Growing up, Wendy Clark saw firsthand the impact that a team of dental specialists (orthodontics, oral surgery, and prosthodontics) had on changing her younger brother’s life and his smile. Wanting to help people and make that same impact, she is a prosthodontics practitioner in Chapel Hill as well as a clinical assistant professor at UNC’s Adams School of Dentistry.
We wanted to know more about her work in prosthodontics, the specialty of restoring and replacing teeth, both functionally and esthetically, and how she is using innovative techniques like 3D printing to streamline the process of complete denture fabrication for patients.
I think – especially in dentistry – the biggest misconception is that innovators and entrepreneurs want to change everything and ignore history and fundamentals. The greatest innovators and visionaries I have worked with truly value the lessons learned from their mentors, and incorporate evidence-based theories and practices into their work.
I had the opportunity to teach my first course ever last year (Complete Dentures, part of the dental school curriculum). The course was run very well and effectively by the retiring course director, who had taught it for many years. I had a vision of an integrated digital/conventional curriculum. In addition to the fundamentals that had been taught very well (but relatively unchanged) for decades, I really wanted to empower the students to embrace digital technology; to give them the tools they need for their future practice, whatever it may look like.
Without any experience (but with a LOT of help), I broke down and rebuilt the entire curriculum to weave CAD-CAM throughout the entire course. I was grateful I did, as this allowed for some digital learning experiences when classes went remote in the spring.
Whistle! I’m not a great singer, but I have an excellent whistling range.
Don’t let anyone define success for you. I spent a long time making choices in my life and career based on other peoples’ goals and expectations. When you are living someone else’s dream, it’s easy to compare yourself to others – leading to a lack mentality. Once I defined success for myself, and followed the path that felt right for me, I felt like I had found home.
I was in private practice as a dentist before I changed to a career in education. I left an independent profession (you make your own decisions and you are accountable for them), and became part of a very wonderful but very large team. The biggest pain point for me has been learning how to successfully move forward with initiatives – no longer as an individual, but part of the university.
I’ve adapted by asking a lot of questions to very smart and helpful people – the commercialization team, the Center for Faculty Excellence, the BEAM team, Innovate Carolina…the list is endless. I always say it takes a village to raise a prosthodontist!
Designing, crafting and creating things- especially with my kids. There’s always yarn, hot glue, or a design software going at my house.
For any UNC faculty, staff, or student, I always recommend the BEAM Makerspace. The resources are phenomenal, no matter your skill or experience level. The staff have completely changed the way I teach, and I feel so fortunate that I learned some of the tools before we changed to remote teaching last year.
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