make things any easier. Ultimately – possibly
because their recruitment pitch was very well
practiced – I took a position as a general dentist at
one of the local dental franchises.
My time with the franchise had memorable highs
and lows. On the one hand, I saw more patients in
four months than some of my friends in GPR
programs saw in their full year of residency. My speed
increased dramatically as a result of the fast pace.
However, I also was exposed to things that were
never discussed in dental school. Profit-driven
dentistry and questionable patient ethics were
hallmarks, and I never felt at home. Ultimately, the
corporate nature of the franchise became my savior
as I was laid off in a restructuring move at the height
of the economic crisis.
Relief didn’t last long, as entering the job market
in the middle of a recession presented me with few
options for new employment and fewer that did not
carry similar signatures from the franchise atmos-
30
underserved population is personally fulfilling, while
working with volunteers from various fields and
backgrounds in dentistry is professionally enriching
as well.
Despite the hardships in the first year, it’s hard to
imagine having taken a different path to where I am
now. The exposure to different populations, styles
of work and personalities has left me much more
confident about the challenges faced in this field.
And my advice to any student or recent graduate is
to do whatever it takes to build your confidence as
you head into whatever is your next step. Residencies,
CE courses, relentlessly picking the brains of anyone
you know working in your region.
I am unable at this time to predict what the future
has in store for my career. Regardless, through the
lessons and experiences I had in my first year out of
dental school I feel I will be well prepared.
Your New ADA Trustee:
Dr.Charles R.Weber
Charles R. Weber, DMD, a past president of the Pennsylvania Dental Association, was
installed as the Third District Trustee of the American Dental Association October 10 at the
ADA’s 150th Annual Session and World Marketplace Exhibition in Hawaii.
Serving as the trustee from the third district, Dr. Weber will represent Pennsylvania on the
ADA Board, which formulates and reviews policies and programs and makes recommendations
to the members of the ADA’s governing body, the House of Delegates.
Dr. Weber, a general dentist from West Chester, will
play a major role in the ADA’s organizational objective of being
America’s leading advocate for oral health.
After graduating from Seton Hall University and the
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Weber
served as a captain in the United States Army Dental Corps,
on active duty from 1969 to 1971. At that point, he went into
private practice and soon became involved in organized dentistry.
At the national level, Dr. Weber served on the ADA’s
Council on Dental Practice from 1997 to 2001 and the Council
on ADA Sessions from 2003 to 2007. In addition to serving as
PDA president in 2004-2005, Dr. Weber is also a past president of the Chester-Delaware
Dental Society and the Second District Valley Forge Dental Society, where he served as district
trustee to the PDA from 2000-2004.
He has been a delegate in the ADA and PDA House of Delegates for many years, and has
served on the ADA Council on Dental Practice as well as the ADA Council on Annual Sessions.
Throughout his time as a PDA leader, Dr. Weber has taken a great interest in technological
advancements and PDA’s increased use of its communications tools. He has been a longtime
member of the editorial board of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal.
Dr. Weber and his wife, Karen, reside in East Goshen, Pa., and are the parents of three
adult children.
31
Dr. Sara Haines: Navigating the Unique Challenges of a Dentist AND New Mom
By Brian Mark Schwab, DMD, Associate Editor
The American Dental Association reports that the
average indebtedness for a dental school graduate
exceeds $130,000. New Dentists have an enormous
challenge to face with respect to economics.
Many times, it is essential to purchase a home
and/or business. For one member of our Pennsylvania
Dental Association New Dentist Committee (NDC),
the list of obligations hits new proportions because
of the addition of a baby to her family.
Dr. Sara L. Haines, of Millersburg, graduated from
the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental
Medicine in 2009 and she and her husband just
added daughter Makayla to their family in November.
Historically speaking, dentists and dental school
graduates have been primarily men. In 2010, we are
approaching equal gender representation in American
dental schools. At the University of Pennsylvania
School of Dental Medicine for example, the incoming
freshman class has had more women than men for
the past six years.
There is a unique subset of challenges that women
new dentists face with respect to their male peers.
Dr. Haines offered to help us understand these differences.
“Being a full-time working mom is difficult but
rewarding,” Sara said, when asked about life after
dental school. “Having a daughter forces me to work
harder in the office and in my home and I try to
make every second away from my daughter worth it.”
Professional mothers really became mainstream in
the 1980s, when educated women began integrating
into the professional workplace in force. Sara is not
alone in her experience. Female dental students,
who do not have children while in school, generally
will begin having children within the first few years
of working as dentists. When recalling her need
for a few weeks of maternity leave, Sara stated that
“as a female, one of the features of a practice that
I was looking for was to have a group practice with
at least one associate so that the practice would not
have to be shut down for prolonged periods of time.”
As demographics change, we will see more and
more women dentists.
“Many people are surprised to see a young female
as their dentist,” Sara shared. “It was interesting
getting friends and patients to understand that I was
34
a real dentist, prepared to do fillings, extractions,
root canals.”
Fortunately for Sara, she moved into her hometown and joined a practice where she already knew
a majority of the patients.
“Everyone made me feel very much at home and
welcomed,” she said.
Sara also describes her dental school experience
as being “stressful, challenging, and uplifting, because
you were in the same boat as the rest of your
classmates.”
“We were all going through the same steps at the
same time,” she added, “and it was really nice to
be able to share notes, techniques, and study with
friends.”
In the 1970s, women dental students shared in
Sara L. Haines, DMD, is a
2009 graduate of the
School of Dental Medicine and
practices in Millersburg.
surveys that they were not treated with equality by
male professors and fellow male dental students.
Thankfully in 2009, men and women are treated
indifferently in American dental schools.
According to the American Association of Women
Dentists (AAWD), by the end of this decade, nearly
one-half of the dentists practicing in the United
States will be women. This means that male dominated practices will need to be able to offer certain
degrees of flexibility when opening their doors to
women associates. The AAWD states that hiring a
woman associate will not affect profitability or
efficiency. Dental manufacturers are now beginning
to address and dispense with products and services
that better suit the needs of women dentists such as
smaller “petite” aspirating syringes and operating
chairs that have smaller, lower backs, both of which
align as more user-friendly for women dentists. In
1971, 3 percent of all dental students were women;
soon we will approach the point at which 50
percent of practicing dentists are women. According
to the AAWD, more women are happier with their
careers in dentistry than their male counterparts and
the ratio of women to men is expected to increase.
Sara has a very interesting aside in her path to
becoming a dentist. She initially went to Dental
Hygiene School at the University of Pittsburgh and
realized after she graduated that she wanted to be
a dentist.
“Upon graduating with my DMD degree, I wanted
to start working as soon as possible, but with just
a degree and no license and no DEA number, I was
unable to work as a dentist but I was able to work as
dental hygienist,” Sara said.
This allowed for the few weeks to pass by more
quickly because Sara was prepared to work and
familiarize herself with the office, the staff, the
members in dental school taught me about patient
management. I am glad that we had such great
faculty members at Pitt and I am also thankful for all
the real-world experiences I had being involved with
ASDA and the PDA.”
There is no doubt that Dr. Sara Haines is well on
her way to becoming an excellent family dentist.
Her passion for the profession and for continuing
education speaks for itself. She joined PDA’s NDC
right out of dental school and has already offered
many good improvements and suggestions to the
discussions of that group.
Many years ago, it was thought that women
dentists would not be of full value to the workforce.
Women were expected not to work as many hours
as men, they were predicted to take time off to raise
Dr.SaraHaines
patients and other logistics. Once she had her
license in hand, she began working full time.
The AAWD reported that women dentists work
only four hours less per week than male dentists, down
significantly from the 1980s when nearly 50 percent
of women dentists worked on a part-time basis.
The AAWD also states that women dentists have
the ability to address their patients’ fears more directly
than their male counterparts. Sara shared that in
dental school she had a very phobic patient who
needed a lower 2nd molar extracted. She asked the
patient why he was afraid and he said that he was
“afraid of dentists.” Sara added a humorous touch
because she told him that he need not worry, because
she was not yet a dentist! The patient laughed
and was able to get through his treatment with no
further difficulty.
“A relaxed patient is a good patient,” Sara said,
and “I try to first assure that a patient under my care
is totally relaxed and calm.
“I try to remember the things that my faculty
children, and they were projected to be unable to
offer the full range of comprehensive services that
male dentists could offer. I am happy to see that all
of these projections are false and that women
dentists are capable of offering great dental care to
their patients. Women dentists will offer similar
hours and work ethics as their male counterparts
and they will join the ranks of those dentists who
have made American Dentistry the best in the world.
New women dentists face challenges that are totally
unique to them and luckily, they are well prepared
in school to face those challenges and meet the
demands of the profession.
35
Dr. Constance Wilson: Practice Thriving Despite Surprises, Bumps in the Road
This was not what I expected.
Here I was, fresh out of dental school, and the
proud owner of my own practice. Not working as an
associate, making money for some other doctor. I was
going to do things my way, on my terms.
But, see, I didn’t figure on this. One month in, I
had to give someone the axe.
How the heck do I do this? Will I get sued? What
if she cries? Or, worse, what if she yells at me?
Somehow, during the past four years of school they
skipped this lesson.
Like it hasn’t been hard enough running my own
practice. Paying people on time, the proper rate.
Does everyone have the same trouble counting the
number of days in a pay period? And who knew that
Constance
all my heart, but the thought of spending the next
20 years of my professional life being called “Baby
Doc” didn’t hold a lot of appeal.
But a dad’s still going to be a dad, and he’s still
always there to help. He’s always there for me with
advice, teaching me the tricks of the trade and even
holding my hand sometimes when necessary. For
instance, I recently had to replace an EFDA on short
notice. My father gave me what I call my “early
inheritance,” his incredibly experienced EFDA, Trish,
who has been a dream to work with.
In fact, I count myself very lucky with my entire
team. I work side by side with Dr. Julie Barna, who
has been practicing in the Lewisburg area for 28
years. I count myself fortunate every day that I can
Dr.Wilson
changing toothbrushes would actually have
meaningful impact on a hygienist’s life? And taxes?
My parents did that for me!
Yet, even when things look bleak, I know that I’m
actually pretty lucky. I may be the one who has to
make the tough decisions, but I can still always
count on my family, my current staff and my former
classmates for some amazing support along the way.
I guess we can all say we wouldn’t be here without
our families. But for me it’s doubly true.
See, I grew up in a very dental family. My dad
graduated from Temple and has been practicing dentistry for close to 40 years. My mother has been a
hygienist for the same amount of time. I can depend
on my brother for all sorts of amazing overnight lab
fixes, as he has been a lab technician for years. And,
my sister... the black sheep. Don’t know why she
didn’t want to play with teeth all of her life... She’s a
teacher but I can always count on her for the best
moral support, ever.
Like my father, I did my dental studies at Temple.
Also like my father, I returned to central Pennsylvania
to begin my practice. But when I graduated, I knew
I wasn’t going to work with my dad. I love him with
36
Constance L. Wilson,
DMD, is a 2008
graduate of Temple
University’s Kornberg
School of Dentistry and
practices in Lewisburg.
rely on her wealth of experiences and expert opinions.
A nice bonus, too, is that Julie had a great team
already working with her that I got to adopt as my
own. Our super sweet and experienced hygienist
Barb and our perfect secretary Janie make up a team
that’s a true pleasure to work with and learn from.
