PAGD Keystone Explorer Winter 2020

| executive director’s message You Oughta Be in Pictures Steve Neidlinger, CAE With this KE’ s theme being dental imaging, I want to contribute to this space. But alas, my lowly political science degree combined with my intense nausea at the sight of blood or other bodily secretions left me woefully unprepared for a career in medicine. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t photos that I have collected over my years at PAGD that have a special meaning to me. Here are some of my favorites: As many of you know, this photo is of PAGD Past President Dr. Andrew Stewart, flanked by wife Cathy and daughter Gillian at the President’s banquet of the 2018 PAGD Annual Meeting. The reason that I have such fond memories of this photo, apart from the moving tribute provided to Dr. Stewart by his family, is because of the story shared by Dr. Stewart. He shared with the group that he had recently treated an aging patient. Significant work needed to be done, and Dr. Stewart shared his hesitancy in describing the involved treatment plan with multiple restorations. To his surprise, the patient reacted with relief. She explained that in another dental visit, the doctor recommended full extractions with dentures “since they’re all going to fall out soon anyway.” This story remains with me today, as it is an example of the standard for which all dental organizations should strive. Dentistry has made great strides in providing comprehensive care to its patients and saving teeth that couldn’t have been saved 25 years ago. To arrest that progress in the name of convenience or cost-savings is to compromise the vision that we should all have for the people you serve. This photo is from a MOM-n-PA event in 2019 in Wilkes-Barre. For those that have never volunteered their time at a MOM-n- PA event, or the MOM event held yearly in Pittsburgh, I recommend doing so. There are early mornings, long hours, and less than ideal conditions, but I’ve been told by many of the dentist volunteers that the ability to help so many people in need will remove you from the daily grind of running a practice and remind you why you do what you do. “This communal pride is what sets AGD and PAGD apart, and it is a standard that I will continually strive to inject into PAGD. ” 4 www.pagd.org