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An enthusiastic participant in last year\u2019s Root Canal Awareness Week, Iowa\u2019s Dr. Duane Van Nieuwenhuyzen was naturally one of our most avid proponents of Save Your Tooth Month this year \u2013 so much so, that he worked with Iowa State Senator Chris Cournoyer to make Save Your Tooth Month official in Iowa!<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important for endodontists to first and foremost get involved in the process and promote the specialty whether it be in a society or local group like a study group,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have a seat at the table, you can increase awareness. We are in an incredible era for endodontics \u2026 We\u2019re doing things general dentists or lawmakers may not know is possible. So, if we show them or join groups and associations\u2014educate them\u2014we can help advance the specialty.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Senator Cournoyer believes \u201cit is important to have relationships with legislators to promote this kind of awareness and make sure you reach out and offer to be subject matter experts for them, so when policies are discussed related to your field, that you are part of the conversation and can provide meaningful input that can create good legislation,\u201d she wrote in an email.<\/p>\n
We recently were able to learn a bit more about Dr. Nieuwenhuyzen, and how the proclamation came about.<\/p>\n
Dr. Van Nieuwenhuyzen was raised in Pipestone, Minn. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Cloud State University. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota in 2006. It was during his time in dental school that he developed a keen interest in the specialty of endodontics and was accepted into the endodontic residency program. He obtained both his Master of Science degree and Certificate in Endodontics from the University of Minnesota in 2008.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that the training I received in my residency really laid the foundation for me to be successful in the military and private practice,\u201d he said. \u201cDr. Scott McClanahan was a phenomenal mentor and teacher who pushed me to always strive for excellence. His dedication to training endodontics at the highest level is unmatched in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Van Nieuwenhuyzen served in the United States Navy from 2008 to 2012, and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He served as the Endodontic Specialty Leader for the 3rd Dental Battalion. During this time he shared his expertise with new dentists during their credentialing tours both in Okinawa and mainland Japan. In 2012, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal for outstanding professional achievement. His superb clinical performance also led to his selection as the 2011 Clinician of the Year and the winner of the \u201cThomas P. Carroll\u201d Award for Clinical Excellence.<\/p>\n
In addition to his involvement with the AAE, Dr. Van Nieuwenhuyzen stays educated on the latest advancements in the specialty of endodontics by maintaining memberships in the Iowa Association of Endodontics, American Dental Association and Iowa Dental Association.<\/p>\n
He is married and has two sons. In fact, his wife, Sandy, is credited with helping him connect with State Senator Cournoyer, who the couple knows from their children\u2019s school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to give credit to my wife,\u201d Dr. Van Nieuwenhuyzen said. \u201cShe\u2019s the marketing director for the practice. She\u2019s the people person. She\u2019s my better half. She\u2019s a very outgoing person and fantastic and helps with promotions and she has great connections.<\/p>\n
“She really helped with last year\u2019s Superheroes of Saving Teeth campaign, which was great. Patients loved it and we wore capes. We had fun with it and the patients were very receptive to it. And so, when it came around this year and I saw the press releases and communications about connecting with legislatures \u2026 I thought this would be the next step for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why go to your representative? \u201cPublic awareness of what\u2019s available and endodontics, if it\u2019s well done, has phenomenal success rates,\u201d Dr. Van Nieuwenhuyzen said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the key, as specialists raising the bar to say\u2014if this is well-done treatment, your teeth can last you a really long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a message we can all get behind!<\/p>\n
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An enthusiastic participant in last year\u2019s Root Canal Awareness Week, Iowa\u2019s Dr. Duane Van Nieuwenhuyzen was naturally one of our most avid proponents of Save Your Tooth Month \u2013 so much so, that he worked with Iowa State Senator Chris Cournoyer to make Save Your Tooth Month official in Iowa!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[],"feature":[202],"class_list":["post-11949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-news-and-profiles","feature-communique"],"yoast_head":"\n