This blog post is adapted from a letter originally published via email on March 2, 2016. This post is reprinted with permission from the American Student Dental Association. For more dental student news and updates, visit ASDAnet.org.

ASDA has had a remarkable past year as an association, and personally this year has been one of the wildest, most fulfilling experiences I could have imagined.  From the 2015 election in Boston to National Dental Student Lobby Day in Washington DC to National Leadership Conference in Chicago to our House of Delegates in Dallas, this year has been a whirlwind of challenge and excitement.  Because it's difficult to get an accurate sense of what it's like to serve on ASDA's Executive Committee, I’d like to share some insights about our work over these past 12 months.

Wellness Initiative

As I was reading over farewell speeches given by ASDA presidents over the past ten years, I came across the one delivered by Jiwon Lee, and I was reminded again what an intelligent, insightful, talented leader she was. Jiwon was ASDA's immediate past president when we lost her to suicide just a couple months after she gave that speech to open ASDA's 44th Annual Session.

That loss is still difficult for those of us who knew and worked with Jiwon, but one of ASDA's most important accomplishments this year - the one that makes me most proud to be a part of this association - has been the continued rollout of the Wellness Initiative that we launched in response to her passing.

That initiative has expanded from a mental and emotional focus to include ASDA's five dimensions of overall wellness. Each of those dimensions — emotional, physical, intellectual, occupational, and environmental — has a separate section on our website with a variety of ASDA and external resources that are updated throughout the year. This is in addition to:

• Monthly wellness challenges like "going dark for 24 hours"
• The testimonials you heard at NLC about addiction and overcoming obstacles in dental school
• The upcoming wellness webinars that will kick off this month
• And the fact that the AADEJ selected the Wellness Issue of Mouth for the Larry Meskin Award for Excellence in Dental Student publications — and furthermore, that content from that issue will be re-published this month in the Journal of the California Dental Association.

Because of course, this is about much more than fun runs and catchy hashtags. This is about the fact that dental school can be a dark time. And many of us haven't experienced that — we made it through undergrad as the helpers, not the helped. But we need to destigmatize the idea of being helped. If you log onto our website, you can click on your school and learn how to connect with the wellness resources offered by your university. Yes, dental school is hard on your mind, hard on your body, and hard on your spirit — and you're not the only dental student who feels like that. ASDA's Wellness Initiative is here because we want to be able to show you where to turn.

Student Debt

Another major development that's going to affect dental students this year is the work of the ADA's Student Debt Work Group. According to ADEA, the average dental student debt for 2015 graduates is $255,567. ASDA participated in that work group, which was chaired by ADA Trustee and former ASDA Board Liaison, Dr. Jeffrey Cole. The group secured a deal with Darien Rowayton Bank (DRB) that will allow dental students to refinance their loans at much lower rates upon graduation.

Licensure Reform

I told all of you last year that licensure reform would be my top priority. Many now agree that our licensure system is broken, but there is still little consensus about which path to take in fixing it.  There are many organizations advocating for different pathways to licensure reform, but there's only one American Student Dental Association.

This past July, the Board of Trustees revisited the idea of our ideal licensure examination and passed an interim L-1 policy that has allowed the Executive Committee to be extremely nimble and clear in advocating for reform. And not just reform -- but the right reform.  I was honored and proud when the House of Delegates approved that policy at Annual Session last week.

If you haven't had a chance to review the policy, do so now. This policy is empowering us — and things are changing. Because of the way candidacy for licensure is determined, reform can't be accomplished by any kind of sweeping federal legislation. Licensure is a state's rights issue, so change on the licensure front has to happen on a state-by-state basis. You can imagine that running 50 separate reform efforts is a daunting task, and it is. But change is happening, however incrementally.

ASDA's power is in its voice, because we are the future of the profession. I'm looking forward to hearing that voice in the coming days.

