A lot has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world. But one thing that certainly hasn’t changed is the need for quality dental care provided by dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants.

Improve your practice’s productivity with checklists that will rock your world.

Whether it’s posted on the kitchen fridge at home, on a counter in a surgical room, or on a workstation as part of an aeronautical preparation for takeoff, a checklist is one of the most essential tools that you can use to ensure everything runs smoothly. After all, you’re only human and there’s only so much information you can keep in your brain.

When you are running a dental practice, things don’t always go according to plan. Particularly, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are getting sick, going on  emergency leave, and even resigning to join potentially safer professions. On a more positive note, some practices are experiencing a sudden rise in demand for service after the resumption of non-urgent dental procedures. Any of these scenarios may leave you, the dental practice owner, with an immediate need to momentary cover a position or two.  

There’s never a bad time to improve yourself. While the world is stressing over the coronavirus, one way to stay grounded is to increase your market value by expanding or broadening your skills. Whether you’ve been fully laid off because of the pandemic or your hours have been cut back due lack of patient appointments, these resources will help you fill your spare time and make you a better dental professional.

In recent years, organizations have set their sights on improving their hiring process, and it is resulting in lots of changes as to how candidates are considered, sourced, and recruited. Today, companies look at fewer CVs than ever, and some no longer advertise their open positions with traditional media.  

Following the World Health Organization’s latest recommendations about patients delaying elective treatment, it’s likely you’ve received some calls from concerned patients who want to cancel their appointments over fears of contracting COVID-19. You might have even heard  your staff express unease with their greater  risk of exposure. 

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things" - Peter F. Drucker

In August, the World Health Organization recommended that people only go to the dentist for dental emergencies  to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not ordered practices throughout the country to close down as they had previously. Dental offices in most states can still provide patients with elective treatment.

There aren’t many smiling faces around right now — and it’s not because of the face masks. COVID-19 is causing huge levels of sadness, stress and anxiety all around the world, and it’s not surprising. For the past few months, hardly anything has been certain, a situation which has taken a great toll on everyone.

No one likes long work commutes. They’re a waste of time: there’s so much more important stuff you could be getting on with. They’re expensive:  you can’t earn any money while you’re commuting yet it’s still part of the job. And they’re boring: there are only so many mornings you can spend reading, listening to music or playing on your phone before the monotony grinds you down.

Asking for a salary raise in any situation can be daunting, but add in an unstable economy, and endless uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, and it becomes downright terrifying.  But do not be put-off just yet. There is no black and white approach when it comes to this issue. In fact, it depends on your situation and the dental office you are working for.

If you are contemplating becoming a medical assistant or dental assistant, you will realize that the two professions are quite similar. Both medical assistants and dental assistants work under the supervision of certified doctors: dentists and physicians. They both play supportive roles in the office, like patient record management and paperwork filing.

Technically, the answer to this question is yes. Research has revealed that masks are very effective in preventing viral diseases, but only in people who wear them correctly.

After being forced to provide only emergency treatment to patients for weeks due to the coronavirus, many dental practices are now experiencing a surge in patients requesting appointments. With so many patients to treat, you might be considering hiring additional dental assistants. 

A dental office is only as successful as the owner, employees, and its practice management software or program. With software playing such a vital role in your practice’s success, picking the right software then is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In fact, this is something you should take time to reflect on, just as you would if you were purchasing a home. You must ask the right questions, check the advantages and disadvantages of all the software solutions available, and enlist the help of others.

Working with temp staff has always had many benefits for dental practice owners. But in the strange new world created by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s never been a better time to work with temp staff than now.

It is recommended to enroll in an accredited dental assisting course as the best choice of action to pursue a career as a dental assistant. The more professional the training and education, the better the opportunity to land a good job.  

Here’s a quick primer on the ways you can earn Engagement Points with Cloud Dentistry, and what those points mean.

As the confirmed cases of COVID-19 rises, healthcare workers, including dental professionals, are becoming more and more paranoid. Morale is fast dwindling as many fear for their lives. “We are right on the front line — in the mouth, working with the bacteria that spread COVID,” said Tahita Ross, a dental hygienist who practices in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

When COVID-19 ravaged the country in March, dental practices were largely shut down, except for emergency procedures. Now, as the country steadily reopens, dental offices are starting to get back to business; however, under firmer health and safety guidelines

For many dentists, running a successful practice is quite an overwhelming task. Between handling dentures, fillings, bridges, and extractions, you are also busy billing, overseeing inventory, and marketing your services to the world. But do not let the “everyday” routine hold you back from discovering fresh ideas and ways of running your operations.

There has always been some risk of dental professionals and patients coming into contact with an infectious disease in the dental practice. But following COVID-19, the danger of contracting a disease is greater than ever before. Following the CDC’s guidelines and providing only urgent treatment is an option. But there’s only so long you can do that until you’re forced to dive into your savings so deep that you can never resurface.

According to the Myers & Briggs Foundation, there are four main personality classes, each of which can be broken down into another four, more specific categories. This gives you 16 personality types in total.

A report published in the California Healthline towards the end of July showed that doctors and dental offices are still affected by COVID-19 job losses several months into the pandemic. While the industry recovered some jobs lately, employment in medical outpatient care in June remained 7 percent below pre-COVID levels. 

Elective and non-urgent dental procedures are now being carried out across the country. Without a shred of doubt, dentists and dental practice owners are happy about this. They believe many of their patients are grateful they are back open, too. However, it is not back to business as usual. There are new mandated policies, protocols, and changes to be implemented to protect all involved. 

If you're sometimes doubting if you're doing the best you can, you're not alone: every dentist wants to be revered as an expert clinician and a caring, considerate human being. The very nature of the work is to improve people’s lives from a total wellbeing standpoint to include an esthetic, artistic vantage.   

