1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,080 Hello, everyone, and thank you for tuning into 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:03,540 the Becker's Healthcare podcast. 3 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,559 My name is Brian Zimmerman. Today, I'm thrilled 4 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:08,800 to be joined by doctor William Simon, a 5 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:10,639 dentist for more than 40 years in the 6 00:00:10,639 --> 00:00:13,359 Chicago area and respected member of the Chicago 7 00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:14,259 Dental Society. 8 00:00:14,855 --> 00:00:16,614 Doctor Simon, thank you so much for joining 9 00:00:16,614 --> 00:00:18,535 us today and taking the time. If you're 10 00:00:18,535 --> 00:00:20,134 if you're ready, if you're game, let's dive 11 00:00:20,134 --> 00:00:21,274 right into the conversation. 12 00:00:21,734 --> 00:00:24,695 Let's roll, Brian. I'm ready. Alright. So can 13 00:00:24,695 --> 00:00:27,175 you get us started by by introducing yourself 14 00:00:27,175 --> 00:00:28,695 a bit more and and sharing a bit 15 00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:31,410 about your involvement in the Chicago Dental Society. 16 00:00:32,109 --> 00:00:34,989 Absolutely. I'm I'm a dentist of of 40 17 00:00:34,989 --> 00:00:37,009 plus years, 41 years now. 18 00:00:37,390 --> 00:00:37,789 And, 19 00:00:38,429 --> 00:00:41,469 I've been involved with Chicago Dental, Society throughout 20 00:00:41,469 --> 00:00:42,530 my entire career, 21 00:00:43,149 --> 00:00:43,649 to 22 00:00:44,344 --> 00:00:44,844 different, 23 00:00:45,465 --> 00:00:47,484 levels of involvement actually. 24 00:00:48,265 --> 00:00:50,024 Early on in my career, I out of 25 00:00:50,024 --> 00:00:51,945 school, I was involved as an early career 26 00:00:51,945 --> 00:00:54,104 dentist quite a bit. And then through the 27 00:00:54,104 --> 00:00:56,184 mid part of my career, stepped back a 28 00:00:56,184 --> 00:00:58,504 bit, wasn't quite as involved, but still a 29 00:00:58,504 --> 00:00:59,004 member. 30 00:00:59,420 --> 00:01:01,420 And then over the last 10 to 15 31 00:01:01,420 --> 00:01:03,500 years, have stepped back in it in pretty 32 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:05,359 active roles. I I'm, 33 00:01:06,060 --> 00:01:08,700 I was involved some committee work, with the 34 00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:12,079 communications committee. I am the past president of 35 00:01:12,219 --> 00:01:13,359 one of our eight 36 00:01:13,814 --> 00:01:16,394 branches. Chicago Dental Society has 8 branches. 37 00:01:17,334 --> 00:01:19,814 We're the largest component dental society in the 38 00:01:19,814 --> 00:01:21,494 country. And as a result, we are split 39 00:01:21,494 --> 00:01:23,494 into 8 branches. So I'm past president of 40 00:01:23,494 --> 00:01:25,334 1 of the branches, the north side branch. 41 00:01:25,334 --> 00:01:26,879 And at this point, my role is, 42 00:01:27,359 --> 00:01:29,359 heavy involvement in what we call the, 43 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,619 scientific programming subcommittee for the midwinter meeting. 44 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,159 So the the it's a it's a 6 45 00:01:36,159 --> 00:01:36,899 year commitment. 46 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:39,780 I'm involved with the committee that chooses 47 00:01:41,274 --> 00:01:44,094 the speakers for the midwinter meeting, the program. 48 00:01:44,795 --> 00:01:48,234 And in the 5th year of my tenure 49 00:01:48,234 --> 00:01:50,075 there, I will be the chair of that 50 00:01:50,075 --> 00:01:51,295 committee for the 2026 51 00:01:51,674 --> 00:01:52,655 midwinter meeting. 52 00:01:53,310 --> 00:01:55,469 Excellent. We're we're certainly gonna dive into the 53 00:01:55,469 --> 00:01:58,349 midwinter meeting as well in this conversation, but 54 00:01:58,349 --> 00:02:00,590 I wanna wanna get your take here, sort 55 00:02:00,590 --> 00:02:03,250 of, about the the face of dentistry changing. 