Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, one of the fastest-growing multi-disciplinary dental group practices in the country, has several major achievements to celebrate as 2021 comes to a close. Though the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for the dental industry, Rodeo Dental never wavered in its commitment to provide high-end dental care and community support for underserved communities.
Rodeo Dental was founded in 2008 in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, with a mission to provide every child and family the key to access high-end dental care—regardless of status, means or location. That mission has been the catalyst for major growth this year, as Rodeo Dental expanded operations into regions in Colorado where access to high-end dental care is a challenge. The group opened six new locations in 2021, including three practices in Colorado, with plans for further expansion in 2022.
“It is truly our mission that makes Rodeo Dental stand apart from the rest. We strive to be the one-stop shop that provides high-quality affordable dental care and an exceptional experience for the entire family,” said Dr. Yahya Mansour, Chief Dental Officer at Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics. “Our award-winning team members do everything we can to deliver on this mission, from volunteering services and teaching proper dental care to offering flexible payment options and more.”
In addition to giving every family the key to access high-end dental care, the Rodeo Dental partners are also committed to running a practice that allows for the betterment of their local communities. Since its inception, the group has made it a priority to use its business as a force for social good by supporting charitable organizations such as Dentists Who Care and the LEAP Foundation.
Aspen Dental announces a partnership with MyLabConnect – in an effort to continually advance technologies, improve processes, and bring better dental care to more people across nearly 1,000 Aspen Dental locations nationwide.
The partnership with MyLabConnect, which goes live on Dec. 6, 2021, will allow every Aspen Dental practice across the country to communicate and collaborate with their preferred dental labs, through a simple, common front-end interface software platform, in real-time.
“Aspen Dental is continually improving its technology and innovating in the clinical setting,” said Gina Bruzzichesi, chief operating officer at The Aspen Group. “This partnership with MyLabConnect will allow better, faster, and more efficient internal and external communication and collaboration between Aspen Dental practices and their preferred dental labs – resulting in better care for more people.”
The new cloud-based platform offers a single source for Aspen Dental doctors and staff to:
Electronically order and track the status of Rx
Manage integrated IOS digital and chairside service workflows
Digitally integrate with their preferred dental labs
Track and manage communications with dental labs and design centers
“Having a single platform to manage the flow of communications will allow the doctors to spend less time on paperwork, so they can have more time to focus on what matters most – patient care,” said Bruzzichesi. “And, what makes the MyLabConnect platform even more convenient is that it is a multilingual platform that doctors and their teams can use on desktop or on mobile.”
“When we set out to create this platform, in partnership with The Aspen Group, we knew we needed to make it convenient for the doctors,” said Niranjan Ramakrishnan, CEO of MyLabConnect. “This is a major milestone and proud moment in the MyLabConnect journey, as we work together with Aspen Dental to break down barriers and bring simple yet comprehensive communication solutions to more than 3,800 doctors at nearly 1,000 dental practices across the country.”
The new platform from MyLabConnect will allow Aspen Dental doctors and staff to communicate more effectively and efficiently with external dental labs by creating a single platform that is simple to use.
“Dentalle believes in being at the forefront of change and revolution in dentistry by leveraging the best materials and technologies,” said Warren Su, President of Dentalle. “As Aspen Dental’s longest tenured preferred lab, we are extremely excited to have worked together with Aspen Dental and MyLabConnect to pilot the program throughout the past year to ensure a seamless integration with our Lab Management Systems to facilitate the launch of this new technology. This new end-to-end interface for Aspen Dental will continue to drive The Aspen Group to new heights under its visionary leadership team.”
“The new MyLabConnect platform will provide a seamless bi-directional integration with Intra Oral Scanners,” said Chris Lauro, president of Healthstar Dental, another key lab provider and preferred partner of Aspen Dental. “This improved process will allow our team to spend less time on booking cases and more time on providing better quality customer support to the Aspen Dental practices across the nation.”