Final Thoughts

I really credit the Board of Trustees for the decisions they've made to steer ASDA in the right direction. Our Board members are dental students with exams, practicals, and competencies like the rest of us, but they've turned themselves into experts on the issues that affect dental students in order to make decisions for the best interest of everyone. Thanks to all of them, including our inexhaustible Colorado ASDA president and District 9 Trustee, Kyle Larsen. And I especially want to thank my fellow Executive Committee members — Adrien Lewis, Niveditha Rajagopalan and Nancy Honeycutt — for their humor, talent, stamina and intelligence.

One of the greatest challenges about ASDA's leadership structure is that we serve one-year terms, which means our leaders turn over almost completely every year. But this is also one of ASDA's greatest strengths. It gives every set of ASDA leaders exactly one year to aggressively throw themselves into the fight for ASDA's initiatives, and then turn that work over to a new group of fresh, creative minds.

I think this is so incredible because it gives our association the ability to reevaluate ASDA's direction through new eyes every single year. It's such a gift to know that Adrien, Niv, and I will pass our work on to a new Executive Committee that can analyze and critique what we've done, and potentially take this association in a direction the three of us could never have imagined. It's not with a heavy heart that I'm ending this term - it's with a happy one. I can't wait to serve in a supporting role for the next leaders of this association.

I feel so humbled to have had the chance to serve you as president this year.  I see bright, exciting futures ahead for all of our members, and I feel fortunate to have been a part of an association that's making our collective future brighter by the day.

Thank you,

Christian Piers, Colorado ‘16

ASDA Immediate Past President

I-de-al (adj):  satisfying one's conception of what is perfect; most suitable.

Ideal is a word we think we understand. A word we often use to describe our goals and ambitions. A word we hope people use to describe us. Colorado ASDA recently won the Gold Crown Award for Ideal ASDA at the 2016 Annual Session in Dallas, Texas.  This means that our chapter, among the 65 ASDA chapters nationwide, exemplifies what is considered a perfect ASDA chapter.

Ideal ASDA means our chapter successfully completed items in multiple categories such as membership, communication, activities, pre-dental involvement, and advocacy. On a chapter level, membership, communication, and activities are the direct benefits a student has by being involved at the local level. This includes the how-to guides, TAD talks, lunch and learns, as well as leadership opportunities. Remember back to 2013 and imagine what ASDA looked like then: basically free pizza only 3 times a semester or so. A huge improvement in our chapter involved delegating fundraising, which resulted in students being served gourmet meals several times a week, and learning about our sponsors simply for being an ASDA member.

To the shock and dismay of the admissions committee, students do not seek out community outreach activities once accepted into dental school, yet many still want to be involved. Our ASDA chapter organizes community outreach opportunities for those individuals, and provides a variety of ways for students to give back to our community. These frequent events are some of the best opportunities for members to get involved in our chapter without committing to a leadership position.

Not only does our chapter provide for the students of our own dental school, but Colorado ASDA is a huge resource for pre-dental students in the state. One of the main goals of our chapter is to increase pre-dental involvement, and we have a committee designed to facilitate this. In the past year, our chapter has helped create pre-dental clubs at our local universities, as well as involving pre-dental students in dental school such as a leadership workshops.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of being Ideal ASDA, is that we give a home to everyone who wants to participate, whether it’s just attending lunch and learns or  obtaining a leadership position. ASDA is unique in that it is the only organization at our school that all students are members of. If it weren’t for the efforts of our leadership and the participation of our membership, our chapter could never have achieved the prestigious Ideal ASDA award. Thank you to all of our members for making this the best chapter ever!

If you want to become more involved in our chapter, please contact any Colorado ASDA Executive member.

Three years ago, Colorado ASDA created a Facebook page.  Two years ago, the Colorado Quickset blog, CEJ, and our Instagram account were born.  Less than one year ago, we created our very own YouTube channel.  Last week, Colorado ASDA was recognized for our efforts and awarded Best Use of Social Media at the 2016 Annual Session Gold Crown Awards.  This award does not go to any one individual, but rather to our entire chapter for our efforts.

