never would have guessed all the differ- ent things I have learned about while on the Missouri Dental Association Board. Points of discussion have included
everything from solar cells, to mechanics of political lobbying, to concrete accelerants. Sometimes life lessons can be learned from the simplest of things: like a parking lot.
Years ago, the parking lot at the MDA build- ing in Jefferson City began to fall apart. Pot holes were forming, seams were breaking open and chunks of concrete were flaking off. A good concrete parking lot should last about 50 years. The MDA’s lot seemed to last fewer than 10! Covering the lot with blacktop or sealing it was suggested, but something was not right. The MDA hired an engineer to inspect the lot and determine what really needed to be done. A core sample of the concrete was taken and analyzed. Then, I sat through an excruciating lecture by an engi- neer on concrete.
When the parking lot was placed, an ac- celerant was mixed into the concrete to get it to set quicker. Normally, that is not a big deal. The problem came from the type of rock used to make the concrete. It was taken from a location which had a certain impurity that if mixed with an accelerant will cause concrete to disintegrate much quicker than it should. The engineer reported that this prob- lem could not be covered up because the lot was coming apart from the inside out. The problem was not superficial: it was through- out the entire thickness of the concrete.
The only solution for the parking lot was to tear the entire thing out and place a whole new one. This time it would be done right. Quality would be checked. Tons of money would be spent. The new lot was the single largest expenditure I ever witnessed by the MDA. Hopefully, this new lot should last the MDA into my retirement. But that was what was thought about the original lot. Concrete
6 focus | NOV/DEC 2017 | ISSUE 6
was selected because of longevity. Things do not always last like they are supposed to.
We hear the same story often in dentistry. Have you ever seen a periapical radiolucency around an apex of a mildly symptomatic tooth? The patient says to you, “Doc, it doesn’t hurt so bad, and I don’t want to spend the money to do a root canal; can’t we just patch over it or ignore it?” No, you say, the problem is coming from inside the tooth. Only by going to the core and building our way back out from the center will we be able to fix things. It’s expensive and time con- suming, but will save the tooth and prevent future pain.
We hear the same story about the American Dental Association, and by tripartite exten- sion, the Missouri Dental Association. There is no question that the percentage of licensed dentists in the U.S. who belong the ADA has declined over the past 20 years. We have goals and ideas for ways to try to obtain new or retain old members. A core sample of the membership shows an impurity my prede- cessor would call self-centered apathy. The 21st century brought less free time for young
families, more requirements to be a small business owner, and a shifting demographic that includes dentists who will never own their own practice and will spend their ca- reers as employee dentists.
For more than 150 years, the MDA has had at its core small, private practice dentists who have volunteered to serve the association. Factors and stresses outside our control all restrict or limit participation and member- ship in organized dentistry. Other times, dentists just don’t see value in the cost of joining. What we can control is the direction of the association and what principles and values we hold true. These things make up our core. Sometimes you have to get back to the basics and make sure the concrete is mixed the way it should be.
We have to provide a value to our members. Ice melt and weather did not destroy the MDA parking lot. An earthquake or act of God did not destroy the lot. A mistake was made when putting together the core of what makes up the lot. Whether it is a parking lot, a tooth, a business, a family or an Associa- tion—you have to focus on things being done right from the very core to the very edge.
Sometimes if things are wrong, you have to make hard decisions. Sometimes they are costly decisions. In the end you hope you did what’s right. You hope that you made some- thing that will last the test of time. Partici- pate when you can. Don’t be apathetic. Show some fire and passion for your values and that will keep the core of the MDA strong for years to come. And remember, no matter how bad things seem to disintegrate around you, they can be fixed if you’re willing to pay the price. f
This will be Dr. Nail’s last editorial. The MDA appreciates his five years of service as editor.
