in the sulcus
THE MANY FACES OF DENTISTRY — OUR PROFESSION IS WHAT UNITES US Like so many of you, I enjoy traveling. It can be frustrating at times, but if I take some time to look away from my phone or laptop, the best part of the journey begins at the airport or train station. People-watching is so much more fun than scrolling through a phone screen. At times, it’s easy to get so caught up in our own personal world that we forget we are surrounded by so many other personal worlds. Do you get curious about the lives of the strangers sitting next to you? Striking up a conversation with someone you don’t know is an unpracticed art today. It’s not only entertaining to do so, but you’ll always learn something new. I often must fly to Mexico, which involves spending layover time in Miami, Mexico City and Houston mega international airports. So many cultures. So many languages. So many stories. All with interesting lives. In the past 10 years, the variety of people has rapidly evolved. The United States has become a
truly international country. Please note that I do not call it multinational, because we are one nation of many cultures. Despite the debates surrounding racism, sexism, ageism and all kinds of x-isms du jour, each day I witness just the opposite through observing interactions of everyday people. I enjoy their uniqueness. It’s our different backgrounds that have made this country so strong. We are bound not by one common ethnic culture, so typical of many monocultural countries, but by a united passion for the freedoms our Constitution guarantees. Despite our many ethnic backgrounds, freedom is our common culture, unique to our United States. To ensure the freedom culture, we must embrace respect and trust. When we all agree we are free Americans, that opens us up to hearing our differences. We have the opportunity to earn each other’s respect and trust, even if we disagree.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE DAVE BODEN, DDS, MS FDA PRESIDENT
Dr. Boden can be reached at dboden@bot.floridadental.org.
SEE PAGE 7 FLORIDADENTAL.ORG
TODAY’S FDA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
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