February is shaping up to be a very wonderful and busy month for me and for those of us here at MedCenter TMJ. It is the month that includes Valentine’s Day. Of course, February 14th is always a special day because we get to tell those people that mean so much to us just how much we love them. Valentine’s Day brings back so many memories of my childhood and receiving Valentines from that “one special person.” Now, that special person is the one that I’m married to and each moment that I get to spend with her is an added blessing in my life.
Each year, starting in January, I give an eight-hour course in the Graduate School at the University of Texas School of Dentistry. The eight hours of lecture is on the topic of the importance and function of the bite and how the evolutionary changes and anthropological measurements affect the way the teeth occlude together. It focuses on the importance of the occlusion to the overall health and function of the individual. It is a very exciting course and one that I have been teaching for over 30 years.
The week of February 20th, I will be in Chicago. I am the Program Chairman this year for the Annual Meeting of the American Equilibration Society (AES). I have been a member of the AES since 1985. It’s one of the first organizations I joined as a young practicing TMJ dentist. AES deals with issues of the bite and reconstruction of the mouth which revolves around the temporomandibular joint. Therefore, this is one of the few organizations in dentistry which encompasses all fields of interests that I have in the profession. On Tuesday, February 21st, I will teach an all-day Head and Neck Dissection course. There are 33 dentists who have signed up for this course. I will be teaching along with two of my very close associates, Dr. Henry Gremillion, Dean of LSU School of Dentistry and Dr. Terry Tanaka, Professor Emeritus, Department of Head and Neck Anatomy and Prosthodontics at the University Of Southern California School Of Dentistry. Dr. Pettit will also be helping us as we delve into the structures that comprise the head, face, and jaws. Along with the help of Dr. Andy Miles, my Program Co-Chair from Trinidad, I have assembled a group of outstanding speakers for Wednesday and Thursday. I will remain an extra day in Chicago on Friday, February 24th. I will teach a review course for the American Board of Orofacial Pain. This course will be given to candidates who will sit for the boards. When they pass the exam they will be entitled to the distinction of Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. I am a founding member of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and have been a contributor to the board exam since 1994.
March will be equally as busy, as we will attend the Greater Houston Dental Conference here at the George R Brown Convention Center. I have a very close friend who will be speaking at the meeting on 3-D Cone Beam Radiology. The following week Dr. Pettit and I will travel to New Orleans to attend the Mahan Study Group. I will tell you more about both of those events in the March newsletter.
As you can see we are always busy. We are constantly taking courses and learning new techniques so that we will be able to provide you, our patient, with the best and latest techniques of care for your TMD and facial pain problems. This is a very complex disorder, as you know, and one which requires constant learning. We appreciate the fact that you have chosen us to be your caregivers. Our commitment to you is that we will continue to pursue, with all our energies, the latest information and technology so that the care you receive here at MedCenter TMJ is the very best available. You are our greatest asset and we will strive to provide you with the very best care.
Sincerely,
Ronald C. Auvenshine, DDS, PhD
Diplomate, American Board of Orofacial Pain