President’s Message
Dr. Jill Sonner

Happy New Year to you all! It is not only a pleasure but an honor to serve as the 2012 RWCDS President. I have such big shoes to fill
behind Dr. Eve Brown, Dr. Tony Horalek and Dr. Shelley Olsen. It has been wonderful serving on the Executive Board for the past 4 years, I give the board members credit for all of their hard work and input keeping this Society thriving and energized. Serving on the board with such great peers has been very valuable to me as I grow in my career as a dentist. Dr. Thom Buttler has been a remarkable Executive Director and is one of the most organized people I know. Thank you, Thom,
for your hard work and support of the society over the past eight years. I would also like to thank, Dr. Gary Oyster and Dr. Alec Parker for inviting me to participate in legislative events and teaching me how to support our dental community with integrity and poise. In the past two years our profession has been faced with many issues of major concern:corporate ownership, advanced dental hygiene providers, service taxes, red flag rule, and unannounced OSHA / Radiation inspections. These are merely the most popular among many
more. Without the sheer passion and commitment of some of our dedicated members and the Dental PAC, we would be in high water.Dr. Parker, Brown and McKaig amaze me with their ongoing efforts and their “never give up” mentality when it comes to fighting the issues facing our profession. Our immediate threat has been with corporate ownership, and my generation of providers has a tough battle. Often times when talking to fellow dentists they are completely unaware of the current danger. The opposition has hired some of the brightest lawyers and lobbyists to fight their way into North Carolina. Should we lose this battle, the way we practice will not only change but it will become cheapened. We have to ALL participate and stay abreast of these issues so that we can maintain our voice and speak for what is best for the patients in North Carolina. We have been extremely blessed to be in a state that remains committed to patient care as witnessed
by the amount of care provided by our outreach programs; Donated Dental Services, Wake Smiles and the dozen or more MOMS projects each year. A special thanks to Dr. Jack Sowter for encouraging me to always become more involved beyond my day to day practice of dentistry. If it wasn’t for your wisdom and guidance, I’d be stuck in
a rut somewhere without access to such a great community of dentists! We have an ongoing terrific line up of speakers this year. May we all experience health, happiness and prosperity as we embark upon the 2012 year.

Warmest Regards,
Jill Sonner DDS
Proud 2012 President for the RWCDS