CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 3

13 Issue 3 | 2018 | CDA at W ork Capturing the Moments... ① Wheatland Dental Centre staff photo, 1989 ② Welcome Sign to Assiniboia ③ First meeting of the CDA Access to Care Working Group, Halifax, NS, 2011 ④ The Taillon family, 2014 ⑤ Mitch's Convocation photo, 1984 ⑥ Monique and Mitch at the CDA President’s Installation Dinner, Ottawa, ON, 2014 ⑦ CDSS past-presidents with Dr. Ron Smith (far right), CDA past-president 2010–11. ⑧ Mitch with Dr. Doug Brothwell, new dean of University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry, 2017 ⑨ Dr. Taillon with Louise, his long-time dental assistant, 2017 ⑩ Father and son at Rod’s 90th birthday celebration, 2014 Lasting connections When Dr. Taillon was in private practice, he would see the clinical work of his father every day when he looked inside his patient’s mouths. These moments provided some insights about the long-lasting, but impermanent nature, of certain dental treatments. “The services we provide in dentistry will often need to be revisited, if you fast forward 15, 20, 30 years.” And more personally, when patients expressed gratitude for the treatment they’d received years ago from Rod, it reminded Dr. Taillon of the enduring personal connections dentists have with their patients, the ones he had first admired as a boy when he observed his father at work that first summer. Throughout his years of practice, Dr. Taillon feels fortunate to have worked closely with assistants, hygienists, therapists and administrative staff, who used their skills in a team approach to patient-centred care. These experiences confirmed to him that the dentist-led, team approach of delivering care, where everyone uses their expertise, results in the best patient care. With his practical knowledge of the strengths of a team approach to care, Dr. Taillon is a strong supporter of CDA’s advocacy efforts for providing sustainable, targeted, government funding for dentist-led programs that meet the oral health needs of vulnerable groups. He notes the importance of involving the whole dental team in these efforts, to ensure that the good oral health enjoyed by the majority of Canadians is also accessible to people with the greatest oral health needs. A feeling of gratitude is a common thread through most of Dr. Taillon’s career and the stories he tells. He expresses gratitude to his parents for the freedom they gave him to choose a profession he loves; to the Assiniboia community and his patients; to his chairside assistant, Louise, who worked with him for 33 years; to his children, David, Marc and Lynne; and to his wife Monique, for supporting him throughout his career. “It’s all about people,” says Dr. Taillon. “Just treat people right and you’ll be fine.” It’s a motto he lives by, one that will guide him as CDA president. “It becomes very simple; you meet the needs of society and the population, the community, the person in front of you or in your chair—that’s your role. And CDA’s role is to support dentists in doing just that.” a ❹ ❾ ❽