It's Our Time

So, last week I spent some serious quality time with friends and family…in the Bahamas. And I was surrounded by about as diverse a group of fifty or so DDS-types as you can find in Los Angeles, North America, and beyond. But there was a common thread.

We were enjoying the company and the sunshine…and a purpose none of us, save one…at the beginning, ever saw coming.

At the end of the day and the beginning of a new year, who knew 1,100 out of 70,000 dentists providing Invisalign care could garner 25% of the GP North American market? Who knew any of us would ever be part of the most productive and best trained clear aligner orthodontic care group in the world? Who knew we could make a difference extending even beyond the gift of a smile?

The man with the vision, Dr. David Galler, has taught varying components of Invisalign care for years. In fact, I'd experienced a Galler Pasadena Invisalign drive-by several years before attending a 2-day course back in 2015 that…as advertised… changed everything; especially my take on possibilities.

Over the two days, Dr. Galler opened his unrivaled Invisalign tool box, shared his substantial stand-up comedy skills (unknown to most dental schools, laughter enhances the retention of information), and groomed us as a team of thirty. About half of us were Canadian and half from SoCal; doctors also traveled to LA from Oregon, North Carolina, and Missouri. And beyond the magical two days, Dr. Galler promised a long-term commitment; together, we would continue to learn and grow.

I was closing in on 40-years of practicing dentistry and after two days in the Galler master classroom…I felt like a kid again. We all remained connected via email and later developed multiple chat groups. David was ALWAYS generous in lending support. One day, I left a virtual meeting to visit a virtual restroom, only to be named "President" of my group, Los Aligners. Next thing you know, we were having our own convention in Dallas. Out of 500 members, over 300 attended. Last week, going on three years later, fifty of us met in Nassau for the second January in a row. And isn’t it amazing the way sometimes what you’re looking for is also looking for you; seems like the family is growing.

We spent an entire day listening to like-minded, innovative companies hoping to join our family organization, the American Academy of Clear Aligners. And tomorrow, my dental practice will begin training with Healthy Start…and implementing an approach that can make a difference in the oral, physical, emotional, and mental development of children from 2-12 years of age.

For me, "family" is a sacred word; it's the most beautiful, emotional word I’ll ever use…it’s synonymous with "love." I have team members who're like daughters and sons. And now I’ve added to a Mt. Rushmore of mentors. But brothers…sisters?

So, who knew that after 2-days spent in Nassau, shared with a United Nations of men and women from Jersey to the OC and from Vancouver to Puerto Rico, I'd be flying home having spent serious quality time with fifty-one brothers and sisters?

Last week, we shared a family reunion. We planned, we brainstormed; we had fun and, as always, we learned and grew. And this time around, we emerged with a collective smiling confidence, seeing the world through a new global window accessing the light that comes from possibility. It’s our time.