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 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. 

A career as an RDH (registered dental hygienist) can be extremely rewarding on multiple levels. You get to help patients achieve and maintain a beautiful, healthy smile and you work in a hands-on environment in a way that really lets you make a difference to people’s everyday lives. As a dental hygiene professional, your skills, abilities and knowledge are in high demand in dental practices across the country. 

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.

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. 

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 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.