Organized dentistry is a powerful thing.  ASDA represents dental students all over the country, and acts as a unified voice to speak up for the best interest of dental students as a whole.  ASDA cannot work at the national level without the contributions of each individual chapter in states and regions across the country.  ASDA cannot work at the local chapter level without the students at each school working together to represent this voice.  The volume of ASDA is increased through an expanding membership working together as a team, and Social Media is an integral part of making this happen.

Today, a huge portion of information shared between people is via social media.  In order to ensure the success of a growing organization, especially one with a high member turnover rate such as ASDA, the speed at which information is transferred is critical.  Social media allows us to send and receive this information in an instant, and the use of photos, videos, and 160 character limits better engage the eyes and minds of our Millennial selves.

I want to extend a huge Thank You to all of Colorado ASDA for your role in making our chapter the Best in Social Media.  Your contributions through watching videos, liking photos, reading articles, and sharing Facebook posts won us this prestigious Gold Crown Award at the dental school equivalent of the Oscar's awards.  Dream Bigger ASDA!

It was after my first year of dental school that I was asked to participate in Crown Council. With a direct question like that, and with a title like Crown Council, I felt like I should have known exactly what Crown Council was. Yet, at that stage of my dental school career, I barely knew how to cement a crown, nevertheless know what this “Crown Council” was.

The question was posed by Dr. Guy Gross, a successful general dentist in Salina, Kansas, and a great mentor of mine. He went on to explain that Crown Council is an international association of leading dental teams dedicated to seeking out and sharing “best practices” in order to improve the quality of care in every area of dentistry. This organization supports both individual and team growth by directing practices to focus on patient services, clinical care, and practice organization. Dentists and their teams have the opportunity to participate in Crown Council through their membership, an annual conference, and an online membership network. The purpose of the Crown Council is to help dental professionals and the members of their teams build a Culture of Success in their professional and personal lives.

When speaking of Crown Council, Dr. Gross had an energy that made me want to learn more about this organization. His explanation was quite thorough, but he did forget to mention one thing—the membership is by invite only. After receiving that invitation and experiencing Crown Council’s Annual Event, I felt like I had been crowned by The Crown Council itself. It is with the generous donation of Crown Council and Dr. Guy Gross’s clinic, New Horizons Dental Care, that I have been able to attend the last two Crown Council Annual Events.

Through the two Annual Events I attended, it was clear there were a couple themes that really resonated within the conference setting. The first theme was Walk like a 10. Crown Council supports their dental teams in ways that make their individual members feel confident, like a “10”. As teams were entering into the conference ballrooms, there were Crown Council representatives greeting everyone by name. This was absolutely a first for me to see in a conference. The representatives checked in with everyone to see how they could help them grow individually and/or as a part of their team.

The second theme works hand-in-fhand with the first theme: all dental teams were there to support each other’s dental practices. In fact, there were multiple times throughout the annual event designated for dentists to work in groups to exchange ideas and answer questions on how to become better providers and team members. Being able to sit in on these mastermind conversations allowed me to envision how much each participating member’s team would grow with these new ideas.

The third theme that was evident in Crown Council was to support the surrounding community. Crown Council is the home of Smiles for Life, a charity program that provides funding to hundreds of children’s charities around the world. The campaign has raised over $36,000,000 over the past 18 years and is the largest campaign of its type in dentistry. One aspect of this charity, supported by many Crown Council dentists, is “Whiten Your Smile and Help a Child”. This program encourages dentists to offer bleaching procedures to interested patients, with 100% of proceeds go to benefit children. Another activity at last year’s Annual Event was stuffing, dressing, and labeling 700 teddy bears, all of which were donated to Primary’s Children Hospital in Salt Lake City.

So what exactly is Crown Council? I like to think of it as an organization that supports you, your team and your community. Lecturers at the annual events focus on motivation, happiness, and health. Crown Council doesn’t exactly focus on clinical skills, but rather it seeks to improve clinical work by being a better individual within the team setting. For example, one day of Annual Session had speakers talking about marketing, reducing stress, healthy eating, proper posture, finances, and making a culture of success. Additionally, their online network allows teams to watch video series, including Skill of the Week and Mentor of the Month. Following these videos allows teams to become stronger and work better together.