56 00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:05,709 You know, more dentists are retiring, new dentists 57 00:02:05,709 --> 00:02:07,984 are coming in. How do you see this 58 00:02:07,984 --> 00:02:09,905 shift playing out, and and what are the 59 00:02:09,905 --> 00:02:12,625 opportunities here for younger dentists and and organized 60 00:02:12,625 --> 00:02:15,205 dentistry as a whole? What role should mentorship 61 00:02:15,344 --> 00:02:17,585 play, I guess, in helping this this younger 62 00:02:17,585 --> 00:02:19,824 generation of dentists really take advantage of the 63 00:02:19,824 --> 00:02:20,324 opportunities, 64 00:02:20,625 --> 00:02:21,444 before them? 65 00:02:21,990 --> 00:02:23,990 Well, certainly, the landscape has changed since I 66 00:02:23,990 --> 00:02:25,770 came out of school back in 83. 67 00:02:26,389 --> 00:02:28,069 It it used to be that you could 68 00:02:28,069 --> 00:02:29,129 get out of school, 69 00:02:29,509 --> 00:02:31,909 hang up your shingle, and own an office, 70 00:02:31,909 --> 00:02:32,409 and 71 00:02:32,710 --> 00:02:34,789 just hit the ground running. It it was 72 00:02:34,789 --> 00:02:36,425 such a a different time. And now as 73 00:02:36,425 --> 00:02:39,245 we've seen things get more complicated with technology 74 00:02:39,784 --> 00:02:42,264 and all the issues surrounding the new grads 75 00:02:42,264 --> 00:02:43,485 with debt, etcetera, 76 00:02:44,425 --> 00:02:46,985 things have changed. And the the introduction of 77 00:02:46,985 --> 00:02:51,020 of, corporate dentistry into our industry and DSOs, 78 00:02:51,159 --> 00:02:53,980 etcetera, has been a a huge, huge shift. 79 00:02:54,439 --> 00:02:54,939 But 80 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,980 I see it as as as opportunity 81 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,140 for really everybody involved. 82 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,159 I think the mentorship, it's important in my 83 00:03:03,159 --> 00:03:03,659 opinion 84 00:03:04,394 --> 00:03:04,894 to, 85 00:03:05,594 --> 00:03:08,094 to think about how mentorship has really changed 86 00:03:08,155 --> 00:03:09,134 in some ways. 87 00:03:09,674 --> 00:03:11,995 It used to be that things didn't change 88 00:03:11,995 --> 00:03:14,894 so rapidly, and an early career doctor would 89 00:03:15,034 --> 00:03:17,520 not be in a a a tremendously different 90 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,080 place toward the end of their career as 91 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,500 far as the provision of care, the technology. 92 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:25,860 Certainly a lot more wisdom and experience. 93 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:27,300 However, 94 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,780 now with things changing so quickly, 95 00:03:30,594 --> 00:03:32,435 I think that a lot of late career 96 00:03:32,435 --> 00:03:32,935 doctors 97 00:03:33,395 --> 00:03:34,935 are actually being mentored 98 00:03:35,395 --> 00:03:36,055 by the, 99 00:03:36,594 --> 00:03:38,594 by the early career doctors. There's a lot 100 00:03:38,594 --> 00:03:40,515 of new innovations, things that they learn in 101 00:03:40,515 --> 00:03:43,335 dental school, a lot of new technologies that 102 00:03:43,599 --> 00:03:46,500 that as late career doctors, we don't necessarily 103 00:03:47,439 --> 00:03:50,639 understand as, especially in this digital platform as 104 00:03:50,639 --> 00:03:52,800 well as some of the early career doctors. 105 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,439 Of course, there's no substitute in my opinion 106 00:03:55,439 --> 00:03:58,574 for experience and wisdom that comes with practicing 107 00:03:58,574 --> 00:04:00,995 for all these years. So for me, mentorship, 108 00:04:01,215 --> 00:04:03,634 it goes both ways. It really has now, 109 00:04:03,694 --> 00:04:04,514 in my opinion, 110 00:04:04,814 --> 00:04:06,194 achieved a place where 111 00:04:06,814 --> 00:04:09,615 early career doctors can learn from late career 112 00:04:09,615 --> 00:04:11,650 and vice versa. And and I just think 113 00:04:11,650 --> 00:04:13,650 that it's important we all realize that and 114 00:04:13,650 --> 00:04:15,669 share each other's wisdom, 115 00:04:16,290 --> 00:04:18,529 our experience, and and then our our new 116 00:04:18,529 --> 00:04:19,029 knowledge. 