Dr. Dan Bills Receives “Teacher of the Year” Honor at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Dan Bills was recently named “Teacher of the Year” in the Department of Orthodontics at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. The award was given on Friday June 11, 2011 at the Department graduation banquet held at the Inn at Penn in Philadelphia. “To say that I was honored and surprised to receive this award would be the understatement of the century”, said Bills. “There are so many incredible Faculty members at Penn. I am just glad that the residents are enjoying what I am teaching them.”

As an Honors graduate of Harvard University and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, Dr. Bills has always had a firm dedication to education and to his profession. Serving as a Clinical Associate in the Department of Orthodontics at Penn has allowed him the opportunity to pass on his innovative and cutting-edge approach to orthodontic treatment to the next generation of orthodontists.

As anyone who has ever spent any time at Innovative Orthodontics (Dr. Bills’ private office) will tell you, information and education play a key role in his approach to orthodontic therapy. He spends a great deal of one-on-one time with his patients and parents, and takes great pride in educating them about the many intricacies of orthodontic treatment. In addition, Dr. Bills is the Founder of the Innovative Orthodontics Institute, where he gives in-office lectures about key orthodontic issues to Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Dental Assistants. In his mind, orthodontic treatment and education are symbiotically linked, and one simply cannot exist without the other. It is his hope that this novel approach will ultimately change the way people think about orthodontics.

As the son of two teachers, the importance of education was instilled in Dr. Bills at an early age. He was a teaching assistant throughout his many years in school, and he immediately joined the Dental Staff at Virtua Hospital upon returning to South Jersey in 2004. He thoroughly enjoys teaching orthodontics to the dental residents at Virtua, and was honored as their 2008 “Teacher of the Year”. Dr. Bills joined the Faculty at Penn, the area’s only Ivy League Institution, in October 2010. Teaching at Penn has been a lifelong dream of his, and he has enjoyed this opportunity immensely. Apparently, the orthodontic residents at Penn have enjoyed it as well.

Dr. Dan Bills Installed as President of the Southern Dental Society of New Jersey

Dr. Dan Bills, an orthodontist in Sicklerville, was recently installed as the President of the Southern Dental Society of New Jersey. The ceremony was held at Woodcrest Country Club in Cherry Hill on Wednesday, May 18th. “I am honored to assume the duties and responsibilities of this prestigious office,” said Bills, “and I will continue to serve the dental community in South Jersey and beyond to the best of my ability.”

Serving organized dentistry is nothing new for Bills. He served as the national Vice-President of the American Student Dental Association while in dental school and on the American Dental Association (ADA) Committee on the New Dentist while in his orthodontic residency. During that time, Dr. Bills was honored to also serve on the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure, the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs, and the ADA Task Force on the Role of Patient Based Examinations. Most recently, he has served as a Committee Chair and a Delegate of the New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA) and as a Trustee and a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Dental Society of New Jersey.

Founded in 1899, the Southern Dental Society of New Jersey is the professional organization for dentists practicing in the New Jersey counties of Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem. The objective of the Society is to encourage interest in public dental health welfare, to cultivate the art and science of dentistry, to sustain and elevate the character and goodwill of the profession, and to promote health education, research, and study for mutual improvement.

“I could not be more excited about leading a Society with such a rich history and heritage,” said Bills. “It has been a dream of mine since I started my practice in South Jersey.”

Dr. Dan Bills is a private practice orthodontist (www.iortho.com) in Sicklerville, New Jersey. He is an honors graduate of Harvard University and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He is also on the Orthodontic Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and is on Staff in the Department of Dentistry at Virtua Hospital. He can be reached in the office at 856.875.4600 or by email at drbills@iortho.com.