Dentistry has always been a stressful occupation, with most dental professionals considering their jobs being significantly more stressful than any other career. The stress didn't get any less with COVID-19. And while a small amount of stress is fairly common in almost every job, it’s when you let things build up for too long that serious problems start to arise for your staff, your patients and yourself.

States throughout the country have allowed dental practices to reopen for elective treatment. While this is great news for many practice owners, some dental staff are experiencing high levels of anxiety about returning to work. Although dental practices are doing everything they can to mitigate the spread of infection, dental professionals are still some of the most at-risk people of contracting the virus.

Nothing has been the same since COVID-19. And until a reliable treatment for the virus becomes publicly available, it’s very possible that dental practices will continue to struggle with the problems they originally faced back in March when the pandemic first started. From equipment shortages and lack of patients to losing staff and major state restrictions, it looks like these big challenges are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Now more than ever, probably the biggest concern for dentists in practice is, “do I have enough patients?” Practice management consultants will focus on the numbers of new patients, the average production garnered from each and whether the patient returns to the practice or not (retention).

Almost all dental practices in states across the country can now open for elective treatment. And while the statistics were very promising to begin with, recent reports are suggesting that the initial surge of interest from patients is dwindling and is shortly expected to reach a plateau.

In an interview with my Social Practice, one dentist by the name Dr Craig Spodak said, “I do believe that the ultimate purpose of a business is to provide compassion, trust, love… We’re not in business just to make money; money is the effect of doing something with love. Everything we do is born from wanting to create a sense of community, whether that community is within our office or the community that we serve.”

The most challenging task of the dentist CEO is putting together the best dental team.  Even though each person is hired individually based on their own merits, they must come together as a cohesive and synergistic team.

If your practice is based in a state with a high number of Spanish speakers, it’s likely the thought of hiring bilingual staff has crossed your mind at least once. When your dental team can speak two languages, you can significantly increase the number of patients you treat, boosting your practice’s revenue. But finding qualified bilingual staff can be a struggle.

Are you considering becoming a restorative dental hygienist? If yes, you are not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the dental hygienist profession is among the fastest-growing career paths in the U.S.A.

When you qualify as a dentist, two paths open up in front of you. You can take one path that leads you down the road to opening up your own dental practice and working for yourself. Or you can take the other path and work as a dentist in someone else’s practice. 

COVID-19 or not, a career as an RDH (registered dental hygienist) can be extremely rewarding on multiple levels. You get to help patients achieve maintain a beautiful, healthy smile and you work in a hands-on environment in a way that really lets you make a difference. As a dental hygiene professional, your skills, abilities and knowledge are in high demand in dental practices across the country. 

As a result of the ongoing pandemic, dentists and their staff must observe a set of safety measures before they can see patients.

As of June 19, every US state has given dental offices permission to reopen following the COVID-19 outbreak for any type of procedure. Dental practices in Texas were able to return to full dental practices much earlier on May 1.

As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records, the median annual pay for hygienists was $76,220. So, can this be considered a decent salary? And what are the aspects that would determine if a certain income is a decent salary or not?

For the millions who have been laid off because of COVID-19, one fear probably looms above the rest: staying jobless after their unemployment benefits expire.

Short answer: never a dull moment!

COVID-19 comes with many challenges and risks. Despite the pandemic, being a dental hygienist is a hugely interesting, challenging and gratifying profession. You get to do interesting tasks, work as part of a close-knit team, educate people about their dental health and literally bring smiles to thousands of patients’ faces over the course of your career. 

According to dentistryiq.com and things changed a lot since COVID-19 started, a career as a dental hygienist offers one of the best work-life balances there is. But no matter whether you’re just starting out in your path as a newly-qualified RDH (registered dental hygienist) or whether you’ve done the job for years, things can get on top of you and you can quickly lose the wonderful work-life balance that first attracted you to the role.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is still a very real threat, it’s not surprising that patients are nervous about visiting the dentist. But there’s only so long they can put off their next dental appointment before they start doing themselves some serious damage. Help encourage your patients to return to your practice by making their next visit as pleasant and enjoyable as possible with the following tips.   

With the restorative dentistry market anticipated to be worth $25.9 billion by 2025, now is a great time to consider hiring a restorative dental hygienist if your dental practice is lacking one. While hiring an RDH with experience in restorative dentistry might seem an easy way to increase revenue, it might not be the right choice for every dental practice owner.

Working as an RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist) has its positives and negatives. And while the positives are easy to take, it’s really how you deal with the negatives that will determine whether your career in the dental industry will be a success. The best way to deal with bad parts? Look on the funny side!

The healthcare industry lost 1.4 million jobs in April, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Dental offices, however, took the biggest wallop of jobs lost.  Employment in the dental industry declined from 959, 300 to 456, 000, according to this report. That’s a loss of about 503, 300 jobs — an unusual drop of 52%.  

While the majority of dental hygienists enjoy their career and the incredible flexibility it provides, there are some dental hygienists who have grown tired of working for someone else and want to move in a different direction. If you want to take control of your professional life and become more independent, consider opening up your own dental practice and being your own boss. 

If you’ve been working as an RDH for a while, there’s a good chance the thought of being an independent dental hygienist has crossed your mind at least once. Choosing this career path means you get to continue doing the job you love, while gaining all the liberating freedom of becoming a freelancer. Before you make a rushed decision, it’s important you’re aware of all the additional responsibilities which come with that freedom. 

This is part 1/2 of our miniseries on agile dental staffing

Being a registered dental hygienist (RDH) in the U.S.A can be a rewarding profession. It’s a field that is known to offer flexibility, prestige, financial security, and high levels of job satisfaction. However, to be allowed to practice as a hygienist in the U.S, you must have graduated from a dental hygiene program and met the qualifications for your respective state-licensure.