Of course, my dental support group doesn’t stop
there. After fighting our way through four years of
early morning classes (as well as some evening
activities that might not be quite as ADA approved),
I know that former Temple classmates will always
make time to give me advice, or just listen to me
complain. (And if not...I’m pretty sure some of you
owe me money. Just saying.)
Anyway, with the support of my family, my super
staff, and my friends from dental school, I got through
that firing, unpleasant as it was. And I’ve gotten
through a few more bumps along the way too. I’m
probably still not the world’s greatest businesswoman,
but I’m definitely feeling more comfortable.
Oh, and I even know what tax forms are now!
Now if someone could only walk me through Quick
Books...
New Website
Sections Launched
In our ongoing effort to educate the public with information
regarding dental health, PDA recently unveiled a brand new section
of the website, the Kids’ Corner. This section, featuring a cartoon
molar named Topher Tooth,
is geared towards children of
all ages. It offers interactive
games, activities and valuable
information on a variety of
oral health topics. The site
features the long and interesting history of dentistry and
the tools used to keep smiles
healthy, as well as frequently
asked questions covering
everything from gingivitis to
braces. Kids will find information on how to keep their
teeth healthy by brushing and
flossing, nutritional tips, an explanation and diagrams of the different
types of teeth and much more.
Bright colors, fun graphics and buttons for easy navigation add to
this section’s appeal. Please visit the Kids’ Corner and tell your
patients to check it out at www.padental.org/kidscorner.
Another important part of the PDA website is the National Children’s
Dental Health Month (NCDHM) section. Because NCDHM has
three different audiences – dentists, teachers and students – three
separate sections have been developed, each catering towards a
specific group of viewers. Dentists will find information on the NCDHM
Rewards program, district and local chair responsibilities, event
planning tips, a material order form and more. The students’ and
teachers’ sections feature downloadable activity sheets, a classroom
lesson plan, the history of NCDHM, poster contest information
and comment forms. Visit www.padental.org/ncdhm to explore these
sections and prepare for your NCDHM event this February.
If you have any comments or suggestions for PDA’s website, please
contact Natalie Kinsinger, web content and graphic design manager,
at (717) 234-5941, ext. 104 or nmk@padental.org.
37
Keeping
Current with
the Evolving
Makeup of the
Pennsylvania
Population
By H. Barry Waldman, DDS, MPH, PhD
Abstract
The changing residential
population of the Pennsylvania
requires continued monitoring
if health practitioners are to
maintain an awareness of the
individuals in their community.
A review of federal agency
reports provides a general
overview of Pennsylvania and
national demographic and health
factor characteristics.
38
Between 2000 and 2008, there
was an increase of 167,000 in the
population of Pennsylvania (a 1.4
percent increase, from 12,281,000 to
12,448,000 residents – compared
to an 8.0 percent increase nationally).
The increasing numbers and
evolving makeup of the residential
population of the state requires
continued monitoring if health
practitioners are to maintain an
awareness of the individuals in their
community. For example, since
2000 there were limited changes in
the proportional distribution of the
racial populations in the state:
• White non-Hispanic residents
in the population increased from
85.4 percent to 85.6 percent.
• Black non-Hispanics residents
increased from10.0 percent to
10.8 percent.
• Asian and Hispanic residents
increased, respectively, from
1.8 percent to 2.4 percent and 3.2
percent to 4.5 percent.1, 2
In 2000, 91.6 percent (11.5 million
individuals 5 years and older)
spoke English as their primary
language. However, at home:
• 357,000 residents spoke
Spanish
• 144,000 spoke various
Asian and Pacific Island
languages, including
Chinese, Korean,
Tagalog, Japanese,
Thai, Miao, and
Hmong
• 70,000 spoke Italian
• 69,000 spoke German
• 47,000 spoke French
• 32,000 spoke Russian
• 31,000 spoke Polish
• 20,000 spoke Arabic
• 10,000 spoke various African
languages.3
Health status
The recent far-reaching 2008
report by the National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion, Behavioral Risk
Factors Surveillance System,
includes demographic information
at the national level and for
each state regarding the resident
population’s health status, use
of oral health services and health
insurance coverage.4
General Health status
About 84 percent of the Pennsylvania
population and 85 percent of the
national population reported that
they were in good or excellent health.
• Among Pennsylvania residents, a
slightly greater proportion of
females than males and a greater
proportion of blacks than whites
were in fair or poor health.
• The proportion of individuals
with fair or poor health increased
with age, with progressively
lower incomes and reduced levels
of education.
Disabilities
Approximately one-in-five
Pennsylvania and U.S. adult residents
reported one or more disabilities,
including physical, mental or emotional problems.
• Among Pennsylvania residents, a
greater proportion of females than
males and a greater proportion of
blacks and Hispanics than whites
reported that they had a disability.
• The proportion of individuals with
disabilities increased with age, with
progressively lower incomes
and reduced levels
of education.
Dental visits
Health insurance coverage
A similar percent of Pennsylvania
and U.S. residents (71 percent)
reported a dental visit in the past
year.
• Among Pennsylvania residents,
a greater percent of females than
males, whites and Hispanics
than blacks, and populations with
progressively higher income and
education reported a dental visit
in the past year.
• Between ages 18 and 64 years, 67
to 75 percent, and 64 percent of
the 65 and over population reported a dental visit in the past year.
About 88 percent of Pennsylvania
residents, compared to 85 percent
of U.S. residents had some form
of health insurance coverage. Note:
the federal report does not specify
the particular types of coverage
(public vs. private) or the types of
covered health services.
women, whites, progressively
older, higher income and educated
populations had health insurance
coverage. (Tables 1 and 2)
Tooth extractions
A greater percent of Pennsylvania
adult residents (51 percent) than
U.S. residents (44 percent) reported
that they had any permanent teeth
extracted.
blacks, progressively older
residents, lower income and
reduced levels of education
populations reported having had
permanent teeth extracted.
The availability of insurance
coverage is a significant factor in
the use of health services. The
lack of insurance coverage may be
a factor in higher rates of tooth
extractions (i.e. a less expensive
procedures than complex restorative
services) for lower income and
black populations.
Chronic disease factors
The National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion also provides an
extended report on chronic disease
indicators for each state and
national averages. In most areas
that are reviewed there are limited
differences between Pennsylvania
and national data.
39
Table 1.
Health status, disabilities, dental visits, tooth extractions and health insurance coverage
of U.S. and Pennsylvania adult residents: 2008 4
Health status
Limited activity
due to physical,
mental or emotional Dental visit
problems
in past year
Good
or better
Fair
or poor
Any permanent Health insurance
teeth extracted
coverage
United States
84.9%
15.0%
20.5%
71.3%
43.9%
85.4%
Pennsylvania
83.6
16.3
21.0
71.0
50.7
88.5
Gender
Male
Female
84.1
83.3
15.8
16.7
19.7
22.3
68.1
73.7
50.1
51.3
85.8
91.0
Race/ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
Other
84.8
75.4
81.3
84.0
15.1
24.6
18.7
15.9
20.7
24.7
24.7
13.6
71.9
60.8
72.7
74.7
50.7
60.0
41.5
na
90.3
79.2
na
84.8
91.6
90.6
88.4
84.8
78.7
71.8
8.3
9.3
11.5
15.1
21.2
28.1
15.0
14.6
14.9
20.5
28.8
29.8
72.6
67.3
73.5
74.4
74.9
64.3
13.9
30.2
38.2
53.8
69.3
84.4
74.2
83.5
88.4
89.0
91.9
98.0
Household income
<$15,000
$15-24,999
$25-34,999
$35-49,999
$50,000+
59.3
72.0
79.6
86.7
92.6
40.6
28.0
20.3
13.2
7.4
47.4
28.2
25.5
20.3
13.7
47.6
54.8
62.8
69.8
83.0
70.4
68.8
60.1
59.3
38.5
78.7
79.1
84.3
90.0
94.7
Education
< High school
High school
High school +
College grad
65.6
78.3
86.0
92.9
34.3
21.6
13.9
7.1
32.7
23.5
19.9
15.9
53.3
64.7
73.0
81.6
73.8
62.2
45.8
35.0
77.0
86.4
88.8
93.6
Age
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
• More than 60 percent of the adult
population is overweight or obese.
• About half of the population has
inadequate physical activity.
• 16 percent of adults report they
binge drink and about one-in-five
smoke.
• Nationally, there are 31,000 annual new cases of invasive cancer of
40
the oral cavity and pharynx.
• Slightly more than one-quarter of
adults have been informed they
have high blood pressures; 83
percent of Pennsylvania residents
so informed are taking medication.
• About 71 percent of dentulous
adults had their teeth cleaned in
the previous year. (Table 3)
Commentary
No single review can provide a
complete inventory of the sweeping
changes in the demographic and
health factor characteristics of our
nation and in Pennsylvania.
Nevertheless, individual practitioners
increasingly will need to maintain
currency with many of these
Table 2.
Reported average and range of health status, disabilities,
dental visits, tooth extractions and health insurance coverage
average of U.S. and Pennsylvania adult residents: 2008 4
General health
Good or excellent
Fair or poor
Pennsylvania
Average
Average
United States
Range by state
84%
16
76% (WV) - 89% (UT)
24
11
85%
15
developments. The detailed studies
referenced in this review can be
explored by individual practitioners
to provide initial steps in this
process. Just as the lessons learned
in dental schools those many years
ago must continuously be updated,
so too must an awareness of the
individuals being served in our communities.
References
Disabilities
One or more
21
20
17 (IA, ND) - 26 (OK)
Dental visit
In past year
71
71
58 (OK)
- 80 (CT)
Tooth extractions
One or more tooth
extractions
51
44
33 (UT)
- 60 (WV)
Health insurance
Any form
85
74 (TX)
- 95 (MA)
89
Table 3.
Selected factors related to chronic diseases for Pennsylvania
and U.S. residents: 2005-2007 5
Pennsylvania United States
Overweight or obese adults > 18 years
63%
63%*
Inadequate recommended physical activity
for youths
62
65
Inadequate recommended physical activity
for adults
50
50*
Binge drinking among adults**
16
16
Cigarette smoking among adults
21
20
Invasive cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx
(annual incidence)***
10
10
High blood pressure awareness among adults
28
28*
Individuals who have been told they have high
blood pressure and are taking medication
83
80*
Teeth cleaning among adults in previous year
71
68
* Median
** 5 or more drinks in a row for males, 4 or more drinks in row for females,
in the last two weeks
*** An average of 1,467 new cases are diagnosed annually in Pennsylvania
1 U.S. Census Bureau. American Fact Finder.
Profile of General demographic characteristics:
Pennsylvania, 2000. Web site: http://factfinder.
census.gov Accessed July 15, 2009.
2 U.S. Census Bureau. State and County Quick
Facts: Pennsylvania. Web site: http://quickfacts.
census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html Accessed
July 15, 2009.
3 Census Bureau. Census 2000: Language
spoken at home and English ability – Pennsylvania.
Web site: http://www.friendsfw.org/LEP/
census/Census_PA_LEP.pdf Accessed July 15, 2009.
4 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion. Behavioral Risk Factors
Surveillance System: Prevalence and Trends Data.
Web site: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss Accessed
July 9, 2009.
5 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion. Chronic disease indicators.
Web site: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/cdi Accessed
July 13, 2009.
About The Author
Dr. Waldman is a Distinguished
Teaching Professor in the
Department of General Dentistry
at Stony Brook University in
New York. He can be reached at
hwaldman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
41
“The purpose of the Pennsylvania Dental
Association shall be to serve the public, improve
their health, promote the art and science of
dentistry and represent the interests of its members
and the people they serve.”
