From Our President

Welcome to our website.  Our Academy is composed of enthusiastic dentists from around the world who share a passion for learning, excellence, and precision in dentistry.  If I had to choose one adjective to describe our members, it would be “passionate”.  Unlike some other outstanding dental organizations which require a rigorous vetting procedure to gain membership, the only requirement for membership in our Academy is the desire to learn and share.  Our membership policy based solely on the willingness to learn and share is one of my favorite aspects of our Academy. During my 24 years of membership in the IAG, my wife and I have made some of the closest friends we will ever have, and we both look forward to our biennial Congresses not only for the outstanding continuing education but also for this wonderful fellowship. 

All of our members have similar stories.  We were cast adrift in the practice of dentistry.  Our undergraduate dental education failed to teach us the intimate relationship between the various elements of the stomatognathic system.  We would see patients in whom these elements were in conflict, producing tooth wear, fracture, and mobility as well as pain and dysfunction in their joints and musculature.  Yet we were humbled by our inability to diagnose these problems accurately or to plan successful treatment, much less carry out that treatment.   Being humbled creates humility. Humility equals teachability, and when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.

  All of us found a mentor who began to open our eyes through Gnathological study clubs, and through those study clubs we came to the IAG where we met and were able to share with like-minded dental professionals worldwide.  B.B. McCollum called learning gnathologic principles “choosing the harder right over the easier wrong”.  And while taking time to measure, understand, and plan may at first seem more difficult than our old ways, all of us who have taken this road less traveled have learned that this knowledge has made our professional lives much richer.  And the true beneficiaries of this knowledge are our patients.   Thanks to the energy, intellectual curiosity, and sacrifices made by the fathers of gnathology, the level of excellence of dental care has vastly improved for the patients of those dentists who have studied and practiced the disciplines. 

Those of us in the leadership of the IAG share passion and commitment to our organization, but not for any personal or ego-driven reasons. We have a mandate to keep the IAG active so that the principles and knowledge that have enriched our professional lives and provided better care for our patients remain alive for future generations of dental professionals and their patients. Take a look at what is currently offered in dental continuing education. The themes are Faster! Easier! Whiter!  Much focus on the esthetics of anterior teeth without any mention of health and proper function.  Those who place anterior all-ceramic restorations without the knowledge of mandibular movement, posterior occlusal stability and proper anterior disclusion proceed at their own peril.  Through gnathology we have learned to achieve success by the blending of function and esthetics.

Take a look at the rest of the website.  Look at the program for our upcoming Congress in Arizona.  Ventana Canyon Resort is a gorgeous place, and you won’t find a better 4-day continuing education program anywhere.  Join us in Tucson in 2009!

Tom Colquitt, DDS, President