Are leaders born or made? Some people are born with a strong personality that compels them to lead. But that doesn’t mean everyone is doomed to a lifetime of following the leader.

 “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” — William Shakespeare.

Dental hygienists play an indispensable role in every dental practice up and down the country. These integral people are in charge of everything from cleaning patients’ teeth and making nervous people feel more relaxed to taking mouth x-rays and educating patients on at-home dental hygiene. 

COVID-19 devastated many industries and cost thousands of workers across the US their jobs. But one small piece of positivity to come out of the destructive virus is many employers recognizing the importance of the sharing economy and leveraging the skills of independent contractors.

Work is changing. It’s true for professionals in every sector. Businesses are hiring freelancers and consultants instead of full-time workers. People are leaving corporate jobs and starting their own small businesses. The Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences reports that 60 million Americans will be self-employed by 2020. In every sector, people are offering their talents and skills directly to businesses and individuals.

People outside of dentistry are often surprised to learn that many dental professionals don’t have full time, permanent jobs. But registered dental hygienists (RDHs) and dental assistants know the truth. Permanent positions in dental hygiene and dental assisting aren’t always available, and many dental professionals aren’t interested in staying in one place. Whether by necessity or by choice, RDHs have pieced together work schedules through dental temp agencies for decades.

A career in dental hygiene puts you in a position to help others while working in a growing, lucrative field. Working as an oral healthcare professional is a great choice for many reasons, but it’s not for everyone. If you are struggling to decide and before spending the money, time and effort to become a registered dental hygienist (RDH), it’s important to know as much as possible about the job, including all the advantages and disadvantages of a career in dental hygiene

The number of people visiting dental clinics is rising as more and more families begin to understand the importance of proper dental hygiene. According to ADA, 58% of people surveyed in 2017 visit the dentist at least once every year. This is a sizable increase compared to the 33% of adults who visited the dentist annually in the mid-1950s. 

There’s no doubt that working with temporary dental staff can save you a lot of money. Only paying for dental professionals when you need their services frees up a lot of budget you can spend more wisely on other parts of your business. But did you know you could save even more money by ditching the dental assistant temp agency and switching to Cloud Dentistry?

If the recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has got you considering a career change, dentistry is a fantastic choice. With a greater-than-average anticipated growth in demand for a line of work that’s always going to be needed by the general public, anyone studying to become a dental professional today is unlikely to struggle for work after they graduate.

Due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, many people across all industries are finding themselves without a job. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself or waiting for everything to blow over, now is a great time to get ahead of the competition and build an amazing resume that will help you land your dream job.

...and give Cloud Dentistry a shot instead.

Dentistry’s bright future will make you glad you’re a dental professional

A lot has changed in dentistry since the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world. But one thing that hasn’t been affected is the value dental professionals bring to the table. 

We are at the midst of a crisis. Positive cases of COVID-19 seem to be rising each new day, and everybody is greatly affected by this pandemic. For nearly two months, businesses, including dental practices, were in lockdown to prevent the disease from spreading.

Not taking care of your oral health can leave you with something a lot worse than bad teeth. From diabetes to cardiovascular disease, neglecting dental hygiene can result in all kinds of dangerous health conditions, including COVID-19.

The face of dentistry in the post-coronavirus world is very different to that before the pandemic. With so many changes and no guarantee of when a COVID-19 vaccine will be made publicly available, it’s likely you’re re-thinking many aspects of your business, including your pricing.

If you were to think of a highly risky profession during COVID-19, it would probably be that of the dental hygienist.

In March 2020, ADA recommended that dentists postpone all elective procedures to stop the spread of COVID-19. As the pandemic gets more under control, dental surgeries throughout the US are reopening their practices for routine care. Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Georgia are just some of the current 42 states where dental offices are open for elective procedures.

Even during these uncertain times, one thing’s for sure — dentistry is never going to be the same again. After the coronavirus severely impacted countries throughout the world, it became clearer than ever the importance of having strict safety protocols in the healthcare industry and making sure they’re enforced.

Dentistry is categorized as being a high risk for COVID-19 transmission. Reason being, the main channels of infection are relevant to most procedures performed daily in dental offices, with aerosols being the ardently debated topic.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises, dentists and healthcare care providers should remain informed about the best clinical practices to counter this pandemic.

Due to the nationwide economic collapse caused by the coronavirus, many people throughout the US are currently receiving more money through unemployment benefits than they were from their jobs. According to Business Insider, around 50% of workers in the US can currently earn more money by collecting unemployment benefits than working their regular jobs.

The minimum qualification you need to become a dental hygienist is an associate degree in dental hygiene. There are other qualifications you can obtain to be eligible for the role, but an associate degree is the fastest way to become an RDH. To help you decide which degree is best suited to your future goals, here’s a detailed overview of the different qualifications you need to become a registered dental hygienist and how to get them. 

Almost every business has felt the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, but perhaps none more than dental practices. In fact, a few days ago, the American Dental Association (ADA) initiated a campaign to urge Congress to address dentistry, in the coming round of COVID-19 relief legislation. 

Whether you are a suburbanite or a big city person, we all have our personal preferences in terms of where we prefer to work.

Many dental hygienists and dental assistants are currently finding themselves out of work due to the coronavirus. Whether you’ve been fired from your position to cut down on your employer’s costs or you’re in self-isolation to help reduce the spread of the virus, now is a fantastic time to reflect on your career, assess where you want to be in the future and create a plan to get you there.

