Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | February 2012XX XXXXX Keeping the faith Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | April 2012A2 Sometimes, you hear about the death of a famous person who was extraor- dinarily giving, and the story needs to be told. That person is Gary Carter, and I am a New York Mets fan because of him. This is the same Gary Carter en- shrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame, the same wonderful catcher voted MVP for his accomplishments on the baseball field, the same one who won a World Series championship and received a ring, and the same one who had so much enthusiasm while playing base- ball that he was called the “kid.” After his active playing days, Gary managed minor league baseball clubs. His teams almost always won their league championships. I wondered why the parent team, the Mets, never called him in to manage them because his teams always played with enthusi- asm and heart. Segueing to my opening thoughts, years ago my wife and I had friends whose son, Jon, was diagnosed with leukemia. Jon was 8 years old at the time. His ambition in life was to be a professional baseball player. Now what American kid at that age doesn’t dream of playing ball? Instead, this skinny 8-year-old, having no understanding of what was happening, was restricted to a hospital bed for almost a year. I received a request from Jon’s par- ents to try to get a photo from some famous sports personality. I phoned an MD friend of mine who was connected to a strong baseball organization. I left message after message for the photo. I would have done anything in my pow- er to give encouragement to this young lad. I had known this MD for more than 25 years, and yet I never even received so much as a response from him. It is very difficult and frustrating to want to help and to not be able. Jon’s mother took the idea and phoned the Mets. Her phone call was transferred to the Mets’ clubhouse, where the person picking up the phone repeated her request out loud. Gary Carter was passing by while getting dressed for a game, and hearing the word “leukemia,” took the phone and started chatting with her. He not only visited Jon once a day, he got some of his teammates to converse or visit with him. What great medicine. Quite some time later, Jon fortu- nately got better and wanted to visit the Mets and see Gary Carter. Gary not only met him, but took him to the dug- out and handed him a ball on which he had written, and told Jon, “Keep hold- ing this ball and you’ll hang on to life.” I found out later that unknown to us, Gary’s mother had passed away from leukemia when Gary was 9 years old. Editor's PagE/NEWs I know what you did last summer Dental Tribune Editor in Chief Dr. David L. Hoexter pulls out a few captive moments from last summer in the famed coastal playground, the Hamptons. Hoexter said, ‘The land of sunshine, beaches, socializing, high society and fashion saw dentists adding to its exciting flavor.’ Photo 1: Dr. Chester Redhead seen enjoying a cocktail party. Photo 2: Dr. Larry Rosenthal, Alisia Kauffman and Hoexter at the polo matches in Bridgehampton. Photo 3: Hoexter’s wife, June, Dr. Joel Kotick and Dr. and Mrs. Sean Massiah socializing in Southhampton. Photo 4: Dr. Beth Rosner and Hoexter at Ellen’s Run for breast cancer patients, in Southhampton. Summer’s coming! Among others in the clubhouse who enthusiastically encouraged Jon was Mel Stottlemeyer, the former Yankee great, and at that time the pitching coach for the Mets. Mel, incidentally, lost a son to this same dreaded disease. It was their ability to give and help that raised the bar and made a huge differ- ence in Jon’s life. Jon fortunately got better and even- tually became a spokesperson for the American Leukemia Society, encourag- ing awareness and supporting its re- search. He finished No. 1 in his class at college, got married and is now a father of a healthy young boy. Jon’s parents are still very active in the Leukemia So- ciety and are proud to give and partici- pate, always appreciative of the hope and encouragement that they were for- tunate enough to receive. Gary Carter recently passed away. Shortly after, I was shown a letter that Jon recently had written to Gary to ex- press his deepfelt appreciation: “Weakened and fattened by che- motherapy, without hair, I met Gary outside of the Mets dugout before the game. There, he signed a baseball for me with the inscription ‘To Jonathan. Get well soon! Keep the faith. Best of luck. God Bless, Gary Carter.’ Over the next three years, I received scores of painful spinal taps and bone marrow biopsies as part or my treatment. At every procedure, I held Gary’s auto- graphed ball in my hands for strength. Having his words in my hands and his baseball near my heart gave me com- fort and reassurance.” Other teams may win more games, produce more championship teams, have longer TV contracts, but for me, the Mets had a winner who taught how to give without worrying about material rewards. His caring and de- cency is being passed on. Let’s go Mets! ‘The Mets had a winner who taught how to give without worrying about material rewards.’ Photo/Raymond Kasprzak, www.dreamstime.com By David L Hoexter, DMD, FACD, FICD, Editor in Chief A new dental device giant is taking form in Japan. According to business reports, Kuraray and Noritake are to merge their dental operations. The transaction has been filed for clear- ance by the Japan Fair Trade Commis- sion and is expected to be finalized this month, representatives of both compa- nies said. Kuraray’s dental business, which is owned by Kuraray Medical, a fully owned subsidiary, is composed of bonding agents and fillings based on polymer and organic synthetic technol- ogy. Noritake Dental Supplies currently distributes dental ceramics in more than 90 countries. Both companies are reported to achieve combined sales of approximately $104 million worldwide and to hold a 40 percent share of their respective market segments in Japan. Under the agreement, both business- es will be joined in a new holding com- pany and effectively merged sometime in April. It is also reported that Kuraray will be taking a two-thirds majority stake in the new company. Kuraray Medical President Sadaaki Matsuyama said that with the merger his company wants to strengthen its share in domestic and overseas mar- kets. Overall, the company aims to boost sales to nearly $245 million in the next seven to eight years, Matsuyama said. According to industry reports, do- mestic medical and dental device sales in Japan have declined in conjunction with a lowering in demand for dental services. In particular, dental patients are buying fewer higher-end products and services, such as implants and ce- ramics. With annual sales of $20 billion, the Japanese market for medical and den- tal equipment is the second largest in the world. The country imports only 20 percent of such equipment. Dental device giant takes form in Japan Kuraray, Noritake merger reported By Daniel Zimmermann, Group Editor, Dental Tribune International 1 2 3 4 Photos/By Provided by Dr. David L. Hoexter