Category: Opinion & Editorial

Not that long ago I remember saying to one of my friends "I have been working non-stop. I seriously need some time off." They say to be careful of what you wish for. I didn’t mean this. As many of you know, and probably many more suspect, I am a Type A, with all of the things, good and bad that come with it. Even though that is how I am ... [continue reading]

As we struggle to adjust to “the new normal” that is life in the world of COVID-19, I’m reminded that today is unique. We only get it once. Denise, my wife of 32 years and a professor in The OSU Division of Dental Hygiene, posted the following on her Facebook page. As I feel it accurately captures the feelings of so many people, ... [continue reading]

I asked the “ODA Today” staff to let me try to put some levity in this issue devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I pulled my original column and now pose a tongue-in-cheek conundrum that I’ve been “sitting on” since all this started! The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our way of life and we’ll look back on it ... [continue reading]

It’s not lost on me that the last column I wrote for “ODA Today” was about getting a job in dentistry, and now I sit here unemployed. We are living through a pandemic, hospitals running low on PPE and ventilators, restaurants and dental offices closed for regular business, no definitive end in sight. The rate at which I’m ... [continue reading]

We have now added COVID-19 to the list of acronyms that denote benchmarks in our history. These are times that will be remembered as the guides and bumpers dictating our thoughts and directions for life as we thought we knew it. In several conversations, I have given my perspective on this current epoch as a combination of 9/11, Y2K, and the ... [continue reading]

I never thought that at the very beginning of my career I would be facing one of the greatest challenges of my life as a dentist and a human being: a global pandemic. None of us thought we would have to completely adjust every aspect of our lives in order to combat and live through the first pandemic of the modern age. Writing that sentence just ... [continue reading]

Last month, I helped with the kickoff for the Ohio Give Kids A Smile event, which was held at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry.  Besides it being a great event, with lots of children treated, I was heartened to see all of the families involved.  Since this event was held on a weekend instead of during the week, families ... [continue reading]

According to Johns Hopkins, repetitive stress injuries (RSI) are injuries that happen when too much stress is placed on a part of the body, resulting in inflammation (pain and swelling), muscle strain, or tissue damage. The stress generally occurs from repeating the same movements over and over again. RSI are very common, with more than 3 million ... [continue reading]

This last December, my husband and I were invited to speak at a dental symposium in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Though this was my first speaking engagement abroad, we have been attending professional meetings across the pond for about 12 years. I am sure anyone who has attended a foreign dental meeting or even met practitioners from other countries can ... [continue reading]

After graduating from dental school in 1981, I became an associate in a small town. At that point in time, I was the only female dentist in a 50 mile radius. I joined the tripartite and attended meetings with my local component. I have to say that everyone was very nice to me but they would always change the subject when I walked up. At first I ... [continue reading]