Between patient registrations, treatment-plan sign offs, payments, and patient check-outs, a lot of signatures are required at East Carolina University’s School of Dental Medicine. So, you can imagine how Phillip Allen, director of informatics and tech services felt when his team was sending five or more signature pads out for repair each week. And then there was the time they lost electronic signing capabilities altogether—for a year—while two software companies and the signature pad manufacturer blamed each other for the outage.
In addition to hardware issues like inconvenient watch-batteries used in the pens and a weak connection between the USB cord and the unit that caused breakage, there were software and support issues. The school uses iMacs, Apple laptops, and iPhones throughout its 188,000 square-foot teaching facility in Greenville, NC and eight regional satellite offices. They run axiUm’s EHR in a Citrix environment, and the signature pads they purchased in 2010 didn’t work well with Citrix.
Allen explains that setting up a pad required a technician to initially plug it into a blade server in the main data center. Once it was moved into production in the clinical unit, each pad had to be unplugged and plugged back in each morning. Additionally, if a unit was unplugged while in an axiUm session, you had to log out of the session, plug the unit back in, and log in again.
The electronic signature system was unwieldy. Some students became so frustrated they began stashing a signature pad in their laptop bag in the hope that using the same device would allow easier hardware recognition…but it didn’t. This led to a shortage and the remaining students started competing to get their hands on a pad. Allen and his team knew they needed a new solution.
Leading dental support organization Pacific Dental Services(PDS) has announced a new partnership with the American Diabetes Association to increase awareness of the link between periodontal disease and diabetes, and how oral health providers can assist patients in preventing and managing this chronic health condition. The timing of this announcement coincides with American Diabetes Month, a month-long campaign that recognizes all forms of the disease – including Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes and prediabetes – along with the millions of Americans living with diabetes today and those who remain undiagnosed.
Educating others on the link between their oral health and overall health – what PDS and its supported practices call The Mouth-Body Connection – is a priority for PDS. Research shows that harmful bacteria and inflammation in the mouth can indicate and even cause systemic conditions throughout the body.Maladies of the mouth, including periodontal disease, may be linked with other medical conditions including diabetes, oral cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and more.
According to the American Academy of Periodontology, people with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than people without diabetes, probably because people with diabetes are more susceptible to contracting infections. In fact, periodontal disease is often considered a complication of diabetes.
Pacific Dental Services (PDS) announces the launch of its College Advancement Program, making it the first in its industry to offer eligible employees 100% up-front college tuition coverage toward an undergraduate degree of their choice.
In partnership with InStride, the premier global provider of Strategic Enterprise Education, the new program will allow PDS operations managers, benefits coordinators, and dental assistants the flexibility and satisfaction of advancing their careers while earning their education debt-free – all while remaining employed full-time. PDS will measure the program’s success and hopes to extend this offer to other positions in the future.
“Pacific Dental Services is a recognized leader in the dental industry, and we are proud to be the first dental support organization to offer our team members the opportunity to pursue their passion while removing the financial barrier that oftentimes keeps adult learners from reaching their educational goals,” said PDS founder and CEO Stephen E. Thorne IV. “We believe that by investing in the growth and development of our team members, we are investing in the future of our company.”
“We are excited that Pacific Dental Services has made this industry-leading commitment to their team members,” said Vivek Sharma, InStride CEO and co-founder. “Stephen Thorne and his leadership team have recognized that providing fully-funded strategic education opportunities results in both business and social impact for their company and the communities they serve.”
The Pacific Dental Services College Advancement Program initially will be realized through InStride’s partnership with Arizona State University, ranked most innovative college by U.S. News & World Report for seven consecutive years. PDS will not only pay 100% tuition, but also cover book expenses and any associated mandatory fees for the duration of the degree program. Classes for the first semester begin January 10, 2022. Academic partners from within InStride’s network will be added to the list of institutions where employee-learners can apply in the future.
In addition to the College Advancement Program, PDS helps employees advance their education through a traditional tuition reimbursement program up to $5,250 per year, over 1,000 free continuing education courses offered through PDS University, and a professional development program focused on specialized training and certificates.
