Category: Opinion & Editorial

When the dental profession talks about improving Medicaid, we lament how low the fees are, but are reluctant to raise that issue with legislators or other decision-makers for fear of seeming to be self-serving. We’ve shied away from addressing this issue forthrightly for fear of bringing attention to our incomes or being seen as mercenary. Only ... [continue reading]

First appearing in Baldassare Castiglione’s 1528 work “The Book of the Courtier,” Sprezzatura is an Italian word defined by the author as “a certain nonchalance so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” It was the ability of a successful courtier to ... [continue reading]

Working on jigsaw puzzles can teach us so many things! I know that figuring out which piece fits against the contours of another piece brings back so many fond memories of the DAT exam before applying to dental school. Who didn’t love that game of mental Tetris fitting the 3D patterns together? Well, OK, no one really loves that … Think ... [continue reading]

This spring, we awakened to great weather, blossoming of flowers and the wonderful news that the mask mandate would soon be lifted for vaccinated individuals. To add to this optimism and the spirit of moving forward we have two children in our household that are graduating from medical and dental school. Four years ago, I envisioned a huge ... [continue reading]

It was time for spring cleaning and I was in the basement, dusting off some wine bottles that I have been storing. I don’t have a big collection or large wine cellar, by any means, but there are wines that I have been storing for a while now. I got to reflecting on the labels and how I had picked up some of them. For me, the real value of wine ... [continue reading]

According to the 2021 World Happiness Report, despite the challenges and uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, Finland has retained its status as the happiest country in the world. Following Finland, in order, were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands. The United States came in at 19th place, down one spot from 2020. The ... [continue reading]

The pursuit of a medical-dental connection has assumed an almost metaphysical status in dentistry these days and the reason escapes me. Can’t we be satisfied with the importance of oral health on our own terms rather than continue to try to establish a link to systemic health that would somehow elevate dentistry into the holistic pantheon of ... [continue reading]

Spring is a time for new ideas. Like the flowers and trees that begin to bud, we are coming out of a year-long winter. We’ve been dormant, but now is the time to bloom again! The COVID snow is melting and people are coming out of their winter quarantine. Like bears emerging from a den, we step out, stretch our arms to the sky, blink our eyes at ... [continue reading]

By now most of us in Ohio who are treating patients have received our second vaccination for COVID-19. When the governor put dentists into Group 1A, I knew it was because of our proactive leadership and their relationship with state legislators including the Ohio State Dental Board. Amalgamating the science and information from the regulatory ... [continue reading]

What should we remember? Years from now, when we look back … Author Paul Coelho said, “Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen or by having everything happen all at once.” I’ve been writing lately about charting our course forward carefully, with intention and optimism. This month, I would like to ... [continue reading]