117 00:04:20,129 --> 00:04:21,730 That is fascinating. So there's really sort of 118 00:04:21,730 --> 00:04:22,389 a reciprocity 119 00:04:22,930 --> 00:04:25,009 involved in the mentorship. It got like you 120 00:04:25,009 --> 00:04:26,689 said, it it goes both ways. Do you 121 00:04:26,689 --> 00:04:27,464 think that is 122 00:04:28,024 --> 00:04:30,024 more new, I guess, to dentistry, or is 123 00:04:30,024 --> 00:04:31,865 that has always been the case to some 124 00:04:31,865 --> 00:04:33,464 extent? Or do you think because of the 125 00:04:33,464 --> 00:04:35,644 rise of technology, this has become a more, 126 00:04:36,985 --> 00:04:37,485 reciprocity, 127 00:04:38,024 --> 00:04:40,024 like I said, sort of relationship between these 128 00:04:40,024 --> 00:04:41,704 2, the the older dentists and and the 129 00:04:41,704 --> 00:04:44,680 newer ones? Oh, I think it's it's new. 130 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,599 I think it's it's part of the evolution 131 00:04:46,599 --> 00:04:47,659 of of 132 00:04:47,959 --> 00:04:51,099 not only dentistry, but just our our technology 133 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,099 world, our digital world in general. 134 00:04:53,479 --> 00:04:55,560 So as I said early on in my 135 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:56,060 career, 136 00:04:56,464 --> 00:04:57,824 there wasn't a whole lot I felt like 137 00:04:57,824 --> 00:05:00,064 I had to offer to the, to the 138 00:05:00,064 --> 00:05:02,225 late career or mid mid and late career 139 00:05:02,225 --> 00:05:03,824 dentist. It was all about me listening to 140 00:05:03,824 --> 00:05:05,764 them, and and now I find myself 141 00:05:06,384 --> 00:05:09,345 talking to early career doctors about many, many 142 00:05:09,345 --> 00:05:11,105 things that are helpful to me, 143 00:05:12,220 --> 00:05:13,759 particularly things like, oh, 144 00:05:15,420 --> 00:05:17,600 the new approaches towards the digital workspace, 145 00:05:18,300 --> 00:05:19,199 digital workflow, 146 00:05:20,060 --> 00:05:23,020 social media. There's just the the change now 147 00:05:23,020 --> 00:05:24,399 has become so quick, 148 00:05:25,020 --> 00:05:26,805 and that things evolve 149 00:05:27,264 --> 00:05:29,264 at I I always say right now that, 150 00:05:29,264 --> 00:05:30,545 you know, for the first time in the 151 00:05:30,545 --> 00:05:33,024 history of humanity, people from different planets are 152 00:05:33,024 --> 00:05:35,665 living on the same planet. That's kinda my 153 00:05:35,665 --> 00:05:36,964 mantra there. So 154 00:05:37,425 --> 00:05:39,360 that to me speaks to how important it 155 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,519 is for us to all learn from each 156 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:44,720 other and and respect each other's position in 157 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,680 time and and just grab for the things 158 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,079 that all of us have that we can 159 00:05:50,079 --> 00:05:50,579 offer. 160 00:05:51,555 --> 00:05:53,154 Yeah. I I I think I might steal 161 00:05:53,154 --> 00:05:54,595 your mantra there. Because when I when I 162 00:05:54,595 --> 00:05:56,675 start thinking about I have a 2 very 163 00:05:56,675 --> 00:05:58,194 young children. I have a a 5 year 164 00:05:58,194 --> 00:05:59,074 old and a 2 year old. And when 165 00:05:59,074 --> 00:06:00,595 I think about what they're the world they're 166 00:06:00,595 --> 00:06:02,855 gonna be living in when they reach adulthood, 167 00:06:03,394 --> 00:06:04,689 I am going to be an alien to 168 00:06:04,689 --> 00:06:07,649 that for sure. Absolutely. You stay. I can 169 00:06:07,649 --> 00:06:09,410 tell you as a late career doctor and 170 00:06:09,410 --> 00:06:11,810 somebody who actually does some speaking and mentoring, 171 00:06:11,810 --> 00:06:13,750 a lot of mentoring and some speaking 172 00:06:14,689 --> 00:06:16,389 at conferences across the country. 173 00:06:16,894 --> 00:06:18,975 It's it's tough to stay relevant. It really 174 00:06:18,975 --> 00:06:20,814 is. And you have to work really hard 175 00:06:20,814 --> 00:06:23,134 to stay relevant, in in our field and 176 00:06:23,134 --> 00:06:25,455 in any field. But that's just the the 177 00:06:25,455 --> 00:06:27,774 way things are. It's the fact of of 178 00:06:27,774 --> 00:06:30,115 rapid change, and we all have to adapt. 179 00:06:30,779 --> 00:06:32,860 Mhmm. Mhmm. Well, well, let's let's dive in 180 00:06:32,860 --> 00:06:34,639 now to to hear more about the midwinter 181 00:06:34,699 --> 00:06:35,199 meeting. 182 00:06:35,740 --> 00:06:37,420 As I I imagine, this is a place 183 00:06:37,420 --> 00:06:39,180 where you can you can sort of fight 184 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:41,180 to achieve that relevancy or maintain it. Right? 