My membership to an organization that supports the growth of my future team and the community is something I hope to maintain for the entirety of my dental career. I encourage all students that are interested in a post-graduate support team to look into Crown Council today. I’d be delighted to help recommend you.

Thank you Crown Council and New Horizons Dental Care for an amazing opportunity!

  As a child, I had no illusion that Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny were real.  The tooth fairy, on the other hand, was a fantasy figure I never doubted.  The idea that someone wanted my baby teeth and would even pay for them thrilled me!  As a dental student now, I got the opportunity to be the tooth fairy on our rotation at Children’s Hospital Healthy Smiles Clinic.  It was interesting to see which kids believed in her and how much money they’d expect to receive.  The answers varied from child to child and their excitement for her visit did as well.

The tradition of rewards for baby teeth is believed to have originated in Europe during the Middle Ages.   Exfoliated baby teeth were buried, and when the child’s sixth tooth fell out, the parents would slip a gift or money from the tooth fairy.  In northern Europe, a tooth fee was paid when a child lost their first tooth. In England, children were often instructed to burn their baby teeth in order to save themselves from hardship in the Afterlife.  Finally, the Norse culture believed that children’s teeth brought good luck in battle.

The representation of the tooth fairy we know today didn’t develop until much later.   The earliest reference to the tooth fairy in modern times was in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1908.  The Tribune suggested that many stubborn children may allow a loose tooth to be removed if they know about the tooth fairy.  In addition, mothers should visit the 5-cent counter at the local department store and leave those small gifts under their children’s pillows.  However, the idea of the Tooth Fairy herself didn’t become popular until the 1930’s.

The rewards left under a child’s pillow vary by country, their family’s economic status, and what the child’s peers receive.  The national average per tooth in 2013 was $3.70, according to a survey by Visa Inc.  Some parents tend to offer more money for larger teeth or the first and last tooth.  Dentists often tell children that the cleaner and healthier a tooth is, the bigger the reward.

Unlike Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy does not have a set appearance.  In popular culture, the Tooth Fairy takes on many different forms, from The Rock in “The Tooth Fairy” to “Rise of The Guardians.”   In addition, a 1984 study by Rosemary Wells claimed that only 74% of children believed the Tooth Fairy to be female.  Some children believed that the Tooth Fairy wasn’t a fairy at all but an animal such as a mouse or bird.  Which begs the question; what do you think the tooth fairy looks like?

The Tooth Fairy’s appearance, how much she pays, or even which teeth she prefers we might never know.  By becoming a dentist, I will be that much closer to finding out, and if you ask me, I think she looks just like me and prefers teeth with no cavities.

At some point, you might have heard the saying, “It’s not who you know, but what you know.”  This advice typically refers to networking with others in an effort to learn from professionals in your industry, exchange useful ideas, and perhaps find your dream job.  

Meeting new people is not only advantageous from a career standpoint; these new relationships may evolve into valuable, lasting friendships that enrich your life professionally and personally.  You might even lock eyes from across the room with a dashing young man (or woman) at a professional function and end up marrying them (well that happened to me, at least).

Despite the positive effects of networking, many people are apprehensive to do so.  Admittedly, the word “networking” may be a turnoff; it sparks various negative connotations of forced, awkward interactions at scheduled happy hours or meet & greets.  Instead of thinking about networking from this perspective, I suggest disposing of that notion altogether and focusing on making new lifelong relationships with people. Below are some tips to keep in mind to start forming meaningful and genuine connections with dentists, fellow students, and other professionals.

1. Start with the right mindset

To successfully form professional relationships with people, you must be in the right mindset and have the right intentions.   Be sincere with your interactions and get to know people, listening to their stories. I have witnessed too many people networking with the blatant intention of getting a “dream job” or some other self-serving purpose.  This superficial mindset is obvious to most people and is a huge turnoff. Instead, get to know other people for the sake of getting to know them.  This alone is worth the effort of networking.  If other professional opportunities arise from knowing these new people, then that is just icing on the cake!

