Endo and Endurance: Dr. Bruce Terry Conquers the Seven Summits and Beyond
Compiled by Rae Burach
AAE Member Dr. Bruce Terry doesn’t back down from a challenge—and we don’t just mean a difficult case at his Philadelphia-area practice. Dr. Terry, 64, thrives in extreme conditions and physical tests of endurance, so much so that he is the first-known U.S. dentist to scale each of the Seven Summits—the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.
His quest began in 2007 when Dr. Terry climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Over the next decade, he successfully summited Mt. Elbrus (Europe, 2010), Aconcagua (South America, 2012), Mt. McKinley (North America, 2014), Carstensz Pyramid (Australasia, 2015), Mt. Vinson (Antarctica, 2016), and finally, Mt. Everest (Asia, 2019), completing the prestigious challenge.
After conquering the world’s highest peaks, Dr. Terry shifted his focus to long-distance skiing. In 2024, he traversed the Greenland Ice Cap, and in January 2025, he skied the “Last Degree” to the South Pole—a grueling journey that requires navigating the final 60 nautical miles to the bottom of the world.
When he’s not pushing his limits in unforgiving environments, Dr. Terry is relieving patients’ pain, teaching at Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, or spending time with his wife and adult children. Read our interview with him to learn more about his life-changing experiences:
AAE: Was climbing the Seven Summits your goal when you set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2007, or were you inspired to continue after reaching that summit?
Dr. Bruce Terry: I climbed Kilimanjaro two years after I had climbed Mt Rainier. I learned the basics of mountaineering on Rainier and learned about the seven summits. My wife and kids told me that I can go climbing, but I would never climb Everest because I was not a “real climber”; I was just a “dentist” from the Philadelphia suburbs. Each year, I would climb somewhere and gain both skill and love of the extreme outdoors. When I returned from Antarctica’s highest peak, Vinson, in 2016, my wife picked me up at the airport and asked, “When are you climbing Everest?” I told her that I was done and not allowed to climb Everest. She replied by saying that I can’t just stop at six or seven summits. I reminded her that I was not a “real climber.” She said that I was not a real climber when I started, but 14 years later I was more qualified than most of the people on my various expeditions. I trained harder than ever and climbed Cho Oyu (the world’s 6th highest peak) in 2018 and Everest in 2019.
AAE: Have you always been an avid hiker and camper, or is this something you partook in more frequently once you set your eyes on the goal of climbing the summits?
BT: I am an Eagle Scout, as is my son Henry. Scouting was a big part of my life growing up. I enjoyed backpacking once per month. As a young adult, I would go out weekend backpacking and do some easy rock climbing, but nothing like these summits. I have taken my wife and kids on several overnight trips, but only my son wanted more. After climbing Rainier, I wanted to do more technical mountaineering.
AAE: Is there one trip or experience that is your favorite or the most profound?
BT: Each trip has been a lifetime memory: the crazy jungles of Papua New Guinea to get to Carstensz Pyramid or the Hillary Step of Everest. I have read many stories about these amazing places, but when I got to the Khumbu Ice Fall on Everest or jungle of Papua, I paused in the moment to realize that I am not just reading about this—I am living and breathing it. When we had a fall coming off Denali or helping a climber who was having a heart attack on Aconcagua, I think about the real risks of what I am doing. I will carry these and so many other experiences with me forever.
AAE: What has been the most difficult challenge of these journeys?
BT: Training can be a lot of fun for me, but doing this type of sport requires you to basically be in the best shape of your life. Climbing Everest at 58 years old required me to train for one to two hours before and after work each day. Running or cycling indoors or outdoors, lifting weights, hiking with a weighted pack were my common workouts. I would spend four to six hours on Saturdays and Sundays and leave my house by 6 a.m. so I could get home by noon to be with my wife and kids. Doing all that training and still working, teaching and being a leader of the dental association was difficult. My last two ski expeditions forced me to pull a tire along the river for two to six hours several times per week.
AAE: What is it like to readjust to everyday life back in Pennsylvania after experiencing such survival? How does it affect your outlook as an endodontist?
BT: I often tell my patients that I go away to see the big picture. Hours upon hours of staring into the microscope make me dream of being back in the outdoors. It takes several weeks to feel back to normal. Your body is so worn out that it needs recovery. It’s fun to eat everything in sight. I love talking about my adventures with my patients, scout troops and other local groups. I have developed a lot of stamina and patience from these long expeditions. I return and still love being an endodontist. Patients and friends will ask, “Are you sad to be back at work?” I respond by saying that I love being in the mountains and being an endodontist; I really have the best of both worlds.
AAE: Do you find that being an endodontist provides a life balance that makes training and traveling accessible?
BT: I tell my residents that they are the luckiest people on this planet. The work-life balance as an endodontist is what you want it to be. We are so lucky to be able to make a good living doing something that most of us love to do and we can pursue so many other interests. It’s up to each of us to decide what’s best.
AAE: Why did you choose the endodontic specialty?
I went to dental school with the aim of becoming an orthodontist. During my D2 year I realized that ortho was not for me. My dream was shattered because I didn’t like tracing cephs or measuring angles. I really didn’t get what it was all about (no offense to the orthodontists. In fact, my daughter is an orthodontist.)
I like getting people out of pain and doing something that most dentists find very difficult. I found my passion in endodontics. I like the science and the process. My wife likes to tease me about being a “tooth nerd.”
AAE: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences?
BT: After climbing the tallest peaks around the world, I switched gears and began long-distance ski trips. In May of 2024, I skied across the Greenland Ice Cap for 375 miles in 30 days pulling a 170-pound sled. I traveled to Antarctica in January and spent eight days traveling 70 miles to the South Pole. I have met so many amazing people—young and old—from many different countries and with many different reasons for climbing. The one common denominator for all of us was our love of the outdoors and the desire for a challenge to go where so few travel. I have made so many friends that I continue to stay in touch with. On my recent trip to the South Pole, I met Cat Buford, a dentist from the U.K. She did a solo ski trip unsupported for 700 miles over 55 days and finished the day before us. She was an incredible woman with a great story. She has not climbed the highest peaks—she just wanted to get out and do a long ski journey for fun.
Also, one of my teammates was biting into a frozen Snickers bar and a crown came off. I always bring temp cement and cavit for dental emergencies. I recemented his crown in the tent later that day.
Rae Burach is the AAE’s integrated communications specialist.