185 00:06:41,580 --> 00:06:43,020 Can you can you just share some more, 186 00:06:43,339 --> 00:06:46,625 information about the midwinter meeting? Any additional pertinent 187 00:06:46,685 --> 00:06:48,785 details about the about CDS? 188 00:06:49,404 --> 00:06:51,084 What's the benefit of having a dental team, 189 00:06:51,084 --> 00:06:52,604 I guess, really, really come to this meeting 190 00:06:52,604 --> 00:06:54,925 and engage with the Chicago Dental Society in 191 00:06:54,925 --> 00:06:55,584 this way? 192 00:06:55,964 --> 00:06:57,660 Well, I I think the point you made 193 00:06:57,740 --> 00:07:00,060 just now speaks to that very much so, 194 00:07:00,060 --> 00:07:01,819 and it it's a place where you can 195 00:07:01,819 --> 00:07:04,060 come together and see all of these different 196 00:07:04,060 --> 00:07:06,540 changes in in one place. So a little 197 00:07:06,540 --> 00:07:09,339 history. The the Chicago mid midwinter meeting is 198 00:07:09,339 --> 00:07:11,839 about to celebrate its 100 and 60th 199 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:12,800 anniversary 200 00:07:13,634 --> 00:07:16,754 in the February 2025 meeting. So it's been 201 00:07:16,754 --> 00:07:18,615 around for a long time. 202 00:07:18,995 --> 00:07:22,194 The CDS midwinter meeting also draws a very, 203 00:07:22,194 --> 00:07:23,495 very large 204 00:07:24,035 --> 00:07:25,175 number of attendees. 205 00:07:25,555 --> 00:07:27,060 We are over 20,000 206 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:29,439 attendees, and I feel like the midwinter meeting 207 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:30,560 really is one of the, 208 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,439 premier dental meetings, not only in the country, 209 00:07:33,439 --> 00:07:36,180 but really across the world as we've seen 210 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:38,560 our industry shift in many ways. We've seen 211 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:39,860 some of the smaller meetings 212 00:07:40,384 --> 00:07:42,324 have some challenges and, in fact, 213 00:07:42,625 --> 00:07:44,164 actually shut down meetings. 214 00:07:44,544 --> 00:07:45,845 We've seen some consolidation 215 00:07:46,305 --> 00:07:47,685 in meetings. We've had 216 00:07:48,064 --> 00:07:51,365 meetings emerge in different fashions outside of organized 217 00:07:51,425 --> 00:07:52,644 dentistry, corporate, 218 00:07:53,185 --> 00:07:55,899 I would say, industry players that are having 219 00:07:55,899 --> 00:07:56,879 their own meetings. 220 00:07:57,259 --> 00:08:00,460 You've got DSOs having their meetings. But I 221 00:08:00,460 --> 00:08:03,100 think the midwinter meeting because of its tenure 222 00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:06,139 and because of the place that it's in, 223 00:08:06,139 --> 00:08:06,639 Chicago, 224 00:08:07,214 --> 00:08:09,214 and the number of people that are there, 225 00:08:09,214 --> 00:08:11,795 it is, in my opinion, one of the 226 00:08:12,095 --> 00:08:13,634 top five meetings in the world. 227 00:08:14,495 --> 00:08:16,574 I appreciate that. Can can you also share 228 00:08:16,574 --> 00:08:17,074 from, 229 00:08:17,774 --> 00:08:19,314 I guess, the industry partner 230 00:08:19,769 --> 00:08:22,730 standpoint exhibitors? Why why should industry leaders attend 231 00:08:22,730 --> 00:08:24,189 this this meeting as well? 232 00:08:25,050 --> 00:08:27,610 Well, I I think that industry leaders can 233 00:08:27,610 --> 00:08:30,750 learn in the same fashion that meeting attendees, 234 00:08:31,290 --> 00:08:33,470 dentists, and their teams can. 235 00:08:34,384 --> 00:08:36,085 Certainly being in a place 236 00:08:36,785 --> 00:08:37,524 where industry, 237 00:08:38,625 --> 00:08:40,404 partners are coming together, 238 00:08:41,264 --> 00:08:44,144 for networking purposes. Number 1, I think everybody 239 00:08:44,144 --> 00:08:47,105 can benefit from the networking component of having 240 00:08:47,105 --> 00:08:48,029 over 20,000 241 00:08:48,970 --> 00:08:51,309 industry people, whether they're doctors, team members, 242 00:08:52,089 --> 00:08:52,589 industry, 243 00:08:53,529 --> 00:08:54,029 leaders, 244 00:08:54,570 --> 00:08:55,070 vendors, 245 00:08:55,690 --> 00:08:58,730 manufacturers, whatever it is. Having everybody come together 246 00:08:58,730 --> 00:09:01,850 in a space, in my opinion, provides a 247 00:09:01,850 --> 00:09:02,350 tremendous, 248 00:09:03,175 --> 00:09:04,235 background for 249 00:09:04,774 --> 00:09:05,274 networking 250 00:09:05,815 --> 00:09:06,315 and 251 00:09:06,695 --> 00:09:09,434 and learning about trends and 252 00:09:10,774 --> 00:09:11,675 seeing things 253 00:09:12,295 --> 00:09:14,134 hands on. I I I see one one 254 00:09:14,134 --> 00:09:15,735 of the speaking of trends, one of the 255 00:09:15,735 --> 00:09:16,634 trends that, 256 00:09:16,980 --> 00:09:19,220 I I think that my generation finds a 257 00:09:19,220 --> 00:09:20,899 little disturbing. Maybe I don't know if that 258 00:09:20,980 --> 00:09:23,139 maybe disturbing is not the word right word. 259 00:09:23,139 --> 00:09:23,700 Maybe just, 260 00:09:24,419 --> 00:09:27,080 a little concerning perhaps is the online 261 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,284 the online presence of of what it seems 262 00:09:30,284 --> 00:09:32,164 to be everything. And so I can tell 263 00:09:32,164 --> 00:09:34,245 you when it just something as simple as 264 00:09:34,245 --> 00:09:38,725 shopping for clothing or shopping for furniture, whatever 265 00:09:38,725 --> 00:09:39,705 it might be. 266 00:09:40,245 --> 00:09:41,304 Doing that online 267 00:09:42,059 --> 00:09:44,139 is is not an easy thing for those 268 00:09:44,139 --> 00:09:45,679 of us who have had been in 269 00:09:46,059 --> 00:09:47,759 in a in a space where, 270 00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:51,840 buying clothes and furniture was always hands on. 271 00:09:51,980 --> 00:09:53,820 You you can understand the, 272 00:09:54,565 --> 00:09:57,764 the benefits of being face to face with 273 00:09:57,764 --> 00:09:59,685 someone when you're talking to them. You can 274 00:09:59,685 --> 00:10:01,865 understand the benefits of having 275 00:10:02,485 --> 00:10:04,565 a product in front of you that you 276 00:10:04,565 --> 00:10:05,865 can touch and feel. 277 00:10:06,325 --> 00:10:06,825 And 278 00:10:07,379 --> 00:10:09,320 also being in a space where 279 00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:10,200 multiple 280 00:10:11,059 --> 00:10:11,559 manufacturers 281 00:10:11,940 --> 00:10:15,059 or or providers of services are providing the 282 00:10:15,059 --> 00:10:17,379 same service, and you can compare one to 283 00:10:17,379 --> 00:10:19,320 another in a very, very efficient 284 00:10:19,684 --> 00:10:20,904 way. So for me, 285 00:10:21,284 --> 00:10:22,804 we see a lot of the in person 286 00:10:22,804 --> 00:10:25,225 meetings just struggling for for, 287 00:10:25,845 --> 00:10:27,684 attendees, and I think a lot of that 288 00:10:27,684 --> 00:10:30,245 is is the result of a lot of 289 00:10:30,245 --> 00:10:31,225 early career, 290 00:10:31,845 --> 00:10:33,544 doctors who are 291 00:10:34,049 --> 00:10:35,990 used to getting their 292 00:10:36,529 --> 00:10:39,990 products and their services and their CE online 293 00:10:40,690 --> 00:10:41,509 with no, 294 00:10:42,450 --> 00:10:45,330 no experience of having seen what it's like 295 00:10:45,330 --> 00:10:47,250 on the other side. So I'm hoping that 296 00:10:47,250 --> 00:10:48,710 as we move forward that 297 00:10:49,284 --> 00:10:50,884 the mentorship from the, 298 00:10:51,524 --> 00:10:54,345 the later career mid career, later career doctors 299 00:10:54,485 --> 00:10:56,884 toward the early career doctors will help them 300 00:10:56,884 --> 00:10:58,424 to understand the value 301 00:10:58,965 --> 00:11:01,524 of coming together in a meeting like the 302 00:11:01,524 --> 00:11:02,585 midwinter meeting. 303 00:11:03,709 --> 00:11:05,470 Yeah. Certainly. I mean, the the the the 304 00:11:05,470 --> 00:11:08,110 the convenience of online offerings is certainly a 305 00:11:08,110 --> 00:11:10,669 bit a a a wonderful thing in many 306 00:11:10,669 --> 00:11:12,589 regards. But to your point, doctor Simon, there's 307 00:11:12,589 --> 00:11:15,230 no no replacing that in person experience in 308 00:11:15,230 --> 00:11:17,470 terms of when you're really, really getting to 309 00:11:17,470 --> 00:11:18,289 know the solutions, 310 00:11:18,965 --> 00:11:20,804 really getting to know the the the people 311 00:11:20,804 --> 00:11:22,725 behind the companies that you're trying to work 312 00:11:22,725 --> 00:11:25,924 with. That all that stuff really does matter, 313 00:11:25,924 --> 00:11:27,605 and I think, like, your point is well 314 00:11:27,605 --> 00:11:29,205 taken in terms of the value of that. 315 00:11:29,205 --> 00:11:30,884 So I appreciate you calling it out, doctor 316 00:11:30,884 --> 00:11:31,384 Simon. 317 00:11:31,940 --> 00:11:34,360 Yes. So I'll I'll just say that, relationships 318 00:11:34,580 --> 00:11:35,080 matter. 