ROY NOVICK
THE JOURNEY OF ROY NOVICK
PART ONE: DECISIONS
On June 11, 2015, one day before
my 61st birthday, I treated my
last patient and retired from
dentistry. That wasn’t my plan.
DR. ROY NOVICK
Dr. Novick is the National
Clinical Trainer and Advisor for N3Sleep. Originally from Mount Vernon, NY,
Dr. Novick graduated from
Johns Hopkins University
with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Natural Science, as well as
a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Georgetown University. Dr. Novick had a
highly successful private
practice in Northern Virginia for 35 years. He regularly attends advanced sleep
seminars and lectures and
provides dental sleep training and consulting services
to practices across the U.S.
but that wasn’t
always the case.
For many years I suffered from
Degenerative Disc Disease in my
lower back, which made my job
difficult and painful. After enduring various treatment methods
— each of which provided little
or no relief — I faced two options:
I could subject myself to a no
guarantee, invasive surgery, or
I could close the doors to my
practice of thirty-five years.
While my days of leaning over
patients had ended, I found myself
unwilling to accept retirement.
I wanted to remain productive
and continue to contribute to the
dental field. After all, thirty-five
years of knowledge and experience were worth a great deal,
and I didn’t want to watch them
go to waste.
I began researching various
career paths for dental consulting, but came up empty-handed — it seemed like everywhere
I looked, the job required me to
act as a part-time dentist, leaning
over patients once again. That
wasn’t where my heart…. or my
back were anymore.
Eventually, a good friend directed
me to the world of dental sleep
medicine, a subject I only knew
little about. My exposure to the
topic during my career consisted of brief interactions with my
doctor: “Hey doc, my wife has
been telling me that I snore really loud. I hear that dentists can
make a mouthpiece to fix that.
Can you help me?”
I have no doubt most of us have
experienced this.
While I wasn’t sure where to begin,
I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Soon after meeting with my
friend, I began researching sleep
breathing disorders, and the role
that dentists and their staff play
in combating this epidemic. I
learned I could contribute to the
field I loved and make a difference doing something worthwhile. While I wasn’t sure where
to begin, I knew I wanted to be a
part of it.
The same friend recommended that I attend an Introductory
Course presented by Dental Sleep
Solutions. I decided to travel
across the country and give it a
shot. That one course changed
the direction of my career, tying
together so many points and inspiring me to learn more. Now,
I am on the right path. Join me
next issue as I share what happened next.
TO BE CONTINUED...