The President’s Dentist

Fig. 25.1

Boyd Robinson, DDS, M.Ed
It started with saying “I will” as I took the oath of office to become a member of the US Navy. I am sure I didn’t really understand all that would be required of me as I entered the Navy upon dental school graduation. I knew I would be able to practice dentistry and provide healthcare but I was not ready for strong emotional ties that develop for the men and women who give their lives to protect our freedom.
My career started in a small clinic at the Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California. I was able to perform all disciplines of dentistry at this clinic, which I am sure developed my interest in staying a general dentist. During dental school, I did not know exactly what specialty I wanted to pursue and I was glad for the general practice provided me at Lemoore. It solidified my desire to maintain and develop as a general dentist.
My naval career started to develop and I was stationed with the Marines and went on deployment with them out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The deployment was what is called a WestPac (Western Pacific) and we did operations in Japan and Australia. I learned a lot about the Marine Corp from this experience and could really appreciate what they do, how hard they work, and the sacrifices they go through to protect our country. I also learned that visiting the dentist was not one of their favorite things to do which helped me to develop a very patient-centered practice – one that made them comfortable in my chair and one that would let them know how much I care.
The Navy also gave me the opportunity for training. I was selected for a 2-year comprehensive dentistry residency. This came after I had been practicing for about 6 years. It came at the perfect time for me professionally and I was able to increase my healthcare and dental knowledge by a huge degree. From this experience I developed my philosophy on total dental care. It also gave me an opportunity to provide “state-of-the-art” dental care and to be able to decide where these modalities fit into a treatment plan. It served me well as I was assigned to several clinics, one where I was the sole provider of care. I had a very good military service reputation by that time and was known for my excellent dental practice. This lead to one of the greatest assignments anyone could have.
Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue

Stay updated, free dental videos. Join our Telegram channel

Dec 11, 2016 | Posted by in General Dentistry | Comments Off on The President’s Dentist

VIDEdental - Online dental courses

Get VIDEdental app for watching clinical videos