By Paul Henny, DDS

Bob Barkley’s “learning ladder” concept, akin to Peter Senge’s “ladder of inference,” emphasizes understanding where individuals stand regarding their knowledge, beliefs, and motivations. When patients or dental professionals are “stuck” on this ladder, they tend to rely on outdated or incorrect mental maps, often described as deductive thinking.  

Inductive Thinking Is Double Loop Learning 

Progressing on the learning ladder requires engagement of inductive thinking or double-loop learning, which involves challenging existing mental models and the subsequent development of new and innovative solutions.

How I Facilitate Inductive Learning 

Here’s an example of how I facilitate inductive thinking which leads to more double-loop learning, the patient moving up the learning ladder, and ultimately better decision-making.  

I purchased my practice in 1994 from a retiring dentist, who was competent and capable relative to the state board defined standard of care. He had achieved MAGD status and served in several professional leadership positions. He also had a very confident and caring demeanor, and his patients loved him and believed in his leadership skills. However, he wasn’t comprehensive in his practice philosophy, and subsequently did not spend a lot of time investigating root causes.  

The result was that he was tooth-centered and focused on solving or stabilizing current problems, one at a time. His failure to plan for the future dental health of his patients led to many chronic, slightly-below-the-radar problems that were never diagnosed.  

For instance, many patients had progressive destruction of their anterior guidance, loss of vertical dimension due to accelerated posterior attrition, and then were fracturing posterior teeth. They had significant occlusal disorders that were causing occlusal disease and the self-destruction of their dentition. 

The challenge: How could I get these patients to better understand why their posterior teeth, restorations, or even the roots of their teeth were fracturing when the apparent problem was in the back of their mouth, and the unknown driver of their problem(s) was in the front of the mouth?  

The solution: We made study models and took occlusal records. and photographs. We then scheduled each patient for an appointment with me that was specifically intended to allow them the opportunity to learn more about their situation, understand why destructive trends were happening, and allow them the opportunity to choose whether or not they wanted to continue in that direction or alternatively engage in a comprehensive restorative process that would render out optimal form, function, and esthetics.  

This type of process creates the opportunity for more double-loop learning, and therefore better decision-making and long-term stability and health in my patient base. 

By Paul A. Henny, DDS 

As a dental professional, you’ve dedicated countless hours to honing your skills and knowledge. Yet, beneath the polished exterior, many dentists grapple with a hidden enemy: shame. This destructive emotion, often rooted in self-doubt and negative self-perception, can significantly impact your professional and personal life. 

I’ve personally experienced the debilitating effects of shame in my dental career. After graduating dental school, I felt a sense of inadequacy and confusion about my place in the profession. The transition from a structured academic environment to the demands of private practice was overwhelming. I struggled to connect with patients, build a successful practice, and find my footing in the dental world. 

Shame, as John Bradshaw describes it, is the “painful exposure of the believed failure of self to the self.” It’s a deep-seated belief that you’re not good enough or worthy of success. This toxic shame can manifest in various ways, including self-doubt, perfectionism, and difficulty forming healthy relationships. 

Overcoming shame is a challenging but rewarding journey. It requires self-awareness, self-compassion, and a willingness to confront your inner critic. Here are some strategies that have helped me and other dentists: 

• Challenge Negative Thoughts: Recognize and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself. Replace them with positive affirmations and self-compassionate statements. 

• Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing, can help you become more present and aware of your thoughts and emotions. 

• Seek Support: Connect with other dentists or mental health professionals who can provide understanding, support, and guidance. 

• Engage in Self-Care: Prioritize self-care activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul. This might include exercise, hobbies, spending time in nature, or seeking therapy. 

• Set Realistic Goals: Break down your goals into smaller, achievable steps. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small. 

Remember, you are not alone in this journey. Embrace the strength of the Pankey community and its collective insights and stories. Many dentists have faced similar challenges and have emerged stronger and more resilient.  

By Gary M. DeWood, DDS, MS 

As a dentist, our role in fostering a learning culture for our team is essential for their thriving success and that of the practice. When there is cultural alignment between the values and priorities, team satisfaction is significantly enhanced. By investing in our team’s growth, we reap numerous benefits, including: 

• Improved Patient Care: When team members are equipped with the latest techniques and information and understand why to use them, they can better help us diagnose and treat our patients. A well-trained and knowledgeable team, empowered with a deep understanding of their role in patient care, will lead to superior outcomes.  