(PDA Mission Statement)
“Darkness falls across the land/ The midnight
hour is close at hand/ Creatures crawl in search of
blood/ To terrorize y’alls neighborhood
The foulest stench is in the air/ The funk of forty
thousand years/ And grizzly ghouls from every
tomb/ Are closing in to seal your doom
Dr. Andy Kwasny
P re s i d e n t
Stephen T. Radack, III, DMD
General Chair
Committee Chairs
Dr. Timothy J. Armanini
Entertainment
& President’s Dinner
Dr. Gregg M. Garcia
Fun Run Co-Chair
Dr. Ronald W. Helminski
Registration
Dr. Joseph J. Kohler, III
Fun Run Co-Chair
Dr. Michael Kolodychak
Finance and Fundraising
Dr. Joseph E. Ross
Printing and Publicity
Dr. L. William Veihdeffer
Hospitality
42
And though you fight to stay alive/ Your body
starts to shiver/ For no mere mortal can resist/
The evil of the thriller.”
(“Thriller” — Michael Jackson)
“A man shall leave his mother and a woman
leave her home, And they shall travel on to where
the two shall be as one. As it was in the beginning
is now and til the end, Woman draws her life
from man and gives it back again. And there is
love, There is love.”
(“The Wedding Song” — Paul Stookey)
Other than the first, what could the
previous statements possibly have to do with
the 142nd Annual Session of the Pennsylvania
Dental Association? As the General Chair of
the session, it is truly my honor and privilege
to invite all PDA members to The Hotel Hershey
on April 22-25, 2010, to find out.
The Annual Session Committee has worked
hard to provide you with a mixture of association business by day and relaxation, food, fun
and entertainment on both Friday and Saturday
evenings. Hershey has many local attractions –
shopping at the outlets, the Hershey Gardens,
ZooAmerica, Chocolate World, challenging
golf courses and historic trolley tours of Hershey,
as well as The Spa at The Hotel Hershey.
Contact the Hotel’s guest services staff at
(717) 534-8860 for more information on things
to see and do in Hershey.
The First Meeting of the House of Delegates
will convene promptly at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday,
April 22. After the First Meeting, you will have
the opportunity to catch up with old friends
and make some new ones in the Iberian Lounge,
Fountain Café or at one of the hospitality suites.
Delegates and alternates will attend an
important informational session followed by
reference committee hearings on Friday. The
informational session, presented by PDA chief
executive officer, Camille Kostelac-Cherry, Esq.
and controller Leo Walchak, will address the
current effect administrative fees have on both
operations and the budget. This presentation
will include important information that will
support action items regarding changes to the
governance of PDA.
A luncheon will be held for all delegates and
alternates where special membership awards
will be presented and the retiring council/committee members will be recognized. After
lunch, the reference committee hearings will
reconvene until their conclusion.
On Friday evening, when the sun starts its
descent into the hills of Hershey, the ghosts,
goblins and ghouls that hide in the daylight will
make their appearance in the Garden Terrace
Ballroom at the “Halfway to Halloween” party.
As you’ve seen in the Journal, on email and at
www.padental.org, this will be a costume party.
For those of you who didn’t take the opportunity to get a costume in October, there will be
costume rentals available on-site before the party.
Keep your eyes open that night!! You never
know what lurks around each corner as you
make your way to get treats at the “Trick or Treat”
stations throughout the ballroom.
Video DJ Steve Ney will provide the
musical entertainment and before the evening
is done, we may actually see a PDA version
of Thriller! He has a huge selection of music
available and will have something that appeals
to everyone. On your registration form please
tell us which five songs you would like to
“do a little dance and get down tonight” by. I
encourage you to check out the deejay’s website
www.mobiledjsteve.com to see his awesome
video music library.
On Saturday morning, if you have escaped
the “evil of the thriller,” rise early from your
tombs and join the hardy for the Annual Fun
Run/Walk. There will be commemorative t-shirts
for all and trophies for a select few. The district
caucuses will follow.
On Saturday evening, we will gather to
honor our President, Dr. Andy Kwasny and his
wife, Sharon at the President’s Dinner Dance,
where black tie is optional. This will NOT be
like any other President’s Dinner you have
attended. In 2010, Andy and Sharon will
celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. So this
year at the dinner dance, we will not only
honor Andy and Sharon on the conclusion of
his presidency, but the relationship they have
shared for almost 25 years. Think about a big
wedding reception with a big wedding party and 150 or more
of your “friends and family.” Once the “wedding” cake has been
cut, the toast has been delivered and the last plate has been
cleared, join the happy couple on the dance floor and “bust a
move” to the high-energy sounds of the Burning House Band.
Sunday morning we will get back to the business of
honoring our mission statement during the final session of the
House of Delegates as well as voting for PDA officers and our
ADA delegates and alternate delegates.
The Alliance of the Pennsylvania Dental Association
(APDA) will hold its 60 th Annual Meeting on April 24-25. All
spouses are welcome to attend the events and participate in
a chocolate and wine pairings seminar. Register today! The
registration form can be found on page 45.
The members of the Annual Session Committee hope that
you and your entire family will enjoy the activities available
during the meeting. We look forward to welcoming you to
Hershey. I urge you to check the 2010 PDA Annual Session link
at www.padental.org/as for any updates.
Sincerely,
Stephen T. Radack, III, DMD
General Chair
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Pennsylvania Dental Association • 142nd Annual Session
Hotel Reservation Information
Reservation Deadline March 15, 2010*
T h u r s d a y, A p r i l 2 2
Registration
1:00 PM
House of Delegates
7:30 PM
Candidates Reception
9:00 PM
Hospitality Suites
9:00 PM
Fr i d a y, A p r i l 2 3
Reference Committees
Registration
Luncheon for Delegates and Alternates
Sponsored by PDAIS
All Day
8:00 AM
Noon
Pitt Alumni Reception
4:30 PM
Halfway to Halloween Costume Party
Sponsored in part by PDAIS
6:30 PM
Hospitality Suites
10:00 PM
S a t u r d a y, A p r i l 24
Fun Run/Walk
District Caucuses
6:30 AM
All Day
PDA Former Presidents’ Breakfast
8:30 AM
President’s Reception & Dinner Dance
Sponsored in part by Thayer Dental Labarotory
6:00 PM
Hospitality Suites
10:00 PM
S u n d a y, A p r i l 2 5
Breakfast for Delegates and Alternates
Sponsored by PDAIS
6:30 AM
Voting
7:00 AM
House of Delegates
8:00 AM
Reserve your room at the Hotel
Hershey by calling (717) 533-2171 or
(800) 533-3131 and providing the
group code 36277.
Room rate: $202 single/double
plus 11% tax. All guest rooms are
non-smoking.
Ask the reservationist about upgrading
to a bedroom in one of the new
Woodside Cottages. Guests of the
Woodside Cottages enjoy larger
bedrooms, a private outdoor entrance
and adjacent parking spaces along with
beautiful views from rocking chairs on
the front porch. Rent an entire cottage
(4 or 6 bedrooms) with your family
and friends to enjoy the Great Room
as a communal gathering place.
Upgrades are available on a first come,
first serve basis for an additional fee
of $100 per night plus applicable taxes.
Reservations must be guaranteed by
charging one night’s rate plus 11% tax.
Cancellations occurring less than 72
hours prior to arrival will be charged
one night room and tax.
*The block of rooms at the Hotel Hershey
will be held until March 15, 2010, or
until rooms are exhausted. After March 15
or once rooms are exhausted, whichever
shall occur first, rooms will be assigned on
a space available basis.
43
Attendee Registration Form
NAME
NICKNAME FOR BADGE
SPOUSE/GUEST
PDA ANNUAL SESSION
April 22-25, 2010
at The Hotel Hershey
Please fill out this form and return
by March 15, 2010, even if you will not be
attending any social events. Return to:
Pennsylvania Dental Association
Annual Session
P.O. Box 3341 • Harrisburg, PA 17105
Fax: (717) 232-7169 OR Register via the
PDA website at www.padental.org/as
(IF
AT T E N D I N G )
NICKNAME FOR BADGE
ADDRESS
CITY
PHONE
S TAT E
( WORK)
ZIP
FA X
S P E C I A L D I E TA R Y / A C C E S S I B I L I T Y N E E D S
Mark the appropriate line with “M” for yourself and “S” for spouse.
___ PDA Member (District #____ )
___ Guest
I am a: PDA Delegate
___ ASDA Member
___ APDA Member (Alliance)
PDA Alternate Delegate
Event Date
Event
# Attending
Cost
Friday, April 23
Luncheon for Delegates and Alternates (sponsored by PDAIS)
Use zero if you are not attending
_____ X
Complimentary for
delegates & alternates
Friday, April 23
Halfway to Halloween Costume Party
List any songs you want to hear
_____ X
$45
Children age 12 and under
Please provide age and gender for each child
_____ X
Complimentary
_____ X
$15
= ________
M
L
XL
XXL
Total
= ________
Saturday, April 24
Fun Run/Walk — Circle t-shirt size: S
Saturday, April 24
President’s Reception and Dinner Dance
_____ X
$85
= ________
Children age 12 and under (chicken tenders)
_____ X
$25
= ________
Total Enclosed
$
Method of Payment Please make check payable to: 2010 PDA Annual Session
Check MasterCard VISA American Express Discover
EXP. DATE
CARD NUMBER
SIGNATURE
Halfway to Halloween Costume Party — “Trick or Treat” at the food stations while you enjoy the sights and sounds provided by Steve
Nye, The DJ Guy. There will be special treats for the children and spooktacular fun for all! (Sponsored in part by the Pennsylvania Dental
Association Insurance Services, Inc. (PDAIS). Costumes are encouraged and rentals will be available on-site.)
President’s Reception and Dinner Dance — Please join us to thank Dr. Andrew J. Kwasny and his wife, Sharon, for their service to
organized dentistry and to celebrate the couple’s commitment to each other. The wedding reception style event will celebrate their 25th
wedding anniversary. (Sponsored in part by Thayer Dental Laboratory, Inc. Black Tie or Dark Suit, please.)
Cancellations must be received, in writing, by March 31, 2010, in order to obtain a refund. NO on-site ticket sales.
44
Alliance of the Pennsylvania Dental Association
Partnering to promote oral health in the community
The Alliance of the Pennsylvania Dental Association (APDA) welcomes all dental spouses
into membership to support oral health education and legislative involvement.
60th Annual Meeting
2010 APDA Convention Registration Form
Friday, April 23
Registration Deadline March 15, 2010
Make Checks Payable to APDA and mail with completed
registration to Stephanie Test at 888 Kingswood Lane,
Danielsville, PA 18038
APDA Registration
1:00 PM
APDA Social Event
Chocolate and Wine Pairings
2:00 PM
Questions? Contact Stephanie at (610) 462-1109
Saturday, April 24
APDA Registration
8:45 AM
APDA Board Meeting
9:00 AM
NAME
COMPONENT
APDA Past Presidents’ Reception
11:00 AM
APDA Member Luncheon
12:30 PM
APDA Social Event
3:00 PM
Visit The Hershey Story. Meet in the lobby for
hot chocolate and cocoa tasting. Transportation and
admission is on your own
ADDRESS
CITY
S TAT E
PHONE
ZIP
CELL
SPOUSE’S NAME
Event
Cost
# Attending
Total
APDA Friday Social Event
$40 per person
X _____
= _________
APDA Past Presidents’ Reception
Complimentary
X _____
= _________
APDA Member Luncheon
$50 per person
X _____
= _________
45
EASTERN
DENTAL
SOCIETY
2 0 1 0
We continue our 102nd year of camaraderie and education
as one of the oldest dental societies in the region!
