Category: Opinion & Editorial

I was cleaning out my office over the weekend and came across pictures of my old office, circa 1988. Smiling in a bout of nostalgia, I had a revelation. Let me explain … After graduation and a year’s general practice residency, I purchased the practice of David Pearson, DDS, in Berea, Ohio. Dr. Pearson was a past president of the ODA ... [continue reading]

Much information has been shared with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. The different agencies tasked with informing us offer what little they know in an attempt to protect us from this unseen enemy. Their mantra seems to be “we are doing these things in an abundance of caution.” In an abundance of caution, well where does that leave ... [continue reading]

As we are in the midst of our new reality as a result of COVID-19, I find myself and my team working together to move forward. As all dentists in Ohio are forced to forge their own path forward during this public health crisis, the true colors of our office culture will emerge to either help or hinder us. Whether we realize it or not – ... [continue reading]

In 2015, after 25 years in private practice, I closed my office to assist with the development and opening of a new dental clinic at the Summit County Health Department, where I serve as the dental clinic director. The clinic offers comprehensive care to a large Medicaid population, as well as self-pay and private insurance patients. I began ... [continue reading]

  Every dentist knows that spring semester of D4 year is full of excitement and stress. Imagine all the obstacles you faced … and now add the coronavirus. I never imaged that my D4 year would end this way – all my appointments canceled for the last half of the semester and very little word on how, when, or IF I was going to ... [continue reading]

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]