EDITOR’S WELCOME Greg Cannizzo, DDS, CDE, JAOS Editor 3617 Municipal Drive, McHenry, IL 60050 Phone: (815) 344-2282 • Fax: (815) 344-5815 Email: drgrc@joltmail.com ASSOCIATION STAFF Adam Griswold AGpO Executive Director Academy of Gp Orthodontics 509 E. Boydston St. Rockwall, TX 75087-3956 (800) 634-2027 E-mail: agriswold@academygportho.com Thomas N. Chapman, CAE AOS Executive Director American Orthodontic Society 11884 Greenville Avenue, Suite 112 Dallas, TX 75243 (972) 234-4000 E-mail: tchapman@orthodontics.com Porter Lyon AOS Contributor E-mail: PLyon@orthodontics.com Orthodontics and The Acacia Tree The African savanna is dotted with thorny acacia trees. They are well known landmarks of the veldt and savanna. Acacias provide food and habitats for a variety of animals. Many species of herbivores find this food source to be crucial for their survival. The umbrella or dome shape of most African acacias is an evolutionary adaptation that allows the trees to capture the maximum amount of sunlight with the smallest of leaves. But at the bottom of the tree you will find the tiny dik-dik antelope nibbling at the small leaves near the tree’s base while nimbly avoiding the long sharp thorns that protect the tree from most other animals that would like to feast on its many leaves. Higher up the tree, the impala browses and reaches even higher up feeding on the leaves that grow over three feet up the great trunk of this plant. By using their long tongue, they are able to gain access to a wonderful meal. Then there is the remarkable gerenuk. This savanna herbivore has the ability to stand on its hind legs. Thus, they are able to reach up even higher to feed on leaves that are inaccessible to most species. But higher up the acacia tree are the juiciest leaves. At this height, there are less thorns to protect them, leaving these leaves vulnerable to the tallest mammal on earth --the giraffe. Armed with a 20-inch tongue and tough leathery lips, the giraffe has exclusive access to the best leaves. The acacia tree represents your dental and orthodontic practice life and the leaves are the many patients avail-able for treatment. Each animal repre-sents our desire, or ability, to provide treatment to these patients. You can spend your professional life competing with the masses for the tough thorny leaves at the bottom like the dik-dik antelope. But when you choose to look further up the trunk of the tree, you begin to expand your knowledge. By taking your first orthodontic courses, you become like the impala. You now have gained access to a meal that was out of reach to many of the regular practitioners who have never decided to try to reach, or look higher. Over time, you continue to learn by going to annual meetings and taking additional courses. Thus, like the remarkable gerenuk, you gain the abil-ity to stand on your hind legs. Now you are feeding on those leaves inacces-sible to most. But it is important to continue your way up the tree to the most satisfying of leaves. But to do this, you will need to evolve and grow like the giraffe. To do this, you must continue your educational journey by completing the tier advancement made available to you. As you move from being a fellow to being board eligible and then to being a diplomate, you will develop the skills needed to reach higher and gain access to the benefits of the juiciest leaves. You can live your orthodontic and dental practice life competing with the masses for the tough thorny leaves at the bottom. Or, you can reach higher gaining access to the unique benefits of pushing your-self to learn through attend-ing continued courses and meetings and allowing yourself to evolve through the tier advancement that is available. Decide which animal you are, and start stretching and reaching for the top of the tree. EDITORIAL STAFF Greg Cannizzo, DDS ....................... AGpO Editor Jordan Balvich, DMD ........................ AOS Co-Editor Jim Mcllwain, DDS, MSD .................. AOS Co-Editor Lisa A. Wright ......................... AOS/AGpO Managing Editor Email: lisa@wrightgrp.com EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Ron Austin, DDS ...................................AGpO Chris Baker, RN, DMD .............................AOS Ernest Barbosa, DDS .............................AGpO Steve Bradley, DDS................................AGpO Ronald Cass, DDS .................................AGpO Fred Der, DDS .......................................AGpO Joe Drinkwater, DDS .............................AGpO Scott Earp, DDS.....................................AGpO Debra Ettle-Resnick, DDS.........................AOS Twana Farley-Duncan, DDS.....................AOS Joe Fallin, DDS ......................................AGpO Edward Gonzalez, Jr., DMD .....................AOS Joe Haack, DDS ........................................AOS Kevin J. Hester, DDS ................................AOS Roy Holexa, DDS ..................................AGpO Thomas Jacobsen, DDS.........................AGpO Giancarlo Maldonado, DDS..................AGpO Kyle McCrea, DDS.................................AGpO Sherman Menser, DDS ..........................AGpO Ann Mary Orr, DDS .................................AOS James Orrington, DMD............................AOS David Pendleton, DDS..........................AGpO Leslie R. Penley, DDS ............................AGpO Joseph R. Schmidbauer, DDS ...................AOS Robert Shirley, DDS ..............................AGpO Juan J. Solano, DDS .................................AOS Kurt Stodola, DDS.................................AGpO David Thorfinnson, DDS .........................AOS Walter Tippen, DDS ..............................AGpO John Wells, DDS ...................................AGpO Bradford R. Williams, DDS ......................AOS Paul L. Winborn, DDS .............................AOS William Wyatt, Sr., DDS ..........................AOS ADVERTISER INDEX Academy of Gp Orthodontics 29 American Orthodontic Society....23 AOS Foundation ....................19 Dolphin Imaging Systems ......41 4 Fall 2016 JAOS Henry Schein Orthodontics ....46 Johns Dental Labs ..................28 Modern Arch, LLC ....................7 Myofunctional Research Co. ....2
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Fall 2016: Page 4