Spring Dine Around: Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Rylei Restaurant, 130 Almshouse Road, Suite 401, Richboro, PA
"Help, My Portfolio Has Fallen and Can't Get Up! - Investment Strategies for Uncertain Times".
Mr. Jeff Wherry, CFP: Jeff is Managing Director from Treloar and Heisel Financial
Group who will present this very timely topic. Jeff has lectured at numerous
dental meetings throughout the country, including the ADA Annual Session, and
is very well regarded throughout the dental community.
Spring All Day Program: Friday, April 16th, 2010
The Buck Hotel, Feasterville, PA
"The REALITY View on Products and Techniques — What You Need
to Know BEFORE Using Them on Patients"
Dr. Michael Miller: Dr. Miller is the president and co-founder of REALITY,
an independent research and publishing organization dedicated to covering
the ever-growing field of esthetic dentistry. This presentation will cover
many of the latest and most valuable products, materials, and equipment
that you can immediately put to use in your office. New products will be
compared to the classic ones and unbiased recommendations for purchasing will be given. If you ever wondered whether those new products are
better than the ones you’ve been using, this is the seminar you should
attend. You'll see many helpful technique tips that will make your life easier
and your practice more productive.
For more information on Eastern Dental Society, please contact
Dr. Charles Gemmi at cgemmi@yahoo.com or (215) 676-7846
www.Eastern-Dental.org
46
It’s Your Money
Wait, Late and Rebate
By Mark J. Funt, DMD, MBA
Catchy title, isn’t it? Last month, on
a Friday morning, one of my referring
doctors called my office regarding a
patient he was seeing in his office. The
patient was a 17-year-old male who
was having pain in a wisdom tooth
secondary to a pericorinitis. He wanted
him to be seen as soon as possible.
My office policy is very simple.
When it comes to emergencies – I will
not turn anyone away. I know a lot
of the patients that call are doing it for
convenience only, but I have to take
these calls at face value. My receptionist told the patient’s mother we would
be happy to see her son that afternoon,
but there could be a wait and the wait
could be lengthy. One of the problems
with health care today is access, and
I do not want that to be an issue in
my office. Some patients are thrilled
to death they will be seen in such a
timely fashion and others want to be
seen exactly at 2:47 without a wait.
The patient came to my office in
the afternoon along with all the other
emergencies that day (it was an
unusually busy day with emergencies),
and he waited a long time. After the
consult, the patient was escorted to
my receptionist and the mother
wanted a copy of her son’s Panorex
because she wanted to go somewhere
else. She felt my practice was a
factory. My office is anything but a
factory, and we explained to her that
on that afternoon there were many
other emergency patients like her son
and that was why the wait was long.
On Monday morning when she
came to pick up the X-ray, there was
not one patient in the waiting room.
I do not want to get into a discussion
as to the proper way to schedule. I
will leave that to the management
consultants. I schedule for increased
productivity and efficiency in order to
keep patient waiting times to a
minimum. As we all know, that five
minute procedure can turn into that
45 minute disaster and your entire
schedule gets backed up and then
you are running late. In oral surgery
in particular, sometimes patients do
not wake up from the anesthesia
in a timely fashion and that throws
me behind. As a matter of fact, I have
a sign in my office that reads “due to
the nature of oral surgery, appointments are of approximate time only.”
I try to work my emergency patients
in between my scheduled patients. I
do not feel it is fair to make a patient
who has had an appointment wait for
an emergency patient.
I know some dentists leave time
open in their schedule to treat their
emergency patients. My concern is
what happens if I do not have any
emergency patients that day and that
allotted time just gets wasted. On a
personal note, I once had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon
at a major teaching university in
Philadelphia. I waited almost three
hours to see the doctor. Several weeks
later, I had my follow-up appointment
and I ran almost one hour late. When
I got to my appointment, the receptionist reminded me I was an hour
late, as if she was implying I wouldn’t
be seen that day. I told her that was
great because it meant I would only
have to wait two hours this time
compared to my last appointment. I
was seen in 15 minutes. The purpose
of this article is discussing those
strategies you can employ if you are
running late.
For those patients sitting in your
waiting room, you could explain the
situation and ask them if they would
like to reschedule. Patients are always
appreciative of your efforts to be
considerate of their time. Most patients
are understanding and have already
rearranged their schedule and will
just wait. The second suggestion is
that if it is early enough in your day,
call those patients who are scheduled
later in that day and tell them you are
running late. Ask them to give you
a phone number where they can be
reached later in the day, and tell them
you will call with a time when their
wait would be minimal, if at all. You
can also give them the option of
rescheduling. Rescheduling means you
may have to stay later one day, or in
extreme cases, come in on one of your
days off, even if that is a weekend, to
accommodate those patients.
Finally, if your patients had to wait
a long time, give them a discount
(rebate) on the service you provided.
I am sure that if you are like me and
you go to a restaurant where the
service is horrible, you want the manager to do “something” for you and
good management will oblige.
Remember we are in the service
industry. (Pretty clever how I worked
in that “rebate” to complete my title,
don’t you think?)
I want to conclude with a true story
on what I will call “reverse” waiting.
A patient (who I will call “Mary”)
comes to my office as an emergency
patient to have a tooth removed late
in the afternoon on a Thursday. Mary
was having a significant amount of
pain from a tooth which she knew
could be a potential problem, and when
she last saw her dentist, she was told
47
It’s Your Money
that if the tooth acted up she would
either need a root canal to save the
tooth or have the tooth removed. She
was an old patient of mine who hadn’t
seen her dentist for this emergency
because she knew what she wanted
and she wanted the tooth extracted.
What she didn’t know was the tooth
was part of three-unit bridge.
The first time I tried to cut through
a bridge to separate the tooth I was
extracting from the rest of the bridge,
I perforated the crown on the other
abutment. That was also the last time
I sectioned a bridge. I had the patient’s
general dentist separate (cut) the
bridge for me. I called the patient’s
dentist and asked him if she could
come over and have the bridge sectioned. He told me he was leaving for
the day and could not wait for the
patient to come to his office, which
by the way, was no more than 15
minutes from my office, at the most.
I relayed the message to the patient
who was livid that her dentist of 30
years would not wait for her to come
over to have the bridge cut so I could
take out her painful tooth. She got
on the phone and called the dentist’s
office herself and after some predictable and rather heated discussion,
he relented. She went to his office to
have the bridge cut. I waited for her
to return to my office so I could
extract her tooth. I don’t know if she
ever returned to that dentist or not.
In some ways, Mary’s story reminds
me of what is going on with this health
care reform proposal. We all want
health care for all, with no restrictions
to access or technology, but we all
48
know that is impossible to afford or
even accomplish. Unless, of course,
it involves us or a loved one, in which
case we don’t care about the cost or
the access barriers.
In my previous article on quality
dentistry, I listed the 7 “C”s of what I
think is important to having a successful practice. Consideration of
one’s time was one of those “Cs.” It is
impossible to think we can be all
things to all people all of the time,
and sometimes no matter how hard
we try, we will not please everyone.
However, giving access to emergency
patients, minimizing wait times and
treating patients the way we would
treat ourselves and our family members
is something we should all strive for.
Dr. Mark Funt is a Board Certified
Oral and Maxillofacial Oral Surgeon
who maintains a full- time practice
in Elkins Park. He received his MBA
from Temple University in 1994.
Since that time, he has lectured and
written articles on practice management and investing topics.
PDA Staff Member Accepted to Prestigious
National Leadership Academy
Jessica Forte, component relations manager,
has been selected as a member of the ASAE &
The Center for Association Leadership’s Class of
2011 Leadership Academy. This program prepares
young professionals for executive positions in
the association and nonprofit industry. The class
consists of 25 young professionals selected from
a broad pool of applicants representing local,
regional and national organizations.
The Academy aims to develop young
professionals into leaders and prepare them to
serve their organizations in the changing work environment. The Academy
is part of an overall strategy by ASAE & The Center to proactively address
21st century workforce issues.
Supported in part by a grant from American Express, the Academy
provides an innovative learning environment that meets the changing needs
of future leaders as they progress in their careers. It will involve interactive
learning methods, including online education and web-based discussions
facilitated by CenterU, ASAE & The Center’s online education provider.
The students will have an opportunity to interact with fellow participants
online, as well as face-to-face during key events, like the Great Ideas
Conference, Future Leaders Conference and Annual Meeting & Exposition.
For more information about ASAE & The Center’s Leadership Academy,
visit www.asaecenter.org/academy.
Jessica began working as Membership Coordinator for the Pennsylvania
Dental Association in 2004, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in
Communications and Public Relations from Elizabethtown College. During
her tenure as membership coordinator, Jessica implemented additional
recruitment and retention activities including the popular new dentist
receptions and dental student welcome back celebrations. She increased
attendance at dental student outreach events by 150 percent and transformed
PDA’s placement service from hard copy to completely online.
In April 2008, Jessica was promoted to Component Relations Manager.
Since taking the position, Jessica has created and implemented the Component
Relations Outreach Program (CROP), which has been featured in previous
editions of the Journal, and was most recently featured in the December
issues of Transitions.
“Jessica’s initiative in pursuing personal standards of excellence is exemplary.
Her acceptance into the Leadership Academy comes as no surprise to those
of us who have watched her develop into the consummate professional we
know,” said Camille Kostelac-Cherry, Esq., chief executive officer of PDA. “She
is truly a role model for young professionals, both men and women alike.”
Jessica resides in Harrisburg with her younger sister Lyndsay, and two
Australian Shepherds, Bella and Sawyer.
ICD and ACD Updates
The USA Section of the International
College of Dentists (ICD) held its Annual
Convocation in Honolulu, Hawaii
October 2.
Dr. Robert Kramer retired as Regent
of ICD District 3 and has moved to
Arizona to assume a faculty position at
Midwestern University School of Dental
Medicine, Glendale, AZ.
Dr. Linda Himmelberger is now
Regent, Dr. Peter Korch is Vice Regent
and Dr. R. Donald Hoffman is Deputy
Regent. Dr. Mary Ann Davis-King was
awarded ICD Fellowship and Dr. Robert
Runzo was awarded Master Fellow
status at the Convocation.
Dr. Robert Runzo
Dr. Runzo has been a long-time
delegate or alternate delegate to the
American Dental Association and the
Pennsylvania Dental Association. Though
he is retired from practice, Dr. Runzo
is active in numerous professional
organizations and is secretary of the
Dental Society of Western Pennsylvania.
The American College of Dentists
held its Convocation October 1 in
Honolulu. The following PDA members
were inducted into the ACD as new
Fellows: Dr. Peter Korch, Dr. William
Glecos, Dr. David Anderson, Dr. Joseph
Kohler, Dr. Dennis Zabelsky and Dr.
Stephen Jaworski.
49
NCDHM Program Racks Up
Award
PDA’s National Children’s Dental
Health Month (NCDHM) program
received first place honors in the
ADA’s 2009 Samuel D. Harris NCDHM
State Program Award. This marks
the fourth time in the last seven years
that PDA has been honored for its
NCDHM program. Each year, the
Harris Award recognizes and rewards
three state societies that have demonstrated successful statewide efforts
that provide benefits to the public and
the profession during NCDHM. PDA
won out over the other two merit
winners, the Missouri Dental Association
and the South Carolina Dental
Association. Though PDA has received
merit honors in four of the last seven
years, this is the first time we have
received first place since 1992.
