President’s Message – Spring 2021

What a year!?! The last twelve months have been quite a roller coaster for us all and what a ride it has been! When I look back on the last year, I can see some really difficult times, that I don’t want to revisit ever again, and I can see some times that were really great that I want to make part of my every day life and yearly routines.

My family and I are big theme park fans, especially Disney World. We often joke that work is just a means to get us to Orlando because we find ourselves there way too often. Walt Disney was an incredible mind and had many dreams that have since come true. He once said “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

For many of us this last year was a kick in the teeth, literally for our life as a pediatric dentist. The last 12 months have not been easy but I do believe we are all stronger on this side of having lived through it. All I knew in mid-March of 2020, was this is about to hurt really bad, and for many in our country it was even going to be more devastating due to loss of life and complete loss of their livelihoods.

As I reflect back over last 12 months, I see some really good things that came out of it and I see some other that weren’t so great.

My children love to ask questions, they want to know what we are thinking, they want to know where we are going, what we are doing next, sometimes I think they know it frustrates me so they just make questions up. Recently one of my boys heard the news broadcast on the radio while we were driving and the host referred to the “dark cloud that hung over 2020,” and he abruptly asked me what that meant. I pondered how to respond to him without sounding too gloomy but also getting my point across to help him understand what 2020 meant to a lot of people. The first thing that came to my head was, “Well son, it’s like a really bad trip to Disney World.” Now, I know most of you are thinking I’m not sure that’s a great analogy, but actually it turned out to work pretty good for us in the car that day and I think maybe good for our society today.

Let me digress for a minute and walk you through the same thoughts my seven year old and I did that day.

If you have never been to Disney World, I’m sorry that you have missed out on one of the greatest places on earth, and if you are one of these “Disney world stinks” people, then we can’t be friends. Disney is one of those places where you just can’t help but, at some point during your visit, have a big ol’ genuine smile on your face. Having said that, there are a few times I have visited that weren’t as great as others, and my son knew exactly what I was talking about when I said those words to him.

The last 12 months have had some really low time sand some really high times.
Just like there are some rides I never want to get on again because they hurt, make me sick, ruin my day because I am so dizzy. There are some shows I never want to sit through a gain, and some food I could care less to be near for the rest of my days. There have been some days that were so hot, I didn’t think I would ever make it, and some lines you couldn’t force me to stand in again. The kick in the teeth of practically losing my job for weeks and weeks was one of the scariest feelings ever, the uncertainty of what it would look like to open the office again was frightening, and the sadness of what the pandemic brought to the lives of many around me was something I never want to experience again.

At the same time, there are some rides at Disney that I want to get on over and over and over, there are some shows I would sit through 100 times and some food I have had that I talk about weekly (Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich). Disney constantly is adding new features and rides that make my family and I eager to return for new experiences. This last year brought some things into my life that I never want to let go.

It took a kick in the teeth to see how important my time with my family is. Not that I took it for granted, but to help me see how special it is. I was able to spend some of the most incredible times with my wife and three boys during this last year that I never would have if not for the circumstances.

It made me realize how special my friends are, that no matter what my status is, with a job and without a job, uncertainty of future, worried about what may be, friends are so important and mine stood side by side with me through it all.

It also reminded me how precious life is. It was hard to see the death toll rise daily in our country and around the world, to think of those families that had their lives changed so quickly and how it can change in an instant.

It made me excited about the future, the new things that were coming and hope for the future to be better.

One last thing the kick in the teeth helped me see was how great our profession is. The comradery of my past co-residents, friends, and even people I had never met came together so quickly and so easily. It brought me together with fellow pediatric dentists I would have never otherwise met, we were able to share thoughts, ideas, and work through a very difficult time together, coming out on the other side better than we were before. We have an incredible profession with some incredible dentists and I am lucky to be a part of it.

I can’t say I want to revisit the last twelve months like I want to revisit Disney world but there are some parts of the last year that I for sure never want to forget and will cherish for years to come. I hope for each of us we are able to recognize the difficult times we had and how they can make us stronger, but also that each of you have something great you learned or experienced and can hold onto that for years to come.

Through the midst of the storm of the last year, SWSPD still managed to put together some great events for our members. The 2021 Ski Meeting in Vail, CO was incredible, thanks to Dr. Ryan Roberts and his wife Julie, we had a great time and look forward to returning there next year. The dates for the 2022 meeting are January 30 – February 4, returning to the Grand Hyatt Vail and I encourage you to make your reservations early, it is going to fill up fast!

We also had a very successful Virtual Sedation Meeting that had over 175 registrants. Dr. Paul Bahn did a great job presenting 8 hours on this important topic. And it would not have happened without Dr. Janell Plocheck’s planning. I want to thank them both for the time and effort they put into providing us with some great information on sedation that we can practically use every day.

In light of the response to the virtual sedation meeting, SWSPD is currently planning on providing some additional virtual courses which will be posted to the website soon. In addition we are preparing to bring back the Summer Meeting in 2022, stay tuned for details!

If you are on social media, be sure to look up the SWSPD Facebook page. This is a great way for us to share announcements and events that are coming up through SWPD. It also is another way for us to network together for things that impact us regionally. It is brand new, and we want to make sure it opens with a big splash!

I want to thank Dr. John Fales for his service as our AAPD Trustee over the last 3 years, he has done a wonderful job and has served SWSPD and AAPD faithfully for many years. We will welcome Dr. Jeff Rhodes as our new AAPD Trustee at the upcoming AAPD Annual Session. We look forward to his leadership!

I look forward to serving the SWPSD over this next year. We are stronger together and I hope to encourage you to continue your support and membership in this great organization!

Join us for the 2021 Virtual District Caucus via Zoom on Wednesday, May 26 at 7:00pm, Central. Register today!

Submitted by Dr. Mitchell Glass, SWSPD President