Category: Opinion & Editorial

     William is my Keeneland ‘Wounded Warrior’. It’s my privilege to say good morning to him Wednesday through Sunday in April and October. What happens to William in the intervening months will remain a mystery. William is the Keeneland Clubhouse men’s bathroom valet. You’ll (men) recognize him if ... [continue reading]

     Since Sept. 16, 2011, when I was installed as President of the Ohio Dental Association, I have traveled and represented organized dentistry in the state of Ohio and truly enjoyed every minute. My visits started exactly where they should have Sept. 19, 2011, at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry with the ... [continue reading]

     On Sunday, May 20, 2012, I gave the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine Commencement Address. It was a humbling experience to address the next generation of dentists on such a special occasion, but one I enjoyed immensely. Below is an abbreviated version of my remarks.      ... [continue reading]

     I’ve just returned from chaperoning another eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C. Brian, my youngest, is now completing grade school and will be starting high school.  This is my third and last excursion as a lead chaperone. We spent three days with 53 14-year-olds and 19 parents touring the nation’s ... [continue reading]

     “The truth is, marijuana probably isn’t going to make you kill people. Most likely isn’t going to fund terrorists, but pot makes you feel fine with being bored, and it’s when you’re bored that you should be learning a new skill or some new science or being creative. If you smoke pot you may ... [continue reading]

     Recently at my office we had an incident occur that required me to do some extra coaching of my staff. We had a problematic patient call the office, and the staff member who took his call was not comfortable dealing with the situation. She proceeded to pass the call off to my office manager who handled the situation ... [continue reading]

     I have received a significant amount of positive feedback related to my recent series of columns on the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of the legal challenges to President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.  This month, I continue to discuss issues related to this potentially landmark case that ... [continue reading]

     I spent most of this week dealing with the media fallout from the release of the Yale University study on dental radiographs and brain tumors.  Where I was talking to reporters, we all will be explaining things to our patients for quite a while.  My task as an ADA spokesperson is to put a story like this in ... [continue reading]

     One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”      The youth replied, “I’m throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is ... [continue reading]

     As you know, it is an important time to be a member of organized dentistry. As I travel the state in my capacity as ODA president, talking to various local dental societies and other dental groups, I like to ask my colleagues a series of questions that revolve around what our profession would look like if the ODA did not ... [continue reading]