By: Allen Vean, DMD Recently, I visited my college roommate and an incident on the plane had me in shock. Around forty-five minutes into the flight, a gentleman five rows in front of me stood up and pointed a finger at a woman sitting next to him. As the woman began to stand up, the flight attendant was quick to defuse the situation. Because of the aircraft noise, I could

By: Bryan Savage, DDS My path has been similar to many of yours. Dental school, residency, starting and building a practice, while getting married and raising kids along the way. Through those years, “free” time was limited and created a barrier to getting involved in organized dentistry. The financial stresses of being a new grad and building a practice made it necessary for me to scrutinize my expenses. One expense

By: Dr. Amy Doneen Medicine and dentistry have historically been placed in healthcare silos. This segmented approach continues to allow cardiovascular disease to remain the top cause of death in the United States. The BaleDoneen Method™ is a collaborative, science-based approach to preventing, detecting, and treating cardiovascular disease (CVD) by targeting the underlying causes of arterial plaque formation. It goes beyond traditional risk factor management (high blood pressure or high

By: Mr. Paul Sletten You face great challenges as a dentist today. You push yourself to grow and improve as a clinician, to be an outstanding leader, relationship builder, finance manager and personal administrator. You become so fixated on these areas that you ignore other aspects of your life and throw yourself out of balance. In the words of John Bradshaw, that fixation makes us “human doings rather than human

By: Alexandra Thurston How Your Office Establishes Your Brand Have you ever wondered how the most recognized brands in a culture become dominant? Books have been written on the topic and there aren’t enough words in a single article or blog post to cover all of the factors that contribute to building a five-star-brand. While we might not be able to cover all the components, there is one key factor

By: Dr. Brett Kessler and Dr. Richard Rosato When we think about the legacy we hope to leave—not just as dentists, but as leaders—we’re guided by one shared responsibility: To make dentistry the very best it can be, now and for the future. That means leading with purpose, uniting our profession around a common mission, and showing up, especially in moments of  change. We are living through a new era

Chris Macri’s Life-Changing Volunteering Experience with GDR in MexicoBy: Leah Grygleski Dr. Chris Macri is a 25-year private practice dentist from Greenwood Village, CO. During a trip to Mexico with the Global Dental Relief (GDR), he experienced something far more profound than any procedure he had performed in his office. On this volunteer trip, he had a transformative moment for both him and the underserved children and families in a

By: Mrs. Shelly Fava, MA, CMP, CAEMDDS Executive Director As adults, we’re rarely surprised by the gifts we receive. We open our packages knowing we’ll see a tie or some perfume. But remember when we were children and each gift brought a sense of wonder, that little jolt of excitement at not knowing exactly what was under the paper? There was that moment of delight when you peeled back the

By: Alexandra Thurston In Part I of this series, we established how healthcare practices are not immune to the need to build a brand and establish their reputation, specifically with regards to an office and its location (i.e. the real estate). A patient’s office visit and their related experience undoubtedly forms their primary perception of the doctor, staff, and the practice. Patient-experience and brand-friction, as discussed in Part I, will

By: Jack Nguyen, MS, DDS Living in Colorado offers a unique blend of benefits, making it an attractive place to call home. There’s a variety of reasons dentists move to Colorado so what’s yours? We wanted to learn why dentists chose the Denver metro area to move and practice. You might be surprised why some doctors made the leap to put down roots here. One of the biggest draws is

By: Ms. Laura Ramsey The future of dentistry is being shaped by bold, new ideas, and Research Day 2025 at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM) offered a front-row seat to new and ongoing research that is redefining oral health. “When we started planning this year’s event, we knew it needed to be special because we’re celebrating the 40th annual CU Dental Research Day,” said Tracy

By: Allen Vean, DMDMDDS Co-Editor Eight years ago, as I transitioned from a private pediatric practice and “graduated” to the rest of my life, I did have a plan. As a state clinical dental director of Special Olympics, I was involved with an exceptional organization that gives intellectually disabled adults and children the chance to compete in a myriad of sports. The Healthy Athletes program is the dental component known