Editor's note: Sheri Doniger's column, Dental Diaries, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.
As I type, I am on my flight home from the 150th ADA conference in Hawaii. Because my husband, Bob, and I were celebrating our 30th anniversary, we decided to arrive early in the week to experience all the splendor our 50th state has to offer.
Hawaii is beautiful. I have never seen so many secluded, empty beaches in my life. With the surfers off in the distance and the turtles floating aimlessly in the shallow water, it truly was idyllic. But I was also surprised at the number of military installations. Between the pineapple farms and the military acreage, many miles were covered. And, there is the time change. With a time difference of five hours, we were up at 3 a.m. each morning, ready and raring to go check out the sights (or at least try to get back to sleep for a few hours).
We did manage to see Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, which will forever be emblazoned in my memory. It was a touching site. We also hiked up Diamond Head, and I have to thank the kind stranger who fed me half of her protein bar because for someone who thought she was in decent shape, I was definitely challenged on the way up to the top of the crater. And we snorkeled in Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, amid the waves and churning ocean.
Oh, and I did make it to the dental conference. On the opening day, I had signed up for my health screening, scheduled at 6:30 a.m. (remember, the time change!) The screening took an hour, and I am happy to say that I am latex allergy free. And I met a lovely dental couple who lived in Kailua and shared some helpful hints about visiting their town and beach. After all, since I had been fasting for 12 hours, what's better than pancakes with macadamia nut chiffon sauce?
I then attended my first CE course, and it was packed! I arrived late and had to wait outside the room for a seat to open. Once inside, I marveled at the number of folks present for a 7:30 a.m. course.
The exhibit floor was rather quiet upon opening at 7:30 a.m., but it definitely picked up once the courses were completed. The floor seemed smaller than past ADA conferences, but all the major players were present. The lines outside the Procter & Gamble booth weren't as long as I have seen at Chicago Midwinter. I was told the exhibit floor was fairly busy most of the day Thursday, hit or miss on Friday, and very slow on Saturday, when most people went to courses or were enjoying the great outdoors.
One of my colleagues made an interesting observation about this year's meeting. For those of you who went to San Antonio last year, you might remember that the streets were packed with people. You didn't walk more than four feet without running into a friend or person affiliated with the dental industry.
Hawaii, not so much. There were people walking Waikiki Beach, strolling down Ala Moana Street, and filling the restaurants, and some may have been dentists, team members, or dental trade folks, but it was not obvious. I saw many of my dental industry colleagues on the exhibit floor, but once everyone left the Convention Center, we all looked like the tourists we were, casual and relaxed. Still, I would expect that the majority of the "tourists" out and about were affiliated with the ADA meeting in some way.
All in all, I eked out seven and a half hours of continuing education. There were programs offered in the center of the exhibit hall, one of the best by Dr. Paul Feuerstein who gave the late Billy Mays a run for his money when he attempted to discuss 150 products in 30 minutes. It was not only great, it was also highly informative.
So, final thoughts as I fly home from our dental meeting? I truly enjoyed the convenience of the exhibit hall opening at 7:30 a.m. I don't know how much the exhibitors appreciated it, although they did have the entire afternoon to "play" once the hall closed at 3:30 p.m. I was surprised at the volume of attendees in the courses. There was a great mix of content that appeared to satisfy mostly everyone. I also thought it was a nice touch that ADA offered participants free postcards from the Aloha State that featured next year's Orlando conference. And they mailed them for free!
As I said before, Hawaii was beautiful. Bob and I toured the island several times, enjoying the scenery, food, and hospitality. We were invited to dinner by a couple we had met at a breakfast place! Would I go back? Definitely ... to celebrate our 40th anniversary and to get a little more continuing education in paradise.
Aloha!
Sheri Doniger, D.D.S., practices clinical dentistry in Lincolnwood, IL. She has served as an educator in several dental and dental hygiene programs, has been a consultant for a major dental benefit company, and has written for several dental publications. Most recently, she was the editor of Woman Dentist Journal and Woman Dentist eJournal. You can reach her at [email protected].
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