PDA’s NCDHM program also earned
a Capital Award from the International
Association of Business Communicators
(IABC) Harrisburg Chapter for the
2009 program, an award PDA has
won five times in the past seven years.
Our NCDHM program received a Gold
award in the category of Community
Relations Campaigns. This is a
momentous achievement for PDA and
all of our members who so generously
donate their time and resources to
make the program a success.
The NCDHM honor was one of
two Capital Awards PDA received. The
Pennsylvania Dental Journal won a
Silver Capital Award in the category
of four-color magazines. The awards
will be displayed at the Central Office
alongside the many Capital Awards
won in previous years.
50
In Memoriam
Dr. Donald C. Eichenlaub
Mount Jackson
University of Pittsburgh (1953)
Born: 3/23/23
Died: 10/26/09
Dr. Edward H. Sebastian
McKees Rocks
University of Pittsburgh (1953)
Born: 9/18/26
Died: 11/13/09
Dr. John T. Dubinski
Fitzwilliam, NH
Temple University (1957)
Born: 5/18/26
Died: 10/30/09
Dr. Douglas W. Flowers
West Lawn
SUNY-Buffalo (1976)
Born: 4/9/50
Died: 11/15/09
On the Lighter Side
It’s Not Just About the Teeth
There is the story of the traveler
who approached the gatekeeper of a
town and asked what the people in
town were like. The gatekeeper replied
with the question, “What were the
people like in the town that you came
from?” When the traveler said that
they were miserable, selfish and
mean spirited, the gatekeeper told him
that he would find the people just
the same in his town. When another
stranger approached the gatekeeper,
the same conversation took place,
except that the second traveler said
that he came from a town where the
people were kind, loving and gentle.
The gatekeeper told the stranger that
he would find the people just the
same in the town that he guarded.
Have you ever noticed that the
patients who you might consider difficult one day, can be the reason you
love dentistry the next? Did they have
a group epiphany and decide that
they were indeed blessed to be your
patients? Did they suddenly become
charming, intellectually stimulating
individuals with genius dental IQ’s
who want what they need, can’t wait
to get started and actually pay your
fee for the service before the treatment
is even initiated? The answer is, “I
think not!” As singer-songwriter Sarah
Henderson wrote, “You can blame
your momma, you can blame your
daddy, too, you can blame society, but
honey it’s all up to you.”
Each day we have important choices
to make such as what to eat for lunch,
should we exercise or sit down until
the urge passes, and whether to listen
to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. An
S a u l N . M i l l e r, D D S
often overlooked choice is our attitude,
the operative factor in our approach to
our day, our lives, our patients and the
daily collection of crises we call dental
practice. Attitude is an equal partner
with aptitude, education, care, skill
and judgment. It might even be considered the managing partner. We can
approach (no pun intended) the day
like US Airways Captain Chesley “Sully”
Sullenberger, or we can blame the birds
and lose control. In her new song,
“Circle of Blame,” Amy Miller wrote,
“It’s just the game we play, called the
circle of blame...we point the finger at
whomever we choose, to clear our name
and avoid the abuse.” Anatomically,
it’s easier to point outwardly than
inwardly, but we need to focus on fixing the problem, not the blame!
An essential part of an attitude that
brings joy to your day and the day of
those around you is gratitude. Thank
you, Rita (my assistant)! We need to
gain control of the negativity that tends
to pervade our consciousness and,
therefore, our view of the world and
those in it. Robert A. Emmons, a professor of Psychology at the University
of California wrote that “...one way
is through the practice of developing
gratitude...through thoughts and
cognitions by which we can
replace non-grateful thoughts.”
Gratitude has been called the
“most pleasant of virtues and the
most virtuous of pleasures,”
and it is a mindset that increases
emotional and physical health.
It is a challenge for people to
be antagonistic if you are sincerely
appreciative of them and their efforts.
Of course, some people are more than
up to the challenge. It is also difficult
for you to be miserable if you are
grateful for, among other things, the
day, your family, your patients, your
staff and the fact that your computers
did not crash for a change. Suddenly,
your days are stimulating, fun, joyous,
and your raison d’être. Did you have
a patient transfusion? Was it a miracle? What changed? The answer is no
doubt you! The epiphany was yours,
and the choice was always there.
Once you have made this choice,
do not think for a moment that
achieving this attitude adjustment will
be easy, especially considering that
life is not a straight line and that we
51
On the Lighter Side
must contend with, among so many
other things, the loss of loved ones,
the economy, anger, fear and illness.
Yet we have to move on. Changes
have to be made one day at a time, one
minute at a time, one patient at a
time. There is a Buddhist saying, “Let
us rise and be grateful...if we did not
learn a lot today, at least we learned
a little, and if we did not learn a little,
at least we did not get sick, and if we
got sick, at least we did not die; so,
let us all be thankful.” For example,
I was grateful for the senior citizen
discount at the Garnet Hill cross
country ski center, but they could
have asked if I was eligible.
So let’s put some thanks in our
tanks and gratitude in our attitudes.
You might even thank me; we shall
see. I appreciate your time.
Merci, danke, gracias, kiitos, toda
raba, mahalo nui loa and siyabonga.
Dr. Saul N. Miller is the editor of
the Journal of the Philadelphia County
Dental Society.
Originally published in The Journal
of the Philadelphia County Dental
Society (April/May/June 2009 issue)
52
Observations
By Dr. Alex J. McKechnie
In Carlisle, a borough man was cited for harassment after police said
he drove out of his way to flick a toothpick on the sidewalk in front
of another man’s home again. This is a summary offense, which carries
a fine up to $300. A couple months later, the harassment charge was
withdrawn by mutual agreement.
A free medical/dental clinic in the Lebanon County area for those
without insurance opened recently. The organization was started by
some retired doctors from Hilton Head, SC, called Volunteers for
Medicine. They now have 74 clinics in the United States with their
West Chester clinic being the other one in Pennsylvania. They target
the working poor but others can be eligible. It is estimated that as
many as 10,000 of that county’s residents have no health care. The
start-up took a year with donations from a foundation, businesses,
churches and individuals. Their goals are to provide 36 hours per week
of medical services and 10 hours per week of dental services. There
will be about 80 volunteer doctors, dentists and clerical staff to run
the clinic. They have six medical exam rooms and two dental rooms
and a dental x-ray machine. The clinic still needs dental hygienists.
Wow! What is next? Recently a 60-year old woman blind for 9 years
regained useful vision following a rare operation in Miami in which
surgeons removed the “eye-tooth,” drilled a hole in it, inserted a
plastic lens into the hole and implanted the tooth/lens combination
into her eye. With 20/70 vision she can now recognize faces and read
a newspaper with a magnifying glass. The lady lost her vision to
Stevens-Johnson syndrome. An Italian doctor, Benedeteo Stampelli,
invented this tooth-lens procedure in 1963, and it only recently spread
in Europe and Japan. It is called a modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. It is a multi-staged procedure. The “eye” tooth was extracted,
shaved flat horizontally, a hole drilled in it and acrylic lens inserted.
Then the tooth lens prosthesis was implanted under the skin beneath
the clavicle for three months. The scar tissue was removed from the
damaged cornea, and a month later a patch of skin from the inside
of her cheek was laid over the cornea to replace the moist tissue lost
to the disease. Two months later, the tooth/lens combination was cut
out of the skin over the center of the cornea, a hole cut down into the
eye and the tooth-lens inserted. The flap was closed and a tiny hole
made so the lens can protrude. If there is no infection, it is expected
that 20/70 vision will be preserved for the next 10 years.
Contact: Lori Burkette
Administrative Secretary
(412) 648-8370
On-Campus Programs
February 5
OSHA/Bloodborne Pathogen Update:
Training Session for the Office
W. H. Milligan III, DMD, PhD
February 12
In Office Full and Partial
Denture Repairs
Peter A. Guevara, DMD
February 13
The History and Development of
Complete Denture Occlusion
Robert L. Engelmeir, DMD
February 19
Current Issues in Health and Disease
Kenneth R. Etzel, M.S., Ph.D
February 20
Nitrous Oxide Certification – Part 2
Joseph A. Giovannitti Jr., DMD
Michael A. Cuddy, DMD
February 26
Potpourri
Donald J. Pipko, DMD, MDS
Mark S. Glovis, DDS
March 5
Dental Materials Update and A
Review of Teeth Whitening Systems
David P. Donatelli, DDS
John J. Ference, DMD, MPH
March 6-7 – Part 1
March 20-21 – Part 2
Local Anesthetics for the Dental
Hygienist
Sean G. Boynes, DMD
Paul A. Moore, DMD, PhD, MPH
March 19
Implant Considerations in
Endodontic Therapy: When to
Hold and When to Fold
George Just, DDS, J.D.
March 26
Periodontal Accessories
Othman Shibly, DDS, MS
March 27
Surgical Crown Elongation Hands On/Limited Attendance
Ali Seyedain, DMD, MDS
Pouran Famili, DMD, MDS, MPH, PhD
April 9
New Products and Procedures
That Make Sense
Donald E. Antonson, DDS, M.Ed
April 16
Dental Photography: Shooting Digital
Ali Seyedain, DMD, MDS
April 17
How to Optimize the Results with
Photoshop - Limited Attendance
Heiko Spallek, DMD, PhD
April 24
Dental Implants: What I have
Learned in 25 Years!
Steve J. Kukunas, DMD
May 1
Radiology Review for the Dental
Assistant
Judith E. Gallagher, RDH, Med
May 7
When the Unexpected Happens
Are You Ready?
Jane Segal, DMD
May 7
The Oral Surgery Experience:
Tips, Techniques and Planning
James Tauberg, DMD
May 13-14 – Part 1
June 10-11 – Part 2
Local Anesthetics for the Dental
Hygienist
Sean Boynes, DMD
Paul Moore, DMD, PhD, MPH
May 22
Bowser Memorial Lecture: Virtues of
Profitable Dentistry
Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Off-Campus Programs
Altoona
January 28
Prevention of Disease Transmission
in the Office
OSHA Update
Dr. W. H. Milligan
February 25
Tricky Decisions and Treatment
Techniques in Pediatrics
Dr. Jane A. Soxman
March 11
Dr. Kenneth Etzel
April 8
Creating Smiles with the Latest
Generation of Esthetic Techniques
and Materials
Dr. Luis Sensi
Bradford
March 24
Cad/Cam in Your Office
Dr. Kevin Pawlowicz
April 22
Oral Mucosal Disease: An Update
Dr. Scott S. DeRossi
53
September 23
Immediate Load Implant Retained
Overdentures Utilizing Mini and
Small Diameter Implants
Dr. Joseph P. Buttacavoli
October 14
Pediatric Dentistry Made Easy
for the General Practitioner
Dr. R. Glenn Rosivack
Butler
February 11
Drugs, Herbals, Nutraceuticals:
New Issues for Dentistry
Dr. Richard Wynn
March 4
Oral Surgery for the General Practice
Dr. Joseph E. Cillo Jr.
