Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Tim Penberthy ENDO 95 Named as President of Idaho State Dental Association
Dr. Tim Penberthy ENDO 95 was named president of the Idaho State Dental Association (ISDA) for a one-year term, effective July 1.
Penberthy said, in his new role, he is looking forward to continuing supporting local dentists and connecting them with the best resources possible.
“It seems that more and more dentists aren’t wanting to be involved, but we have to have some organized dentistry to help our dentists,” Penberthy said. “I always felt like I should give back to the dentists that were before me and helped get where I am.”
The ISDA, a constituent of the American Dental Association (ADA), aims to empower dental professionals in Idaho to provide high-quality dental healthcare to the public. Penberthy has several short- and long-term goals aligned to this mission that he’d like to achieve over the next year.
One of Penberthy’s aspirations is to ensure that patients receive best value from their dental plans by shifting the state’s dental loss ratio to increase the percentage of dental insurance premiums that a carrier spends on patient care instead of overhead. He also wants to diversify the ISDA’s revenues to reduce its reliance on member dues, and to integrate the dental association with the hygiene and dental assisting associations.
Most importantly, Penberthy wants every dentist in the state of Idaho to feel at home with the ISDA. The association currently represents more than 70 percent of Idaho dental professionals; Penberthy wants to get to 100 percent.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re in private practice or they work for a dental company, we want them all to be members of our association and have a say in how the state runs,” Penberthy said.
Penberthy is a Northwest native and was a dentist in solo practice for five years in Post Falls, Idaho, before attending GSDM for his endodontics residency. Following his commencement in 1995, he said members of ISDA approached him, asking him to get involved. They were persistent, and Penberthy became first a trustee, then president of a local society, and then eventually a member of the ISDA’s executive committee. He said it was easy for him to become involved–and that ease hasn’t changed.
Being involved in a state dental association is more than assisting the current generation, Penberthy said. It’s about fostering a positive dental profession for the next generation–which includes his three children, two of whom– Skylar ‘Grizz’ Penberthy ENDO 22 and Brittney Penberthy—work alongside him at a specialty private practice limited to endodontics in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington. His third child, Jeremiah Penberthy, will be starting his GSDM endodontic residency next year.
“It’s our future and we have to take it by the reins,” Penberthy said. “We have to guide our future. Otherwise, someone else will do it for us.”