Profiles by Anna Sacks

Andrea Hegedus is a certified dental technician and owner of Great Lakes Smile Design Studio of Muskegon. She recently received the award for second place in best Digital Documentation at the 34th International Dental Show in Germany.

Being a young and successful woman, Hegedus has had to make a lot of difficult decisions concerning her life and her career, but she attributes each success she’s made to her strong focus and ambition.

“It comes across as being selfish, but you’re really not, you’re really advancing yourself so you can help people in the long run,” she said. “You have to focus on that part of you, and getting your education and getting started.”

Hegedus said being a dental technician takes a lot of self-discipline simply because there is a lot of independent studying and learning. You have to be able to work outside the classroom, she said, because you won’t get the experience you need to be successful from in-class time alone.

She gets her work ethic from her grandparents. Her grandmother was a professional seamstress who made window treatments for people’s home, and her grandfather was a carpenter and window designer for department stores; before the big printer they use today, he would hand paint all the window advertisements and signs.

“My grandpa used to say, ‘you can’t be scared to put enough paint on your paint brush in order to make a straight line,’ ” she said. “Every time I’m working I think about that, you can’t be afraid of using up what you have in order to complete what you want to do.”

Today, Hegedus helps her patients by designing their smiles, but that path wasn’t always the most clear to her. She began her journey with a concentration based in another area, but as she began working she realized she was really good at designing smiles and that’s when her career began to flourish.

“Sometimes it takes a while for you to accept you are really good,” she said. “You have been given a gift to create and this is where you are supposed to be.”

Hegedus works side-by-side with her father and three other family members in their dental office, and that’s where she learns most and finds the most happiness.

“If I did not have the modeling of my grandparents and support of my parents telling me I was good at making people’s smiles, I would not have continued on being a technician,” she said. “Like any artist, you are your own worst critic and it takes a long time to develop your skill with confidence. I have spent many, many late nights in my lab-networking, reading and taking an abundance of courses. Only then have I been able to perfect the right steps for my cases to come out successful.”

Hegedus hopes to mentor more students and one day produce videos that detail the procedures she performs in hopes of giving students a more in-depth education.

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Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Andrea Hegedus, CDT

Anne Steinbock is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Whip Mix

, a dental products manufacturer, and though she is on a different side of the dental profession, her passion and drive is no different. 

In her 26-year career Steinbock worked her way up to executive management after having positions in both Marketing and Sales.  

Working in the family business, Steinbock had to prove that she wasn’t handed a job just because she and the company president shared a last name. She attributes her success to her philosophy of  leading by example.  “I would never ask someone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself,” she said.

Being the youngest of seven children with five older brothers, Steinbock said that her upbringing prepared her for her journey as a strong leader in a male dominated profession.  Steinbock attributes much of her drive, values and philosophy to her greatest mentor, her father, who advised her to keep it simple, do what’s right and treat other people the way you would want to be treated.

“Half of life is just showing up,  you don’t have to be the smartest or most brilliant, but people do have to be able to trust and depend on you. In a business environment, you can’t always just agree,” she said. “ You have to find your  voice and how to articulate respectfully your opinion and the direction you want to go in.”

As a company executive, she finds the personal connections she’s made in business most rewarding in her career.  And having those people beside her is a very important part of her success, whether it’s at trade shows or at the office, it’s never a one-woman show.  “I have a collaborate spirit and recognize that I can’t do it alone.  When a problem needs to be solved, it’s a team effort.” Steinbock said.

For the future, Steinbock hopes to lead her company forward for the next generation as well as give back to the community through different organizations in dental health.

Anne Steinbock is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Whip Mix, a dental products manufacturer, and though she is on a different side of the dental profession, her passion and drive is no different. 

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Anne Steinbock, VP of Sales and Marketing for Whip Mix

Jean Spinell is the Territory Sales Manager for Ivoclar Vivadent Inc., a recognized leader in high quality esthetic dental materials for both dentists and dental technicians. In this position, she creates a personalized, professional relationship with her customers to satisfy their individual needs. By providing tailored troubleshooting solutions for dental professionals throughout her territory, Jean’s customers know they can count on her for immediate full support, whenever needed.

Jean attributes her success to truly partnering with her customers to help them maximize their opportunities for growth by incorporating proven high-tech and research-based innovations. Whether advanced adhesive solutions, CAD/CAM materials or laser dentistry, she provides the education, training, and support dental professionals need to embrace today’s comprehensive esthetic restorative dentistry.

“The products and service we offer our dentists represent very high quality,” she said. “This enables our customers to have confidence in the procedures they perform and the functional and esthetic results they achieve for their patients. That inherently provides a value we can all feel good about.”

