Scott Greenhalgh DDS - Cosmetic Dentistry

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Domestic Violence and Cosmetic Dentistry

I'm attending the 25th Annual Session of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) all this week. It is a great venue for learning, mentoring and meeting different dentists from around the world. This morning I had the chance to listen to Dr. Bill Dorfman of Extreme Makeover fame. I have heard him before-he's done a lot to support dentists and promote cosmetic dentistry.

The AACD also has a charitable group called Give Back A Smile that helps care for the women who are victims of domestic violence. Last year the foundation formed an agreement with actress Heather Locklear. Unfortunately, she developed some personal issues and was not able to participate. This is a great program that helps restore smiles for women who have been abused. Imagine trying to start a new life, and not being able to smile because of missing teeth and gaps. By restoring smiles, these women can start over again.

I heard the under-the-radar buzz that GBAS will have a new spokeswoman for this year. It hasn't been publicly announced yet, but should be announced tomorrow-so you heard it here first. The new spokeswoman is scheduled to be Brooke Burke. In fact, you can find her updates even on Twitter at this link (in fact, you can follow my updates on Twitter by clicking here).

At the advice of my internet mentor, Dan Goldstein from Page1 Solutions, I purchased a Flip video camera. We'll see if I can get my video uploaded tonight. So stay tuned for more updates!

posted by Dr. Scott at 5:58 PM

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Best of Cosmetic Dentistry

All this week I am attending the 25th annual session of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. It is the world's largest organization for cosmetic dentistry. I had the good fortune to be invited to serve as a New Member Concierge. This is a huge group, but what continues to impress me is the spirit of mentorship. In the past, I have enjoyed mentoring graduating dentists from The University of Colorado School of Dentistry.

The thought of the morning is that it is important to be involved in teaching in your field. For me, mentoring allows me these things:

Share some hard earned lessons, maybe someone else can benefit from what I have learned along the way.
Encourage those younger in the field. Face it, ANY new career is hard at first. It takes nothing away from me to encourage a younger colleague.
Being involved in giving back information causes me to be a better teacher and communicator.
It gives me a good barometer of the successes I've had and illuminates areas where I can still get better.

As each year passes, Cosmetic Dentistry continues to offer more options and create more natural results. Every year, advancements in cosmetic procedures offer the power of a beautiful smile to more and more people. EVERYONE notices your smile. I am proud to be involved in an organization that impacts people daily.

I look forward to bringing you the latest advancements in cosmetic dentistry through the week!

Labels: AACD, Cosmetic Dentistry, Scott Greenhalgh DDS

posted by Dr. Scott at 12:29 PM

Monday, April 20, 2009

Constantly Learn

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Scottsdale with a small group of dentists from Colorado and Idaho. 35 of us all together. Through another colleague, I had the good fortune to be invited into this small group. We sat at the feet of one of the world's leading dentists and researchers, who typically speaks to many hundred to a few thousand at a time. We had him all to ourselves.

This is a room filled with highly skilled, multiple decade in practice people. At the end of the second day we were in awe. There's just sooo much to keep current on. There is so much that can be added to what I am doing right now to create even better results.

Dentistry just keeps changing very rapidly. I am looking forward to bringing enhancements to our practice: everything from improved esthetics with bonding, to stronger cements for porcelain veneers, to longer lasting white fillings.

So, a few take-away thoughts for me (that I hope benefit my patients):

WHO you associate with makes all the difference in your skill level and the development of our personal standards. I am continually blessed to be around highly skilled mentors.
Constantly decide to become better. A favorite quote of mine is: "If better is possible, then good is not enough".
Commit to change and follow through. Getting excited is a part of it. Setting time, pencilling out implementation plans cause real change.

In this blog, I am looking forward to filling your minds with thoughts about dentistry (cosmetic dentistry or otherwise) that challenges your common conceptions.

Here's to a good start!

Labels: Scottsdale Center for Dentistry