2. Put yourself out there

In order to get to know people, especially in a significant way, you must break outside your comfort zone.  This means occasionally foregoing your normal routine to go to events where you might connect with new people.

Situations that might be conducive to meeting new people include organized dentistry events (e.g. CDA, MDDS, dental fraternity study clubs/networking events, etc.) or even striking up a conversation with an interesting guest speaker for a class.  Personally, I have made some great professional and personal connections at college alumni events, social gatherings, and even coffee shops.

Also, keep in mind that some of the best connections you may make are non-dentists!

3. Keep in Touch

After meeting new people, always keep in touch.  The method of keeping in touch depends on the person, their age, and their position.  For some people, a LinkedIn request may be enough.  However, to form a significant relationship with someone, as with any relationship, both parties must work to maintain the relationship.  This includes periodic emails, phone calls, or even coffee dates.  Just like anything in life, you will get more meaning out of any situation if you put a more sincere and genuine effort into it.

Again, this goes into changing your mindset about networking—you must truly appreciate the value of forming new, meaningful relationships for professional and personal reasons.  Then, you must develop the discipline and willingness to incorporate meeting new people and keeping in consistent contact with them throughout your career.

4. Pay it Forward

If you choose to embrace the concept of networking and putting yourself out there, never do it for selfish reasons.  The whole point of making a new connection is to develop a reciprocal, fulfilling relationship with another human being.  This is always true for any type of relationship.  With that said, always do your best to also help others along their professional and personal journey, and your efforts will surely be reciprocated in some way.

As you go through life, virtually every encounter you have is “networking”; try to keep an open mind with every encounter—you never know how it can enhance your life and how you may enhance the lives of others.

Like many other dental students, I’m from a state that doesn’t have its own dental school. Unfortunately, this leads to a very high lack of access to care for the residents of my home state, New Mexico. When speaking to several members of the NMDA about issues that are impacting our state, the words “mid level care providers” and “dental therapists” inevitably pop up. My basic assumption of these words (which are one in the same) at the time was “a non-dentist” that can perform “dentist” duties. Those are scary words to hear as a dental student, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars and four years of my life, only to have the same job done by somebody who has only received a bachelor’s degree. I decided to dive a little further into the subject about the pros, cons, regulations, and education requirements surrounding the dental therapist…so here we go!

The Basics….  

• Dental therapists operate under a dentist’s license in an office or satellite clinics. Their basic duties vary depending on each state’s rules.
  • Scope of practice includes fillings, seating crowns, performing extractions, adjusting dentures, diagnosing radiographs, making treatment plans
• Dental therapists are currently practicing in Minnesota, Maine, and Alaska. There are different names for the profession popping up in legislature all over the country (including Colorado)
• Two types:
  • Dental therapist-
    • Requires a bachelors’ degree in Dental Therapy with several licensure and competency exams in order to practice. May perform some services under “indirect supervision,” which means a dentist must be on-site to authorizes procedures, or under “general supervision,” which means the dentist is off-site and must still authorize procedures.
  • Advanced dental therapist-
    • Dental therapy degree along with a masters’ degree in Advanced Dental Therapy which requires 2,000 hours of clinical practice and a certification exam. They may do all that a dental therapist can do, and also perform oral evaluations, treatment plans, and non-surgical extractions of teeth.
    • Practices under the supervision of a dentist, but all procedures can be completed under “general supervision.”

The Case FOR Dental Therapists…

• Contrary to what many believe, there isn’t a lack of dentists in certain “at need” states, rather a lack of distribution. This can be alleviated by dental therapists working at satellite clinics in rural areas addressing basic needs of the community without patients being forced to travel to far-away dental offices.
• They only perform routine care, so it opens up the dentist’s schedule to perform more complex care like endodontics, prosthodontics, and implantology, while still addressing basic needs of the office’s patient pool. This is viewed as a way to expand a dentist’s practice and maximize profit.