With a solid understanding of the dental profession, as well as the materials and equipment marketplace, Spinell is well-positioned to assess her customers’ needs and tailor her approach and solutions to their unique situations. As a result, she has earned a reputation of trustworthiness and adaptability among her clients, one based on providing the right blend of products and guidance for either well-established practices or those just starting to nurture and build a patient base.

“My favorite part of my job is demonstrating how dentists can use integrated products and equipment to achieve enhanced restorative results more efficiently or efficaciously,” she explained. “When dental professionals have established a working relationship with a manufacturer or two whose products they respect and are comfortable using, then they’re better able to incorporate the comprehensive and integrated restorative systems that are designed to make their jobs easier and more predictable.”
	
	From training doctors to attending trade shows, and from lecturing to communicating with her clients on a regular basis, Jean shares her dental industry knowledge in the spirit of collaboration, partnership, and excellence. In the future, she hopes to mentor Ivoclar Vivadent’s newest team members in order to share the lessons she’s learned during her 11 years in this role. She also hopes to incorporate more teaching into her position, which is an aspect of her job that she enjoys most.

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Jean Spinell, Territory Sales Manager for Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.

Barbara (Basia) Chmurak has been with Hu-Friedy for more than 40 years, and her dedication to her job and thirst for knowledge are what have made her the successful woman she is today.

She is currently a Senior Technical Leader for Hu-Friedy, responsible for all aspects of making, assembling, laser marking and finishing scalers.

“My advice would be to learn as many skills as possible, always be a team player and dedicate yourself to your profession,” she said.

Chmurak came to the United States from Poland in 1971 and has been dedicating her time to helping create satisfied customers. “Throughout her Hu-Friedy career, Barbara has held many different positions and has learned many different skills in instrument making, solidifying herself as a very versatile and strong member of the Hu-Friedy family,” stated David Reece, Manufacturing Team Leader.

“I always took any opportunity given to me by Hu-Friedy to educate myself and always did my best,” she said.

Chmurak firmly believes in self-motivation and confidence. She said, “No matter where you come from or what your circumstances are, if you believe in yourself, dedicate yourself and work hard; you can accomplish your goals.”

She values her position at Hu-Friedy because it allows her to work with such a wide variety of smart and confident people in a team environment.

She loves working on a team and consistently makes sure everyone is on the same page. “Quality is a big part of my job and I work to make sure newer team members focus on the same level of quality I was trained on,” she said.

Continuing education is also very important to Chmurak, so Hu-Friedy’s strong emphasis on growth through knowledge is something that has kept her with the company.

“Hu-Friedy offers us a lot of different classes,” she said in a recent interview. “I learned how to speak English at Hu-Friedy, how to interact with people, how to manage a team, and so on." "This has not only helped me in my job but also in my home life. I graduated from Hu-Friedy College. Working for Hu-Friedy is like a family and I hope there are more companies in the world with the integrity and dedication to their employees and customers."

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Barbara Chmurak, Hu-Friedy Senior Technical Leader

Vickie Waitsman is the Vice President and General Counsel to the companies in the 

. Waitsman endured many trials throughout her career, both literal and figurative, but through it all she has maintained what she thinks is most important: her sense of self.

“You always have to remember who you are, what’s important to you, and to stay true to yourself,” she said.

She got where she is by talking to people, whether it be someone in a booth or in the line at the grocery store. She attributes her success to her ability to communicate, but even more than that, she attributes it to her ability to build connections and relationships with others. But her major skill also can be her biggest struggle at times because communication is not always received and returned successfully.

Waitsman finds the work she does very rewarding, and said she would never have reached where she is today if it weren’t for the work she’s done for nonprofit organizations. Getting involved with these organizations started when a mentor opened her eyes to how her skill set and expertise could be used and in what capacity she could play an important role in helping those in need.

“As an attorney you think about things differently from other people, and that has a lot of qualities that are helpful for all kinds of situations,” she said. “I probably wouldn’t have done the things I’ve done if I hadn’t been told, don’t be afraid, you have a lot to offer.”

As a woman, Waitsman feels many females undersell themselves and their skills because they’re afraid to step outside of their comfort zone.

“We are our own worst enemies sometimes because we think of ourselves in one way when we could actually go across the board,” she said.

The best part of her job is the people she gets to meet and work with, from family-run companies to big businesses, every person has something to share with her and she’s always happy to lend an ear and learn what they have to teach.

Waitsman’s job changes every day, so when it comes to the future she said sometimes it gets a little cloudy. But she can say she loves the variety she gets to enjoy in her career and she hopes that in the future, that diversity is still a factor.

Vickie Waitsman is the Vice President and General Counsel to the companies in the DentalEZ Group. Waitsman endured many trials throughout her career, both literal and figurative, but through it all she has maintained what she thinks is most important: her sense of self. “You always have to remember who you are, what’s important to you, and to stay true to yourself,” she said.

