The 2022 September/October issue of Today’s FDA is available online for Florida Dental Association (FDA) members NOW! Check it out for great articles about how to excel when treating patients with special needs, accessing dental care by those who have disabling conditions, and more. So, what are you waiting for? Head to floridadental.org/publications or just click the cover image below to read the issue.
By: The Moore Agency
The uncertainty of our current labor market is unprecedented. A record 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs this past March and your office may be feeling the effects of this worker shortage.
Turnover is second nature in communications agencies, and the Moore agency has worked for years to create a workplace culture and environment that supports a 90+ percent employee retention rate. Recognizing the growing workforce challenges that so many dental practices may be facing in this current landscape, we’re sharing a few tips to help you strengthen your employee retention.
Unlike the rest of the labor market, most employees at dentists’ offices are not leaving for remote work. Instead, the most common reasons for employee turnover in dentist offices are the desire for higher wages and feeling underappreciated or limited in career potential at their current office. To help avoid the cost and disruption of employee turnover, the following are a few best practices to help support your employee retention.
First, review your employees’ wages to ensure they are competitive in the current workforce marketplace. You can view Florida’s average salary per position in this report. If your employees’ salaries are far below average, you can’t expect your employees to stay.
With the rise of inflation and an increased cost of living, it may be time to consider an inflation bonus or cost-of-living adjustment to your employees’ salaries. This will address your employees’ need for higher wages and show them that you care and are invested in their place in your practice.
It may be difficult to implement changes in salary – inflation is affecting you too. But if you don’t compete in the salary space, you face the cost of turnover, which can range from six to nine months of an employee’s salary. It is more beneficial to retain happy employees than pay the financial and emotional cost of finding new employees every few months.
Beyond salary, there are a few ways you can collaborate with your employees to show them their worth in your workplace. For example, you should sit down with every employee to discuss their goals and what you expect from them to get there. Simply taking the time to listen will separate you from almost all other employers – it is an underrated use of time.
You can also involve your employees in setting objectives for the upcoming year. They are invested in your practice, and they may see things that you don’t see. This process will also show them that their insights are valued and create space to discuss concerns or unspoken conflicts about operations.
Whatever steps you take to help support employee retention, there is one common thread that will help you be successful: Treat your employees as people and not just workers. Everyone is different, but if you take the time to listen and treat them well, they’ll work hard and hopefully stay for a while.
Education opens so many doors and can help people grow personally, in their careers and in their earning capacities. Dental assistants can join the back-to-school movement this fall by seeking certification in radiography. The easiest way to become certified to expose radiographs is to take the Florida Dental Association’s online radiography training course.
Get them registered!
The first step is for the supervising dentist to create an account at mydentalradiography.com/FDA and complete a short that explains their supervising responsibilities. By state law, When the tutorial is completed, the supervising dentist is assigned an identification number and can purchase and assign vouchers to staff members. The dental assistant who is to take the training receives a “welcome” e-mail and can create an account and get started learning right away.
About the course
The training consists of nine modules, each with a quiz to test the student’s learning in preparation for the final test. The final test covers the online course material and must be passed. Multiple retries are permitted. After the test is passed, the dental assistant must expose a series of full-mouth radiographs, including four bitewings, with no more than five retakes permitted. The radiograph exposures must be under the direct supervision of the dentist.
Final steps
Once a certificate of completion is produced, the dental assistant applies to the state of Florida to be licensed to take radiographs. Once the state approves the application, radiographs can be exposed under the general supervision of a dentist.
This training is also available to dentists who are not members of the FDA. The cost for non-member dentists is $385 per voucher. This is still another way that FDA members receive value for their membership.
For more information about the radiography program, contact the FDA at 850-350-7143 and speak with Lywanda Tucker or email her at ltucker@floridadental.org.
By Dr. Ben Curtis
Has this ever happened to you? I know I am not the only one! As a pediatric dentist, this is one area where I use to be nervous and concerned, but I know is an opportunity for my office to shine. I integrated an all-tissue laser into my pediatric practice five years ago and it has been a game changer for my patients and my office.
This case is of a 5-year-old child who has a mucocele, a ruptured salivary gland that has formed a cyst of saliva that persists or gets larger. Fig. 1 is before treatment and Fig. 2 is two weeks post-treatment. These lesions are almost always caused by trauma and are quite common in early childhood. Kids of this age are not known for leaving things alone and they tend to bite and suck on these swellings, which makes them worse. The traditional surgical treatment involves a scalpel, lots of gauze to control hemorrhage and sutures to close the surgical site. Well, that sounds terrifying on a 5-year-old child! Not fun, right?
Then comes the all-tissue laser and changes everything! With an all-tissue laser, we can provide a more minimally invasive surgical approach with minimal bleeding, no sutures and excellent healing … and dare I say, fun for me as the doctor! Could this be a win-win situation for both the patient and the doctor? Yes! I have been able to help countless patients who have these oral pathology lesions with the all-tissue laser in a simple in-office procedure that takes me less than 10 minutes. This procedure has become my most favorite pediatric procedure to preform, and it is all do to the all-tissue lasers help!
Beyond the Bite 