By Dr. Suzanne Ebert. Dr. Ebert built a successful dental practice from scratch. After selling her practice, she became the dental director of a federally qualified health center where she provided high quality care to underserved populations. She joined ADA Practice Transitions as the ADA Advisor to provide real and tangible benefits to dentists as well as helping to address access to care issues across the country. She is currently ADAPT’s VP of Dental Practice & Relationship Management.
The answer to “what does it actually cost to sell a dental practice?” is as you’d expect – it depends.
Numerous factors play into selling a dental practice and make each sale unique, impacting the total cost. This article will discuss some of these factors, offer a range of costs, and explore ways to minimize or avoid those costs.
First, let’s consider an example I’ve encountered of a very low-cost and frictionless dental practice sale:
A dentist in the Midwest was starting to think about owning his own practice after working as an associate for a few years. The first step he took was attending a CE event about an hour away from his home, where he spoke to some supply reps about his interest in owning a practice. They mentioned that a nearby practice had been closed for about six months, which he checked out on his way home before calling the owner dentist. Both agreed it seemed like a good fit and decided to see if they could come to an agreement. In the following weeks, they negotiated a price, drew up all necessary documents, and completed the transaction without needing a broker or valuation. The negotiations were collegial and both sides were satisfied with the outcome. The buyer spent an estimated $2,000 on legal fees and the seller relied on the documents that the buyer and his lawyer created.
Having described his story as a “fluke,” the buying dentist is unaware of any other dentist who shares his experience. He considers himself very lucky for how smoothly his acquisition played out. Despite being on opposite sides of the transaction, taking the risk to trust the selling dentist resulted in a valuable mentorship opportunity. Meanwhile, the selling dentist was relieved to find the right person to carry on his small-town legacy.
I’ve also heard of situations where trusting the negotiating partner didn’t end well. The vast majority of dentists say that transitioning practice ownership is complicated and full of uncertainties. Unsettling questions arise, such as “Is this the right decision for me?” “Is this a fair price?” or “Are these numbers accurate?” As a result, many dentists end up going to companies like ADAPT or a broker for help. And most also engage some combination of lawyer, accountant, and bankers.
That being said, the primary cost drivers for an owner when selling a practice are consistent no matter the approach.
The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) is pleased to announce the installation of its new president, Wendy Stewart, at its virtual annual general meeting on Saturday, October 16. Stewart is from Nova Scotia and joins president-elect Anne Marie Caissie (New Brunswick), past president Tiffany Ludwicki (Newfoundland and Labrador), and directors Rae McFarlane (British Columbia), Alexandra Sheppard (Alberta), Kaylen Anholt (Saskatchewan), Kathy Yerex (Manitoba), Jennifer Turner (Ontario), Francine Trudeau (Quebec), Lana Clow (Prince Edward Island), and Donna Lee (North) on CDHA’s board of directors for 2021‒2022.
Stewart graduated from Dalhousie University’s School of Dental Hygiene in 2001. For 18 years she has been working at Fall River Dental where she enjoys contributing to the community’s overall health by caring for her clients’ oral health. She also works as an instructor in the Dalhousie University School of Dental Hygiene, taking responsibility for second-year dental hygiene students at an outreach pediatric clinic located in an underserved area of her city.
As president of CDHA, Wendy looks forward to continuing her advocacy efforts with other healthcare professionals, the public, and policy makers, highlighting the essential nature of dental hygiene care, and the relationship between oral health and overall health.
“We now know that there are connections between poor oral health and chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, so we must shift our focus to prevention from intervention,” Stewart said in a statement. She also hopes to be able to meet with other members of the dental hygiene community to discuss their visions for the future of the profession.
CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 30,200 dental hygienists in Canada, directly representing 21,000 individual members, including students. Since 1963, CDHA has worked to advance the profession and promote the importance of oral health. Dental hygiene is the sixth largest regulated health profession in Canada with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent dental hygiene practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit: www.dentalhygienecanada.ca.
With two campuses, 17 divisions, and over 500 students in a typical year, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry is a busy place. So busy that on most days it generates more than 500 patient-related electronic documents needing faculty approval.
