Each month an active member of our AAE Connection Community will be highlighted.
Say hello to Dr. @Jeffery O. Luzader
Position:
Private Practice Endodontist at Chesapeake Endodontic Center Annapolis, Maryland
Career Highlights:
- 1983 – 1993 general dentist in US Army
- 1993 – 1995 US Army endodontic residency
- Board certification 1997
- 1995 – 2004 endodontist in US Army
- 2004 – opened my private practice in Annapolis, Maryland, The Chesapeake Endodontic Center
Why Endodontics:
Compulsive (almost obsessive) desire for perfection, so I like endodontics because it is more narrow focused. Also, I like letting the patient’s general dentist do the patient motivation part.
Best Piece of Career Advice:
On the business side of my career, I was once told that it is more important to keep more of what you make (i.e. low overhead) than it is to focus on making more.
Endo Challenge:
Bringing a partner into the practice can be a challenge. It is literally a marriage. I’m a little different in the way I approach things and try not to always conform to the way things are always done. That can create a challenge for the person coming in. It was challenging for me when my business partner didn’t meet certain expectations of mine that I had just assumed he would without ever discussing it. These challenges are overcome by open communication, giving grace and asking for forgiveness. In addition, ever present communication (prayer) with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the biggest help in me seeing my own faults and being able to overlook someone else’s faults.
Reason for Becoming an AAE member:
I wanted to support an organization that was supporting our specialty. It’s like giving back to your community.
Fun Fact:
I’m very active, some say an adrenaline junky. During my 20 years in the military (where you have paid time off when injured) I was only injured once (rotator cuff tear) despite all of my softball, basketball, mountain biking, snowboarding etc. etc. My first year or two of private practice (when you do not get paid if you miss work) I broke my finger playing softball, broke my ribs playing basketball, injured my leg mountain biking, another rotator cuff surgery etc. etc.
Community Question: (A question that community members can respond to)
I recently read a good article on biomimetic dentistry. Before this, I was not familiar with the concepts of immediate dentin sealing, resin coating and decoupling with time to improve bond strengths. If these concepts were applied to the bonding we do when we internally seal a vertical crown fracture that has extended into the canal orifice, would that improve outcomes in these cases? Does a vertical crown fracture always extend further apically on the external surface as compared to its extent on the internal surface? One more: Do you think Gentlewave will improve our success rates? Pick one.
If you have a member you would like to recommend, please email your submission to communityadmin@aae.org