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Vickie Waitsman VP & General Counsel for DentalEZ Group

Terrisa Singleton is the Foundation Manager for Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation, an organization that works with free and low-cost dental clinics and programs. She sees her career and the work she does with Delta Dental as important and fulfilling because she knows she is making an impact in the lives of the people the foundation helps.

“In a role like this, you get the best of both worlds,” she said. “You get the opportunity to work with volunteer dental professionals and service organizations and provide them support and you get an opportunity to connect with the public, deliver education to them and show them how they can find resources to fill the dental needs they can’t afford otherwise. It’s extremely rewarding.”

Singleton attributes her success to her knack for helping people find their own way to reach their goals. She enjoys being the facilitator to individuals and groups who have a common goal and need guidance getting there.

During her years in the marketing and advertising field, Singleton found she greatly enjoyed working with nonprofit clients. Over time, she developed a burning desire to move to the not-for-profit realm and serve those in need.

“I was so fortunate when about three and a half years ago this position came open, and it’s just absolutely perfect for me because I have the opportunity to use that communications background to educate the general public,” she said.

As a woman, Singleton feels that many women have a special gift for facilitation in mission-focused programs, and to her it makes sense for women to find a position and career that really allows them to maximize their natural intuitive gifts.

Having a mentor has been a huge part of her success. One of the most important lessons she learned was how to find her value in the organization she was in, and to know her strengths while also being aware of where she could improve.

“You get what you settle for, so you need to take that personal inventory and ask if you’re settling or if there’s something you can accomplish beyond where you are now,” she said. “I think you’d be amazed at what you can accomplish if you choose not to settle.”

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Terrisa Singleton, Foundation Manager for Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation

Diane Johnson-Krueger is the President and CEO of NuSmile Pediatric Crowns, the largest manufacturer of esthetic pediatric crowns in the country, which introduced its first products in 1991. She is constantly developing new products and improving existing technologies to better serve her clients. NuSmile is currently one of the largest corporate supporters of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and its foundation, Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children.

“For anyone to be successful, having a passion for what you do is really critical and key,” she said. “Our company’s passion is for what we do, which is to provide esthetic, durable, easy to use, economically priced, prefabricated restorations for children. That passion grew out of a need.”

Early in her career, Johnson-Krueger saw a growing need for these products while working in the dental industry. She had received feedback from doctors about an infectious, chronic disease in children that did not have a good and acceptable restorative outcome.

“Most children with this problem of early childhood caries (ECC), were being restored with stainless steel crowns,” she said. “If the child had a severe case of ECC, the would have 20 teeth and 20 stainless steel crowns, and the doctors were really frustrated with that option.”

So she set out to find a better solution, which she did with NuSmile Pediatric Crowns.

Today, Johnson-Krueger attributes her success to her ability to stay consistent in the focus of her work as well as having the opportunity to get to know most of the leading pediatric dentists both in the U.S. and internationally. She’s inspired by them and has been able to continually learn from them and fulfill their needs based on the dialogue with pediatric professionals.

“I’m able to learn from leading pediatric dentists what they need, what’s important to them, what works, and what doesn’t work,” she said. “Having that relationship is very rewarding and knowing that we’re helping to meet a need. There’s real purpose in what we do.”

Her favorite part of her work is the research and experimentation she is involved in. She knows that work is creating new and better products, which will in turn better the lives of the patients her clients serve. She also enjoys the marketing aspect of her career because it puts her in direct contact with her customers.

“We give back and are able to support those in pediatric dentistry and this it actually something we do because we feel it is important to our customers,” she said. “We fund and support a number of initiatives and awards that we’ve heard are important to pediatric dentists.”

As the president of NuSmile, Johnson-Krueger finds that she wears a lot of different hats, but she says loves the challenges that come with running a growing company. As for the future, she plans to keep growing the business by improving products and coming up with new ones. But at the end of the day, giving dentists the highest quality products so they can deliver health smiles is what drives her to keep going and going.

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Diane Johnson-Krueger, President & CEO, NuSmile Pediatric Crowns

Maureen Knott is the Vice President of Product Advertising at Henry Schein Inc., the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to dentists, physicians and veterinarians. Her position is a role she worked very hard to achieve since she started as an administrative assistant in 1986. She attributes her success to many different factors of her life, one being her excellent communication skills, especially with Henry Schein’s supplier partners.

“The keys to success are to listen, communicate and follow-up,” she said. “I think in the world we live in today, everyone is moving 100 miles a minute and our primary way of communicating is through email. Take the time to pick up the phone and call your business associates, partners and customers. I find when you speak to people directly, you build relationships and trust.

“I have been very fortunate to be with Henry Schein for over 26 years,” she said. “I have never had a day that I woke up in the morning and dreaded going to work. If you are passionate about what you do, success will come your way.”