319 00:11:35,860 --> 00:11:36,360 Yes. 320 00:11:37,299 --> 00:11:39,539 So beyond the midwinter meeting, can you share 321 00:11:39,539 --> 00:11:41,860 a little bit about how Chicago Dental Society 322 00:11:41,860 --> 00:11:45,139 helps both support individual dentists and and the 323 00:11:45,139 --> 00:11:47,000 business of dentistry more generally? 324 00:11:48,315 --> 00:11:49,134 Sure, Brian. 325 00:11:49,754 --> 00:11:51,615 As I mentioned, the Chicago Dental Society 326 00:11:52,235 --> 00:11:54,954 is the largest component dental society in the 327 00:11:54,954 --> 00:11:55,454 country. 328 00:11:55,754 --> 00:11:57,834 And when I say component dental society, what 329 00:11:57,834 --> 00:12:00,315 that means is that each state has a 330 00:12:00,315 --> 00:12:01,294 state dental 331 00:12:01,789 --> 00:12:03,169 society or association. 332 00:12:03,870 --> 00:12:05,730 And within each state, there 333 00:12:06,269 --> 00:12:06,929 are components, 334 00:12:08,189 --> 00:12:11,309 that represent different areas of each state and 335 00:12:11,309 --> 00:12:12,289 have their own, 336 00:12:12,829 --> 00:12:13,889 component dental 337 00:12:14,254 --> 00:12:17,534 society or or association. So for instance, in 338 00:12:17,534 --> 00:12:19,934 our state of Illinois, we have the Chicago 339 00:12:19,934 --> 00:12:22,195 Dental Society, we have the McKendree 340 00:12:22,735 --> 00:12:25,934 County Dental Society, and and a number of 341 00:12:25,934 --> 00:12:27,315 different component societies. 342 00:12:27,774 --> 00:12:28,595 But CDS, 343 00:12:29,179 --> 00:12:32,379 Chicago Now Society with over 4,000 members is 344 00:12:32,379 --> 00:12:33,600 the largest component 345 00:12:34,139 --> 00:12:36,220 society. And as a result, we have 8 346 00:12:36,220 --> 00:12:38,399 branches, and we are in a position 347 00:12:38,779 --> 00:12:42,220 to offer a lot of wonderful benefits to 348 00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:44,620 our membership. Certainly, the midwinter is at the 349 00:12:45,154 --> 00:12:46,915 probably at the top of the list, but 350 00:12:46,915 --> 00:12:47,415 additionally, 351 00:12:48,115 --> 00:12:50,674 we through our branch meetings, we offer the 352 00:12:50,674 --> 00:12:53,095 opportunity for continuing education, 353 00:12:54,035 --> 00:12:54,535 networking, 354 00:12:56,274 --> 00:12:59,014 just meeting with other doctors, sharing our experiences, 355 00:12:59,315 --> 00:13:00,294 sharing our 356 00:13:01,299 --> 00:13:04,339 our wins and sharing our challenges, and that 357 00:13:04,339 --> 00:13:06,759 provides a tremendous amount of benefit 358 00:13:07,459 --> 00:13:10,740 to our membership. Certainly, there's member benefits that 359 00:13:10,740 --> 00:13:13,379 are available through the Chicago Dental Society in 360 00:13:13,379 --> 00:13:16,995 the form of supply purchasing perhaps or, 361 00:13:17,695 --> 00:13:20,434 credit card processing. All of that's available. 362 00:13:21,214 --> 00:13:22,894 There's also in the case of the Chicago 363 00:13:22,894 --> 00:13:26,355 downside, some some local advocacy I feel that 364 00:13:26,740 --> 00:13:28,440 we can enjoy that protects 365 00:13:28,820 --> 00:13:31,879 at least the, the practice of our the 366 00:13:32,019 --> 00:13:32,840 the our profession 367 00:13:33,379 --> 00:13:34,840 in the Chicago market, 368 00:13:35,379 --> 00:13:38,500 Chicago and surrounding suburbs. So Chicago downside isn't 369 00:13:38,500 --> 00:13:40,360 just Chicago proper. It is Chicago 370 00:13:40,820 --> 00:13:41,320 and 371 00:13:41,625 --> 00:13:43,245 the the surrounding suburbs. 372 00:13:43,945 --> 00:13:45,884 So all of that to me has tremendous 373 00:13:45,945 --> 00:13:48,745 benefit for our membership. As far as the 374 00:13:48,745 --> 00:13:49,804 industry goes, 375 00:13:50,424 --> 00:13:51,404 I think that, 376 00:13:51,785 --> 00:13:53,644 just the fact that we have 8 branches, 377 00:13:53,865 --> 00:13:56,329 each branch has 4 dinner meetings 378 00:13:56,629 --> 00:13:57,529 at a minimum 379 00:13:58,149 --> 00:13:59,529 every every year. 380 00:13:59,990 --> 00:14:01,529 And at those dinner meetings, 381 00:14:02,549 --> 00:14:03,529 industry partners, 382 00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:06,309 are invited to sponsor these meetings, and they 383 00:14:06,309 --> 00:14:09,129 have an opportunity then to present their their 384 00:14:09,565 --> 00:14:10,545 products and services 385 00:14:11,085 --> 00:14:12,144 to our membership 386 00:14:12,764 --> 00:14:16,045 in ways that hopefully can promote their their 387 00:14:16,045 --> 00:14:17,985 business and help them to grow as well. 388 00:14:19,245 --> 00:14:22,045 Yeah. I appreciate the education about all all 389 00:14:22,045 --> 00:14:24,720 all the organization does and how how these 390 00:14:24,959 --> 00:14:26,959 societies sort of work work together and and 391 00:14:26,959 --> 00:14:28,179 bring dentists together. 