Dr. James Wanamaker earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in 2016 with a concentration in pediatric dentistry.
While at Buffalo, he served in multiple roles in organized dentistry, including the National Chair of the Council on Advocacy for the American Student Dental Association (ASDA).
Following dental school, he then completed a General Practice Residency at SUNY Upstate Hospital and the Syracuse VA Hospital. He has completed additional training at the Dawson Academy, Invisalign, and surgical implant placement at the Brighterway Institute. Dr. Wanamaker is a partner in his dream private practice, Smiles of Skaneateles, located outside of Syracuse, NY.
Dr. Wanamaker began working with IgniteDDS as a 3rd-year dental student. Since then, he has spoken at dental schools and conferences across the country on interview skills and finding your ideal private practice.
He is heavily involved in organized dentistry on a local, state, and national level. Dr. Wanamaker currently serves as the Chair of the New Dentist Committee for the New York State Dental Association. In 2020 Dr. Wanamaker was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
Fellows have exemplified excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society and only 3% of dentists are Fellows. Dr. Wanamaker resides in Upstate New York with his wife, Francesca, their young daughter, and Goldendoodle, Chewbacca.
Why Dental Photography Is Essential in Modern Dental Practice
By: James Wanamaker, DDS – IgniteDDS Clinical Coach In my private practice centered on esthetics and function,…
Variolink Esthetic System Review
By: Dr. James Wanamaker When I became a dental practice owner, one of my goals was to…
Systems & Simplicity: Two Words that Come to Mind When Working with the Direct Restorative Workflow Kit from Ivoclar
By: Dr. James Wanamaker I have been a fan of Ivoclar products since I was a student…
Personal affairs curtailing the potential of the associate
By: Bruce Bryen Like much of the general population, dental school graduates also face challenges while ascending to more lucrative and clinically challenging positions in professional dentistry. One major problem with personal growth in this field is the toll it takes on the home life of the dentist. The stress of the job does not…
How to Resign From A Dental Office
By: Jennifer Murphy, DDS, FAGD You’ve been working at an office for a while now and things are just not working out the way you imagined or were promised. What do you do now? First, let’s acknowledge this is never an easy position to be in. There is also no right or wrong answer, but…
4 Promises of Leadership Development That Will Transform Your Dental Career
By: Dr. Edwin “Mac” McDonald The development of leadership competencies is about developing yourself. As you look outward with the desire to influence and inspire, consider what you would gain from looking inward instead. Becoming a great leader is about your own capacity for change, as hard as change can be. In the dental practice,…
How can dental students save for their own practice?
By: Ava Guzman After graduation, dentistry students might immediately want to start working in order to get a return on their educational investment and earn a living. However, between student loans and the money needed to open up a clinic, the costs are steep. Saving Money for Your Dental Practice The American Dental Association (ADA)…
Fall Forward
By: Mohammed Hammoud There is only one way to know if your purpose aligns with your career, and that is to pursue it. I often pondered beforehand if I was making the right decision in pursuing dentistry. I shadowed hundreds of hours and volunteered my time to be positive I was making the right…
How to calm patients with dental anxiety
By: Jamie Finch If a patient is feeling too anxious before a procedure, it can make the dentist’s job much harder. While it’s important that you calm patients with dental anxiety as much as possible, doing so can be easier said than done. However, there are effective methods of soothing patients that you can easily…
Acquiring a Dental Practice: Tax Guide
By: Bruce Bryen Now that the dental school graduate has worked as an associate and feels that an understanding of the workings of a practice is known, he or she may be ready to acquire a dental practice. The knowledge of the clinical skills will be known only to the degree they were acquired while working…
Slowing employee turnover in the dental industry
By: Katie Klaes The hospitality industry was known for high employee turnover even before the pandemic. Dentistry and several other industries are now facing the same challenges, so I wanted to investigate what they are doing to attract and retain employees. Surprisingly enough, their recommendations can also be directly applied to your dental office. 5…
Remember, you’re more than just a dental student!
By: Savanah Craig When you spend 9+ hours a day at your dental school and are surrounded by people who do the same, it’s easy to let being a dental student consume your whole life. It can feel like your worth comes from your grades when all of your free time is spent studying or…
Preparing for Dental School Graduation
By: Savanah Craig If you’re anything like me, getting into dental school was the goal. I never really thought about what would happen after dental school graduation. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in Dentistry, so my path was dictated by what Ithought would allow me to get…