“I am a restorative dentist and owner of a small private practice in Seattle. I have been able to sustain a viable non-insurance dependent, high touch service, patient centered practice thanks to my involvement with the Schuster Center, Mastery Company and OBI.
My OBI journey started in 2009. At that time I had been in private practice for 10 years and as a Schuster Center Alumni I had worked on clarifying my purpose and vision for my practice and life. I wanted to create a practice that was truly patient centered, a place where faster, busier was not better but where relationships mattered. I was creating the structures in my practice to support the high-level communication and organization needed to offer complete diagnosis and comprehensive treatment.
I had completed numerous technical curriculums Spears, Dawson and Kois. Although I intellectually understood the importance of condylar stabilization and anterior guidance something was still missing. I had so many patients in night guards, just holding them because I did not feel confident with the methods I learned. Stabilizing the joint with a deprogrammer or bi-manually manipulating the mandible, I kept looking at my mounted models and kept questioning it. I needed something that would bridge the gap between what I understood to what I could make real with my hands. I shared some of my concerns with a colleague and that is when I was first introduced to OBI. OBI was that missing link.
The difference that I experienced with OBI was their hands-on, principles-based approach to learning. Each student was required to select, diagnosis, treatment plan and complete treatments through the course in order to present your final case for graduation.
I graduated level IV in 2012 and the return on my investment with OBI is priceless. I had that “aha” moment where everything clicked. "I understand this and I can do this". I can help my patients. I can offer my patients something more than just a night guard. Comfort, function, beauty, confidence, health, balance and harmony.
OBI is a very special because of the people involved with the organization. When you get like-minded individuals together magic happens and our patients are well served. Authenticity and transparency is key to learning. I have been involved with the organization since graduation and continue to serve because I love OBI and its people.
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