The spread of COVID-19 is having an earth-shattering impact on most businesses, and dental practices have not been lucky either. Many are restricting their practice to emergency and urgent cases only, while others are opting to remain closed for several weeks until normalcy returns. Some states have closed dental practices entirely. According to California’s Dental Association president, Dr. Richard Nagy, such regulations and decisions are meant to ensure that dentists and their staff, as well as their patients, are safe from Coronavirus disease. 

If you’ve recently been dismissed from your job as a dental hygienist, see this time in your life as an opportunity to try something new. If you were getting bored of your old way of working, now’s the time to look into alternative career options in dentistry. Whether you’re temporarily out of work due to the coronavirus or you’re permanently out of work because your old office has closed down, there are always other options out there.

Regardless of the levels of success, competency, or experience, at one time or another, almost every dental staff experiences professional fears and moments of doubt. For instance, currently, the novel Coronavirus is a case study of uncertainty. No dental staff can predict how long the pandemic, or fear of the pandemic will ultimately affect their job or the economy.

Millions of people in the U.S.A face considerable barriers to obtaining the critical dental care they need to attain good oral health. The reason being, there is a scarcity of dental providers in some parts of the country.

When the outbreak first began, COVID-19 was known as the “novel” coronavirus, because everything about it was entirely new. Despite there being six other known coronaviruses, none were similar enough to help experts understand how the virus behaved or responded. This is still true today. It will take years of study and research to fully understand the impact of the devastating pandemic. 

One question patients have, even in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, is whether dental care can ever be affordable or accessible to everyone? Their uncertainty towards this issue is supported by the fact that a majority of dental practices have followed the market trends and hiked their prices.

Not having access to affordable dental treatment impacts many people’s lives in ways that stretch far beyond having the perfect Hollywood smile. From an increase in developing serious diseases and worsening already-present health conditions to being socially-stigmatized and less likely to find work, the lack of economical dentistry in the United States further widens the gap between rich and poor in our society. 

One of the best ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus and protect your dental practice is to determine whether patients are possibly carrying the virus before you treat them. Until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, the most effective method of reducing your risk of developing the disease is to avoid coming into contact with anyone already infected.

Businesses, dental businesses included, love nothing more than stability. Well, they do enjoy profits; however, those come when markets are predictable and consistent, and where business owners can accurately plan for a future that is plainly laid out before them.  

Dental professionals are at a much higher risk of catching respiratory infections, such as COVID-19, than people in other professions. Because of this, it’s important you take extra precautions to keep yourself safe and limit the spread of the coronavirus within your practice. Here are some steps you can put into action right away to protect yourself against infections in the dental office.

With the staggering rate at which COVID-19 is spreading across the United States, it’s likely dental professionals are going to start coming into contact with patients carrying the virus. To help protect your practice against infection, it’s important you know how to spot symptoms of the coronavirus.

As dental businesses are forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to go dark and even postpone some procedures, worried owners are desperate for financial aid to help them salvage the situation since they can’t survive for long without routine clients.

With the coronavirus spreading so rapidly, it’s only a matter of time before your area is affected. When it is, have you thought about how your dental practice is going to deal with it? Are you better off continuing to run your business and treat patients? Or is it best to close your doors and wait until the outbreak is under control?

With coronavirus cases and deaths rising by the hour, it’s only natural that patients will be extremely concerned about having dental work done at this time. While we recommend delaying non-urgent treatments, some patients might consider postponing treatment they really need until the pandemic is under control. This could result in your patients suffering intense pain and ultimately creating bigger problems for themselves in the future.

The most affected sectors to date include travel and tourism (cruise ships, hotels, and airlines), education, and oil, as demand continues to decrease. Does that mean that other sectors like the dental industry have not yet been impacted? The dental industry, like any other industry, is not an exception. That aside, though, the big question should be, when push comes to solve, what can dental practice owners do to prevent further financial damage to their practices during this period? 

The disease is spreading throughout the country and if it can’t be effectively contained soon, it’s possible some people will be advised or even forced to self-quarantine or self-isolate. While this is a powerful combat tactic, it could result in big staffing problems for business owners.

COVID-19 is spreading rapidly throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate for the coronavirus is currently 3.4%. The disease has already killed more than 6,100 people and if it continues to escalate, the consequences could be devastating for everyone. 

Even though the markets partially recovered right before the weekend, more extreme fluctuations are expected due the COVID-19. Hundreds of American workers have already lost jobs over the past week, as the coronavirus epidemic starts to take a more profound toll on the global economy, and brings more organizations to a standstill. With that in mind, do you think your dental job is secure?  

Regardless of how long you have been in the dental industry, the tax season will be no way considered as “easy.” Wadding the bulk of the year’s tax work into a few days defies all chances of normalcy at the office. The combination of long days, sleepless nights, and stacks of work take a toll on even the most composed dental practice owner.

Taking appropriate action to protect yourself against infections in the dental practice is essential. Especially during a global outbreak. One of the most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). This includes gloves, impermeable smock, protective eyewear and medical/surgical mask. But what do you do when you can’t get the supplies you need to protect yourself?

There are many ways to control the spread of infection, but one of the most effective is immunization. According to WHO, vaccines prevent 2-3 million deaths every year from potentially deadly diseases such as diphtheria, measles and influenza. As of March 3rd 2020, COVID-19 has a mortality rate of 3.4%. This figure could be seriously reduced by the introduction of a globally-available vaccine, making the coronavirus much less dangerous.

As healthcare workers constantly in close contact with the oral and nasal cavities of patients, dental professionals are at the front line of recognizing symptoms and helping to stop the spread of the latest coronavirus. Regardless of whether your dental practice is located within an area affected by the disease or not, it’s crucial your office follows the recommended CDC guidelines to protect the health of your patients, your employees and yourself. 

