One of our morning general sessions was presented by Dr. Brene Brown, researcher and thought leader, made famous for her TEDtv talks. Dr. Brene Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages her readers to “dare greatly”. Her meaning behind this quote, which she stumbled upon by Theodore Roosevelt, is to “embrace vulnerability and imperfection so that you can live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” —Theodore Roosevelt
Dr Brown says, “Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable, or to dare greatly. Whether the arena is a new relationship, an important meeting, our creative process, or a difficult family conversation, we must find the courage to walk into vulnerability and engage with our whole hearts.”
After our morning general sessions we attended seminars from 8:30-5:00. Different courses were taken by each team member to learn about the latest technologies and techniques in dentistry.
The dental hygienists refreshed their knowledge about laser technology in helping control gingival disease. The administrators learned about new programs and software that would aid in communicating with our patients. Dr Narang & Eileen learned about a fairly new technique for prepless veneers. All of the team members are dedicated to continuing education to benefit our patients back home.
Along with the hectic course and meeting schedule, the team also attended events that
were held by the AACD. One event was at the EMP (Experience Music Project) museum, dedicated to the history and exploration of popular music, science fiction and pop culture. The museum contains mostly rock memorabilia and technology-intensive multimedia displays. It showcases rare artifacts from popular music history and allows the visitor to experience music through interactive exhibitions like Sound Lab and 
On Stage. The Northwest passage was dedicated to the history of Seattle music, including Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Nirvana, and the grunge music genre.
In other parts of the museum, we saw science fiction memorabilia and displays from Star Wars, Star Trek and Lost in Space, to name a few.
We enjoyed participating in some of the interactive exhibitions like the Scream Room. This room encourages the participants to scream as loud as they can and to make incredulous faces. A photo is taken and sent to the participants via email.
The Scream Room at the EMP!!! AAAhhhhhhhh!!!!
For Game of Thrones enthusiasts, the infamous throne from the HBO series is on display in the sci-fi section. We were able to sit on the throne and pretend we were queen of the realm!
Another event we attended was at the Taphouse Bar & Grill, for the Give Back a Smile (GBAS) charity event. GBAS is a not-for-profit organization affiliate of the AACD. GBAS helps women who have experienced trauma to their teeth as a result from being in an abusive relationship. GBAS participating dentists donate time and materials to help bring these women back to optimal oral health.
The Taphouse Bar & Grill is known for having over 150 different beers from all over the world on tap. The event was great fun as well as eye opening to the troubles others face in their lives. We felt good about contributing to this worthy cause and also felt appreciative of our own lives.
For the final evening we attended the AACD black tie gala; the event to close off this year’s scientific session. This was held at the Seattle Conference centre, where we had a delicious dinner and danced the night away to an amazing band.
Throughout the week, when we had time to spare from courses and events, we were able to tour around the city; seeing sights such as the Space needle, and Pike’s Pier market, where we were able to enjoy fresh seafood. We also made sure to make time for some shopping…of course!
All in all we had a great time attending the conference and spending time outside of the office with each other. We learned about new technologies in dentistry, about each other, and about the city of Seattle.
We have Dr Narang & Neha to thank for this great experience. Their belief in team cohesion and in continuing education in our profession, allows us to have a great working environment, as well as allowing us to serve our patients to the best of our abilities.
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Oakvilledentalarts?ref=hl to view more pictures in our AACD Seattle 2013 photo album.
the bristles appear worn or splayed. This recommendation of the American Dental Association is based on the expected wear of the toothbrush and its subsequent loss of mechanical effectiveness, not on its bacterial contamination.