That’s not to say her job is ever easy. Knott has to manage her time carefully to be efficient in her career and life. To have her say in a variety of different projects, she has had to learn the delicate art of delegation.

“Productivity is essential for me,” she said. “Having a calendar full of meetings is challenging. I am learning to delegate more and realizing its okay to say no every once in a while.”

In Knott’s job, teamwork is vital and an open environment that encourages idea sharing can mean the difference between a project being just good and the best there is.

“One person does not make it happen. There is always a team of people that bring the concept to a reality,” she said. “Make sure you recognize those individuals and thank them along the way.”

Knott hopes to continue her participation in charity programs through Henry Schein Cares. She also plans to become a mentor to those she works with to help them become more successful in attaining their goals in their careers.

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Maureen Knott, VP of Product Advertising, Henry Schein Inc.

Claudia Patch had a vision and a goal in dentistry before she set foot in her first dental class; she had her sights set on a specific dental practice and once she found her direction, she made each decision accordingly.

“I really believe that if you have vision, focus and direction, you’re going to end up in the right place.” Patch said.

Patch’s specific focus is implants, and she restored 40 full arches of implant dentistry in the last year alone.

She attributes a huge part of her success to having great mentors who steered her in the right direction.

“My first mentor was all about love of the profession and enjoying and embracing what you’re doing and having compassion for people,” she said. “I mean, of course that was a motivation for me as well, because if you keep in mind that it’s a people oriented profession and that’s really what you love it’s going to carry you through the difficult times.”

She admits that her path wasn’t always an easy one, and the process of becoming a dental professional was many times a matter of convincing and self-motivation. Her can-do attitude helped her along the way from her education to tackling day-to-day tasks at work.

“I would tell myself that nothing is impossible. You have to persevere and know that you can do it,” she said.

And persevere she did. Patch considers herself very lucky in her success and her work, which she describes as both exciting and rewarding.

“I feel like I’m changing people’s lives,” she said of her work in dental implants. “I’ve had patients cry, and tell me that they’re just so thrilled, that they haven’t been so comfortable in their lives and that what we’ve done has been life changing for them. That’s something very powerful that I wasn’t expecting to be able to do as frequently as I am now able.”

She also is proud to be so successful as a woman, and feels she was well matched for her role from the very beginning. Women have a certain kind of compassion and tenderness that makes them especially well suited for dentistry, she said.

“Even physically, having small hands and a gentle touch can be helpful for patients to feel comfortable and take down that wall people put up out of fear,” she said.

But success does not come without some struggle, and for Patch, that struggle is managing her time and making sure her mind is always in the right place. She overcomes this battle by creating an environment and a schedule that allows her to be her best and give each patient the quality of attention they deserve.

For the near future, she is moving forward to become a partner in her practice. As for her office, she is developing a program to be the premier center in the area offering the Prettau Implant Bridge, a technology that features full mouth implant reconstruction that will better the lives of many patients.

Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Claudia Patch, DMD

Jaimeé Morgan practices dentistry in Midvale, Utah where she concentrates on cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. Even as a young woman, Morgan was interested in dentistry, but her journey into the serious educational arena didn’t begin until she was married, in her late 20s and busy raising two children.

When she started attending dental school, she realized she had finally found her niche.

“Your education sets you free,” she said. “I see so many women everyday who feel stuck because they didn’t get their education and are working an unfulfilling dead-end job or unable to provide for their families.”

The summer after her first year of dental school, she started working with the department of restorative dentistry doing research on how bleaching materials affect bond strengths. After sending her abstract to the American Association of Dental Research she received the opportunity to do a verbal presentation on her research.  

“Like most anyone faced with having to give a speech in front of a very large group, I was terrified,” she recalled. But she overcame that fear with the help of three professors who prepared her by giving her advice and support. That research caught the interest of a dental manufacturer and they offered her a job directly out of dental school. That’s when her travelling started; every three weeks she travelled to California to work with a professional marketing team, chemists and quality control department. She also practiced as an associate in San Antonio.

Morgan continued to practice in the San Antonio area for the next two years. Then, she was offered a consulting position with another dental manufacturer that came with an associate position at a practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. She considers that opportunity one of the biggest turns of events in her life.

“First that I would leave Texas, and second that I would jump ship and move to Utah...I will always consider that a huge achievement in that I was working out of my comfort zone, but was also inspired to give this new idea everything I had to make it a success.”

 | Grins for a Good Cause is Patterson Dental’s initiative to help support underserved women with breast cancer and their families. To find out more, contact your Patterson representative or local branch or visit 

www.pattersoncompanies.com/grinsforagoodcause

She later decided to add orthodontics to her practice-one of the best decisions she’s made in her career. Though she has had many great milestones in her career, she said her greatest professional achievement has been her ability to keep her eyes and mind open so others could inspire and teach her, which has in turn opened many doors for her.