Dental education in cold places

Jan 17, 2011

Editor's note: Dr. Doniger's column, Dental Diaries, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.

Living in Chicago my entire life, I am used to the cold winters. Even if we do escape from time to time, we still return to 8 inches of snow, icy roads, and freezing temperatures.

On the bright side, when the temperatures do hover around zero (or below!), the sky is the most amazing shade of blue you can imagine (although I must admit I would prefer seeing it in the Caribbean with the temperatures hovering around 80 with balmy breezes rather than windchills below zero).

My two favorite dental meetings occur in the coldest months of the year in two of the coldest cities in the U.S.: the Yankee Dental Congress in Boston and the Chicago MidWinter Meeting. The rationale?

Both take place during the slower winter months of our practice cycle, which is an easier time to take off and go learn.
Both offer a wide variety of dental education opportunities, from short hour classes to all-day seminars.
Both offer "on the floor" technology learning, hands-on seminars, and great people meeting in a great city.

Even so, the meetings are always held in the coldest time of the year in cities that frequently experience debilitating snowstorms.

That said, I am looking forward to attending both Yankee and Chicago MidWinter this year. Yankee has its annual women's conference, which is always a great source of information and camaraderie. And Chicago MidWinter is considered by many in the industry to be "the" meeting of the year, with new product launches that manufacturers and practitioners alike anticipate for 12 months.

In coming weeks, I will report back on my experience at the Yankee Dental Congress, where there is sure to be lots of snow (it's not winter in Boston without snow, right?) and chilly temperatures. Likewise in March, after the Chicago Midwinter Meeting.

But in each there will also be great educational opportunities, professional networking, and good dental continuing education. So while it is still cold outside, why not consider heading north for a few days? I'd rather spend the warmer days in coming months outside, enjoying nature. Now that's something to look forward to!

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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