Dentaltown November 2020 - 47

fillings. It was one of her few abutment teeth
supporting her over-60-year-old maxillary
removable partial denture. I provided her
with a Cerec E.max crown that fit perfectly
to her partial that she loved. Her smile was
intact as she celebrated her 100th birthday
and she is still going strong!

What gives you the most
professional satisfaction?

shield, especially as they walk outside to get
patients from their cars.
In June, I received a Vector Fog ULV
cold fogger. Although I like the idea of using
a nonnoxious substance to decontaminate
the office, I am worried that it will adversely
affect the artwork and other surfaces in
the office.

What's your favorite patient story?
I have so many incredible patients that
show such kindness to my team and my
family. One of the biggest surprises was
when we completed full-mouth treatment for
severe wear on a patient who worked in the
mountains as a logger. He had a limousine
take us to lunch in a private dining room
at a nearby hotel. That was definitely a fun
memory!
As for one of the times I provided a
patient with a result that I felt had a significant impact, that would be when my
then-99-year-old patient reached the point
where I could no longer patch the tooth I
had been trying to maintain with myriad

I used to chase after so much continuing
education, especially courses related to
occlusion and how to manage the bite in a
large case. Now, I realize that my biggest
sense of professional satisfaction comes from
seeing and hearing my team perform well.
I enjoy hearing their thoughtful and
productive conversations with patients and
reading their fully diagnostic radiographs. I
also enjoy knowing that they will come to
me with questions or ideas to better serve
our patients or our team. This gives energy
to my days and makes the biggest difference
in my satisfaction.
I am only one person, so when my team
can meet and exceed the standards that I
desire in the care of our patients, how much
more powerful is that? That is when I am
smiling behind my mask!

What do you enjoy doing
in your spare time?
I love to enjoy the activities that our
14-year-old daughter is involved with. I
also find time that we spend at our cabin
to be most relaxing.

How do you think COVID-19
will affect dentistry in the
years to come?
I think aerosol management will quickly
supersede our standard precautions of surface
treatment that has been based on bloodborne

pathogens. I am really looking forward to
emerging research, and I am optimistic
that it will conclude that the high-volume
evacuator (HVE) is extremely effective in
preventing adverse outcomes from dental
aerosols.
Because effectiveness with the HVE
varies greatly among dental assistants, I hope
to see accessible instruction on techniques
for achieving the biggest benefit from the
HVE. That said, I think the open-concept
operatory will be a thing of the past.
I also believe that dental schools may
adopt more simulation dentistry. Virtual
learning will likely continue to grow.
I was thankful every day of quarantine for
all of the free continuing education made
available by so many.

You're a member of quite
a few dental groups and clubs.
Tell us about your involvement.
I have been involved with the American
Dental Association at my local component,
currently serving as president for the second
time. I'm also active at the state level, serving
on various committees and as a delegate to
our state House. I also served once at the
ADA House as an alternate delegate. I really
enjoy the relationships I have with dentists
all over the state because of that involvement.
I've been a member of the Seattle Study
Club for more than 15 years. My club is
more than two hours away, so it's a fairly
significant commitment to be involved,
but I enjoy the treatment-planning sessions
and my family has great memories from the
Seattle Study Club Symposiums. I am a
fellow of the American College of Dentists,
the International College of Dentists and
the Pierre Fauchard Academy. I also serve as
editor of the newsletter for the Washington
state section of the ACD. n
dentaltown.com \\ NOVEMBER 2020

DT1120_Henderson_OV_MM.indd 47

47

10/20/20 11:16 AM
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown November 2020
