725: The Long-Term Value of Great Relationships in Dentistry – Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten, & Dr. Gary DeWood

Without a support system, dentistry can be incredibly lonely. What you need are long-term relationships that last your entire career. But where and how do you find people to connect with? To answer that question, Kirk Behrendt brings in three of his favorite people in dentistry, Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten, and Dr. Gary DeWood, with their wisdom and advice for finding the people you need in your life. Don't wait for them to come to you — seek them out! To learn about the best places where the best people gather, listen to Episode 725 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Robbins, Dr. Otten, & Dr. DeWood:

• Send Dr. Robbins an email: [email protected] 
• Join Dr. Robbins on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.robbins.79656
• Send Dr. Otten an email: [email protected] 
• Join Dr. Otten on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.otten.71
• Follow Dr. Otten on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesottendental
• Send Dr. DeWood an email: [email protected] 
• Join Dr. DeWood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdewood
• Follow Dr. DeWood on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garydewood
• Register for Global Diagnosis Education Third Annual Symposium (September 5-7, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/global-diagnosis-education-third-annual-symposium-tickets-873512919657
• Register to become a member of Global Diagnosis Education: https://globaldiagnosiseducation.org/groups/general-membership

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 725: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos

Main Takeaways:

• You don't find mentors — you seek them out.
• Study clubs are the best places to discover mentors.
• Age is a number. Be open to finding mentors of any age.
• A coach or mentor doesn't have to be from your field of work.
• Joining a study club is the most powerful way to grow in dentistry.
• Success requires a lot of hard work, some talent, and a little bit of luck.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:41 How Dr. Robbins, Dr. Otten, and Dr. DeWood crossed paths.

13:26 How their paths intersected a second time.

16:35 Dr. Robbins’s path to Global Diagnosis Education.

18:18 Why Global Diagnosis Education is the highlight of their careers.

22:04 Having organic growth through strong relationships.

23:51 How Global Diagnosis Education changed over the years.

29:33 The philosophy behind Global Diagnosis Education.

32:23 The joy they get from watching students grow.

33:15 The common language that Global Diagnosis Education has created.

35:08 How mentorship has changed over the years.

41:29 The importance of joining a study club.

46:43 Advice for younger dentists.

52:56 Final thoughts.

58:32 About Global Diagnosis Education.

1:00:43 About Symposium.

Dr. Bill Robbins Bio:

Dr. J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., practices part-time and is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. Afterwards, he completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a two-year General Practice Residency at the VA Hospital in San Diego, California. 

Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach, which is published by Quintessence, and is in its 4th edition. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, which is also published by Quintessence. 

Dr. Jim Otten Bio: 

Dr. James F. Otten is a 1981 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He completed a one-year residency in hospital dentistry with emphasis on advanced restoration of teeth and oral surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. He taught crown-and-bridge dentistry as an Associate Professor at UMKC before entering private practice in 1982, where he served as Chief of Staff of a large group practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before opening his practice in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1984. 

Dr. Otten has pursued rigorous post-graduate education since 1986, accumulating thousands of hours in advanced continuing education that he has intentionally applied to his practice in order to develop its personalized care philosophy. He has completed the rigorous curriculum at two prestigious institutions, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, and the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Education. He lectures nationally and internationally and has recently been asked to join the faculty at the Newport Coast Orofacial Institute in Newport Beach, California. 

Dr. Gary DeWood Bio:

Dr. Gary DeWood is the Executive Vice President of Spear Education. As one of the founding members of Spear, he directed Curriculum and Clinical Education for nearly a decade prior to joining in the launch of Spear Practice Solutions. Today, he splits time between teaching and consulting.

Dr. DeWood serves as an instructor in multiple Spear Workshops, including Facially Generated Treatment Planning, Occlusion in Clinical Practice, Advanced Occlusion, Sleep Medicine in the Dental Practice, and a special focus workshop on temporomandibular disorder. He also maintains a limited private practice on the Spear Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, and lectures nationally and internationally on practice management, treatment planning, case management, case acceptance, TMD diagnosis, appliance therapy, occlusion, and esthetics.