MEET • YOUR • MDA • COLLEAGUE


Started in October, we profile members from around the state in hopes other members will make professional and personal connections.


MODENTAL.ORG/MEETYOURCOLLEAGUE


front-line dentistry and dealing with mul- tiple headaches. Enjoy being a team player. Like working within a system. Membership is an opportunity to express themselves and connect beyond their public health focus.


Mega Organized Dentistry Volunteer — God love the Type A’s who answer the bell every time. They volunteer. They show up. They donate. They dig on all the issues from fluo- ride to insurance to national lobby days and conferences. Their CV has a life of its own. Membership is like their hobby. We need these people. And these people need to mul- tiply and delegate for the good of the family.


Busy Super Mom Dentist — Like some professional version of Gretchen Wilson, they basically practice with a baby on their


hip. They run practices, households, com- mittees and exercise classes with aplomb. They’re passionate, practical and influential. Membership provides a structure to thrive as they wish.


Peaceful Rural Practitioner — Not exactly hassle free but they love the secret success of treating Missouri citizens beyond the metro pulse. They have to carry more water locally in leadership and a little extra travel is a small price for the pace of life, the cost of living and doing things their way. These folks see membership as a lifeline of connection.


The Eager Team Member — Be it your genius office manager, your reliable assistant, your talented hygienist, or even your capable association staff, these dedicated people


love being the glue that holds it together to facilitate success.


It can be dangerous to paint stereotypes with broad strokes. My intent is not to insult or oversimplify. We are all much deeper and complex and valuable in our humanity. My intent is to emphasize the wide array of fam- ily members in the MDA. And to encourage how we think about one another. No one wants dental homogenization so it will take wider arms to embrace, greater effort to un- derstand and more patience to endure if we are to thrive as a family. Let’s all rally to stick together in 2025 and beyond. Why? Because we are your family. We know each other well. We have each other’s back. We accept each other no matter what.


Here’s to a great new year for your blood families and your MDA family. See you soon!


Email paul@modentalmail.org and visit modental.org/blog to read “The Week That Was” for his reporting on MDA people, activities and programs.


Burning at both ends?


Get help before you burn yourself or those you care about.


The Voluntary Wellness Program is for the dental community and offers private, professional, experienced assistance. 314-435-1101 • modental.org/dwbf


ISSUE 4 | WINTER 2024 | focus 23


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