Approvals are for both prescriptions and treatment plans, and faculty swipe their ID badges to record approval of student recommendations. That approval system is the main reason Eugene Khazanov, assistant director of systems administration and support services, and Galina Arbitman, IT application integration engineer, are pleased about their recent implementation of signature pads at both school’s campuses.
Until about a year and a half ago, the school was exclusively using a competitor’s signature pads for patient registration and chairside approvals. The devices worked well with the school’s AxiUm EHR but did require a special utility to be recognized, an additional task that occasionally involved a security upgrade.
More importantly, the existing pads used chairside had to be used with a separate magnetic swiping device. Juggling a computer, signature pad, and magstripe reader every time a student needed faculty approval and patient consent was unwieldy, to say the least.
Not surprisingly, the new signature pads are more economical than purchasing separate devices, according to Khazanov. The costs of the devices now used at the school’s front desks are lower than the previous devices, too, generating an overall savings of just under $10k. The signature pads are also completely plug-and-play, reducing deployment time because no driver or other software download is necessary.
Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) announces that Michael Schwartz joined the Association as its Chief Strategic Collaboration Officer on Monday, September 20, 2021.In this position, Schwartz will play a key role in elevating Delta Dental’s national visibility by reinforcing existing relationships and establishing new strategic partnerships with leading national organizations that are aligned with the advancement of oral and overall health.
“As the nation’s leading dental benefits provider, Delta Dental is dedicated to improving oral and overall health, and I look forward to furthering that mission through innovative platforms and partnerships,” said Schwartz.
With more than 20 years of experience, Schwartz is known for building high-performing teams that thrive in collaborative environments. He previously served as Assistant General Counsel and Head of Litigation at Delta Dental of California, where he counseled business units on risk, fraud prevention, and dispute resolution matters.
Before joining Delta Dental of California, Schwartz served as the General Counsel for Hawaii Dental Service. Before transitioning in-house, he litigated cases as an attorney with Hawaii’s largest firm, Cades Schutte, LLP. Schwartz first became involved in healthcare when he interned for PhRMA in Washington, D.C., and expanded into the insurance space in New York City while working for a wide range of insurance and reinsurance clients. He has a law degree from McGill University and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.
DentalMonitoring, the company that using artificial intelligence in dental and orthodontic care, is thrilled to announce the launch of the ScanBoxpro.
Built upon the success of their previous DM ScanBox, their latest FDA-registered innovation is a portable device patients can take with them for precise AI-powered scans anywhere and anytime. This hardware accompanies the flagship software solution DentalMonitoring, a customizable cloud-based platform for remote clinical monitoring of orthodontic treatments designed to create a single automated workflow per patient and boost practice scalability.
The device consists of two components — a cheek retractor tube designed to draw the cheeks and lips from the buccal and labial surfaces of the teeth and gums during scanning and a phone holder designed to accommodate a smartphone.
Paired with the unique DM app for patients, the ScanBoxpro offers:
Consistent imaging over time for precise tracking of treatment progress including aligners, braces and retainers of all brands
Excellent occlusal and lateral views, including molar occlusion
Increased portability
Suited for all patients from 6 years old.
Easy storage capability with 41% less volume
Autoclavable capacity
“We couldn’t be prouder to introduce our latest innovation as we continue to go further and break new ground with our solutions,” says Phillipe Salah, CEO of DentalMonitoring. “The ScanBoxpro is a game-changer for patients. It’s lightweight, portable and can easily join them on-the-go, anywhere, for high-quality scans powered by the first and most robust AI in the industry. In turn, it allows doctors to have control at every stage of treatment and helps automate their workflow while enhancing their patient experiences.”
The ScanBox is the newest addition to DentalMonitoring’s family of devices and software solutions including SmileMate, for engagement, triage and patient conversion and DentalMonitoring, the only available AI-based remote monitoring solution available to both fixed and removable orthodontic appliances of all brands.
By Dr. Suzanne Ebert. Dr. Ebert built a successful dental practice from scratch. After selling her practice, she became the dental director of a federally qualified health center where she provided high quality care to underserved populations. She joined 
