President’s Profile: Born to Serve

Service to others is a common theme in Dr. Garry Myers’ life – whether it’s as incoming president of the AAE, in the military as a dental officer, in private practice as an endodontist in his professional life, or in his private life, as den leader and cubmaster for his son’s scouts group, coaching youth sports, or volunteering for the Iditarod dog sled race, in Anchorage and out on the trail (17 years and counting).

President’s Message: An Ethical Foundation

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”- Potter Stewart

Can one teach ethics or do humans possess an inherent sense of right and wrong from birth? This has been the subject of many intellectual exercises, and the conclusions vary.

President’s Message: AAE Connection is Now Live

I am pleased to announce the launch one of the most powerful member benefits in AAE history, AAE Connection. AAE Connection is your endodontic community and opportunity to connect with thousands of endodontic professionals representing the specialty all around the world.

President’s Message: Informed Consent: Does it Begin With Public Awareness?

Every health care provider is familiar with the term “informed consent.” It is an integral part of the provision of any medical or dental procedure. During the process of informed consent, the health care provider discloses the relevant information to a competent patient so the patient can make the voluntary decision to accept or refuse treatment.

President’s Message: Board Certification: Debunking the Elitist Myth

A hot topic within the dental community has been the process by which the dental specialties are recognized. What does Board certification really mean to end-dentists and the specialty?

Advocacy in Action

With the recent election of a new government we have all been pondering what it takes to provide good leadership, sound decision making and vision. These attributes are requisite for a good leader and a great leader combines them with compassion, empathy and wisdom to advocate for their constituency.

President’s Message: Student Debt: A National Threat

When I graduated from dental school it was not uncommon for students to have taken on debt, however student loans made it possible for many of us to afford the cost of a graduate degree. Your officers and Board of Directors are concerned about student debt and how it is affecting dentistry in general, and our specialty in particular.

President’s Message: Endodontic Education: Teaching One Standard of Practice

As an educator for over 20 years I was involved in clinical and didactic proficiency assessments on many levels. None were as informative as what I experienced in 2005 when I went into full-time clinical practice. It was there that I could observe the real-life competency of my students.

President’s Message: Our Quest for Information

Whether you are having your car serviced, completing an online purchase or using your bank app on your phone, it has become routine to be asked at the end of your encounter to fill out a survey. Surveys allow organizations to gather massive amounts of information, which they can then use to better meet the expectations of their clientele. Though we used to rely on mail or phone surveys, online surveys now are the norm as they collect data faster and with less cost while still maintaining good data quality and reliability. In fact, results from election polls show that online surveys are more accurate than older forms of polling. The AAE has followed suit by distributing the AAE Member Needs Surveys electronically. But questions still remain – how can we improve the accuracy of our data and how can we apply that data to serve members more effectively?

President’s Message: Do We Have an Identity Crisis?

How many times have you introduced yourself to a patient and been asked, “What exactly is an endodontist?” The question implies that they have come to your office for a complex dental procedure through blind trust in the individual who sent them rather than knowledge of your credentials and expertise. It also is testimony to an identity crisis from which most dental specialties suffer. The reality is that the public at large does not understand the dental specialty process or how a specialist differs from a primary dental care provider. Typically, an identity crisis is defined as a state of confusion in an organization regarding its constitution or direction – our crisis is that our patients and even some of our dental colleagues do not really understand who we are.