April 15
Achieving Excellence in Treating and
Counseling the Oral Oncology Patient
Sandra Boody, CDA, RDH, MEd
Erie
February 24
Updates in Pediatric Dentistry:
Treating Tiny Tots to Teens
Dr. Lance Kisby
March 17
An Overview of Oral Pathology
Dr. Bobby Collins
April 14
Shift Happens! New Directions with
Adhesive Restorative Materials
Dr. Howard E. Strassler
Greensburg
Febraury 12
Nutrition and Nutraceuticals:
Update for the Dental Professional
Dr. Nasir Bashirelahi
March 5
Enteral Sedation in the 21st Century
Dr. Joseph A. Giovannitti
April 9
Shift Happens! New Directions with
Adhesive Restorative Materials
Dr. Howard E. Strassler
Johnstown
March 25
Dr. Kenneth Etzel
April 28
Periodontics 2010:
Pearls for the General Practice
Dr. Francis Serio
October 13
Dr. Lance Kisby
November 18
The Restorative Edge
Dr. James Braun
Pittsburgh (VAMC)
February 10
Dr. Richard Wynn
March 10
A Potpourri of Dental Challenges
and Their Current Protocol of Care
Dr. Dai C. Phan
April 14
An Overview of Oral Pathology
Dr. Bobby Collins
May 5
Dr. Lance Kisby
Pottsville
January 21
Classical Complete Dentures:
A Technique Review
Dr. Medick Capirano
An open letter to all in the dental community from
PDA’s Concerned Colleague Committee:
During these difficult economic times, some of us may resort to
coping behaviors that are unhealthy. Those who resort to such
behaviors may not only pose a potential risk to themselves, but to
patients and members of the public as well. If you are aware of
someone in our dental community who may be exhibiting some of
the signs of chemical dependency (such as extreme mood swings,
isolation, excessive use of alcohol or pain medications, DUI
violations, etc.) consider contacting the Pennsylvania Dental
Association Concerned Colleague Committee for more information
at (800) 223-0016. Helping our colleagues and those around them
should be important to all of us.
Professionally Yours,
Members of the Concerned Colleague Committee
54
February 17
The Components of an Aesthetic
Dental Practice: Putting Them Into
Practice
Dr. Kurt Laemmer
March 10
Dr. Lance Kisby
April 8
Dr. Richard Wynn
April 7
Dr. Jane A. Soxman
Steubenville, Ohio
February 18
Pharmacotherapeutics in Dental
Practice “It’s More Than PEN
V’s and APAP/HC’s”
Dr. Daniel E. Becker
Reading
March 25
Dr. Jane A. Soxman
April 9
Dr. Richard Wynn
April 29
Periodontics 2010:
Pearls for the General Practice
Dr. Francis G. Serio
May 14
What’s Hot and What’s Getting Hotter
Dr. Howard Glazer
Titusville
September 10
Porcelain Veneers: The Prep vs.
No-Prep Controversy…The Whole
Story!
Dr. Steven Weinberg
October 15
Miracles and Myths of Direct
Composite Restorations
Dr. Mark Latta
Scranton
January 20
February 10
A Potpourri of Dental Challenges
and Their Current Protocol of Care
Dr. Dai C. Phan
March 10
New Developments in
Endodontic Therapy
Dr. George M. Just
January 20
Myofascial Pain and Trigger
Point Therapy
Tasso G. Spanos
February 17
Update on Restorative Materials
and Techniques
Dr. Kevin Pawlowicz
March 24
Medical Emergencies in the
Dental Office
Dr. Michael Cuddy
April 21
Techniques and Advances in
Forensic Dentistry
Dr. Michael N. Sobel
Williamsport
January 20
Dr. Jane A. Soxman
February 10
Immediate Load Implant Retained
Overdentures Utilizing Mini and
Small Diameter Implants
Dr. Joseph P. Buttacavoli
March 10
Dr. Richard Wynn
April 21
Temple University
Contact: Dr. Ronald D. Bushick
or Nicole Carreno
(215) 707-7541/7006
(215) 707-7107 (Fax)
Register at
www.temple.edu/dentistry/conted.htm
February 24
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Allen F. Fielding, DMD, MD
MBA/Stanton Braid, DMD
Andrea Haber-Cohen, DMD, MD
March 10
Dental Management of Emergencies
and Medically Compromised Patients
Allen F. Fielding, DMD, MD, MBA
Gary Jones, DDS
March 19
Ethics in Dentistry-Ethical Principles
and Code of Professional Conduct
Ethical Dilemmas in PracticeMalpractice, Licensure and Risk
Management
Lillian Obucina, DDS, JD
March 26
Lance Kisby, DMD, FASCD, FAGD,
FAAPD
55
April 9
A Complete Guide to Predictable and
Profitable Anterior and Posterior
Esthetic Restorations (Hands-On)
Marvin Fier, DDS, FASDA
November 5
Exquisite Complete and Implant
Retained Over-Dentures Calibrated
for the General Practitioner
Joseph Massad, DDS
April 16
The Immediate Placement of
Endosseous Dental Implants in Fresh
Extraction Sites
Michael Peleg, DMD
November 19
Empowering the Dental Team to
Deliver “Quality” Periodontal Care
in Restorative Practice
Samuel B. Low, DDS, MS, Med
April 28
Hypnosis and Treatment of
Anxious Patients
Marc Gottlieb, DDS
December 3
The Art and Science of CAMBRA:
A Team Approach Using Chemical
Treatments and Minimally Invasive
Dentistry
Douglas Young, DDS, MS, MBA
June 17-27
10 Day Cruise N Learn to Ireland
Practical Clinical Oral Pathology
Jim Drummond, DDS, MSD, PhD
September 15
Ultrasonics: Evidence Based Approach
to Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy
Assessing Aesthetic Options for
Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy
Gail Malone, RDH, BS
September 24
The Million Dollar PLUS Blue Collar
Practice
Craig Callen, DDS
October 22
Update in Restorative Dentistry
Lou Graham, DDS
October 29
New Approaches for Clinical
Anti-Infective Periodontal Therapy
Thomas Rams, DDS
Contact: Susan Conroy
(215) 573-9098 or log on to
www.dental.upenn.edu/cde
January 23
TMJ Imaging and Diagnosis:
Tomograms, MRIs, and Occlusal
Appliance Adjustment
Normand Boucher, DDS
Ryan Tamburrino, DMD
February 13
Optimizing New Advances in
Periodontal Instrumentation
(Limited to 25 – REGISTER EARLY!)
Daniel W.K. Kao, DDS, MS
Paul Levi, Jr., DMD
February 27
Endodontics in the 21st Century
& Retreatment
Samuel Kratchman, DMD
March 20
Tooth and Consequences
Gail E. Yarnell, DMD, JD
March 27
Enamel Therapy: The Next
Generation of Care (AM)
Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, BA, MS
March 27
Evidence-Based Decision Making for
Oral and Systemic Health (PM)
Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, BA, MS
April 10
Restoring Dental Implants: A General
Dentist’s Guide (UPDATED for 2010!)
Daniel Kubikian, DMD
April 17
Enhancing The Esthetics and
Function of Ceramic Restorations
(Limited to 30 – REGISTER EARLY!)
Alan Atlas, DMD
Najeed Saleh, DMD
Consumer Survey Data Available
The American Dental Association’s website (ada.org) has a section
titled Consumer Issues and Public Opinion Surveys that will be of
interest to PDA members. There are public opinion surveys,
a series of reports from periodic surveys that gauge the public’s opinions and experiences with dental health care; a survey of advertising
effectiveness; and consumer price index for dental services.
You can access full reports available for download at:
http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/publications_consumer.asp.
56
May 8
The Latest in Dental Technology:
Learn from the Master
Michael Bergler, MDT
May 22
Pharmacology Primer: Dose Response
Relations and Adverse Drug
Interactions
Elliot V. Hersh DMD, MS, PhD
St. Mary’s
Educational Conference Center in
Gunners Inn and Restaurant, St. Marys
Contact: Rebecca Von Nieda, PDA
(800) 223-0016, ext. 117
May 21
A Simple Path to Excellent
Endodontics
Michael J. Ribera, DMD, MS
Greensburg
Seventh District Dental Society
Giannilli’s II Restaurant & Banquet
Facility, Greensburg
Contact : Rebecca Von Nieda, PDA
(800) 223-0016, ext. 117
The Penn Stater Conference Center
Hotel, State College
Contact: Dr. David Schimmel
(814) 234-8527
March 19
The Restorative Edge
James Braun DDS, MS
drschimmel@verizon.net
April 16
Getting to the Heart of the Matter –
Periodontal Disease and its Effect on
Heart Disease and Diabetes
Joel Weintraub, MEd, BS
May 14
Lance E. Kisby, DMD
Brookville
Educational Conference Center in
Brookville Hospital Annex
Contact: Rebecca Von Nieda, PDA
(800) 223-0016, ext. 117
March 5
Effective TMD Diagnosis and
Management
Edward F. Wright, DDS, MS, MAGD
March 26
An Approach to Medically Complex
Patients and Medical Risk Assessment
Scott S. De Rossi, DMD
May 19
The Art of Dental Therapeutics:
Dental Drugs and Over-the-Counter
Dental Products
Peter Jacobsen, PhD, DDS
Beaver Valley Dental Society
Contact: Dr. David C. Spokane
dspokane@stargate.net
February 18
Soft Tissue Diode Lasers
Jennifer Allen
March 18
An Overview of Anterior Esthetics
Dr. Ed Narcisi
February 12
Composites: Better and Faster
James Hamilton, DDS
April 15
Oral Pathology: An Update for the
General Practitioner
Dr. Mike Ban
April 9
Open Your Door to the New
Periodontics
Tim Donley, DDS
May 20
Updates in Prosthodontics
Dr. George Hadeed
May 14
Ergonomics, Efficiency and
Economics: Maximizing Comfort and
Productivity for the Dental Team
Mary Govini, CDA, RDH, MBA
Seventh District Annual Meeting
Dental Society of Chester
County and Delaware County
DKU Continuing Dental Education
Springfield Country Club
Delaware County
Contact: Dr. Barry Cohen
(610) 449-7002
DKUdental@aol.com
April 14
Esthetic Integration of DigitalCeramic Restorations on Implants
and Natural Teeth
Bernard Touati, DDS
Philadelphia County
Dental Society
2009 – 2010 Liberty Continuing
Education Series
Philadelphia Hilton City
Avenue Hotel
Contact: Teresa F. Ravert,
Executive Director
(215) 925-6050
Fax (215) 925-6998
e-mail: philcodent@aol.com or visit
the web site at www.philcodent.org
April 30
Restoration of Implants
Dr. Paul Goodman
May 21
Techniques & Materials for Fixed
Prosthodontics
Dr. Alan A. Boghosian
57
ADA Launches Community Dental Health Coordinator
Pilot Program at Temple University
The American Dental Association (ADA) has signed an agreement
with Temple University to train new dental team members as part of a
pilot program to improve the oral health in underserved communities.
The Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) is a member
of the dental health team who works in communities where residents
have limited access to dental care to improve their oral health.
The CDHC provides a limited range of preventive dental care
services—including screenings and fluoride treatments. However, of
greater importance to these communities, the CDHC will help
patients navigate the health system and access care by a dentist or an
appropriate clinic and engage in educational activities to improve
community members’ oral health habits.
Temple will recruit and train CDHCs from urban locations in
Philadelphia over the next two years, returning them to their
communities to work as dental team members under the supervision
of dentists.
Although the CDHC is a new dental team member whose merits
are not yet known, many studies of the community health worker
(CHW) model indicate that they can make significant contributions to
a community. Because the CDHC will function much like a CHW,
the ADA believes that they, too, will have a positive impact on the oral
health of their communities through education and outreach.
