Managing Stress In The New Dental Normal
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but when we control it, instead of the other way around, we feel better and have better life outcomes. Having seen patients this week and understanding what working in today’s dentist offices requires, I felt compelled to sit down and write to my dental community friends and colleagues who may not be feeling so positive. Did you know that 80% of all the thoughts we have are negative. Yes, you read …
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Adapting to today’s many changes in dental assisting
It’s been more than two months since the American Dental Association (ADA) put forth its recommendations for dentists nationwide to postpone elective procedures as a way to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus. During this time those of us in the dental assisting profession have been faced with significant challenges. Our profession includes clinical and business assistants, dental assisting educators and students, and dental assistants who serve administratively. One benefit that has been apparent throughout this …
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Dentists are sweating under three layers of face protection to get patients back
Dr. Norberto Camacho says he’s drenched in sweat and yearning for oxygen after every shift at his dental practice in Brickell, where the AC is stuck above 72 degrees and staff are adapting to multiple new layers of personal protective equipment. With an 80-year-old grandmother waiting at home and Florida hitting more than 244,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 4,100 deaths as of Friday, Camacho, 35, is determined to minimize the risk of infection for …
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Are you more than just thirsty? The dangerous impacts of dehydration
The physical environment in the dental office is more taxing than ever. A growing number of health-care professionals are experiencing profound and wide-ranging health complications since returning to the work setting. As of July 23, 2020, 65% of over 3,200 health-care providers back in active practice report dehydration. Out of 65 symptoms, dehydration tops the list as the most reported symptom.1 An increasing number of dental health-care workers are experiencing blackouts while delivering patient care, …
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MYTH BUSTERS for Dental Assistants: Dental Assistants are not oral health-care professionals and our opinions do not matter…
Wrong! Tija Hunter, CDA, EFDA, believes dental assistants should all receive mandatory training for infection control. She feels this would help them gain some of the respect that traditionally lacks toward the profession. What do you mean we aren’t professionals and our opinions do not matter? This is not just wrong, but whoa, this could not be further from the truth! Have you ever been made to feel like the black sheep of your dental office? In many …
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UPDATE: Dental Assistants Bureau of Labor and Statistics
Quick Facts: Dental Assistants 2019 Median Pay $40,080 per year$19.27 per hour Typical Entry-Level Education Postsecondary nondegree award Work Experience in a Related Occupation None On-the-job Training None Number of Jobs, 2018 346,000 Job Outlook, 2018-28 11% (Much faster than average) Employment Change, 2018-28 38,700 What Dental Assistants Do Dental assistants provide patient care, take x rays, keep records, and schedule appointments. Work Environment Almost all dental assistants work in dentists’ offices. Most work full …
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Conquering a Difficult Case
INTRODUCTION: WHERE TO START? This is one of the most challenging questions when encountering a difficult case. Patients may enter our office hoping to fix an aesthetic problem when their dental issues require far more attention than veneers or crowns alone. Every case truly begins as a “fact finding mission.” We must ask, “How did this patient get into this dental situation?” and evolve into, “Where do we want to go from here?” As dentists, we …
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CDC Releases New Guidance for Dental Care During COVID-19
The anticipation seemed to be over when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its long-awaited guidelines for dental settings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the CDC has set up a framework for dental healthcare providers, it is encouraged to consult state dental boards and state health departments to stay current on local requirements. These will vary due to the different rates of infection throughout the country. The risk associated with …
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4 Reasons to be Grateful for Dental Assistants
November brings with it the opportunity to reflect on the many reasons to appreciate dental assistants, as well as all of the ways they contribute to the dental office. In fact, dental assistants’ colleagues agree that assistants positively impact the practice, according to research commissioned by the DALE Foundation, the affiliate of the Dental Assisting National Board. The DALE Foundation’s “Value of Dental Assistants to the Dental Practice” research, which drew insights from nearly 3,000 dentists, dental …
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Use a “Growth Mindset” to Be Ready for Your Dental Comeback!
Tonya Lanthier Do You Have a Comeback Mindset? When the doors to your practice open, will you be ready? Will you be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with team members who are ready? Our ability to innovate and find new operational efficiencies is critical, but perhaps more critical to our comeback success is our “growth mindset.” Belief systems, both conscious and unconscious, can help or hinder our abilities and our behavior. Our mindsets are rooted in our belief systems and …
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UPDATE: Dentistry Workers and Employers
COVID-19 Control and Prevention This section provides guidance for dentistry workers and employers. This guidance supplements the general interim guidance for workers and employers of workers at increased risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. On March 16, 2020, the American Dental Association called for dentists to keep their offices closed to all but urgent and emergency procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak. Unless emergency dental procedures absolutely cannot be delayed, OSHA further recommends that emergency dental procedures be performed on patients with suspected or …
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An article on whether the exposures to aerosols pose a risk to dental professionals?
Abstract Background Dental care professionals are exposed to aerosols from the oral cavity of patients containing several pathogenic microorganisms. Bioaerosols generated during dental treatment are a potential hazard to dental staff, and there have been growing concerns about their role in transmission of various airborne infections and about reducing the risk of contamination. Aims To investigate qualitatively and quantitatively the bacterial and fungal aerosols before and during clinical sessions in two dental offices compared with …
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Post Coronavirus: The Alpha and Omega of a Successful Dental Hygiene Appointment
Editor’s Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up-to-date at the time of publication, but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.gov/ for the latest news and information on COVID-19. This article’s intent is how to build trust with patients once they return to the office for elective care. Why it doesn’t address new infection …
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Healthcare workers are taping photos of themselves to their protective gear to help put COVID-19 patients at ease
When patients are admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, they aren’t allowed to have visitors. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals keep their distance, interacting with them only under layers of personal protective equipment. It can be easy to feel a lack of human connection. Healthcare workers have come up with a clever way to help COVID-19 patients feel a little less isolated. Their personal protective equipment obscures their faces entirely, preventing them from offering so …
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