392 00:14:28,559 --> 00:14:30,399 Doctor Simon, before I let you go, what 393 00:14:30,399 --> 00:14:32,000 what closing thoughts would you like to leave 394 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:32,899 listeners with? 395 00:14:34,319 --> 00:14:36,079 I think that I'd like to speak to, 396 00:14:36,399 --> 00:14:38,404 what I've seen over the the course of 397 00:14:38,404 --> 00:14:40,804 the last 15, 20 years as as the 398 00:14:40,804 --> 00:14:43,924 emergence of corporate dentistry and and DSOs have 399 00:14:44,085 --> 00:14:44,825 has grown. 400 00:14:45,524 --> 00:14:47,785 And I really wanna send a message 401 00:14:48,165 --> 00:14:48,665 that 402 00:14:49,044 --> 00:14:49,945 in my opinion, 403 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,960 we're we're all in this together. We are 404 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:54,740 all in the same profession. 405 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,759 I I think that our mission is all 406 00:14:57,759 --> 00:14:59,440 the same, and that is to help our 407 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,259 patients receive the best dental care 408 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:03,220 possible, 409 00:15:03,954 --> 00:15:05,894 promote their quality of life, 410 00:15:06,514 --> 00:15:07,495 their self esteem, 411 00:15:09,235 --> 00:15:10,995 all of that. And I hope that all 412 00:15:10,995 --> 00:15:12,595 of us are in it together. I know 413 00:15:12,595 --> 00:15:15,714 that as corporate dentistry and DSOs emerge, there 414 00:15:15,714 --> 00:15:17,334 was a quite a bit of animosity 415 00:15:17,634 --> 00:15:18,134 between, 416 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:20,379 organized dentistry 417 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,480 and DSOs. But I hope that people can 418 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:24,379 realize that 419 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,019 both independent dental office owners 420 00:15:27,399 --> 00:15:27,899 and, 421 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:29,399 dental, 422 00:15:29,879 --> 00:15:30,940 organized dentistry 423 00:15:31,399 --> 00:15:34,245 and DSOs and corporate dentistry, we can all 424 00:15:34,384 --> 00:15:37,105 benefit from each other in in so many 425 00:15:37,105 --> 00:15:37,605 ways. 426 00:15:38,225 --> 00:15:41,444 I always say that there's really, really good 427 00:15:41,504 --> 00:15:42,004 DSOs. 428 00:15:42,304 --> 00:15:45,745 There's really, really bad DSOs. There's really, really 429 00:15:45,745 --> 00:15:48,644 good independent practices. There's really, really 430 00:15:49,209 --> 00:15:51,230 bad independent practices potentially. 431 00:15:51,850 --> 00:15:53,610 Well, all of that said, if we all 432 00:15:53,610 --> 00:15:55,629 aren't working toward the same mission, 433 00:15:56,089 --> 00:15:57,769 I I think it's important to understand the 434 00:15:57,769 --> 00:15:59,769 benefits that each each can provide in their 435 00:15:59,769 --> 00:16:01,370 own way. And when I when I talk 436 00:16:01,370 --> 00:16:03,769 about the DSO space, I I'd like to 437 00:16:03,769 --> 00:16:06,705 bring forth that the benefits that dentistry in 438 00:16:06,705 --> 00:16:09,524 general has received from DSOs is number 1, 439 00:16:09,585 --> 00:16:12,225 a place where early career doctors can find 440 00:16:12,225 --> 00:16:14,785 their their stride. They can, with all of 441 00:16:14,785 --> 00:16:16,785 the debt that we see the early career 442 00:16:16,785 --> 00:16:19,445 doctor saddled with, it's a tremendous opportunity 443 00:16:20,059 --> 00:16:22,539 to perhaps, hit a 5 year plan or 444 00:16:22,539 --> 00:16:24,379 or beyond where you can get yourself into 445 00:16:24,379 --> 00:16:25,820 a place where you can practice, you can 446 00:16:25,820 --> 00:16:28,220 learn, you can have your benefits, your health 447 00:16:28,220 --> 00:16:29,899 benefits, you can help to offset some of 448 00:16:29,899 --> 00:16:32,539 your debt. And then hopefully, if you're interested, 449 00:16:32,539 --> 00:16:34,940 hit the ground running for independent ownership. I 450 00:16:34,940 --> 00:16:35,919 think that also 451 00:16:36,274 --> 00:16:39,075 the the DSO corporate space has brought a 452 00:16:39,075 --> 00:16:39,894 lot of 453 00:16:40,355 --> 00:16:41,335 money into 454 00:16:42,195 --> 00:16:42,855 our profession. 