“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
-Isaac Newton
Like he was with so many things, Sir Isaac Newton was right on. Let me state from the beginning that I absolutely LOVE the dental profession! Pardon my enthusiasm, but the reason I love the dental profession so much is because of the wonderful people who devote their lives to helping others enjoy great oral health. The Dental Profession is populated by people who understand that they have the ability to change a person’s life each and every day. Sometimes it is something radical, like providing a smile makeover to someone whose natural smile is less than becoming. Or it could be something seemingly small, like listening to a patient who just desperately needs someone to stop what they are doing and hear them. My hat goes off to all of you!
I have been so very fortunate to have some incredible mentors who have been kind enough to let me stand on their shoulders. Most of you have heard the following popular rhetorical question; “If you could have lunch with any living person, who would that be?” Now, let’s apply that question to the dental profession. Dentistry has many wonderful, giving leaders who are most generous with their time and will happily share their wisdom with anyone interested in improvement. If you could have lunch with anyone in dentistry, who would that be? Below is my list of 30 Leaders in dentistry who would be excellent dining company. Consider this list as a starting point and apologies to anyone excluded:
| Bob Affleck Wells Fargo Practice Finance | Imtiaz Manji CEOSpear Education |
| Randy Alvarez CEO Wellness Hour | Sally McKenzie CEO McKenzie Mgt. |
| Lee Ann Brady DMD | Rob Maatta CEO Gold Dust Dental Lab |
| Gordon Christensen DDS | Lee Maddox DDS JD |
| Rella Christensen RDH PhD | Linda Miles CSP |
| Michael DiTolla DDS | Omer Reed DDS |
| Bill Dorfman DDS | Nelson Rego CDT |
| Katherine Eitel CEO Lioness Learning | Cherilyn Sheets DDS |
| Howard Farran DDS | Mike Shoun CEO Affordable Image Mktg. |
| Dan Fischer DDS CEO Ultradent | Frank Spear DDS |
| Jack Hadley CEO mysocialpractice | Brad Stewart CEO Sum Media |
| David Hornborok DDS | Anastasia Turchetta RDH |
| Fred Joyal CEO 1-800-DENTIST | Dennis Wells DDS |
| Laura Kelly CDT | Art Wiederman CPA CFP |
| Debra Gray King DDS | Robert Winter DDS CDT |
In future editions of this blog, I will share some tips, techniques, inspiration, and recommendations to help you develop the practice of your dreams. My goal is to help you create a practice that allows you to achieve personal, financial, and professional satisfaction. For now, consider contacting some of the 30 leaders listed above and start standing upon, or looking over their shoulders! Here is a link for their contact information here. Keep smiling!