From your team of staff and your equipment to the treatments you offer and your interior design, there are many parts of your dental practice that are fairly simple to change, but location isn’t one of them. To help you avoid the horror of realizing you’ve made a terrible mistake and then the staggeringly high cost of fixing the error, it’s important you do your research when it comes to choosing the location for your dental practice and get it right first time round.

“Your services are no longer required”, “We’re taking things in a different direction”, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go”...however it’s worded, all three of these phrases mean the same thing — you’re fired. Regardless of whether or not the dismissal was your fault, being asked to pack up your things and leave the dental office is a nerve-wracking experience that will leave you feeling shaken and worried.

No two dental practices are the same. Some enjoy great success with outsourcing, while others are capable of handling most things in house. Even if you’ve always taken care of the work on your own, if you’ve recently expanded your dental practice, outsourcing at least some of your more troublesome tasks has likely crossed your mind. But is outsourcing the right move for your business?

The benefits of maintaining proper oral care stretch far beyond having a sparkling white smile. Taking good care of your teeth and gums also helps prevent a number of systemic diseases, including diabetes. More than 100 million adults in the US have diabetes or prediabetes and only half of diabetics are aware they have the disease. This life-changing condition can lead to blindness, stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage and periodontal disease.

Running your own dental practice can be very rewarding and fruitful on a personal level. But there are many hidden costs and overheads that can often detract from the value of the work. Because of this, one thing almost all dental practices have in common is the desire to reduce expenses.

Whether you work in a dedicated pediatric dental practice that exclusively treats children or you work at a family dental office which only has a few child patients, it’s impossible to avoid working with children when you’re a dentist, dental hygienist or dental assistant. If you don’t welcome children into your practice, not only will you lose your youngest patients, but you’ll also likely lose their parents and other family members, too. If your dental practice is going to be successful, it’s important you learn how to manage children and their parents in the dental practice from the beginning. 

Infection control in dentistry has particular standards. Learn how to protect yourself, your patients, and the reputation of your practice.

Everyone who works in healthcare is at risk of infection, especially dentists and dental hygienists who spend most of their day in very close proximity to the oral and nasal cavities of multiple patients. To prevent the transmission of diseases between dental healthcare workers and their patients, it’s vital everyone in your practice takes the proper precautions and follows adequate infection control procedures. 

When a treatment results in severe oral pain, some dentists prescribe opioids for pain relief. However, this seemingly innocent act of medical care can lead to opioid abuse, a growing problem throughout our nation which poses a significant risk to the economy and public health. 

Improving your patients’ quality of life by helping them create and maintain bright healthy smiles makes a huge difference to your local community. But in addition to your daily work as a dentist, dental hygienist or dental assistant, there are plenty of other ways you can enhance the lives of others in your area. If you’re ready to summon your energy, resources, compassion and skills you really can make a difference outside your dental practice as well as inside it. 

When the time comes for you to expand your dental office, the experience can be both exciting and terrifying. You’ve followed all the steps to build a successful dental practice, but turning your modest office into something bigger, better and more profitable is a major next step with lots of important things to consider along the way.

It’s very common for women to work during their pregnancy. Depending on their professional role, some women are even happy to work up until their due date. However, some occupations present more challenges than others for pregnant women. For example, dental hygienists are often required to work with radiation and chemicals on a daily basis, two things which can potentially harm an unborn child.   

With the new respiratory virus outbreak rapidly working its way across the world, it’s wise to take preventative measures to protect yourself as a dental professional. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported globally, with 56 of those cases resulting in death. While there are only two confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US to date, so little is known about this advancing infection that it’s likely many more people across the globe are infected. 

You don’t always have to employ a permanent member of staff for every role. If your office needs a professional with specific skills for a short–term period, it could be rational to hire a dental office contractor instead.

If you want to become a dental hygienist, you have to be willing to work for it. As well as having the right personality traits, such as being a true people person, you also need the appropriate qualifications and first-hand experience before you’re allowed to treat patients in a dental practice. But if you’re motivated enough to dedicate yourself to the challenging journey, you’ll be compensated with a rewarding, fulfilling career that’s as future-proof as they come.

Regardless of how far modern technology and equipment has come, 70% of dentists still report suffering from back pain. Suffering physical pain on a daily basis can quickly escalate into the inability to perform certain tasks, followed by the unavoidable need to take time off work to recover. If things get really bad, you or your dental staff could even have to undergo surgery to fix severe posture issues.

When people have a question, the first place many look for an answer is Google. Whether they’re searching for a top rated French restaurant nearby or they’re wondering which day of the week Christmas falls on next year, Google is sure to have the answer. Unfortunately, diagnosing health issues isn’t as simple as finding a restaurant or scanning a calendar.

It’s no secret that people are much happier and more comfortable at work when they have a sense of professional freedom. And an employee who is happy about coming into the workplace will be more motivated to work hard and do a good job.

As the United States’ population continues to age, and the demand for dental services continues to rise, dentists are falling into short supply. Dental offices and dental practices of all kinds are competing for the available dentists, leaving them (dentists) in a favorable position to negotiate terms of employment and choose the type of job schedules they want.

Running a dental practice is different from managing any other type of business. While you might know all about providing your patients with the best possible oral care, it’s so easy to get caught up dealing with day-to-day business tasks that you forget about the most important part of the job — providing every patient who walks into your practice with an excellent experience.

We all have, at one time or another reached the crossroads of being indecisive on what career path to follow. If you are thinking of becoming a dental hygienist, you have come to the right place. Yes, dental hygiene is a good career, and this article focuses on what makes it tick. 

With ever-advancing technology and new medical discoveries, dentistry is an industry which is constantly developing. Whether you’re a dental assistant, dental hygienist or dentist, if you want to maintain your role in the fast-faced field, it’s important you evolve alongside it. 