455 00:16:43,475 --> 00:16:45,075 And as a result, we've seen a lot 456 00:16:45,075 --> 00:16:46,695 of advancements in technology 457 00:16:47,154 --> 00:16:49,095 for the provision of care 458 00:16:49,429 --> 00:16:51,529 and the betterment of our patients that we 459 00:16:51,589 --> 00:16:53,449 might not have seen otherwise. 460 00:16:54,069 --> 00:16:56,490 I also think that the, DSO, 461 00:16:57,350 --> 00:17:01,449 corporate side has helped independent dentists to understand 462 00:17:01,589 --> 00:17:03,929 more about the value of their practice. 463 00:17:04,549 --> 00:17:05,049 And 464 00:17:06,125 --> 00:17:08,605 when late career or any any doctors transitioning 465 00:17:08,605 --> 00:17:10,065 a practice, the values 466 00:17:10,684 --> 00:17:11,664 of their practice 467 00:17:12,125 --> 00:17:15,244 practices now have become much, much greater defined 468 00:17:15,244 --> 00:17:17,804 than they ever were when I came out 469 00:17:17,804 --> 00:17:19,904 of dental school years ago. It wasn't 470 00:17:20,569 --> 00:17:22,809 evaluated in the same way. And then on 471 00:17:22,809 --> 00:17:24,990 the organized dentistry side, I think that 472 00:17:25,289 --> 00:17:27,609 the the people who aren't engaged at this 473 00:17:27,609 --> 00:17:30,250 point with with organized dentistry should understand the 474 00:17:30,250 --> 00:17:32,890 benefits of things like the midwinter meeting, and 475 00:17:32,890 --> 00:17:35,069 coming together and networking, and, 476 00:17:35,515 --> 00:17:38,575 the wisdom that can be shared from the 477 00:17:38,875 --> 00:17:41,194 the the wisdom and experience from the later 478 00:17:41,194 --> 00:17:44,075 career doctors. And and for me also, one 479 00:17:44,075 --> 00:17:46,894 of the most important things I see for 480 00:17:47,434 --> 00:17:48,414 organized dentistry 481 00:17:49,559 --> 00:17:51,720 as as far as its contribution goes to 482 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,179 our profession is the advocacy. 483 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,279 And there there is strength in numbers, strength 484 00:17:56,279 --> 00:17:58,519 in numbers. And when I see divisive things 485 00:17:58,519 --> 00:17:58,759 like, 486 00:17:59,799 --> 00:18:03,225 organized dentistry not partnering well with with the 487 00:18:03,225 --> 00:18:06,105 corporate dentistry or DSOs or vice versa. I 488 00:18:06,105 --> 00:18:08,184 just see a division that's not gonna help 489 00:18:08,184 --> 00:18:08,845 our profession. 490 00:18:09,465 --> 00:18:11,945 Organized dentistry has done a tremendous job over 491 00:18:11,945 --> 00:18:14,285 the years of doing what's necessary to 492 00:18:14,730 --> 00:18:15,230 advocate, 493 00:18:16,009 --> 00:18:18,890 both on local levels and national levels to 494 00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:20,269 protect and preserve 495 00:18:20,730 --> 00:18:22,730 our profession. And I think if we can 496 00:18:22,730 --> 00:18:26,089 all come together with those benefits from each 497 00:18:26,089 --> 00:18:28,569 side in mind, our profession will be better 498 00:18:28,569 --> 00:18:29,630 served and ultimately 499 00:18:30,304 --> 00:18:32,565 the goal of providing the best dental care 500 00:18:32,785 --> 00:18:33,684 for our patients 501 00:18:34,304 --> 00:18:35,765 will be put into place. 502 00:18:37,184 --> 00:18:39,424 Doctor Simon, I appreciate you closing us out 503 00:18:39,424 --> 00:18:41,265 there with a with a with some nuance 504 00:18:41,265 --> 00:18:43,505 and and some optimism there. So I really 505 00:18:43,505 --> 00:18:45,204 appreciate you taking the time today. 506 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:47,819 Absolutely, Brian. My pleasure. Thanks for having 507 00:18:48,279 --> 00:18:50,119 me. Of course. Thanks again to doctor Simon 508 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:53,160 and to Chicago Dental Society for sponsoring today's 509 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,640 content. To our listeners, thank you for joining 510 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,319 us, and please be sure to check out 511 00:18:57,319 --> 00:18:59,019 the other Becker's Healthcare podcasts. 512 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,179 Have a wonderful rest of your day.