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Your faith and healthcare - connected
Becoming the Kind of Dentist
Patients Can Trust
A replicable seminar model for CMDA dental communities Developed by Ben Young, DDS, San Antonio CMDA
Purpose & Rationale
Becoming the Kind of Dentist Patients Can Trust is a no-fee, half-day seminar for dental students and predental students. Developed by Ben Young DDS through his work with CMDA in San Antonio, it brings students together with experienced dentists to consider not only what they are learning, but who they are becoming. The San Antonio seminar is planned for Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
WHY TO START YOUR OWN SEMINAR
Dental school shapes habits, emotional responses, relationships, judgment, and character as well as clinical competence. The seminar makes room for conversations about this professional formation outside the daily demands of examinations and clinical requirements. It complements dental education rather than criticizing or competing with it. It is neither a clinical technique course nor simply a wellness lecture; its central concern is becoming a dentist worthy of patient trust.For CMDA dentists, the opportunity is to connect professional experience with lived Christian faith through honest conversation and mentoring. Students are encouraged to pursue excellence without making achievement the measure of their worth, and to recognize patients as persons rather than problems to solve.
3 Connected Sessions
Your Dental Inheritance and How Dentistry Changed Civilization
Students encounter Pierre Fauchard, Greene Vardiman Black, and Robert F. Barkley as pioneers and role models. Portrait art and the changing depiction of the smile help frame dentistry’s contributions beyond the treatment room. The session then addresses the “Senior Syndrome”: the learned habit of ranking people by academic position or professional status. Students are challenged to replace comparison with collegiality, recognizing dentistry as an important part of a larger healthcare team serving patients.
Emotional Balance and Support
An emotional balance beam illustrates movement toward fear or anger under pressure. Students consider setbacks without allowing performance to define identity. Practical themes include “Breathe and Pray,” rest, seeking help, avoiding destructive escapes, and strengthening five harnesses of support: family, friends, faith, community, and mentors. Understanding their own emotional responses also prepares students to respond more thoughtfully to frightened or vulnerable patients.
The Foundational Question
“What gives a human being worth?” This question connects worldview to the treatment of oneself, classmates, colleagues, and patients. Students consider intrinsic worth rather than worth earned through performance, and examine how beliefs shape character, accountability, and patient trust. The Christian perspective is explicit, while questions and differences of belief are approached respectfully. The purpose is thoughtful engagement, not pressured agreement.
A Half-Day Experience, Not Just Three Lectures
The four-hour format combines three presentations with private reflection and small-group discussion after each. The planned pattern includes about five minutes for written reflection and approximately 20 minutes for discussion, with two short breaks during the morning. These conversations are integral to the seminar: students need time to connect ideas with their own experiences rather than simply receive more information.The student workbook supports note-taking, reflection, discussion, and a personal action plan. The intention is for students to identify constructive next steps and people who can support them beyond the event.
The Role of Experienced Dentists
Discussion leaders may be private practitioners or academics, working or retired. Their most important contribution is not another lecture but attentive listening, relevant perspective, and an example of faith expressed through professional integrity. Using prepared questions, they encourage participation without requiring personal disclosure, avoid dominating the conversation with “war stories,” and connect the material to patient care.
The seminar also creates an opportunity for relationships across generations. Students meet dentists who remember the uncertainty of professional training and can offer encouragement without grading them. Mentoring is not a substitute for counseling or healthcare; the seminar encourages students to seek appropriate help when ordinary support is insufficient.
Suggested Approach to Local Delivery
A local CMDA team could begin with an organizing dentist, student leaders, a presenter or presenting team, and enough dentist facilitators to keep discussions genuinely small. An accessible off-campus setting preserves the original intention of stepping outside the school day. Coordinate invitations respectfully with local student and faculty contacts, and keep the seminar’s complementary purpose clear.The working materials include presentation scripts and visuals, student workbook content, reflection exercises, and facilitator questions. Prospective hosts should review the materials with Ben Young and discuss local adaptations. Presenters can bring their own experiences while retaining the three-session progression, Christian foundation, and emphasis on patient trust. A facilitator briefing should establish the discussion format and expectations for respectful participation.Local planning should address the venue, audiovisual needs, registration, printed materials, and any refreshments. Volunteer participation and local support can help preserve the no-fee approach. Registration should request permission for subsequent contact rather than assume that attendance authorizes ongoing outreach.
Intended Outcomes and Continued Development
The intended outcomes are a clearer professional identity, practical habits for responding to pressure, greater attention to human dignity, and stronger connections with supportive dentists and peers. Students are also introduced to the leadership of the local CMDA chapter, who personally invite them to participate in its activities.True professional formation is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Students are encouraged not to attempt dental school on their own, but to build lasting relationships with classmates, mentors, and their local CMDA community.These are intended outcomes, not demonstrated results. Brief student and facilitator feedback can guide future offerings and identify interest in continued CMDA involvement and mentoring.