Times are a bit tough for dental practices and dentists. We are in an economy that still, in some way, feels and looks as if it’s suffering a recession. People are holding on to their money or savings and only spending it on key necessities. Notably for some, spending their hard-earned money on dental health has ceased to be a priority.  

The holiday season can be a tricky time for business owners. All your staff are likely to feel the pressure of extra professional and personal obligations throughout December, with the treat of mass burnout never seeming far away. To help keep your staff happy and continue providing your patients with the top-notch service they expect, here’s some advice on how to deal with the most common dental staff issues you can anticipate during December. 

The holidays can be an unpredictable time for many dental practices. Sometimes, your patients are so overwhelmed with their never-ending holiday to-do lists that they haven’t got time to attend their appointments, leaving your staff twiddling their thumbs. Other times, patients are begging for last-minute teeth whitening appointments and your staff are requesting time off for the holidays, leaving you with much more on you plate than you ever bargained for.

Has the smile gone out of your dental practice? Does dealing with your dental staff feel more like an impossible challenge than working together as a strong team? If so, there’s something wrong with your dental office. But you don’t have to throw in the towel and close your doors. You can fix it and regain the happy atmosphere and upbeat teamwork that seem like a long-lost dream. 

Whether you’re getting ready to open your dental practice for the very first time or you’ve been in business for years but you know your office could be doing better, having a solid dental marketing strategy is key to growing your business. It’s all well and good knowing you should market your dental office, but knowing how to market it is a totally different story.

Choosing a career is one of the most important things you do in life. Whether you make the big decision in high school, college or after you’ve been working for several years, the selection you make will have a considerable effect on your life for years to come. It’s certainly not something to rush into. 

Whether you’re an independent contractor who offers their dental services on a freelance basis or an employee who works full time at a dental practice, if your professional career hasn’t been going the way you envisioned, there’s a good chance you’ve at least considered looking at dental jobs on Craigslist. 

Budget and employee satisfaction are interconnected; one always affects the other. 

There’s a lot more to running a successful dental practice than first meets the eye. From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem that all you need to do is supervise the dental staff to ensure they’re doing a good job and follow up with patients to make sure they’re happy with the treatment they receive. But even if you’ve only been a dental office manager for one day, you’ll already know this isn’t the case at all. 

After we launched in Houston, TX, we shortly discovered that a newly-opened dental practice decided to move away from the traditional dental staffing route and work exclusively with freelancers they found through Cloud Dentistry.

The dental industry has never been more demanding and burdensome than it is currently, and so much of this burden or weight falls on the shoulders of the dental practice owners. For instance, dental practices are in never-ending competition for patients, experience challenges in their schedules, and go through bouts of low productivity.

From your specialist dentist who is a master at a handful of important tasks and your dental hygienist who does a thorough cleaning quicker than anyone else to your dental assistant who is incredible at placating anxious staff and your dental receptionist who tries to make sure everyone attends their appointments on time, there are many moving cogs in the machine that is your dental practice.

It’s no secret that people don’t enjoy going to the dentist. This is especially true for those who’ve let their oral care slip. But even if your patient takes really good care of their teeth, there are definitely some things they do inside the dental practice that drive you crazy. 

In the modern world, dentistry is changing much more rapidly than it did years ago. And with it, insurance plans, benefit schemes, reimbursement rates, rules and regulations are all changing at a fast pace, too. Keeping on top of the seemingly endless changes can feel like an impossible task, but it’s something you’ve got to do in order to maintain a successful dental practice. 

Although the dentist is often the person who steals the show, a dental practice simply couldn’t function without at least one competent dental hygienist and dental assistant. While these two roles are distinctly different, they’re both incredibly important when it comes to patient care both in the dental practice and after the patient walks out the door.

Running a successful dental practice can be incredibly challenging for anyone new to practice management. There are many different facts you need to take into consideration, from employing experienced dedicated professionals and prioritizing patient satisfaction to ongoing dental training and maintaining a realistic pricing structure. 

More people than ever are searching for brighter, whiter teeth. But before you get your patient settled in the dentist chair, it’s important they understand the ins and outs of professional teeth whitening so they know what they’re getting themselves into. The next time someone walks into your practice requesting a Hollywood-white smile, here’s what you should let them know.

According to the Journal of American Dental Association, practice ownership is steadily declining amongst dentists of all ages, with the largest drop seen in dentists aged 35 and under. This is most likely due to the freedom enjoyed by dental employees who don’t have the burden of running a business and all the responsibilities that come with it to deal with.

Dental professionals have been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to filling staff vacancies for decades. As a dental practice owner, there’s sure to be a time when your dental auxiliary will want a couple of weeks off work for a much-deserved vacation or your dental assistant requests a few personal days to deal with an important family matter. 

The ability to own a dental practice or to provide oral care as an independently practicing hygienist is making headway and becoming a reality in many states. Presently, 40 states have authorized direct access care, up from 28 states in 2008. That’s a good thing for hygienists who aspire to open their own practices. But wait; is going independent or opening a dental practice that easy?  

From vacations and sicknesses to pregnancies and education, there are all kinds of reasons your dental staff will need to take time off from work. You can’t just close your practice and stop everything until they return. So you need to find part-time staff to bridge the gap. When this happens, most business owners turn to a dental temp agency to help them fill the temporary vacancy. But an interim dental staffing agency isn’t always the best choice for a dental practice owner.

Being a dental assistant can be incredibly rewarding and gratifying. But like any career path that’s worth pursuing, the role also comes with its fair share of challenges you’ll need to face on a daily basis if you want to be successful in the industry.

