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
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NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
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