• Increased Efficiency and Productivity: A learning culture can enhance problem-solving skills, improve decision-making, and foster a more efficient workflow. This leads to reduced errors, improved patient turnaround times, and increased productivity. 

• Enhanced Team Morale and Retention: When team members feel valued and supported in their professional development, they are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs. This leads to improved morale, reduced turnover, and a stronger sense of team cohesion. 

• Financial Benefits: Investing in your team’s development can have a positive impact on your practice’s bottom line. Improved care, increased efficiency, and enhanced team morale can all contribute to increasing revenue and reducing costs. Additionally, a strong learning culture will attract and retain top talent, ensuring the long-term success of your practice. 

Embracing a Learning Philosophy 

To establish a strong learning culture in your dental practice, it’s essential to define your values regarding learning and professional growth. Clearly articulate your commitment to continuous improvement and create a shared vision that inspires your team. Lead by example by demonstrating your own passion for learning.  

Attend conferences, stay updated on the latest dental research, and actively seek out new skills and techniques. This inspires your team to follow suit and prioritize their own professional development.  

Finally, create a supportive learning environment where team members feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and learning from each other. Encourage open communication, provide constructive feedback, and celebrate successes to foster a positive and collaborative atmosphere. 

• Define. 

• Lead. 

• Create. 

Auditing Your Learning Culture 

To assess your practice’s learning culture, identify any barriers that may hinder learning, such as a lack of dedicated time, resources, or support. Prioritize professional development by blocking out time and allocating resources for training and development initiatives. Encourage a culture of knowledge sharing by creating opportunities for team members to share their expertise and learn from each other. This will help foster a supportive and collaborative environment that promotes continuous learning and growth. 

• Identify barriers. 

• Prioritize learning. 

• Encourage knowledge sharing. 

Empowering Your Team 

To foster a flexible and empowering learning environment, offer a variety of learning options to cater to different preferences and support individual development by encouraging team members to set their own goals. To address lack of time, prioritize learning by making it a strategic priority in employee growth interviews and allocating dedicated time for professional development. Then provide necessary resources, and empower them to make informed decisions about their learning paths so they can apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. 

• Offer diverse learning options. 

• Support individual development. 

• Empower self-direction. 

Fostering a Growth Mindset 

To foster a growth mindset, encourage a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and growth. Provide supportive and actionable feedback to help team members improve, and recognize their achievements to motivate and inspire them. 

• Celebrate mistakes. 

• Provide constructive feedback. 

• Recognize achievements. 

Leveraging Technology 

To leverage technology for learning and development, explore software and tools that can enhance efficiency and create a library of online resources such as articles, videos, and webinars for team members to access at their convenience. Incorporate microlearning techniques, such as short online modules or podcasts, to fit learning into busy schedules. 

• Utilize dental technology.  

• Share online resources. 

Encouraging Collaboration and Peer Learning 

To foster collaboration and peer learning, facilitate the formation of study groups or learning circles where team members can collaborate and share insights. Additionally, establish mentorship programs to pair experienced team members with newer ones, providing guidance and support for their professional development. 

• Form study groups. 

• Create Mentorship programs. 

Remember 

Investing in your team’s development is a direct and powerful investment in the future of your practice. It takes energy to intentionally get the momentum rolling toward a place with a learning culture that extends beyond yourself. But once the momentum is rolling, these strategies become second nature, empowering your dental team to adapt to change, to enhance their skills, to deliver exceptional patient care, and to create a career for themselves and everyone around them.   

By Deborah E. Bush, MA 

How I Came to Know the Word “Eudaimonia” 

During the Covid pandemic, retired dentist Barry F. Polansky, DMD, noticed a shift in people’s perspectives, with many becoming more thoughtful about life’s purpose and values. This period of reflection inspired him to encapsulate his own views in a story aimed at guiding young dentists. This story became his 2021 book, The Porch: A Dental Fable.  

The Porch is the tale of a young (new) dentist who is guided by a philosopher mentor, learns to integrate eudaimonia into his practice, and regularly discusses dental philosophy with colleagues in a porch setting. Dr. Polansky hoped the book would help new dentists discover how to practice virtuously, foster responsible relationships focused on well-being, and lean on mentors and study clubs to encourage them. While authoring the book (before ChatGPT), he asked me to help with the writing, and I was pleased to assist in refining the narrative, ensuring it resonated with readers. 

Eudaimonia in Patient-Centered Dentistry 

“Eudaimonia,” rooted in Aristotelian philosophy, translates to “human flourishing” or “well-being” and is integral to a comprehensive approach to dental care. It extends beyond clinical outcomes, considering the broader impact on patients’ overall health and life satisfaction. For example, here are some of the principles shared by Aristotle’s philosophy and patient-centered care. 