“We are delighted to welcome Temple’s participation,” said ADA
President Dr. Ron Tankersley. “The pilot at Temple will help us
understand the effectiveness of a dental health coordinator in underserved urban settings.”
Dr. Amid Ismail, dean of Temple University’s Kornberg School
of Dentistry and one of the architects of the CDHC program, explained
why the program is seeking to place CDHC trainees in their own
communities.
“Our aim is to ensure that the coordinator is able to bridge the
gap between local cultures and health care systems. The CDHC can
help improve people’s oral health habits and help patients navigate the
social and bureaucratic barriers that prevent them from gaining access
to available dental health services,” Dr. Ismail said.
Temple is the third of three pilot CDHC program sites. Two
other pilot programs are directed by University of Oklahoma, which is
training CDHCs from rural areas, and the University of California at
Los Angeles, which, in conjunction with Salish Kootenai College in
Montana, is training students from American Indian communities.
The ADA has funded the program, which will train six students per
site each year.
58
Rates: $45 for 45 words or less, $1 for each additional word. $1 for each word set in boldface
(other than first four words). $10 to box an ad. $5 for PDA Box number reply. One free ad to
deceased member’s spouse.
Website: All Journal classified ads will be posted on the public section of the PDA website, unless
otherwise requested. Ads will be posted within 48 hours of receipt, but no earlier than one
month prior to the date of the Journal issue. Ads will be removed at the end of the two months
of the Journal issue.
Deadlines: Jan/Feb Issue — Deadline: Nov 1 • Mar/Apr Issue — Deadline: Jan 1 • May/Jun Issue
— Deadline: Mar 1 • Jul/Aug Issue — Deadline: May 1 • Sept/Oct Issue — Deadline: Jul 1 •
Nov/Dec Issue — Deadline: Sept 1
Payment: Upon submitting ad.
Mailing Address: Send ad copy and box responses to:
PDA Dental Journal • PO Box 3341 • Harrisburg, PA 17105
Classified Advertising Policy: The Pennsylvania Dental Association is unable to investigate the
offers made in Classifieds and, therefore, does not assume any responsibility concerning them. The
Association reserves the right to decline to accept or withdraw advertisements in the Classifieds.
The Journal reserves the right to edit classified ad copy.
How to reply to a PDA Box Number:
Your Name
& Address Here
Pennsylvania Dental Journal
PO Box 3341
Harrisburg, PA 17105
Attn: Box J/F____
OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
Outstanding Career Opportunities
In Pennsylvania, providing ongoing
professional development, financial
advancement and more. Positions also
available in FL, GA, IN, MI, VA and
MD. For more information contact
Jeff Dreels at (941) 955-3150, fax CV
to (941) 330-1731 or e-mail dreelsj@dentalcarealliance.com. Visit our
website: www.Dentalcarealliance.com.
Northwest Pennsylvania —
General Dentist Wanted
Progressive group practice situated in
northwestern Pennsylvania is seeking
an ambitious, self-motivated general
dentist as an associate, leading to a part
ownership in the practice. There are
no limitations to your development.
Reply is confidential. Please call (814)
723-4488, ext. 14, fax CV to (814)
723-0769 or e-mail wdah@westpa.net.
Lancaster Group Practice
Associateship or Associate to
Partnership in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Large group dental practice. Income
potential of $100,000 to $200,000
plus. Must be a multi-skilled,
excellent dentist. This may be one of
the best dental practices in the state!
Call (717) 394-9231 or e-mail
SJRDMD@aol.com.
POSITION AVAILABLE
Harrisburg applicant must be proficient
in all chairside phases of fabricating
dentures. This position is ideal for
a retired dentist wishing to work part
time. Salary negotiable. Respond to
PDA Box J/F 1.
Associate Dentist
Dental Dreams desires a motivated,
quality oriented Associate Dentist for its
offices in Pennsylvania, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Illinois and Texas. At
Dental Dreams, we focus on providing
the entire family superior quality
general dentistry, in a modern technologically advanced setting with
experienced support staff. Because we
understand the tremendous value of
our Associate Dentists, we make sure
that their compensation package
ranks among the best in the industry.
Our average colleague Dentist earns
$240,000 per annum, and is supported
with health insurance, 3 weeks
vacation and malpractice insurance.
Visa sponsorship assistance is available.
For more information, please call
Chyrisse Patterson at (312) 274-0308,
extension 320 or e-mail your CV to
cjpatterson@kosservices.com.
Associate Needed
Do you aspire to be a partner in
a growing group practice? Do you
have management abilities? Then
you may be the kind of associate
we are seeking. Our group is located
in the Central Susquehanna Valley
near Bucknell and Susquehanna
Universities. We are seeking a
general dentist capable of a wide
range of procedures. No HMO’s
Medical assistance is optional. Want
to know more? Call (570) 742-9607,
e-mail copdha@sunlink.net, or fax
your resume to (570) 742-9638.
Scranton
Busy Scranton dental office looking
for partner/business associate.
Fax resume to (570) 343-3850 or
call (570) 347-2920.
59
South Central PA — Associate
Wanted
Associate wanted for General
Dental office in South Central PA.
Skill in endo, oral surgery and
pediatric dental care a plus. In nice,
private building in suburban area,
near area hospital. Good visibility,
good parking Monday – Thursday.
Owner will be teaching part time.
Can discuss possibility of purchase.
Contact office manager at (717)
359-9926. Please leave message.
Call will be returned.
General Dentist Seeking Associate
Well-established, busy general dentistry practice in eastern Pennsylvania
seeking a full-time associate. Pleasant
working conditions with a long-term
staff. A great opportunity with
generous compensation and benefits.
Stand alone 7-op building with room
to grow. This can be your future…
an eventual buy-out is an option.
Call (610) 863-4692 or e-mail donnacorvino@yahoo.com.
Hershey — General Dentist
Well-established, busy multi-doctor
practice in an area providing
exceptional quality of life. State-ofthe-art facility, excellent opportunity.
Call (717) 534-2985.
On-Call Dentist Hershey
Here’s a chance to make a difference in
the lives of children from need! Milton
Hershey School (MHS) is a home and
school in Hershey for children from
need. Founded 100 years ago by Milton
S. Hershey and his wife, the School
currently serves almost 1,800 students
from pre-K through 12th grade. Students
who otherwise may have limited opportunities now receive an education,
housing, food, clothing, health care
and more, thanks to the generosity and
foresight of Mr. and Mrs. Hershey.
60
We are currently seeking an On-Call
Contract Dentist to provide
intermittent coverage to the Director
of Dental Services in providing direct
dental care to our students. The times
of coverage needed are holidays,
weekends and weekdays/weekends
throughout the summer.
Interested dentists should have:
• A minimum of 5 years experience
in pediatric dentistry or general
dentistry.
• DDS or DMD required.
• Board certification in General
Dentistry with pediatric population
experience.
• Familiarity with Dentrix or
other electronic dental record
system a plus.
• Excellent skills in interacting with
children and youth are needed.
• Experience working with children
from need a plus.
To learn more, please contact
Dr. Marlene Navedo at
navedom@mhs-pa.org or (717) 5202847. We value diversity.
General Dentist Wanted
General dentist is needed for busy NE
Philadelphia dental office. F/T P/T.
Great reimbursement for right person.
Call (215) 331-7585 or fax resume
(215) 331-7589.
Dentist Wanted
Pediatric dentist, orthodontist is
needed for NE Philadelphia dental
office. P/T. Call (215) 331-7585 or
fax resume (215) 331-7589.
GENERAL DENTIST
GENERAL DENTIST to work in a
unique location on unique patients.
Must be skilled and flexible. You’ll be
well compensated in your paycheck,
but the hugs you’ll get from the
patients and their families will be
worth a lot more! Send resume via
e-mail to 661dntlguy@gmail.com.
re[think] your dental career
Pennsylvania
Allentown – Belle Vernon –
Brentwood – Butler – Easton –
Erie – Greensburg – Harrisburg –
Hazleton – Hermitage – Johnstown –
Lancaster – Mechanicsburg –
Monaca – North Hills – Pittsburgh –
Pleasant Hills – Pottstown –
Reading – Robinson – Scranton –
Shadyside – Stroudsburg – Tarentum
– Uniontown – Wilkes-Barre –
Williamsport – York.
Coming Soon
Altoona – Canbury – Monroeville New Castle – State College –
Washington.
Become an Aspen Dentist.
• Practice comprehensive
general dentistry.
• Receive expert support to
develop practice success.
• Fast track your dream of
practice ownership.
• Work in a prime Aspen
practice located where you
want to be.
To learn more, please contact our
Recruitment Team at:
Tel: (866) 451-8817 OR visit
our website:
www.aspendentistjobs.com
OPPORTUNITIES WANTED
Seeking PT Employment in NJ or PA
General dentist with 20 years
experience, 10 years experience of
surgically placing and restoring
implants. I have placed and restored
more than 1,500 implants. Looking
for part-time employment in New
Jersey or Pennsylvania. I have all my
own equipment and components.
I am also very proficient with extractions, including partial bony. If interested please call (215) 752-1250.
OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
PENNSYLVANIA
Established family dentistry partnership entering transition-retirement
phase seeking one or two dentists to
purchase, or associate leading to
ownership, in a beautiful, growing,
and family friendly environment
in South Central PA. Quality, fee-forservice practice, with excellent
patient retention and staff. Flexible
arrangements/terms. Please reply to
Drs. Greene & Hart in Hanover at
(717) 632-8571; fax (717) 632-6466
or e-mail hanoverharts@hotmail.com.
Dental Office Space Available
Located at 500 W. Township Line Road,
Havertown, PA 19083, (busy corner
property at Township Line Road and
Greenview Lane).
• Available Mondays, Thursdays and
Fridays (Other hours are negotiable).
• Newly renovated in 2006.
3 operatories (computers, monitors
and digital x-ray).
• 1 Laboratory.
• Business area.
• Reception area.
• Dr.’s Office.
• 2 powder rooms.
Please contact Thomas Chermol Jr.
DDS at (610) 283-3903 or e-mail to
tlcgdent@comcast.net.
Office Space Available
Share space and equipment with a
general dentist located in Lewisburg.
Five operatories fully equipped
including Casey and Digital
Radiography. Separate reception and
storage areas. Off-street parking.
Please call (570) 523-3991 if interested.
FOR SALE
Northeast Pennsylvania
Well-established general practice for
sale in Wayne County/Pocono
Mountain area. Owner looking to
retire. Completely renovated 1,300
sq. ft. modern office with room for
expansion. Real estate also available.
Please contact aes631@gmail.com
or (570) 862-4921.
Lackawanna County
Well-established family practice in
Lackawanna County. 4 ops, great staff,
low overhead plus real estate. This
office shows very well. Please contact
Sharon Mascetti at Henry Schein
Professional Practice Transitions (484)
788-4071 or (800) 730-8883.
61
Northeast of Pittsburgh
Fee-for-Service Practice (only participates with Delta Dental Insurance).
Located 75 miles northeast of
Pittsburgh. Practice collects $1,200,000
per year on 3 1/2 days per week
(28 hours). Practice sees 25 to 30
new patients per month. Practice
offers Oral/IV Sedation (PA Permit 1);
advanced restorative and cosmetics.
Doctor does own endo, surgery and
most implants. Dentist is willing
to mentor new buyer (if so desires)
for up to 2 years. Practice is housed
in a gorgeous Victorian mansion,
which also contains 3 apartments.
