Check me out!!
Well things have certainly been busy; busy enough to forget to keep my 3 followers in the loop! The Northwestern office has had an incredible surge in new patients and I’m incredibly excited to have a slew of new, wonderful patients. In addition, our Hyde Park office has officially begun carrying out plans of expansion. We’ll have approximately ten operatories, a new lab, consult room, and new waiting area! I’ve also begun incorporating recently acquired knowledge from previous continuing education courses. Not only has it expanded my skill set in treatment planning advanced cases, but I am finding it much easier to explain issues that the patient may or may not be physically experiencing. Remember that if it doesn’t hurt, the patient is normally not concerned; however, today’s advances in literature and technique allow for more proactive approaches to prevent breakdown of the teeth and tissue. Boom!
Stupid, but I couldn’t help it.
(Source: dental-ramble)
Chris Brown has nothing on me! Notice how powerful the smile becomes once confidence is instilled in the patient. Though this is not a patient of mine, this photo really captures his “true” before and after expressions. As a dentist I am trained to focus on midlines, proportions, and contours; but, from a patient’s perspective this man now has a big, full, beautiful smile with the addition of facial veneers. Careful planning and lab communication is an absolute necessity when planning a case like this. Manus Northwestern will be joining up with one of the best dental labs in the country, LK Dental Studio, for a full mouth rehabilitation program in July of this year. It’s a wonderful experience for patients and doctors alike giving us the foundation and confidence to truly bring our esthetic and functional techniques to the next level. Recently a great friend of mine has committed to this program and is extremely excited to get started. I will very closely document this case and, pending his permission, will post photos to capture the true power of the smile!
Continued education has its perks.
Well, sitting here in Tampa international airport, the only thing I’m looking forward to is getting home to my wife. Otherwise, work and blustery weather in Chi-town would keep me on the beach forever. I had an amazing time with the Dawson Academy. An intense two and a half day lecture served as an outstanding foundation for taking my dentistry to the next level. Being one of the youngest of over 140 doctors, I was pleasantly reminded how ahead of the curve I am. Many doctors, seemingly at the point of retirement wished they took these courses 20 years ago. I was lucky enough to have lunch with the legendary Pete Dawson and was just blown away with how someone who’s been so involved with the field so long can still have such a passion for the field and his teaching. He is truly inspiring. This weekend was truly a major turning point in my young professional career.
Many thanks to the amazing folks at the Dawson Academy, Drs. Pete Dawson and John Cranham, and of course my wonderful hosts and longtime friends Matt and Brooke Baker. I look forward to coming back in November!
Exciting changes are well underway with my dental career. February marks the first month of being full time at Manus. I’ve had a wonderful experience thus far with my patients, staff, and fellow colleagues. For the first time out of dental school I feel at home. This month is the beginning of various exciting events for me. Today I will be traveling to St. Pete, Florida to begin the Dawson curriculum. These courses are placed in specific order to capture full potential of the material taught. I will continue the curriculum in March, May, June, and again in November. This will bring my total continuing education to about 120 hours since graduation in May. As mentioned in previous posts, my goal of attaining fellowship status in the Academy of General Dentistry will be met within the five year mark of graduation from dental school.
Outside of reserving flights and times for dental-related courses, my wife and I recently purchased tickets to visit Kauai again in September for our 1st anniversary! We are incredibly excited to get back to paradise and look forward to some beach hopping, hiking, snorkeling, and surfing. We’ll be staying only a stonesthrow away from where we stayed on our honeymoon, in the beautiful city of Princeville!
Fishing plays a big role in the summertime for me, and season is about to go full throttle. With this mild winter, I’ve had a serious bout with cabin fever and am looking forward to some time on the water. In March, I’ll be joining my brother and a good dental friend of mine for some season-opener bass action at Newton Lake near Effingham, Illinois. I’ve recently joined a local bass club in which my brother has dominated the last three years. The club is full of great guys and I look forward to fishing a few tourneys with them this season!
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to all the happenings from now to the end of 2012. Finally now, the real journey begins…..
Setting goals has always been a necessity for success.
Simply put, I am eager to learn and am willing to do
whatever it takes to become the best possible clinician.
I am currently an active member of the Academy of General
Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry; in addition to the ADA, ISDS (state branch),
and CDS (local branch). I plan on gaining Fellowship
status with the Academy of General Dentistry, and
becoming an accredited member of the American
Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Both programs are
extremely rigorous and will take between 2-5 years
to complete (written and oral exams in addition to
actual patient cases submitted while practicing dentistry).
What does this mean? Well, in addition to the 500+ hours
of continued education required, it essentially will mean
I have committed myself to absolute excellence in
functional and esthetic treatment through continued
education and peer reviewed patient experience. My plan
is to complete these goals within 5-7 years. It’ll be
difficult, but I’m up for the challenge.
Fortunately, this addiction doesn’t need intervention, just a little direction. As you may or may not know, I’ve already completed 19 hours of education since graduation and am on pace for 79 more hours bringing me to a total of approximately 100 CE hours for this calendar year. Keep in mind I graduated in May, so that’s pace for 100 CE hours a year (We are required by the state to have a minimum of 16 hours a year)! If it’s not obvious by now, “next level” dentistry is my theme here. What I may lack in years of experience, I certainly make up for in desire to learn how to diagnose and treat advanced restorative and esthetic cases. That being said, I’m excited to bring my dentistry to the next level and deliver outstanding restorative and esthetic treatment to every one of my patients!
