GDA Action October 2021

October 2021 • 7 We live in an amazingly diverse and beautiful country! We boast coastlines second to none, mountains that offer spectacular views, deserts, and piedmonts that give us unbelievable varieties of plants, trees, and animals. The best part being, all of these geographical varieties are accessible by car from anywhere in the continental United States. Last month, Suzy and I traveled with friends to Glacier National Park. The beauty is indescribable. It’s situated in northwest Montana, on the Canada- United States border and encompasses over 1 million acres and includes part of two mountain ranges, over 130 named lakes with 700+ miles of hiking trails and some of the best fly fishing any angler could imagine. It is referred to as the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem” due to 1,200 different species of plants, over 270 species of birds, and nearly 70 species of mammals. It was certainly a thrill to see a covey of Grouse wondering in the woods, or a mother moose and her calf enjoying breakfast together in a picturesque pond. One of the many jewels in the park is Going-to-the-Sun Road, known loosely as Road to the Sun. It is the only road that transverses the park, crossing the Continental Divide through Logan Pass at an elevation of 6,646 feet. A narrow, twisting, and turning road hewn on the face of the mountain side that is scary enough to make a mountain goat slightly nervous. Construction on the road began in 1921 and was completed in 1932. This 50 mile stretch is the first road to have been registered in all the following categories: National Historic Place, National Historic Landmark, and Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. As I was experiencing this amazing trek, thankfully in a 1936 reconditioned red tour bus, it made me think of the similarities this road has with dentistry. We are blessed to work in an unbelievably beautiful profession. It is filled with unexpected turns that can present challenges that are outside our comfort zone. We can be like those engineers a hundred years ago with a seemingly unimaginable task before us, and figure out a way to make the impossible, possible! The blind curves we encounter require a steady hand and firm determination. We depend on the services of a team to support and lift us. Proper equipment and supplies are a must have in order to complete the monumental task at hand. There is an eerie similarity of this equally beautiful and treacherous road, the direction of dentistry, and to the way old techniques and components meld with new materials and systems. Dentistry is evolving at such a rapid rate with cutting edge materials and computer assisting machines, that it is both exciting and scary. Information comes at us at warp speed with all the ups, downs, and hairpin turns of a mountain road with no guard rail. What an exciting time to be in dentistry! It’s an exhilarating ride that just seems to get better and more exciting with each new innovation. Dentistry is not for the faint of heart or the one who wants to be stuck in the past not willing to go around the next blind curve in the road. We need to boldly embrace the changes that are ahead of us and make the best of them to constantly improve the care we deliver to our patients. Nobody can make the journey for you. We each have our own road to prepare and travel in both private and professional lives. We can choose to go up the mountain road and brave the arduous curves and narrow lanes or wait at the bottom staring at a straight and wide path. I implore you to be a bold pioneer, adventurer, and explorer on your “Road to the Sun.” Cheers! PS. Don’t forget your fly rod! We each have our own road to prepare and travel in both private and professional lives. ROAD TO THE SUN DR. JAMIE MITCHELL GDA Editor Phone: 706.202.9307 [email protected]