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The Presidents
L e tte r s to t h e E ditor
a b o u t 80%. T h u s, the new d en tist w ill n eed to p ro d u c e a lm o s t $18,500 each m o n th to b r in g h o m e e n o u g h m oney to be an accep tab le associate, o r m ore th a n $220,000 p ro d u c tio n for the year. I have seen figures th a t say the average p ra c tic e is a b o u t $210,000. T h is new g raduate has to ‘‘drop in to ” a situation w here he or she is p ro d u cin g the same average practice on the first day o u t for th e b o ss n o t to lose m o n ey . At 70% overhead, he has to produce ab o u t $12,500 p e r m o n th , o r a lm o s t $150,000 p e r year . . . Is it an y w o n d er th a t sm all, p riv ate offices are relu ctan t to take an associate? T h e n , w h en they do, everyone is h u rt and surprised w hen things do not w ork o u t: th e o w n er d o e sn ’t get the hoped-
for w o rk o u t o f th e asso ciate a n d th e associate doesn’t get the hoped-for money from the boss. T h e g ra d u a tin g d en tist can: w ork as a n associate in a sm all office or as an associate in a large office (clinic) where they already have enough of a p atien t base to w ork o n 32 teeth at a time. Yes, you can buy a practice b u t I have n o t been ab le to o b ta in a p en n y from a b a n k for tw o different practices th a t I app lied for or money to buy an existing b u ild in g I was g o in g to convert to an office. At present, I have to have relatives cosign for $20,000 for op eratin g expenses w h ile I m ove my practice in to th a t of a d e n tis t w h o w o rk s p a rt-tim e a n d is retirin g in a year . . . It seem s th e b est o p tio n le ft is to purchase a practice from a retirin g dentist w ho can carry the loan. A lth o u g h this in v o lv e s risk s to b o th p a rtie s , it is b e c o m in g the best a n d fre q u e n tly th e only o p tio n open for the seller and the b u y e r (e x c lu d in g , o f co u rse , ric h relatives).
DENTISTRY’S
Say w h at you w ish, it is n o t g ettin g easier for the new d e n tist c o m in g o u t of school. Is it any w onder th at the best an d the brightest are g ettin g MBA instead of DDS degrees? M IC H A E L M. W EST , DDS H E M E T , CA
T hank you □ I w ant to use this way to express sincere thanks to all members an d staff of this A m erican D ental A ssociation w ho have been so h elp fu l and gracious d u rin g this past year as I served as your president. It has been a w onderful tim e for us, p u n c tu a te d by th e m an y w o n d e rfu l people we have met an d friends we have made. It is o u r hope that we have fanned a breeze, however slight, o n the g lo w in g coal of “renewed prid e” in o u r profession of dentistry. T h a n k you for allow ing us the h o n o r to have served in this capacity. JIM AND W ANDA SA D D O R IS
HERITAGE
THE PRESIDENTS D octor Press, of San Francisco, becam e the 119th president of the Association at the 1982 m eeting in Las Vegas. T h e H ouse of Delegates approved a com prehensive m ark etin g p lan for dentistry. D octor Press was assistant dean at the U niversity of the Pacific School of Dentistry. Previously, he was a senior m em ber of a gro u p dental practice in the San Francisco area for 25 years. H e was speaker of the A ssociation’s H ouse of Delegates from 1977 to 1981, after serving as a delegate for 8 years. In the C alifornia D ental A ssociation, he served as a m em ber of the Insurance C ouncil, speaker of the H ouse of Delegates, an d president. D octor Press, a general practitioner, was p ro m in en t as a lecturer on dental practice m anagem ent. H e was born in C onnecticut in 1928.
Dr. Barney B. Clark, a retired dentist, becam e the first recipient of a p erm an en t artificial heart; he died 112 days later. T h e stock m arket reached an all-tim e high. L eo n id Brezhnev died an d Y uri A ndropov was elected secretary of the USSR C o m m u n ist Party. W arfare in El Salvador w idened. U nited States relations w ith N icaragua worsened. T h e econom ic recession ended. A Social Security reform bill was passed. T h e O rganization of Petroleum E xportin g C ountries cut the price of oil from $34 to $29 per barrel. Several countries expelled Soviet citizens for espionage. Y itzhak S ham ir succeeded M enachem Begin as prim e m inister of Israel. T h e Soviet U n io n shot dow n a South Korean airliner, k illin g 269 people.