• Holistic Approach: Embracing eudaimonia means addressing not just the physical, but also the emotional and psychological well-being of patients. This includes understanding their aspirations and fears related to oral health and aligning care with their life goals. 

• Empowerment through Co-Discovery: Involving patients in exploring their health and treatment options to foster informed decision-making, aligning with their values and aspirations. 

• Personalized Care: Tailoring treatment to each patient’s unique needs supports their journey toward their own fulfilling life. 

• Mutual Growth: Collaborative patient-provider relationships lead to mutual professional and personal growth, contributing to a shared pursuit of well-being. 

Eudaimonia in Ethical Practice 

Integrating virtue ethics—compassion, honesty, integrity—into practice fosters trust and well-being for both dentists and patients, leading to professional fulfillment. This sounds easy but we know it is not. 

In The Porch, Barry Polansky’s protagonist is initially hindered in his attempts to lead patients to treatment by (1) patient resistance and (2) his internal frustration with that resistance. The young dentist goes to the brink of giving up. The philosopher-mentor helps him off the cliff’s edge and back onto comfortable footing as the young dentist learns relational behaviors that lead to positive results. 

Eudaimonia in Work-Life Balance 

Polansky’s book emphasizes the importance of balance between work and personal life, continuous learning, and maintaining physical and mental health for a fulfilling career. Polansky draws on his deep roots in the Pankey philosophy as he persuades his colleagues to support young dentists in study club communities focused on well-being. 

His Take-Home Message  

A long fulfilling career in dentistry is based on developing a systematic approach to practice that enhances the doctor-patient relationship for the benefit of patients, living purposefully with balance, striving for personal holistic health, and being in community with colleagues to nourish the wellness and careers of younger dentists—all hallmarks of The Pankey Institute. 

Note: You might find this interesting…I’m learning to learn from AI. My first draft of this blog was nearly 2,000 words. Then, I ran it through ChatGPT, knowing it needed to be shortened, and voila! I liked the concise results (620 words). In my line of work as a dental writer, I sometimes use CoPilot AI for research, Gemini AI for drafts, and Grammarly AI for polishing, but overall, I think ChatGPT does the finest job of critiquing what I write, suggesting revisions, and explaining why.  

Paul A. Henny, DDS 

Charisma is the ability to attract and influence others with our ideas and communication style. There are many different types of charismatic styles, with no moral component associated with any of them, which means that some charismatic people are quiet, graceful, and principle-centered like Jackie Kennedy, while others are more extroverted, and self-centered like her husband JFK. In other words, some charismatic people are exuberant like Oprah Winfrey, while others are more introverted Elon Musk. 

Charisma is often said to be a “subjective ineffable quality,” something we either have or we don’t have, with attributes such as confidence, passion for a topic or a cause, optimism, a ready smile, expressive body language, and a friendly voice. In other words, the social characteristics of a charismatic person reflect feelings of someone with high self-regard. 

Is charisma an important attribute if we want to become a more successful, relationship-based, health-centered dentist?  

Simply answered —yes. 

But the basis of our charisma must originate from an “other-centered” world view, because if we use charisma as a strategy to simply get more of what we want out of others (act in a manipulative fashion), then it won’t work well for us long-term, because empathetic patients are able to detect insincerity very quickly, and the perception of insincerity will cause them to steer away from us. 

On the two-way street where relationship-based, health-centered practices live, both charisma and empathy are essential. Even if we’re introverted (most dentists are), we can still be charismatic if we present ourselves and our message in a fashion that’s “other-centered,” sincerely helping, and in an “I’m willing to give-before-I-receive” fashion.

L.D. Pankey, Bob Barkley, F. Harold Wirth, Peter Dawson, Mike Schuster, Richard A. Green, Frank Spear, John Kois, Lee Ann Brady, and other stars who shine in our dental firmament all had/have different personalities and communication styles. In common, they all shared/share their deep love for others and an insatiable desire to help others learn and become better at helping others. We know them because they have drawn us in. They have engaged our attention and inspired us to push our personal envelope and follow their lead.

By Barry F. Polansky, DMD 

These thoughts were first published in May of 2021 on my blog Stoic Dentistry. Parts one and two of this blog series tell the story of how The Pankey Institute provided me with inspiration that shaped my career and provided me with purpose to live a meaningful life. 

