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T H E A C A D E M Y O F L D S D E N T I S T S N E W S L E T T E R FA L L 2 0 1 2
Presidents message
It is with great excitement and trepidation that I assume the role of president of the Academy of LDS Dentists. John Gerritsen has been such as devoted and hard-working leader for so many years that I can only hope to continue what he has started. I feel like I am jumping on a stagecoach going at full speed and have been handed the reins to keep it on track. John has been on the executive committee for nearly 18 years. He began as secretary. When the time came to move to vice president, he asked if he could defer that office to form a separate service committee. Because the Academy was beginning to experience challenges in coordinating and expanding its service activities, John stepped up to provide that direction. For the next 12 years, he and Jerry Summerhays worked to explore and develop the Academys mission to promote service. Four years ago, he decided to complete his earlier commitment to serve as vice president and then president of the Academy. During his tenure he made great and significant changes to the Academy. He had the website redesigned and the newsletter upgraded. He started the email communications, developed a database of members, fostered student chapters, developed the Academy Representative Council, brought an executive director to our team, and has really helped the Academy to grow. Attendance at the annual conference has increased each year, as has our membership. John also has fostered friendships and been an advocate for the Academy in all his circles of influence. Thank you, John, for all you have done. Our conference this year was a great success. The presenters were excellent, and our fireside speaker, Dr. A. Lynn Scoresby, was thought provoking and inspiring. We had more people attend this year than we have ever had, and we hope to be able to continue to grow. I have personally found the conference to be one of the best continuing education programs I attend. It gives me insight into what is developing in dentistry so I can keep current and incorporate methods into my practice that will help me better serve my patients. In a continuing effort to be of service to our members, we are making changes to the website. We have added two new buttons at the bottom of the home page: Oral Health Resources and Clinical Tips and Questions. Under the Oral Health button will be several items to help you as you teach oral hygiene, either during a service project abroad or at home. We hope to collect and make available the best resources so you dont have to go searching for them yourself. Under Clinical Tips we hope to take advantage of our collective experience and share techniques and practices that will help us be better dentists. We will also have a panel of specialists and other dentists that can answer some of the perplexing questions or help us solve some of the difficult situations we sometimes encounter. These two areas are intended to be interactive, and we encourage you to help us. If you have a DVD of something that really has worked for you to teach oral hygiene, send it to us so we can share it. If you have a clinical pearl that has made a difference in your practice, pass it on to us. We hope that in this way we can help each other in the challenges of dentistry. Finally, while we encourage you to support those who help those in need of dental care throughout the world, we also want to address those needs right in our own backyard. I encourage each Academy member to participate in a local service project in his or her community. Please email me and let me know what you do in your community! Write to: LDSDentists@gmail.com Dentistry is a great profession. By sharing our time and expertise, we can be of great service to those who are less fortunate. Dentistry has blessed our lives. May we share those blessings with others. With love and respect,
FridaY nigHt BanqUet and Fireside DR. A. lyNN sCOResby, feAtuReD speAkeR
By Scott M. Healey, executive committee member
The Academy had a wonderful dinner, entertainment and speaker Friday night at the Marriott Hotel in Provo. For the third year in a row, a blind, self-taught concert pianist, Ron Roberts, played the prelude and background music during our dinner. Kerilyn Johnson sang two inspiring musical numbers. She has performed in numerous mainstage productions and at the Promised Valley Playhouse. She began teaching privately in 1992 and at BYU in 1994. She uplifted us with her beautiful and entertaining music. Dr. A. Lynn Scoresby was our featured fireside speaker. He is an expert in child and family psychology with 40 years of experience as a teacher and consultant. He is a gifted speaker and communicator. His topic was How to Make Love in a Marriage Dr. A. Lynn Scoresby Last. He spoke of four aspects of communication to achieve this: 1. Take small bites and chew slowly. In other words, we are to take time to enjoy our communications with our spouses. Discover your spouses likes and dislikes, and enhance your relationship by communicating to your spouse using the things he or she likes. 2. It takes two to grow a marriage with unity and trust. To grow we must have a growth mindset. Identify positive things in the relationship. Work on things you can do better. Remember that you cant love someone you are hurting. Once you begin seeing the faults of your partner, you get stuck in that mode. 3. Look for the good. Boost your partner and bond your relationship. Ask your spouse what he or she likes, and then do that. 4. Bad things sometimes happen in life. Many times we look and find the bad in our relationships and do not search for and identify all the good and positive things our spouse and others do for us. 5. Foster freedom. Never rob another person of freedom. Allow others to exercise their agency to do what they like with their lives. As they grow by personally developing their interests, talents, accomplishments, and confidence, the overall relationship will be enhanced and amplified. Restricting that freedom diminishes personal satisfaction and stifles the relationship, admiration, and love. This was truly one of the highlights of the conference.
YOUtH adVentUre
Youth had an action-filled weekend with great BYU counselors. Activities included visits to The Leonardo, Chuck E. Cheese, Boondocks, City Creek Center, Lagoon and Seven Peaks Water Park. Before leaving for the activities, the youth got to play on large blow-up toys on the lawn adjacent to BYUs Conference Center.
Comparing technology
Break time
Fond farewells
First-time attendee
Joshua Nardone (Aurora, Colorado), Student at University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Class of 2014
As this was my first time attending the Academys annual conference, I was unsure of what to expect. Being a student, I wondered what relevance the conference would have to me. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts. The layout of the lectures and meetings was easy to navigate. The topics of the lectures were terrific supplements to my education and preparation for private practice. I felt warmly welcomed by the other attendees. I appreciated the student breakout session and the chance to meet with other dentists looking for associates or replacements in their practice. There was lots of good food, some great information on service opportunities, and many chances to get to know other likeminded dentists. My wife also found the Spouse Program to be an uplifting, positive, and fulfilling experience. She said the speakers taught such wonderful messages and left her feeling spiritually rejuvenated. She really enjoyed meeting other spouses. We were very glad to get to know the Academy better and look forward to attending the conference again in the future!
Building friendships
As discovered by reporter Matt Lubich of The Johnstown Breeze, the Downey brothers did it for another reason as well: because it was the right thing to do. We thought this would be a good thing to do for the community, Jacob Downey said. The article states: The brothers sent an estimated 150 letters to dentists across the state asking for help and supplies. Their aim is to set up a mini dental clinic Friday and Saturday and provide first-come, first-served treatment to anyone in the communities regardless of ability to pay . . . They didnt have to go any farther than their own Northmoor Acres home, southwest of Johnstown, however, to find one of those dentists, and an example of the spirit of volunteerism their father, Ralph Downey! See the last page of this newsletter for information about a current need at the Samoa clinic, which the Downeys helped start. It would be a great Eagle Project for any Boy Scout!
Brigham Young University Conferences and Workshops 115 Harman Continuing Education Building Provo, Utah 84602
Address Service Requested
PERMIT NO. 49
aUgUst 2013
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Mark your calendars now to attend the 36th Annual Conference of the Academy of LDS Dentists, August 1617, 2013.
Stalwart friends of the Academy, (l to r) Richard Smith, Harris Done, and Tom Call
Academy Examiner
A Challenge from Academy President Evan Roundy
This year, consider how you can provide care to those in your area. Try it out, then let us know how YOU serve the needs in your community. Contact us at LDSDentists@gmail.com, and well share your ideas with others in the Academy. Your service is appreciated!
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