I m p ressio n s
Under the Big Top
by Dr. Stephen T. Radack III, Editor
Millions of people have experienced the
magic of Ringling Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey’s “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Generation after generation, the show
brought families together for a grand
spectacle – with everything under one
big tent, The Big Top.
Under the Big Top was where everyone wanted to be.
Right here we have a “big top” of our own. If you are a dentist
practicing in 2017, whether you are young or old, a generalist or
specialist, are heavily in debt or are above the red line in your
net worth, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) and
American Dental Association (ADA) are the places you need to
be, should be and want to be.
This is a unique edition of your Pennsylvania Dental Journal, as it
is not only being sent to all of our loyal members, but also to all
of the current non-members who are licensed dentists in
Pennsylvania. To all, we welcome you and hope you take the
time to read this edition and see what we do for you and your
patients. Even if you already are a member and have been for a
long time, we hope that you learn something new in this issue,
perhaps about a benefit or a program created for you as
someone we value under the “big top” of PDA.
Please pay special attention to the “pull out section,” where we
have attempted to summarize some of the many benefits of
belonging to the tripartite. Please also be sure to read the
articles authored by our younger colleagues. One is from the
current chair of our Membership Committee, another from our
associate editor and the third is from the chair of the ADA
New Dentist Committee. I found each of these enlightening
and informative, and appreciated the valuable perspective of
someone who is early in their career.
As you may have already gathered, my big top (aka tent) is the
tripartite – ADA, PDA and your local component dental society.
I believe that there is only one organization that works for every
dentist, regardless of specialty, every day. Over the last several
years we have seen members drift away from the big tent of the
tripartite (as some of the specialty organizations no longer
require ADA membership as a prerequisite to join their groups)
and branch off into the smaller tents with what they might
believe to be more like minded colleagues. Granted, those groups
may speak directly to the specific needs of your specialty,
whether it be the American Association of Orthodontists,
America Association of Endodontists, American Association of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatric
Dentistry, American Academy of Periodontology or the
Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), but they are not speaking
that ONE unifying voice to represent the entire profession.
I know we have all heard it before, but do we really need to be
reminded what has happened to our physician colleagues over
the last several years? The American Medical Association has
only a 20+ percent market share of members, and once an
association membership slips below the 50 percent market
share level, can it really speak to our legislators as the voice of
the profession any longer? I think we all realize the answer is
obviously, no.
I have spoken with many younger colleagues over the last
several years, during my time as your PDA president, attending
PDA outreach events, at ADA Membership Recruitment and
Retention Conferences and teaching at the LECOM School of
Dental Medicine, and know that we must do a better job
showing them the value of belonging early and often. I know
some of the other groups could be trying to the same thing as
well, at least the one I am a member of (AGD). Could it really
be as simple as making sure people feel welcome when they
come to a local dental meeting or event? How many of us felt
like an outsider at that first one we attended? Or second? Or
even third? Maybe we don’t have a second or third chance and
their first impression of our association may be the only one
that counts. I know my experience all those years ago was an
awesome one and one of the reasons why my best friends are
the ones I met under the big top. I think we should all keep this in
mind the next time a new face walks into one of our meetings.
As you will see later, there are many, many benefits to
belonging to the ADA/PDA/Component and I will not go into
that detail now, but paraphrasing from the letter I just received
from the ADA with my new membership card really hits the
highlights that I want to kick off this issue with.
“We’re glad you’ve made the decision to be a member this year!
Together with your state and local dental societies, membership
provides you with all the support you need at every step of your
career-whether you’re new to practice or are nearing retirement.
ADA-Receive support throughout your career and stay connected
to an unparalleled collection of world-class resources. From
career tools and continuin g education to scientific news and
information, networking opportunities and a voice in Washington,
DC, ADA is what “making a difference” is all about.
MARCH / AP RIL 2017 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
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