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According to the findings of motivational researchers Deci and Ryan (discussed in Part 1 of this blog series), when we are the masters of our own destiny, we are more focused, productive, optimistic, resilient, creative and healthy. 

In retrospect, this is what I found I was experiencing on my Thursday mornings reserved for practicing “the Pankey way.” 

Autonomy as an intrinsic driver works—so starting slow to install fee-for-service just one morning per week is a sound idea. 

The Riddle of Mastery 

And then there is the riddle of mastery. Mastery sits atop L. D. Pankey’s Ladder of Competency. The question is how does one achieve mastery? It could be reduced to “Just do it,” but there is more science. 

In a 1953 paper by Harvard psychologist, David McClelland, a leader in achievement and motivation theory, he wrote an original thesis titled “The  Achievement Motive.” Deci and Ryan acknowledged that this thesis may have described an intrinsic driver even more important than autonomy. They called it competence, but it now is known as mastery. 

The pursuit of mastery has been the subject of numerous scholars and authors from Theresa Amabile and Robert Greene to George Leonard. Most agree that mastery is the desire to get better at what we do. It is the need to continually get better, to improve and to make progress. It is the royal road to growth and flourishing and the opposite of languishing and drudgery…the low rung on Pankey’s Ladder of Competency. 

Working toward worthy goals is pleasurable. Making progress produces the neuro-chemical dopamine. According to Daniel Pink, author of the popular book Drive, “the single biggest motivator by far, is making progress in meaningful work.” 

At my lowest point in dentistry, I felt stuck. Hopeless. My work had lost its meaning. Today we call that burnout. Those Thursday mornings turned on the light…the light of hope. 

We need the freedom to chase mastery. That freedom comes from autonomy. Without the intrinsic driver of autonomy, it is difficult to sustain the drive necessary to achieve mastery…this is based on our biology, not just some story, fairy tale, or business myth. 

Driven by Dopamine and Progress 

After installing the Pankey Thursday mornings where I could practice autonomously, applying the lessons I needed to learn, I slowly put the complex elements of comprehensive relationship dentistry together. I started with the comprehensive examination and built on that by learning all of the components from the mundane mounting of models to the nuances of advanced occlusion. It took time…but driven by dopamine and progress, slowly I was installing my model practice. 

I realized that learning the softer behavioral skills were just as important as the technical, so in time I learned about case presentation. Through the years I learned new skills like digital photography and Power Point. Today’s dentists are mastering digital 3D treatment planning. 

I am retired now and looking back I see how that moment when Dr. Becker suggested the Pankey Morning changed my life. 

Today things are different. There is pressure on young dentists to dive into corporate dentistry or adopt practice models focused solely on extrinsic rewards. Many of these newer models undermine autonomy, which, in my view, is a critical error. The Pankey Institute continues to thrive because it champions the principles of autonomy and mastery that are essential for a fulfilling and sustainable career. By embracing a fee-for-service approach and fostering an environment where personal growth and patient relationships take precedence, dentists can build practices that not only endure but flourish.  

As I reflect on my own journey, I see that the true essence of a rewarding career lies in balancing professional excellence with the autonomy to pursue one’s own vision—a hallmark of L. D. Pankey’s philosophy of practice. 

By Barry F. Polansky, DMD 

These thoughts were first published in May of 2021 on my blog Stoic Dentistry. Parts one and two of this blog series tell the story of how The Pankey Institute provided me with inspiration that shaped my career and provided me with purpose to live a meaningful life. 

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I first attended The Pankey Institute in the late eighties. I was at the lowest point of my career. Admittedly times were a bit easier for a young dentist back then, but in many fundamental ways they were the same. The fundamentals never change; but how best to use them is something you must always stay on top of. Over the years, things have changed but the fundamental wisdom of dental practice has stayed the same. 

For that reason, I believe the best and really the only way to have a fulfilling career in dentistry is through comprehensive, relationship based, fee-for-service practice. 

My First Day at the Institute 

On the first morning at the Institute, I remember feeling overwhelmed. It was like the first time I sat down to write a book…I was focused on the herculean tasks of creating the practice of my dreams…an unbearable project. Every moment of that first week tested my competence and potential to succeed…and then there was the comparisons and contrasts I made with the other students. But I paid attention and took notes. 

In a lecture late in the week, the instructor was discussing how to schedule this new type of practice. He told us to reserve just a morning to practice what we were learning. I returned home and secured every Thursday morning for practicing the Pankey way. That included a lot of new techniques for me and my staff. It was an easy way to introduce the new school of thought to my staff. 

