North Texas Dentistry Magazine, Volume 3 Issue 7 | Page 9

Dr. Witherspoon lectures on endodontics at an international, national, and local level, and is co-author of several chapters in Cohen’s Pathways of the Pulp, a leading endodontic textbook. He served as assistant director of Baylor’s graduate Endodontic program from 1997-2001. He is a scientific reviewer for several academic journals including the International Endodontic Journal and the Journal of Endodontics. and has published numerous scientific articles. He was honored by the American Association of Endodontists as the 1999 recipient of the Young Endodontic Educator Award. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontists. Dr. Witherspoon also serves on the AAE Annual Session Planning Committee for the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 meetings. immeasurable improvements in the consistent, safe delivery of care.” Give back In keeping with their philosophy of shared abundance, the team is devoted to giving through numerous charity events benefitting the North Texas community. Photo courtesy of North Texas Endodontics Dr. Witherspoon is an accomplished painter, sculptor and video artist. In August, he completed his Master of Fine Arts studies in the renowned Arts and Technology (ATEC) program at UT Dallas and recently exhibited his multimedia work at CentralTrak Gallery in Dallas. Embrace diversity In some ways, the members of this team are very different. Dr. Small is a native Texan, Dr. Regan is originally from Dublin, Ireland, and Dr. Witherspoon hails from Australia. The doctors see their diversity as what makes the practice strong. “When The team of talented and creative chefs preparing to “wow” their guests. synergy occurs, as it does in our team, it gives rise to something that is greater than The NTEA team participates in Texas Mission of Mercy the sum of its parts. We all have different interests and different (TMOM), a statewide charitable event that offers free dental backgrounds, but our professional and personal philosophies care to Texans who cannot otherwise afford it. They also join in overlap and create a kind of synergy that really strengthens and Dentistry with a Heart, a dental event designed to provide care enriches our practice,” notes Dr. Small. All three doctors agree to the less fortunate citizens in their community. At the most that collaborating and problem-solving in professional practice recent Dentistry with a Heart event, the team provided 15 root is a great venue for diversity to be utilized as a positive force. canal treatments to patients in need. Reduce complexity As dentistry evolves, it seems to become more and more complex. Even with extensive training and advanced technology, delivering consistent, predictable outcomes is an ongoing challenge. “Reducing unnecessary complexity by standardizing and streamlining procedures has proven to be immensely beneficial for our practice,” notes Dr. Witherspoon. “We were inspired by the book, Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, in which the author convincingly illustrates the power of checklists to improve medical outcomes and reduce the number of avoidable failures. The World Health Organization applied his ideas in the O.R. and adopted a simple surgical checklist, which has made Each year the entire NTEA team donates their time and resources to a charitable event of their choosing. Last year they chose National Adoption Day that was held locally at the Collin County courthouse. The day celebrated the culmination of the long adoption process as each family appeared before the judge to legally adopt their child. It was a wonderfully joyous and tearful day. The NTEA team provided teddy bears which they handed out to the children and their many siblings who were in attendance. According to Dr. Witherspoon, “The event was very meaningful to the entire team.” Capitalizing on their shared culinary interests, the doctors www.northtexasdentistry.com | NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY 9