Dive into this case for a look at Dr. Owen’s thought process and treatment protocol leading to porcelain restorations. 

Angela was 27 when she came to us asking about options to improve her smile. She was getting married within a year. She hated the appearance of the bridge #3-6 that had been placed in high school. It was repaired at the buccal margin of #6 the day of delivery. She also said she wanted to avoid implants because of time issues and she didn’t want more crowns.

Patient Background

Angela was congenitally missing #4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 20, and 29. In the past, she had implants to replace the lower bicuspids and said the process took too long. Her previous dentist had placed two upper bridges – #3-7 with pontics on #4 and #7 and #14-10 with pontics on #13 and #10. The space for #12 did not exist.

Treatment Plan

I noticed her narrow central incisors compared to her laterals and the general contour and color of the bridges. I knew we could improve her smile with all porcelain restorations. Implants to replace missing teeth and veneers on the centrals would make a difference. We did a wax up that she took home to study, comparing it to the model of her existing restorations. She visited the periodontist who would do the implants and I showed her lots of photos of other cases similar to hers.

Creating Porcelain Restorations

Ultimately Angela agreed with our plan. She had implants replacing #7, 10, and 13. We used Zirconia abutments and e.max crowns, as well as an e.max crown for #14. She opted for a Zirconia bridge #3-5. While she was healing, we made provisional bridges, including the cantilevers for the laterals. She was hesitant about the veneers on #8 and #9, but before we began I removed the bridges and created a trial restoration with the wider veneers and proper bridge contours. I took photos and let her think about it before she agreed. She got married with a beautiful new smile.   

What interesting cases are you currently working on? 

Click Here For Paving The Way: Part One

Click Here For Paving The Way: Part Two

Being a woman in dentistry used to mean years of struggle. Now, the experience couldn’t be more different.

Dr. Glenda Owen graduated from dental school in the early 80s. In her last two blogs, she related the challenges she faced while receiving an education, as well as how percentages of women dentists and the model of a dental practice have changed. Below, she discusses success while managing a family and career.

Wife or Work: Struggles of an 80s Woman in Dentistry

Many of us, with a household and children to manage in addition to a career, chimed in on a dialogue that was already present in the 80s culture regarding “having/doing it all.” This was not a conversation among most male dentists.

Our older male colleagues often had a wife who managed the domestic and family affairs. But as more and more women entered the work force, we and our male counterparts experienced the strain of trying to manage office and home fronts and keep peace in the marriage.

One friend of mine, a pediatric dentist with three kids and a lawyer husband, mused in the 1980s, “There are lots of single moms out there; some of them just happen to be married.”

The bottom line is that we have learned success at home and at work require an equal partnership on the domestic front. Otherwise, burnout and frustration, along with stressed relationships, are bound to occur.

At Pankey, we have been ahead of the curve. Our core values, represented by the Cross of Life, have put balance and relationship at the forefront of our conversations. This is bound to impact the home life for all of us, men and women alike.

In our classes, I have been impressed with the young men who talk about managing kids and helping with domestic chores alongside their wives/partners who often have their own careers. Granted, this is a cultural phenomenon across all careers, but it is a pleasure to witness nonetheless.

As women dental students graduate and continue to increase their percentage among practitioners, I trust that a male professor could no longer get away with telling a woman that she is taking a position that could have been used by a man. It is simply irrelevant and archaic. And that is some of the best news yet.

How do you approach balance and relationship? We’d love to hear from you in the comments! 

Click here for Paving The Way Part One

Not too long ago, it was far less common to see or be a woman in dentistry. Modernizing norms and improvements to social equity have changed the game for women in a variety of careers. Not only are women choosing male-dominated professions, they’re also staying in them over a lifetime.

In the 80s and 90s, it was a different story.

Dr. Glenda Owen graduated from dental school in the early 80s. In her last blog, she related the challenges she faced while receiving an education. Below, she details the drastic change in percentage of women dentists and how women have influenced the model of a dental career …

Being a Woman in Dentistry: Then and Now

The percentage of women dentists has also changed dramatically. When I graduated in 1981, 3% of practicing dentists were women. Today, that percentage has swelled to 30%. Nationwide, 50% of dental school classes are female.

My class, which was actually pretty progressive, had 20% women. Admittedly, not all of them are still practicing 36 years later, but neither are the men. Among those who are still in practice, many, like me, are practice owners.

There are a multitude of ways women have influenced the model of a dental practice and the definition of success. It is not enough to be technically excellent or to earn a comfortable income.

Many of us want to find satisfaction in our relationships with patients and our teams. We want to go home at the end of the day feeling that we have made a difference in someone’s life. We want to leave the office with enough energy to enjoy our families, friends, hobbies, and volunteer activities. Burnout is deadly and usually avoidable.

To be continued …

How do you create an ideal practice environment that supports your desired lifestyle? Please leave your thoughts in the comments!

The percentage of women in dentistry continues to rise, but only a few short decades ago it was much rarer to find a female clinician. It’s easy to forget the degree of struggle women faced in the twentieth century if they wanted to get a degree and then maintain their career (a struggle that – of course – hasn’t been fully remedied).

Dr. Glenda Owen graduated from dental school in the early 80s. In the following story, she relates what it was like to face negativity, criticism, and roadblocks as she strived to be and remain a dentist …

What It Was Like to Be a Woman in Dentistry in the 80s and 90s

In the 1990s, surveys showed that women physicians practiced on average only seven years.  Many said the same statistics probably applied to women dentists. They predicted training women to be dentists could be a waste of time and precious resources.

When I was a second year dental student, my academic advisor (an oral surgeon) gave me some stern advice. Since I was a divorcee (his word), he warned me about spending too much time on my social life:

“Remember, you are taking up a spot in the class that could be used by a man who will use his training to support his family. More than likely, you will graduate, remarry, and just stay home with kids and clean toilets.”

He really said that.

My response was to ask, “Do you have any idea what it took for me to get here?”  

Then I explained my path – 56 hours of post-baccalaureate math and science courses taken at night while working full-time supporting my soon-to-be ex-husband as he was going through dental school. It took me three years to do that. “Do you really believe,” I asked, “that after all of that, I am going to stay home to raise kids and clean toilets?”

That was in 1978. I graduated in 1981. The dentistry landscape has changed radically for all of us since then. There is little I do now that I did in dental school except for gold crowns and onlays and the very occasional amalgam. Technology has allowed our materials and procedures to change at seemingly warp speed. Keeping up requires intention and tenacity.

To be continued …

What changes have you seen in the experience of being a female dentist? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Click here for Paving the Way: Part Two