How do you eat an elephant? I used to ask myself…one bite at a time. 

The lecturer that day, Dr. Irwin Becker, who later became my mentor, was righter than he even knew. 

The Self-Determination Theory of Human Motivation 

Just about the same time, during the eighties, two psychologists, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan from the University of Rochester were beginning to formulate their now groundbreaking self-determination theory of human motivation. 

Let’s face it, writing a book or designing a fee for service dental practice takes a lot of energy and motivation. Back then and sadly today, the advice came down to “Just Do It.” Deci and Ryan put some science behind human motivation for me…and then I backed into it…but years later, while studying positive psychology, I was gratified that I took Dr. Irwin Becker’s advice; otherwise, I may not have had an accomplished and fulfilling career. 

Let’s look at the science. 

Deci and Ryan defined motivation as the “energy required for action.” How many times do we attempt to accomplish a worthy goal but run out of steam. We need drive. Many people never even try. Installing a fee-for-service practice is difficult…if we dare to do it. It requires resources like drive and energy. 

Deci and Ryan went on to further describe the elements of the drive and motivation they were describing. Firstly, they noted the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The extrinsic drives were the material rewards we are all familiar with, as well as status and recognition. The intrinsic drives included passion, curiosity and purpose. What they found was that intrinsic motivation was more effective in every tested situation, excluding when our basic needs haven’t been met. (See Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.)  

Then something interesting occurred to them. They separated motivation again into controlled motivation, a form of extrinsic motivation and autonomous motivation, a form of intrinsic motivation. If it is work you have to do or are being forced to do, that’s controlled. Autonomous motivation is doing work you choose to do. Deci and Ryan found that, in every case, autonomous motivation destroys controlled motivation.  

The psychologists further explained autonomy by saying it occurs when we are doing what we are doing because of “interest and enjoyment” and because “it aligns with our core values and beliefs.” In other words, it is in alignment with the other intrinsic drives: curiosity, passion and purpose. 

To be continued in Part 2. 

By Andrea Beerman, DDS 

The late Dr. Andrea Beerman (1978-2013) was a beloved member of the Pankey Institute community. She contributed this to my CoDiscovery blog years ago. I think she would be glad her words will inspire our Pankey community forever. – Paul A. Henny, DDS 

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I love this quote from Emerson and understood it with greater depth as it reconnected me with one of my personal Core Values – originality. 

It reminds me that it is my natural state to follow my own mind – my own unique ideas. Personally, I know I struggle when I try to do things like others. In these instances, I feel like I am not being my authentic self. Sometimes, I have found myself conforming or doing something “the way it’s always been done”, because it seems quicker or easier. 

I don’t have to face the truth or something that may take me to my learning edge if I do things in a rote way. I do not have to make time to enter the “classroom” of silence to know more clearly the path to choose. In these moments, I know I am not realizing the sacredness of my own mind and spirit. With this quote, I am reminded to continue to trust and tap that potential – the beautiful, unique spark of life within me. 

A friend and mentor of mine encouraged me to find a picture of myself when I was a child and put it somewhere I would see it every day. So, now I have a picture of myself at age four on my desk. I keep it in front of me, because sometimes I forget who I am in the midst of my busy days. Of course I am a dentist, but the truth is, deep down – I am still that little girl. That same bright spirit, eager to live fully, and embrace life. All I wanted then was to be loved, accepted and understood. What do I want now? If I answer honestly, I’m not sure the answers are different. 

When I see her picture it makes it really easy for me to forgive myself for all the times I came up short and for the mistakes I’ve made along the way. I see her innocence when I look at this picture, and remember I am truly doing the best I can with what I know. 

So, I have this picture on my desk – to help me remember who I am and what I really want from life. What I’ve learned – it also reminds me of the truth about others – you, my patients, family and friends. 

Beneath the layers of life, lie our bright spirits. I am at my best – in patient interactions and with my friends and family- when I can see others for who they truly are. I think e.e. cummings said it best, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” 

I wish you my very best in your journey. ~Andrea 

By Paul A. Henny, DDS 

Times change; that’s for certain. When dental advertising was first allowed in the 1970’s, there was much discussion around whether marketing a dental practice was ethical. Today, marketing ethics is an issue for dental licensing boards to decide, while most dentists have moved on to focusing on HOW to best market their practice. 

Combine this new marketing-oriented mindset with the internet, and there’s a lot of confusion, wasted time, wasted money, and wasted energy. 

