A New Holiday Tradition

By: Kyle O'Donnell, DDS

I am excited to celebrate this holiday season more than any other time in recent memory. For the first time in three years, I hope to share meals, laughs, gifts and hugs without the haze of uncertainty the pandemic provided for so many of us. Regardless of tradition, this season is special in that we choose to rekindle our connection with loved ones, remember those who are no longer with us and find hope for what the coming year will bring. We have endured more than our fair share these last few years and the thought of a ‘normal’ holiday season sounds extraordinary. To be clear, I am no Clark Griswold, but I do appreciate what this season is all about. Historically, my tradition is to celebrate Thanksgiving with my immediate family, Christmas with my extended family and New Years with my friends. Every year I find this is a time of personal growth and renewal. And this year, I am adding one more celebration to the season.

As the 2023 Rocky Mountain Dental Convention (RMDC) approaches, I think about our dental community and what we have been through ever since 2020. Most of us have embraced a return to normal. Over the course of this past year, our dental community eased restrictions, in-person CE began again and study clubs met. However, many of us also developed a well-intentioned, but an insidious pattern of saying, “I’ll sit this one out, too many people,” or “It’s not worth the risk of exposure.” Little by little, we found the cost of our caution was professional isolation. Unfortunately, isolation accrues interest. Well, those days are finally behind us. I am happy to share our RMDC dental community is stronger and more vibrant than ever and ready to welcome each of you back to RMDC for three days of connection, education, friendship and camaraderie. These are the foundations of RMDC and the foundation of our dental community. In fact, the latest registration data shows we are on pace to meet attendance figures from before the pandemic! I can feel the energy welling up from this community to gather together under that big blue bear. This year, I choose to celebrate my fourth holiday of the season learning and growing with all of you at RMDC.

To kick off the convention on January 19, 2023, motivational speaker Brad Montgomery will encourage all of us to “Embrace Awesomeness” in ourselves and in our teams. He is both funny and inspirational. I’ve had an opportunity to hear him speak before and I found this topic to be particularly well-suited to the challenges we face in dentistry today. After Brad sets the tone for RMDC, we move straight into a collection of world-class speakers in nearly every specialty, who will share insight into the latest topics in dental medicine. I am particularly excited about this year’s speaker lineup and encourage you to register for your lecture of choice before they fill up. When you find a break from lectures, don’t forget to make your way to the Expo Hall. Our vendors make RMDC possible year after year and are eager to show you the latest available products and services. We are also proud to welcome back the electrifying dueling piano group Howl2GO for Friday night! Those who were fortunate enough to get a ticket last year or who have seen their show live in Denver know why we couldn’t wait to sign them up for 2023. Most importantly, I hope you make time to catch up with colleagues you haven’t seen in years, grab a drink with a fellow professional and celebrate each other and this community. MDDS and its dedicated team have been working nonstop to make this year’s convention memorable for all of us.

Visit RMDConline.com to register and for updates as we get closer to the convention. I look forward to seeing you there!