As the owner of a dental clinic, you approach your job as both a practitioner and a business owner. It’s important that you provide exemplary care for your patients. It’s also critical that you keep your business running smoothly. Doing both while maintaining a decent overhead can be challenging.

Anyone who has ever set up a dental practice, at one time or another has experienced a moment of indecisiveness; when do you hire more staff.

Inbound marketing is the equivalent of building a lobster trap and employing the right bait. This will attract the target audience you are looking for and persuade them to stay.

A career in dental assisting, dental hygiene or dentistry can be extremely rewarding. You get to help patients regain or maintain their oral health. You get to work in a hands-on setting that really lets you make a difference. As an oral-health helper, you’re always in demand among dental practices. In fact, the field is slated to continue to grow in the coming years. 

First-class customer service is vital in the dental industry. Making your clients feel valued and respected helps your practice stand out in today’s competitive marketplace and builds a genuine loyalty that will not only result in many repeated visits, but great recommendations, too. If your customers get a happy, warm feeling when they visit you instead of a dreaded pit in their stomach, you bet they’ll be at their next appointment on time and will tell their friends and family about your practice.

Use your leadership skills in dentistry to keep your patients, your employees and yourself happy—all within your budget.

In today’s world, dental overhead, the cost of doing the business of dentistry for a typical dental practice, is about 75%, meaning the net income is a small 25%.  A newer dentist is usually carrying more debt, so it has a higher overhead. Most people, including the employees of dentists, are not aware that the net return is that low.    Dentists do all that they can to keep from raising their standard fees and accept the paltry payouts from PPO networks that get smaller and with more restrictions all the time.  

Consultants: a word that strikes dread in the hearts of most dentists and dental practice owners. Why is that so when consultants usually do so much good for dental clinics?

We have all heard the saying, “he runs a tight ship.” We envision a ship captain at the helm of a large sailing vessel with his crew doing everything they are supposed to do without question and with expertise. We also think that if the crew didn’t they would probably “walk the plank.” 

By nature, dentists are scientists and healthcare providers, not business tycoons or investment strategists. They want a fulfilling life following their dreams of creating a successful dental practice. It is a good day when their work is appreciated by their patients. Dentists assume that the money will follow along automatically. 

Many dentists struggle with understanding where the money goes when they look at a dismal financial statement presented to them by their CPA. They are busy doing dentistry, but busy does not equal profitability in the world of business. Counting money coming in and money going out is for number crunchers, and most dentists would instead be crunching out crown preps or motivating patients to have implants instead of dentures. Whether a private practice or a dental clinic with more than one provider and often specialists under one roof, the principles of management are the same when laying the foundation for success.

For any modern dental practice, their goal is to improve productivity and efficiency while still maintaining patient satisfaction and a high level of care. But that can be easier said than done.

If any business needed an image makeover, it would be dentistry. Yes, there have been many improvements to patient care and comfort, but we still have a legacy of being a place of pain and an expense that is not appreciated. People are influenced by the dominant narrative that they hear about dentistry through family members, friends, and others.

When we “hit the ground running” in the morning going to work, our thought is to get there in one piece and deal with the job stuff as it happens. All of us have more to do on our daily agenda than we want and just the thought of how and when all these tasks and activities are to happen can and does create chaos and sometimes failure. Many people don’t make action lists because they believe that they don’t have to be directed by anything except their initiative, and others will not operate without a daily menu. Whatever choice you make to track it, we all have to choose what is most important to do that day. When we want one action over another, we are prioritizing that event.

Efficiency is a big word with an even more significant meaning to your practice.  It is one of those words that seems elusive in the daily world of trying to balance workload and personal time.  If a lack of efficiency in several dental systems is keeping you in the office one to two hours or more past closing time, you can relate to this issue. Efficiency to some is doing it all yourself and trying to get it done in a timely fashion and getting it right the first time. Energy should be maximizing your time with the tasks that build the practice and increase profits within a typical working day.

A standard for many dental offices for decades is the dental temp agency. Founded because of need to fill job vacancies quickly it has been the industry source.  The dental industry has always experienced a shortage of workers, and when regular employees need time off for vacation, illness, maternity leave and other reasons finding good people are like "finding a needle in the haystack.

Dentistry encompasses many aspects that make it a fascinating career.  If you have an interest in science, anatomy, and the human body and you combine that with the ability to communicate effectively and a desire for continual learning, you will find your home in dentistry.

If you own a successful dental practice, it usually means that you have a great dental team supporting your vision, goals, and core values. Finding skilled dental workers can be challenging, and sometimes a new hire is showing a lack of training in an area that is critical to operations in the office.

Are you wondering if switching from temp agencies to cloud-based hiring platforms is a good decision for your dental practice? Forbes Magazine recently predicted that, sooner or later, nearly all organizations will be dependent on the cloud in one way or another.

The best person to ask as what it takes to be an excellent dental assistant is a dentist. The dentist will spend about 90% of the working day with the dental assistant in the treatment rooms or in the lab area. Working side by side they get to know each other's habits very well.

Thanking the members of your staff as they walk out the door at night should be a habit of love.  Just hearing those simple words can make a difference in an exhausting day of taking care of forty patients or more.  Your thoughts go to how much you need them and can’t operate without their help.

Your top dental assistant has just pulled you aside to tell you she is moving to another state and is giving you a two-week notice.  A sense of denial grips you at first as this cannot be true, and then the reality sets in as a cold sweat envelopes your body. It’s been a while since you had to think about this and now you are wondering how to find someone like her/him.

Let’s get straight to the point. Yes, a dental hygienist can be an independent contractor, but if only he/she appropriately follows the rules.