Why? Because most marketing efforts are focused on bodies and not people with feelings, priories and values. To quote a popular marketer in dentistry today: “In the end, the only thing that matters is how many butts you put in the chairs.” Really? And as a result, too many dentists are hung up on paying attention to the wrong metrics: ad clicks, social media likes, a high search engine results page (SERP) ranking, new patients per month, and so forth. 

It’s nice to have lots of visitors to our website (and important), but the best question to ask is: Why are prospective patients visiting our website in the first place? The answer speaks to FIT: Is this person likely to be a good fit with our practice Mission and Philosophy? 

If the person fits in with our practice’s Mission, then we’re supporting our Philosophy and moving toward our Vision. If the person doesn’t fit in with our practice’s Mission, then we aren’t. It’s that simple. 

If the person fits, they’re much more likely to schedule an appointment. If the person is a good fit, they are much more likely to be open to a proper and thorough examination process. If a person is a good fit, they’re more likely to make good decisions regarding their dental health. And if a person is a good fit, they are much more likely to agree to appropriate treatment plans. Consequently, when most people in our practice are a good “fit,” our schedule is full of folks who show up, and are grateful they found us. 

The key to successful marketing of a health-centered / relationship-based practice therefore begins BEFORE each person visits our website and therefore BEFORE they call. And that’s all related to our reputation—what’s commonly called our “brand.” Our brand is the set of expectations the person has about us. 

So, it’s important to know who they are, what they are seeking, and how we can best address it. Knowing the answers is where marketing should begin. On this, Peter Drucker famously said, “True marketing starts out with the customer, their demographics, their realities, their needs, and their values. The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him or her so well that it sells itself.” 

And that represents a whole lot more than just getting a “butt in the chair.” Mastering person-centered marketing is a key element to realizing our dream. Failing to understand it forces us to try and manage people who aren’t a good fit—sometimes multiple times a day, and that simply isn’t very fun or rewarding. 

By Paul A. Henny, DDS 

The Case for Setting Boundaries 

When we are financially or emotionally dependent on patients saying “yes,” we crave acceptance which comes at cost: we are fearful of offending the person if we say, suggest, or do something that might trigger a “no,”—so we strategically modify our behavior to avoid rejection. 

On the other hand, independence allows us to adopt a course of action—a purpose that’s clearly justified in our mind, and accepting of the fact that some people might disagree and therefore their opinions will not influence how we feel about ourselves. So, independence involves respecting how others feel AND how we feel—a critical issue that’s known as psychological boundary. 

What’s Our Goal? 

Our goal should be to help others as much as possible—but not to manipulate them into making decisions or taking actions they would otherwise not make. If we feel like we cannot help someone, or if we believe helping a person in the way they are demanding is harmful long-term, then we simply need to find a way to respectfully agree-to-disagree, and move on. No need for moralistic stands. No need for judgment. We just need to continue our search for others who are in closer alignment with our purpose. 

As we become masterful at the execution of our purpose, we become known for it —we become “branded.” Once branded, more like-minded people can find us in the sea of other options and then make a higher level decision than “he/she is in my network.”  

Start with Personal Leadership 

Relationship-based, health-centered dentistry therefore starts with personal leadership and personal power. Who am I? What am I willing to stand for? What am I willing to share with the world? What am I unabashedly willing to promote because I believe in its value so deeply that I simply must promote it. And critically, HOW can I best promote it so that more people will be able to make better decisions for themselves that are more in alignment with our purpose, and that move them closer to an optimized health? 

“Know Thyself,” the ancient Greek appeal to greater self-awareness, is one of the four principles incorporated into L. D. Pankey’s “Cross of Dentistry.” But following this sage advice isn’t easy, as we’re pulled and pushed around by the environment; we’re constantly challenged to either adapt, resist, surrender or lead. 

Being Authentic Requires Regular Introspection 

Leading is only possible in patient-centered dentistry through authenticity—through clarified values aligned with a congruent vision and ACTION. Hence, without self-awareness, the seductions of life—the temptation to take shortcuts, and the trappings of materialism, can easily lead us away from our authentic self. What makes this process even more challenging is that when we feel threatened or rejected, we tend to do more of those things while blocking out how we truly feel. We lose ourselves in our pursuit of things that we think will sooth our anxiety.  

Gaining greater self-awareness through regular introspection is the starting point of a process that essentially never ends, but it represents the only pathway toward authentic leadership. Authentic leadership is an inside-out process that’s at the very core of patient-centered dentistry, which is why Dr. Pankey inscribed “happiness” as the outcome of his developmental philosophy.