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John Cranham: Improving Dentistry Here And Around the World
By Brenda H. Welch
When Dr. John Cranham worked summers as a sailing instructor at a Michigan yacht club during his late teens, he considered it a fun way to earn money doing something he loved. Little did he know that the job would power his own sails, propelling him toward a career in dentistry.
Cranham remembers meeting many interesting people during those summers at the yacht club, but it was the dentists and their families who stood out above the rest.
"A lot of the families that I really liked were the ones where the dad was a dentist," says Cranham. "They seemed to have such a nice life. They were balanced—they really enjoyed what they did professionally, but they also had time to do the fun stuff with their families."
Through his practice in the Western Branch area of Chesapeake, Cranham, now 48, has spent the past two decades bringing healthier and happier smiles to the faces of thousands of Hampton Roads residents. His expertise lies in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, and he is an internationally recognized speaker on the aesthetic principles of "smile design" and many other topics in his specialty.
Aesthetics and Function: Conflict or Complement?
By Peter E. Dawson, DDS, and John C. Cranham, DDS
Advances in dental materials and related clinical techniques have made possible a new era of aesthetic dentistry. More treatment options are available to dentists and patients than ever before, and as a result more patients are requesting, and demanding, the best that dentistry has to offer in terms of an attractive smile. Has this boom in aesthetic or “cosmetic” dentistry come at the expense of proper occlusal function? Are certain patients being overtreated in the name of aesthetics? Or are aesthetics and function complementary in this new era?
Dentistry Today asked 2 renowned experts to express their opinions on these and other questions in an exclusive interview.
Dr. Peter E. Dawson has shared his knowledge of clinical dentistry with thousands of dentists through his teaching and writing. He is the author of the all-time best-selling text on occlusion, Evaluation, Diagnosis and Treatment of Occlusal Problems (Elsevier). His new book, Functional Occlusion: From TMJ to Smile Design (Elsevier) has exceeded all expectations. He is the founder and director of the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Study, a teaching center and multidisciplinary think tank in which active clinicians from all dental specialties combine their expertise in a search for better understanding of dental diagnosis and treatment. He is a past president of the American Equilibration Society, the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. His many national honors include the Distinguished Alumni Award from Emory University, the first Gold Medal for lifetime contributions to prosthodontics from the American Society of Prosthodontics, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Thaddeus V. Weclew Award from the AGD.
Implementing Technology into the Restorative Dental Practice
By John C. Cranham DDS, Clinical Director The Dawson Academy
I was recently interviewed by a local newspaper, upon the opening of my new Dental Practice. The person that was interviewing me asked me how many things that I was taught in Dental School was I still doing the same way. Having graduated from The Medical College of Virginia in 1988, I had to think about that for a minute. I was struck by the conclusion that I do nothing the way I did it in Dental School!
While dentistry has certainly changed dramatically in the last 20 years, the technological advances that are occurring today, is moving our profession at warp speed. While this is exciting, there are numerous challenges to correctly implementing these high tech tools, in a way that they will be optimally utilized, while not create a financial burden to the practice.
The mistake that is often made is to think the technology will be a magic bullet for the practice. A dental office that is in a financially unhealthy place will generally not benefit from an expensive technology, which may even put more economic stress on it. It is important to remember that these devices are simply tools that will allow us to do our dentistry better, more efficiently and provide our patients with a better experience. If we start with a well-run practice, with a clear vision for who we are and the services we provide, it will become obvious which technology we should implement first, and a logical timetable for which the other technologies can be brought into the practice environment.
