Orthotown July-August 2023 - 8

Board Profi les
Each month this year,
Orthotown will spotlight
a member of its editorial
advisory board-the
doctors who've agreed to
help our staff determine
whether an article is a
3 QUESTIONS WITH
Dr. Andrew
Sarpotdar
Dr. Andrew Sarpotdar may have a penchant for applying
findings from Myers-Briggs Type Index assessments when
figuring out how to improve interpersonal communication, but
in his article " 'Type' Casting " (p. 34), the Arizona orthodontist
also cautions about using such types as a screening tool.
" Our personality type is not who we are-merely a facade
we develop in response to our environment, " he says. In our
exclusive Q&A, Sarpotdar discusses how he has applied MBTI
assessment results to his own practice, what he's looking
forward to at this year's Mother of Pearls Conference and more.
How have you used Myers-Briggs Type Index
assessments to positive effect at your practice?
Soon after my offi ce started exploring MBTI, I promoted
two of my employees to leadership positions at the same
time. One of them was an independent and idealistic
" Advocate " (INFJ), while the other was an authoritative
and hierarchical " Executive " (ESTJ). In retrospect, it should
have been no surprise when confl ict arose around the ESTJ
trying to assert dominance over the INFJ, in spite of them
being in charge of independent departments. What in the
past would have erupted into a major issue, with potential
to lose one or more of my leaders, was resolved amicably as
we talked through the perceptions and drives that had led
to the altercation. Th rough empathy and self-awareness, we
were able to resolve the confl ict and it never arose again.
As the founder of the Orthodontic Pearls Facebook
group and its annual meeting, what's something
you're excited about for this year's Mother of Pearls
Conference in San Diego (Oct. 12-14)?
It has been a pleasure watching both the forum and the
meeting grow and mature over the past fi ve years. Th is
year's meeting in San Diego will be the best one yet in light
of our exceptional speaker lineup and venue, but I'm most
excited about reprising my role as a " Bite Straight Boy " in
great fit for publication, vet
those articles for accuracy
and clarity, and suggest
ideas and sources for
content that will run in
future issues.
the all-orthodontist band Relapse. Th is year will include
a Top Gun-themed performance on the USS Midway for all
attendees. It's going to be a blast!
Tell us more about your puggles, Chief and Lexie,
who are regulars at Icon Orthodontics and inspired
your " Puggle Patrol " kids club.
Th e puggles have probably been the most popular element
of our practice since my wife, Dr. Jenny Sun, and I introduced
them six years ago. Th ey're not offi cially designated
therapy dogs, but they are certainly therapeutic for both
our patients and our team! We started off keeping the
dogs in the back offi ce for team morale, but they soon
became such a hit with patients that I constructed a
fenced-off " puggle park " in an unused area of our offi ce,
where they stay throughout the day rather than roaming
around and getting too friendly with patients undergoing
treatment. A few years ago, we incorporated them
as mascots in our observation program, which we call
the " Puggle Patrol, " and they've been core to our practice
identity ever since. OT
JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 8 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
http://www.ORTHOTOWN.COM
Orthotown July-August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown July-August 2023