The Case AGAINST Dental Therapists…  

• It is a common opinion within the dental community that if Medicaid and insurance reimbursements didn’t drive practitioners to lose money on certain procedures, many more would practice in areas where fee-for-service dentistry isn’t the norm. Many dentists believe that more changes to Medicaid and insurance reimbursements need to be made in order to drive practitioners to “low income” areas.
• States should address access to care issues by reimbursing dentists who work in rural areas. Dental therapists have the ability to work on simple cases, but comprehensive care is the only way to effectively provide dentistry that is at the standard of care.
• The ADA believes that the “one-size-fits-all” model provided by dental therapists is not the best way to reach populations that live in rural communities.
• Dentists do not want their profession’s quality to be in jeopardy with the addition of therapists who are less educated in dentistry.

In the end, it is up to YOU as a dental professional to decide what is best for you, and most importantly, the patients in your home state. Being involved in your local ASDA and ADA chapter will make a difference whether dental therapists become a reality where you live.

I grew up being interested in serving my country because both of my grandfathers had done so.  My only dilemma was how I could accomplish that. While applying to dental school, I realized that I could be a dentist, serve my country, and have my schooling paid for. All of my ducks were nicely lined up and I began my journey to become a dentist. Now let’s dive deeper into my decision to serve.

My life in dental school is much easier thanks to my military commitment. The full ride scholarship is welcomed, especially during a time when dental schools are charging 4 year tuitions that equate to a full mortgage. You graduate with a foundation but no house to show for it. My fellow militia and I also receive a monthly living allowance that can be fairly generous if you live within normal means. Oh, and cross your T’s and dot your I’s at the right time and you may qualify for a large signing bonus!

I know what you are thinking, “With all of these benefits, there must be a catch, right?”. Well yes there is…kind of. A military lifestyle is not for everyone. A 4-year scholarship requires a 4 year pay pack while living in about 2-3 different locations. As an officer, it is expected that you will move about every 2 years, and you might not have much say in where you will be going next. This nomadic lifestyle can be stressful on a family, and difficult for a spouse with their own career. If you do not like taking orders, clearly, the military is not for you. Many people choose dentistry for the autonomy. Autonomy does not mix with the military for obvious reasons.

Besides financial benefits, there are many other great reasons to choose the military route. Every day you are serving individuals who are sacrificing their lives for this country. This is an intangible gratification. You can travel and have the opportunity to live almost anywhere in the world. You have 4 years to focus on improving your dental skills. Another overseen aspect is that your patients are not limited by finances and are able to receive the best possible care. This will not apply to the civilian side, but will allow dentists to hone many new skills.

Now lets do some rough math. Out-of-state tuition is roughly $75k a year, roughly $300k at the end plus about $50k in interest at an average rate of 7%. For the military, you can add on an income of $25k a year while in dental school. That is a total scholarship value of $450k. Now the field evens out because the military salary will range from $80-95k. As compared to the average new dentist making $90-130k a year minus debt payments. I did a full break down but I will spare you the minutia. After paying off some of the debt, both parties make out pretty even after 4 years post graduation.

I view my scholarship as a tool to advance my career. I know that it will be hard on my future family and moving around will be cumbersome. There will be days when I envy my civilian counterparts as I float along on a ship in the middle of the ocean. There will be plenty of hardships and unfortunate circumstances. I like to live life with an open mind. I know that this experience will help my career and my family to grow. I will gain experience working with specialists of all kinds and have unique experiences that only a military dentist can have (helicopter rides, aircraft carriers, etc.)

I was given some advice years ago, “Do not choose the military scholarship for the money. Choose to serve your country and the finances are a perk.” I think this sums things up nicely. The money looks really nice in order to avoid the student loan debt, but there are many costs of every day life as a military dentist. I like to put it this way: You have to pay someone either way, it just depends on how you want to pay it. The traditional student is paying monetary debt. The military student is paying with their time. If you want to serve your country and do dentistry, the scholarship is a good choice for you.