In this podcast, American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) President Myron Guymon, DDS, MS, joins host Alison Werner for the Orthodontic Products podcast on the Medqor Podcast Network. Guymon, who just started his 1-year term as AAO president, shares his priorities for his term and talks about the ongoing work of the AAO.

Guymon, who is a graduate of Baylor Dental College (now known as Texas A&M School of Dentistry) and went on to open his practice in northern Utah, started in leadership at the component level with the Utah Association of Orthodontists before moving on to leadership roles within the Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists. As he was closing out his presidency of the Utah state association, he had his first opportunity to become involved with the AAO with its Council on Communications.

In this episode, Guymon talks about the benefits of being involved in state, regional, and national orthodontic associations. As Guymon says, “We are so much better together as a group.” At the same time, he acknowledges that not every orthodontist wants to get involved in leadership; but there are still a myriad of opportunities to still get involved and make a difference—whether it’s serving on a committee or task force, or simply sending a text to a legislator.

Guymon, who stepped into his term as AAO president for 2023-2024 at the close of the recent AAO Annual Session in Chicago, shares that his number one priority for his term is to be help shepherd the many initiatives that have been launched in recent years—such as TechSelect and the New Product Showcase. As Guymon puts it, the AAO seeks to support and encourage innovation in the profession.

From there, Guymon talks about the latest campaign from the AAO Consumer Awareness Program—or CAP—and the association’s advocacy work. At the federal level, the AAO remains focused on such issues as student load relief and the RAISE Act. But it’s at the state and regulatory level, that Guymon says the AAO has been able to have a more immediate impact. He talks about the AAO’s approach and how its team has been able to monitor and react quickly to ensure the health and safety of the profession and patients.

In this interview, Guymon also shares his thoughts on how the profession has evolved, the AAO’s diversity and inclusion work and upcoming Winter Conference in San Antonio and next Annual Session in New Orleans, and how the AAO can work with DSOs/OSOs. OP