814 ■ JA D A , V ol. 117, D ecem ber 1988
JS U riO il 1 1. r i e S S
1 9 8 2 -1 9 8 3
a b o u t 80%. T h u s, the new d en tist w ill n eed to p ro d u c e a lm o s t $18,500 each m o n th to b r in g h o m e e n o u g h m oney to be an accep tab le associate, o r m ore th a n $220,000 p ro d u c tio n for the year. I have seen figures th a t say the average p ra c tic e is a b o u t $210,000. T h is new g raduate has to ‘‘drop in to ” a situation w here he or she is p ro d u cin g the same average practice on the first day o u t for th e b o ss n o t to lose m o n ey . At 70% overhead, he has to produce ab o u t $12,500 p e r m o n th , o r a lm o s t $150,000 p e r year . . . Is it an y w o n d er th a t sm all, p riv ate offices are relu ctan t to take an associate? T h e n , w h en they do, everyone is h u rt and surprised w hen things do not w ork o u t: th e o w n er d o e sn ’t get the hoped-
for w o rk o u t o f th e asso ciate a n d th e associate doesn’t get the hoped-for money from the boss. T h e g ra d u a tin g d en tist can: w ork as a n associate in a sm all office or as an associate in a large office (clinic) where they already have enough of a p atien t base to w ork o n 32 teeth at a time. Yes, you can buy a practice b u t I have n o t been ab le to o b ta in a p en n y from a b a n k for tw o different practices th a t I app lied for or money to buy an existing b u ild in g I was g o in g to convert to an office. At present, I have to have relatives cosign for $20,000 for op eratin g expenses w h ile I m ove my practice in to th a t of a d e n tis t w h o w o rk s p a rt-tim e a n d is retirin g in a year . . . It seem s th e b est o p tio n le ft is to purchase a practice from a retirin g dentist w ho can carry the loan. A lth o u g h this in v o lv e s risk s to b o th p a rtie s , it is b e c o m in g the best a n d fre q u e n tly th e only o p tio n open for the seller and the b u y e r (e x c lu d in g , o f co u rse , ric h relatives).
DENTISTRY’S
Say w h at you w ish, it is n o t g ettin g easier for the new d e n tist c o m in g o u t of school. Is it any w onder th at the best an d the brightest are g ettin g MBA instead of DDS degrees? M IC H A E L M. W EST , DDS H E M E T , CA
T hank you □ I w ant to use this way to express sincere thanks to all members an d staff of this A m erican D ental A ssociation w ho have been so h elp fu l and gracious d u rin g this past year as I served as your president. It has been a w onderful tim e for us, p u n c tu a te d by th e m an y w o n d e rfu l people we have met an d friends we have made. It is o u r hope that we have fanned a breeze, however slight, o n the g lo w in g coal of “renewed prid e” in o u r profession of dentistry. T h a n k you for allow ing us the h o n o r to have served in this capacity. JIM AND W ANDA SA D D O R IS
HERITAGE
THE PRESIDENTS D octor Press, of San Francisco, becam e the 119th president of the Association at the 1982 m eeting in Las Vegas. T h e H ouse of Delegates approved a com prehensive m ark etin g p lan for dentistry. D octor Press was assistant dean at the U niversity of the Pacific School of Dentistry. Previously, he was a senior m em ber of a gro u p dental practice in the San Francisco area for 25 years. H e was speaker of the A ssociation’s H ouse of Delegates from 1977 to 1981, after serving as a delegate for 8 years. In the C alifornia D ental A ssociation, he served as a m em ber of the Insurance C ouncil, speaker of the H ouse of Delegates, an d president. D octor Press, a general practitioner, was p ro m in en t as a lecturer on dental practice m anagem ent. H e was born in C onnecticut in 1928.
Dr. Barney B. Clark, a retired dentist, becam e the first recipient of a p erm an en t artificial heart; he died 112 days later. T h e stock m arket reached an all-tim e high. L eo n id Brezhnev died an d Y uri A ndropov was elected secretary of the USSR C o m m u n ist Party. W arfare in El Salvador w idened. U nited States relations w ith N icaragua worsened. T h e econom ic recession ended. A Social Security reform bill was passed. T h e O rganization of Petroleum E xportin g C ountries cut the price of oil from $34 to $29 per barrel. Several countries expelled Soviet citizens for espionage. Y itzhak S ham ir succeeded M enachem Begin as prim e m inister of Israel. T h e Soviet U n io n shot dow n a South Korean airliner, k illin g 269 people.
814 ■ JA D A , V ol. 117, D ecem ber 1988
JS U riO il 1 1. r i e S S
1 9 8 2 -1 9 8 3