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Perfectionism: Friend or Foe?

By Bill Claytor, DDS, MAGD

Executive Director, NCCDP

I remember as a kid being fascinated with rocks and minerals, especially gemstones. As a collector, the gemstone that immediately caught my eye was an emerald and to this day it is still my favorite. I was enthralled with the beauty and richness of the deep green color and considered the emerald to be the perfect gemstone, even above a diamond. However, my perception of the perfect emerald was not real. Gemologists will tell you that even the “perfect” emerald has flaws embedded inside because that’s how they form in the ground. The concept of a “perfect” emerald being “flawed” didn’t make sense to me at first until I looked under a microscope. How could this apparently clear and beautiful gemstone have flaws? I realized that this is exactly how we as human beings are: Imperfect. Nobody is perfect and we should be careful not to set an unobtainable standard of perfection as our goal. Read More

New Changes for License Renewal in 2023

By Bill Claytor, DDS, MAGD

Executive Director, NCCDP

Mental health issues are often viewed as isolated events in an individual while often associated with the individual as being "weak" or not able to stand the pressure. Drug and alcohol problems are often thought of as separate issues from mental health maladies while in fact nothing may be further from the truth. Read More

New Changes from the DEA in 2023

By Bill Claytor, DDS, MAGD

Executive Director, NCCDP

Many questions and concerns have been presented to me over the past several weeks about the NEWMATE Act CE requirements. I thought I would include two valuable resources I have found to be useful for your review. Read More

Destination...Recovery. Next Stop...New Freedom.

By a Happy Dentist in Recovery

For as long as I can remember, nothing beat the excitement of taking a vacation. That time away meant not only taking a break from work but also being able to blow off steam and decompress. The anticipation of getting ready for indulging in my favorite drinks in a tropical or exotic location and the excitement of partying without any stress of having to work the next day was invigorating. Read More

Recovery on the Road

By a Grateful Recovering Alcoholic

In reflection of my road to recovery, many of my pleasures today are the many

connections made and friendships developed with great people across the country. My life is richer for meeting every one of those individuals and there is no way those meetings would or could have happened had I not been sober. When I drank, it was to escape the world and certainly not to reach out to a stranger, which is how each one of these people entered my life. We were once all strangers in a room filled with those seeking a common solution to a common problem. I needed them as much as they, me, and from that understanding we opened ourselves to receiving more questions and providing answers and before I knew it, I knew them. Read More

Opportunity in Recovery

From a Grateful Recovering Alcoholic

As I received my 20-year sobriety chip from my A.A. Meeting home, the COVID-19 pandemic brought emotional, physical, and professional challenges unprecedented in my life. The volatility and instability of our new reality amplified my struggles of navigating loneliness, fear of aging, physical challenges, and work uncertainty. Despite these difficulties, staying clean and sober becomes even more important in steering with a healthy sense of myself and my power. Read More

Reminder

Representatives of the NCCDP are always available to share the history and mission of the NCCDP with various groups, including hygiene schools, dental schools and any other professional dental organization.

Please call us to schedule a presentation: 1-980-295-2055

North Carolina Caring Dental Professionals Program

PO Box 2987

Shelby, NC 28151

(980) 295-2055

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