Category: Opinion & Editorial

I am humbled, honored and grateful to serve our profession, our ODA. We are blessed with outstanding leadership and a team of professionals at our headquarters in Columbus. It also is great to work with dedicated volunteer leaders amongst colleagues who also serve and inspire. And we continue to be successful for dentistry and our patients with a ... [continue reading]

Every time we fly, we hear flight attendants reciting their variation on the FAA oxygen mask rule. “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead compartment. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” We’ve heard these instructions so many times that it doesn’t register for ... [continue reading]

Many of you know that for the past one year I have been on a personal transformational path. While the physical is obvious, the mental is what I want to talk about here. Between turning 50 last December and COVID stress eating, I had put myself in an unhealthy place. I avoided mirrors, stopped getting on my scale and hid behind layers of ... [continue reading]

The ADA is considered America’s leading advocate for oral health. My concern is that in setting policies or standards for our profession not based in true science but politicized information of the CDC we will lose our autonomy. Everyone has the personal right to make a choice based on their age, health status and other influences such as ... [continue reading]

For years, I have been telling patients and members of the media that it’s a great time to be a dentist, because there’s almost nothing that we can’t fix. My tenure as the director of dental oncology for Ohio State has tested that long-held belief. I spent time today with a patient. Let’s call him Bill to protect his true identity. ... [continue reading]

As I write this, the wheels are turning in Washington to create a dental benefit in Medicare Part B. There is no doubt that there are access issues regarding dental care for senior citizens in the country. What is open for debate is how to address those issues. Unfortunately, that discussion is currently proceeding in the worst possible place for ... [continue reading]

As I have conversations with many colleagues around the country, one thing is absolutely clear: we have a workforce shortage! As the smoke clears from the carnage of the pandemic and we assess the past two years in our sector of health care, most of us reported being busier than ever coupled with having less than the normal number of qualified ... [continue reading]

The XXXIII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan has come to an end. The best athletes in the world had to wait an extra year to show off their skills. They did not disappoint. The world watched people run faster, jump higher, lift more weight, and throw objects further than ever before. Elite gymnasts, swimmers, soccer players, volleyball stars and cyclists ... [continue reading]

As I sit down to write this, my final ODA Today President’s Message, I’m struck by how quickly the time passed and how much more work there is to be done. I am also struck and wearied by the seemingly unending assault from all directions on the profession we all love. Every day we are confronted with new regulations, government mandates, ... [continue reading]

I love tomatoes, a lot. Not the ones grown by commercial growers that are harvested green and sprayed with ethylene to turn them red. While it’s true they are voluptuous, deep red, and without blemishes, sadly they have no flavor, no character, no soul. Home grown tomatoes are completely different. They are a labor of love. Each spring ... [continue reading]