This blog post was written by Archita Jain, an Undergraduate Student at and Events Coordinator of the Pre-Dental Association at York University.
Each year, around this time, the Ontario Dental Association hosts the Annual Spring Meeting (ASM) in which thousands of Canadian dentists gather to learn in the seminars, network with other professionals, and explore the exhibition floor. This year, Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation hosted a booth on the exhibition floor to gain exposure for Restoring Smiles, and to reach out to the dental community. I was one of the volunteers representing the foundation and interacting with dentists in hopes to get them on-board with Restoring Smiles.
It was my first time at the Annual Spring Meeting, and it was a surreal experience to see such a large gathering of passionate dental professionals. The exhibition floor was filled with different companies and new technologies that are being implemented in offices. There were many informative seminars being led by experienced dentists to showcase new techniques, procedures being used. I was able to understand the work that goes into sustaining a professional practice as a dentist. It was an enriching experience to to learn about the dental profession by interacting with everything available at ODA ASM!
However, the most rewarding part of the experience was seeing so many individuals (even after becoming dentists and running busy practises) still seek opportunities to give back to the community. Many dentists sought out our booth and were very interested in joining the foundation.
It was a successful two days at ODA – I learned a lot and we were able to get many dentists interested and signed up to Restoring Smiles!