Say hello to Dr. @William B. Leibow
Position:
Director of Endodontics at Still University: Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health
Career Highlights:
- 1st and foremost being trained by Dr. Herb Schilder and his wonderful faculty
- 2nd becoming one of the first five trained Endodontists in the state of Arizona
- 3rd Working for 5 years with Roda and Sluyk Endodontics as I transitioned into Education. The most enjoyable time I had spent in my 34 years of clinical practice
- 4th Becoming the Director of Endodontics at an educational institution
Why Endodontics:
I was drawn into Endodontics by the need for focus and the need to be in control. Also, by expectations. When I started doing Endodontics, it was one of the events in dentistry that had the worst reputation. So, if the patient had a difficult time with their treatment I lived up to their expectations. If it was a great experience, I was in their eyes a miracle worker. Additionally, no one ever came back to the clinic and said my aunt just came to visit and your root canal looks unnatural or ugly.
Best Piece of Career Advice:
If you practice for the sake of your patients and are kind and considerate and have value, the income will come. If you practice for the sake of income, then it won't. Patients are very aware.
Endo Challenge:
I enjoyed what I did but it was becoming more stressful running a practice. The move to education allowed me to move on and still enjoy what I do - it’s just different and easier to manage stresses.
Reason for Becoming an AAE member:
I joined the AAE to support Endodontics. My mentor, Dr. Schilder, felt it was important to support the organizations that supported you. The organization also gave the opportunity to get together with my peers and share.
Fun Fact:
My side passion is landscape photography. My wife is an oil painter and she and I travel and paint and photograph. We have a website Leibowfineart.com and participate in an annual event selling our art. I also enjoy donating pieces to service auctions to benefit others.
Community Question: (A question that community members can respond to)
I know that implants are a focus of many Endodontists. Since peri implantitis is one of the key factors in failure why are endos abrogating the responsibility for the maintenance of their implants to another party? In the last 5 years of private practice I asked every patient that had an implant placed what was their maintenance schedule. Most responses (not all) were, I have an annual cleaning. If the periodontist placed the implant, the maintenance was every three months.
If you have a member you would like to recommend, please email your submission to communityadmin@aae.org