It is the month that we celebrate the 4th of July. July 4th is always a special time for me and my family. We usually enjoy getting together having picnics, swimming, and enjoying the freedoms that we have as Americans. I am a patriotic person and I believe in duty to our country. I was proud to serve as a captain in the US Army Dental Corps from 1971 to 1973. I was stationed at Fort Riley Kansas (home of the First Division) for the duration of my military service. I consider those two years at Fort Riley to be the formative years of my dental career. It offered me an opportunity to rotate through all of the specialties of dentistry as well as to have time to plan my future in dentistry. I was fortunate to be allowed two tours of duty at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC. My commanding officer was responsible for referring TMJ patients to me as a young dental officer. It was during those two years of service that I decided to seek additional training in the field of orofacial pain. Through the G.I. Bill, I was able to get additional funding for continuing my education which allowed me to complete graduate school without having to have my wife go back to work. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.
When I was inducted into the military, the United States had a draft. Every young man, once he reached his 19th birthday, was a subject to be called to military service. The draft was abolished in the late 70s, and since that time, we have relied on a volunteer army. There are good points and bad points to a volunteer army. Personally, I feel that it is every man’s duty to serve his country. There are so many success stories of those who have served their country through the military. I have seen many young men who were undecided about their future be directed toward education and a career as a direct result of their military service. I am proud to be an American. I am proud to salute the flag. The flag will definitely be flying in the yard of the Auvenshine’s the weekend of July 4th.
July is another busy month for Dr. Pettit and me. We will be traveling to New Orleans on July 14th to attend a Continuum Symposium on TMD and Orofacial Pain at LSU school of Dentistry. Dr. Pettit has entered the Continuum program for the years 2016 – 2017. He will attend five, two-day sessions and will obtain over 120 hours of continuing education in the field of TMD and orofacial pain upon completion of that program. Dr. Pettit plans to sit for his boards in orofacial pain in April 2017.
Dr. Pettit and I continue to work on our papers of the research we did on the hyoid bone. As many of you know, Dr. Pettit received his Master’s degree in Dental Science by completing an extensive research analysis of the Hyoid Bone. We will be writing more about the hyoid bone in subsequent newsletters. We will even post the articles on our website once they are in publication.
I am looking forward to August and September. These are months that will allow for some personal travel as well as advancing new programs for practicing dentists in diagnosis and management of complex dental patients.
As you can see, we continue to be a busy about our work. Our goal is to provide you the very best care for your TMD as well as relief from your pain and discomfort. You are our greatest asset and we will continue to work diligently on your behalf.
Sincerely,
Ronald C. Auvenshine, DDS, PhD