Page 5 - Bulletin Vol 27 No 3 - Sept. - Dec. 2022 Final 2_Neat

Message from Donald Hills, DDS

The Dental Stuff

A new dentist opened up in my town. I was so happy for her. She built a nice
new storefront office and I looked forward to welcoming her and telling her all
about the dental society. So I went to say hello. I stopped by with a fruit basket,
some ADA information and a big smile. Her receptionist said she was with a
patient and would not see me. What a shame. I left the fruit and my business
card and asked the receptionist to have her call me. She did not call. What a
shame.

I am actually dumbfounded she wouldn’t see me. When a fellow dentist drops
by in my office I always go over and say hello. A colleague, in my little world, is
always a welcome addition to the day. To be able to share dental stuff with
someone else who lives the dental stuff is always fun. It is one reason I am so involved in the dental society
– the sharing the dental stuff with someone who “gets” the dental stuff. It's sad, but my new colleague is
missing out on so much.

ADA tripartite membership benefits us in countless ways. Membership is truly the gateway to illimitable
dental stuff. Senior dentists, mid-career dentists and new dentists alike profit from the myriad services
ADA, NYSDA and NCDS provide. Spending time surfing the ADA and NCDS websites is a true eye opener.
There is an extraordinary amount of information, resources and all sorts of dental stuff on the sites; go
there and explore, you will be truly impressed. The new dentist down the street is clueless to the vast
benefit of membership. I so want to tell her to be part of the ADA, to come join us, to share the dental stuff
with us.
Membership is more than just insurance programs, credit card processing, professional journals,
automobile and appliance discounts, scientific resources, state and national advocacy, business apparel
outfitting, a career and opportunity center, continuing education courses, CDT coding, a center for
professional success, chemical dependency programs, collection aid, credentialing services, UPS discounts,
disaster relief, district claims, e-prescribing, ethics, financial planning, legal support, the ADA library,
student loan consolidation, marketing advise, patient dental education, payment plans/care credit, payroll
processing, peer review, practice management, retirement plans, practice transitions, travel resources/
discounts, waste management programs and website design. Wow that’s one hell of a list! Membership is
also the give and take of dental stuff. “Hey Michael, do you like that new scanner?” “Howard, can you
believe how great the air purifiers we purchased out of Toronto turned out to be, you know the ones
designed by the Canadian Government in response to the SARS epidemic in the early 2000’s?” Our new
colleague down the street is missing out on all of this and more.

Put two dentists in a room together and there’s never a problem of what to say. The conversation
inevitably drifts to the dental stuff. As it should. I would hate to not have that kinship. Membership clearly
provides countless resources and benefits but membership, fortunately, also gives us an opportunity to
engage in interesting dental stuff. So I hope the new dentist down the street reconsiders and gives me a
call. I am sure we have a lot in common and I am equally sure it will be fun to share some stuff together.

Don

Editor-in-Chief

Nassau County Dental Society ⬧ (516) 227-1112 | 5