American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD)

In May, I went to Boston for my first trip to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) annual scientific session. It was four days of great continuing education. I've always wanted to attend this convention, and I was not disappointed. The organization strives to push dentists to their highest level, focusing on continual improvement and conservative, new technology. It is great to be around dentists from all over the world that are striving to do the best dentistry available. The educators were top notch and are involved in some great new advancements in the field.

Part of the organization is an accreditation process where you complete and submit five cosmetic cases and are graded by a board of examiners. I'm excited about the process of having my wo

rk blown up on a screen and having my work critiqued and given feedback on how to improve. They are incredibly detail-oriented, and the process will surely be a challenge. I plan on beginning right away as the right type of dentistry presents itself in my practice. I've heard it truly pushes you and makes you a better dentist as you strive for perfection. I'm excited to return annually to this event. I hope to make it a new tradition.

Although all of my days were spent in classes I did convince Caroline to come along to give her a break from the trenches of mothering our 6 lively children. She came with our one year old, Calvin, so she only had to work around one baby's schedule. I felt bad leaving her every morning, but she had a great time touring around historic Boston and just having some time to herself. It rained almost every day we were there, but she just went for it anyway. One n

ight she met me with her new umbrella, and the stroller cup holders were filled with 1/2 inch of water. She had been on a walking tour of Boston in the pouring rain. What an adventurous soul. It was great to spend time with her even if it was just a few hours in the evening.

All in all a tiring but motivating weekend in Boston. I'll keep posts on my progress of accreditation.

Practice Update

Haven't written in awhile and a lot has happened in our practice.

1. Riana has joined our team as the new office manager; she has been a wonderful addition. She is new to dentistry but is picking things up very quickly. She loves to learn and loves our great patients.

2. Although we've done i.v. sedation in the practice for over a year now, we've added a nurse anesthetist to help with our cases. Mitch Larson is a CRNA that works in Greeley in the hospital and comes to our office when needed to assist in our i.v. sedation cases. This has been a great addition. With him doing the sedation, it allows us to concentrate on the dentistry.

3. I've been training at the White Cap Institute in Heber, UT. It has been an incredible experience in dental implant and other surgical training. I've spent 10 days there since January and have loved the learning environment. Through this training, I'm more comfortable with more complicated implant surgery.

4. I've began my journey to accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. I will be attending the National Scientific Session in Boston in May for continuing education and instruction on the required cosmetic cases to get accredited.

5. I'm continuing to pursue the training through the Dawson Academy out of Florida. I attended a great 3-day lecture in January learning more thorough comprehensive care. We are continuing to implement these great concepts into practice.

In all, the practice is moving forward, and I feel our service is always improving. My vision is a patient-centered practice where we can serve our patients even better by offering state-of-art, comprehensive, dental care. As I look back over the last year, we have improved and have been able to implement some great changes bringing us closer to my ideal practice. Thanks to all my wonderful patients that allow me to practice dentistry. I love what I do and love those people I work with and for.

Tim Owens, DDS

www.owensdds.com