Real estate is available for sale or lease.
Serious inquiries only. Contact Dan
Slain at Henry Schein Professional
Practice Transitions at (412) 855-0337
or (800) 730-8883.
Western Pennsylvania / Greater
Pittsburgh Area / (Upcoming service
to Philadelphia/Eastern PA).
Several practices available with
collections ranging from $200,000 to
$1,000,000.
PA - (#’s are collections)
Beaver County $500,000, Mercer
County $700,000, Meadowlands area
$400,000, Forest Hills $770,000,
Mt. Lebanon $300,000, South Hills
Pediatric Practice $480,000,
Meadville Prosthodontist $500,000,
South Park $200,000, Punxsutawney
$385,000, Canonsburg $210,000,
Tri-State Periodontist $900,000,
Mid Mon Valley $360,000, Latrobe
$400,000, Forest Hills $350,000,
Venango County $360,000, Bethlehem
(building).
OH – Numerous.
We also have several other dental
practices and dental labs available in
Michigan, Massachusetts and
Southern California.
62
Please contact Bob Septak at (724)
869-0533, ext. 102 or e-mail
bob@udba.biz, WWW.UDBA.BIZ.
As always, we treat these matters with
the highest amount of confidentiality
and any contact with United Dental
Brokers of America will be kept completely confidential.
Central Dauphin County
Harrisburg suburbs, great location, all
phases of dentistry. 1,200 active patients,
mostly FFS. Great pre-tax cash flow
and tax benefits. Real estate available.
Contact smuench@paragon.us.com.
Ortho Practice
Harrisburg area, computerized, 2007
collections exceed $1 million. Seller
willing to stay on as desired by
purchaser. Excellent possibilities for
this transition whether you are a
seasoned provider or new out of residency. Real estate available. Contact
smuench@paragon.us.com.
Harrisburg West Shore
A tremendous opportunity to purchase
a small practice with a large number
of active patients and turn it into a
very high producing practice. Great
cash flow, tax benefits and return on
investment. Excellent facility and
equipment. All the right ingredients
for success. Real estate available also.
Contact smuench@paragon.us.com.
PRACTICES FOR SALE – DISTRESS
SALE – Harrisburg – Orthodontic
(Adult and Children) – 6 operatories
with newly renovated build-outs, 1,950
square feet, on the corner of two major
highways with great signage, private
parking is ample, also on-street parking, blended insurance. WILL SELL
RECORDS ONLY FOR QUICK SALE.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY. Practice
Sales & Transitions, (877) 539-8800,
check listings at www.dentalsales.org.
Dental Practice Sale
Northwestern PA – General –
Wonderful community. 5 ops w/ room
for expansion. Rev $541K. Call
Donna (800) 988-5674.
PRACTICE FOR SALE —
DUTCHESS CTY
Wonderful, 4 op, digital, general practice with 2,000 active patients. Rev
$825K. Call Donna (800) 988-5674.
Dental Practice For Sale —
Montgomery County
Montgomery County - 7 ops,
1500 active pts., 32 hrs/wk., leased
1600 s/f in free standing bldg.,
Strong hyg. Rev.$617k. Call Donna
(800) 988-5674.
PRACTICE BUYERS WANTED
For great practices in the
Pennsylvania area. We have many
practices available for sale. Are you
tired of being an employee in a dead
end job? Call us for a FREE
CONSULTATION to find out about
these opportunities. THE MCNOR
GROUP, (888) 273-1014, ext. 103,
or johnf@mcnorgroup.com.
www.mcnorgroup.com.
Practice Sales in PA
Please call Nancy Schoyer at
(888) 237-4237 or e-mail to
nschoyer@comcast.net and ask
about our 19 listings in PA.
We have practices for sale near
Harrisburg, four in York Co., the
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas,
Linesville, Williamsport, Berks County
and Hanover. Call The MCNOR
GROUP AT (888) 273-1014, ext. 103,
or e-mail johnfm@adstransitions.com.
NEW PRACTICES FOR SALE
We have six excellent new listings
in PA!
Central – Grosses $400K. Great
location. 6 ops. FFS.
Near Pittsburgh – Practice and
building for less than $295K.
Motivated seller.
Scranton – Practice and building
available. This practice grosses $600K.
Berks County – Great place to
raise a family. This practice collects
over $900K.
Near Chambersburg and Bedford –
Practice and building for sale. Great
practice.
Near Philly – Seeking an associate
to buy-in and buy-out. $1.4 million
in revenue in this modern highly
profitable practice just 30 minutes
from Philadelphia.
Please see John McDonnell’s article
in the November issue of the Dental
Economics magazine, page 94 titled
“Why Not Sell Now?” Contact THE
MCNOR GROUP AT (888) 273-1014
ex. 103 or johnfm@adstransitions.com
for more information on these
and other opportunities in the area.
www.mcnorgroup.com.
PRACTICE FOR SALE NEAR
PITTSBURGH
This is a great opportunity. This
practice is located in 1,400+ square
feet and has four fully equipped treatment rooms, and is collecting over
$990K with high earnings. The real
estate is also available for purchase.
This is a great practice for someone
that has a dead end job and wants
to control their destiny. We have 100
percent bank financing available
at reasonable rates and terms. THE
MCNOR GROUP, (888) 273-1014,
ext. 103 or johnf@mcnorgroup.com.
www.mcnorgroup.com.
General Practice North of Pittsburgh
IMMEDIATE SALE – Active general
practice north of Pittsburgh. Well
established, busy, EXCELLENT staff,
facility, patient base, equipment,
OPPORTUNITY. Reply to PDA Box
J/F 2.
General Practice Clearfield-Jefferson
IMMEDIATE SALE – Wonderful
Clearfield – Jefferson County area.
Active, well-established general
practice. Excellent staff, patient base,
equipment, OPPORTUNITY. Reply
to PDA Box J/F 3.
Pittsburgh, South Hills
Over $1,000,000 gross income.
Eight upgraded operatories, computerized with digital radiography, real
estate available. Selling doctor will
stay to provide smooth transition and
passive income to the new owner.
Earn $250,000 after financing.
Contact: dmoffa@paragon.us.com
or (866) 841-0353.
MARYLAND
PRACTICES FOR SALE. All areas
including Baltimore, DC suburbs,
eastern shore. No buyers fees.
We help you get full financing. Our
economy is still booming. Call for
current listings. POLCARI
ASSOCIATES, LTD (800) 544-1297
or www.polcariassociates.com.
FOR SALE
Small town dental practice and real
estate in Lancaster County. First floor
with three operatories. Employee
parking in rear. Second floor, private
one bedroom apartment. Average
collections are over $265,000 on two
days/week. Priced to sell. Call (717)
665-1587 or edhaas@dejazzd.com.
owner would like to sell to reduce
workload. Fax (215) 240-7957 or
e-mail dentalpractice@comcast.net.
Salem County, NJ
Practice for sale with real estate, Salem
County, NJ. General dentistry, very
busy practice with high net, wellestablished and newly renovated. E-mail
inquiries to vic3132008@gmail.com.
Lancaster County
Established family practice for sale in
Lancaster Co. Dentist willing to
transition with buy-out. Spacious
office with seven ops. and high tech
equipment. Pleasant suburban setting.
$800,000 gross/yr. Please call (717)
725-0032.
Southwestern PA
General practice for sale in a lovely
college town in southwestern PA.
3 operatories, plumbing for a fourth.
Grossing 250K plus on three days a
week. Practice established for 25
years. Excellent possibilities. Panorex,
Eagle Soft. Reply to PDA Box J/F 4.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
For Sale
Two Dent-X EVA Size #2 Digital
X-Ray Sensors with four docking
stations. Paid $16,400. In excellent
condition. Make offer. Contact
DMD4760@aol.com or call (412)
687-2005.
Practice for Sale
Practice for sale in prime location.
Includes equipment, inventory
and four operatories. Transition
available. Established practice that
63
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Locum Tenens
Professional Temporary Coverage
Professional temporary coverage
of your dental practice (locum
tenens) during maternity, disability
and personal leaves. Free, no
obligation quotes. Absolute confidentiality. Trusted integrity, since
1996. Nation’s most distinguished
team. Always seeking new dentists
to join the team. No cost, strings
or obligation - ever! Work only
when you wish (800) 600-0963.
www.doctorsperdiem.com. E-mail:
docs@doctorsperdiem.com.
Consulting Services
CPA having 22 + years’ experience
(including with AFTCO Associates)
offers independent dental advisory
services involving Buying, Selling,
Mediation, Valuation, Expert Witness
or Tax Planning. Joseph C. Bowers,
MBA, CPA/PFS, (610) 544-4100 or
e-mail jcbowers@verizon.net.
PARAGON Dental Practice
Transitions
The nation’s leading transition
specialists have opportunities
available for both buyers and sellers.
David A. Moffa, DMD, MAGD –
Western Pennsylvania (866) 841-0353,
dmoffa@paragon.us.com. Steven
Muench, DDS, MAGD – Eastern
Pennsylvania (877) 678-1647,
smuench@paragon.us.com. Visit our
website at www.paragon.us.com.
64
Practice Transitions
Selling – buying – merging –
establishing associateships. CERTIFIED
VALUATIONS FOR ALL PURPOSES
by Master Certified Business Appraiser.
Professional Practice Planners, 332
Fifth Avenue, McKeesport, PA 15132.
(412) 673-3144 or (412) 621-2882
(after hours.)
PARTNERSHIPS OR DELAYED
SALES
We have many satisfied clients with
associates in your area that we have
helped to either buy-in, buy-out
or a delayed sale with the current
associate. Without a quality valuation
and plan up front these transactions
normally fail. Call or e-mail us to
arrange a FREE CONSULTATION
to find out if you are a candidate for
this service. The result is higher
income and a higher practice value
for the seller and a clear financially
positive path for the associate. THE
MCNOR GROUP, (888) 273-1014,
ext. 103 or johnf@mcnorgroup.com.
www.mcnorgroup.com.
NEW OWNER REPRESENTATION
Our family and organization has
represented over 1,000 new owners
over the last 65 years in the MidAtlantic area that have purchased,
started or became partners in a dental
practice. Ownership is a decision
that is too important to make without
a qualified facilitator. We can get the
new owner 100 percent financing
plus working capital. Call us for
a FREE CONSULTATION and allow
us to send you a list of our references.
THE MCNOR GROUP, (888) 273-
1014, ext. 103, or johnf@mcnorgroup.com. www.mcnorgroup.com.
PRACTICE VALUATION
APPRAISAL
We are the only transition consulting
company in the area that has a
Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)
as a principal that focuses exclusively
on the transition of DENTAL
PRACTICES. Please see the article by
CVA Karen Norris on page 82 of the
April ‘07 issue of Dental Economics
on this subject or call or email us for
a FREE CONSULTATION and a
copy of the article. If you are selling,
buying, creating a partnership or just
want to find out the current value of
your practice contact THE MCNOR
GROUP, (888) 273-1014, ext. 103, or
johnf@mcnorgroup.com. www.mcnorgroup.com.
Practice Transitions
We specialize in Practice Sales,
Appraisals and Partnership
Arrangements in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Free Seller and Buyer Guides available.
For more details on our services,
contact Philip Cooper, DMD, MBA
America Practice Consultants, (800)
400-8550 or cooper@ameriprac.com.

Pennsylvania Dental Journal Pennsylvania Dental Journal

Transcription

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