There’s no “fishing” for compliments when in the Cloud

The day starts with a morning meeting, and you are checking the first patient's chart for updated health history and checking the schedule against the treatment plan.  Did you set up the syringe for an upper molar? The patient has problems with epinephrine, did you insert the correct carpule? The patient is in a wheelchair, and you will need help getting the patient into the dental chair.  Your mind is doing a check and balance on each aspect of the patient that is about to be seated. Never the same day and never the same patients makes for a challenging and intriguing day of the dental assistant.

The craze around the sharing economy or “gig economy” as some would love to call it, has been getting louder lately, to the extent of one time making it into a speech by Hillary Clinton – where she presented her fears over what this popular hiring approach could mean for workers.   

Business, as usual in the dental practice, may look straightforward and profitable to the patients who have a seat in the reception room.  After all, the fees seem high no matter what is provided in care, and patients think that dentists are wealthy and can afford luxury items like expensive cars and beautiful homes.  What isn't known to outsiders is the struggle for success that ensues for years before a dentist can purchase the American dream of homeownership, lovely things, and money to invest.

In the general dental practice, the dental assistant must have the necessary skills that include using four-handed dentistry techniques. The term four-handed dentistry describes the seated dentist and the chair-side assistant working in harmony as an efficient team.  On direct demand from the doctor, the assistant will pass the correct dental instruments, mix types of cement and impression materials when needed all while making sure the field of vision is kept clear for the dentist to see and to work.

If your hobby is dentistry and you have another profession that brings in money don’t read this article.

Faced with hiring a new dental assistant? Asking someone else to choose prospective employees for your practice may make some dentists nervous.  What would make an employment agency good at selecting qualified applicants than yourself? After all, you are a doctor, and it surely isn't harder than a three-root endodontic procedure.  Or is it?

Among the meaningful things you can do for your dental practice is to recruit the right employees. A good employee will not only promote cohesiveness and positivity to your practice but also affect your success in patient retention and referrals.

The dental assistant profession has its ups and downs. Thus, if you intend to join this career path soon, it is good to understand what awaits you, especially in regards to the work environment you will be operating in and the responsibilities involved.

After completing an accredited course in dental assisting from a local community college or technical college you may feel you are ready to embark upon your new career as a dental assistant. You will quickly learn that this is just a small step into your new world. It is often said that experience is the best teacher and in dental assisting each patient encounter will teach the dental assistant something new.  

In the business world, it’s generally agreed upon that administrative staff (customer service, marketing, sales, executives, etc) help generate the most revenue. Obviously, this assumes that you also have an amazing service or product to offer.   

One great perk of living in North America is access to a wide variety of health-related services. Dental care comprises a large portion of the healthcare sector, and in this domain lie many roles to fill.

You only have time to do one of the following, which one is it?

How do you ensure the happiness levels of your dental team remains high even when your budget is limited? It’s obvious, not all dental practices can afford extravagant remuneration packages and keep up with the latest HR trends. As a dental office owner, you need not to worry anymore. Read to find out why…

The first conference regarding artificial intelligence took place in 1956. Around that time, John McCarthy, the man many believe to be the father of AI, coined the term “artificial intelligence.” Now, over fifty years later, it seems the terms “AI” and “machine learning” are everywhere. There’s a good reason for that. The technology has become a part of our everyday lives. We can get everything from fashion advice to stock tips from computers. They can even beat us at games like go, chess and Jeopardy.

If you’re already a dental hygienist or a dentist, you may find yourself explaining to your friends, family and patients how one job is different from the other. If you’re considering a career in dentistry, you may not be certain which path to take. There are so many types of  oral health care professionals (dental hygienist, dental assistant, dentist and specialist, to name a few).

Working as a registered dental hygienist has both its perks and its downsides. They say that once you’ve gone through your RDH program, completed your licensing requirements and registered with a dental association, you’re ready to enter the real world. Of course, that “real world” is full of surprises. Here, five dental hygienists tell us about their adventures in job hunting and working for the first time as fully licensed oral health care professionals.

They grew up in the 1990s and the 2000s, and sometimes they get a bad rap. But now that the United States’ millennials are adults, the working world is welcoming them with open arms. Businesses everywhere are seeing the benefits of working with—and getting to know—the newest generation of US workers.

If you’re a dental hygienist, dental assistant or dental auxiliary professional, a dental staffing agency may seem like the obvious place to find work. It’s fraught with problems, though, and those problems can get in the way of your profits. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Cloud Dentistry is a cloud-based dental staffing platform that outshines any agency. Here’s why you should consider making the switch from the agency to the cloud.

We’re serious about your smile! As every dental professional knows, your mouth is an excellent indicator of your overall health. You’d be surprised how much it reveals about your well-being. But there are plenty of myths about dental health and dentistry research, as well.

Some will tell you that a dental office is completely within its rights to treat you as an independent contractor, if that’s what you agreed to. Others will tell you that it’s straight up illegal for a dental office to classify you as an independent contractor.

So, which is it? 

Here are some videos to help dental offices maximize the value of the Cloud Dentistry platform. Check back periodically as we add more videos.

Here are some videos to help dental professionals maximize the value of the Cloud Dentistry platform. Check back periodically as we add more videos.

Every week we send emails to dental offices highlighting the best dental professionals on our platform. If you would like to be considered for these promotions, click the “Feature Me” button at the bottom of your profile. You can opt back out at any time. To be eligible, your profile must be 100% complete.

Employers have a tendency to hire new talent and assume that the hard work is done. The truth is that onboarding a new dentist or dental hygienist is often just the beginning - the beginning of a long adjustment period, the beginning of training and assessment, and the beginning of all the paperwork, especially if you’ve made the mistake of relying on a turn-and-burn temp agency that has its bottom line in mind rather than your own long-term needs. After the placement agency fills your job opening, who has to deal with the results, whether good or bad? You, of course.