ASSOCIATION WE NEED YOU! A few years back it was decided that the UDA board members would make a regular contribution to the UDA Action, with the President writing in each issue. Writing these articles has been a challenge for me I do not enjoy writing, in fact as an undergrad I dropped a few classes because they required too much writing. So with any luck this will be my last article because my term as a UDA officer has come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure as a UDA officer. It has required many hours of study, travel, time away from the office and in some instances becoming involved in issues that I had no particular interest. In all of that however the lessons learned and the friendships gained have been far beyond my expectations. I appreciate all who sacrifice and serve in an effort to build our profession and maintain a quality professional organization. I recall my first exposure to the ADA. As most of the preinternet dentists will recall the ADA had publications which could be found at the library. These publications were vital in the predental student phase. They were used to help understand the pre-requisites required by each school, they also help in determining which schools to apply to. I remember seeing the address to the ADA, 211 East Chicago Ave Chicago, IL. Fast forward 30+ years and I am standing in Chicago looking up at 211 East Chicago Ave, it was a nostalgic moment. This entity that I have looked to for information all of these years through publications and the internet and now I am in person interacting with employees, state and national leaders. These individuals are interested in me, my state association and the patients of my practice. Through these and many other experiences I have come to realize the ADA is not about the 211 East Chicago Ave. it is not a small group of individuals calling all of the shots. It is about the work that goes on within the organization and the members it serves.
practices and the pressures of running a business pressing down on us. The out flow of cash is increasing and the in flow is becoming harder to obtain. I have no doubt that without the ADA the logistics of running a dental practice would be much more difficult and complex. We would be spending far more than the cost of our dues to tackle the issues on our own. The fact of the matter is we would be trying to join forces with each other, forming an association, to battle these issues because we all realize there is strength in numbers. Thankfully we do not need to form an association that happened in 1859 and that association has been driving dentistry forward for 160 years. The work of the ADA is not perfect, the work of the UDA is not perfect, the profession is not perfect-we still have a lot of work to do. We need to be united and work together to continue the advancement of our profession. This work will happen more efficiently and effectively as we join forces and work together. What are the benefits of belonging to the ADA? Our last publication of the Action was completely devoted to sharing member benefits. If you are not convinced the ADA has value to you as a dental professional, I challenge you to spend a few minutes on the ADA website and discover for yourself the benefits available. The larger question is how can I help advance my profession to benefit me and future dental professionals? Answer, get involved in your local dental society, attend their functions and activities. Look for ways to help on the state level. Share your concerns and ideas with local and state leaders. Keep your membership current by renewing your membership in a timely manner and encourage other to do the same. Donate to UDPAC to assist the association in advocacy efforts. I guess the other way you could advance the profession is to form your own association, good luck with that. Bottom line is we need you, thanks for being a member of the UDA/ADA. Dr Michael Smuin UDA Past President
As dental professionals we need the ADA, we need it from the predental moments on through retirement. The ADA needs us as members, it is unable to function without the support and input of state associations and the volunteers up and down the chain of command. It needs the revenue generated from dues obtained from us as members. As state leaders one of our major concerns is membership. We are aware that membership dues are significant, we pay them too, but the more you become involved in the ADA the more value you see in what happens across the nation. I understand how tunnel vision concerning the work of the ADA can occur. It is very easy to become wrapped up in our
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