My dentist is a valued member of my health care team, and the care I receive in my dentist’s office is vital to my overall health. During the month of March, I’m paying tribute to dentists and dental assistants.
National Dentist’s Day
March 6 is set aside annually to celebrate the invaluable role that dentists play in their patients having a lifetime of healthy smiles. Dentists educate us and the public about the importance of oral health to general health. By detecting and treating oral diseases and, sometimes, as the first to identify the symptoms of other chronic diseases, they help make us and our communities healthier. Dentists deserve a thank-you for being our oral health champions!
One of our strengths is that most dentists in our tri-state region of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are in our network. We never take our relationships with our dentists for granted, and we express our appreciation to them in a variety of ways. In turn, they appreciate our fast and accurate administration of their patients’ dental benefits.
Among the ways we help our dentists is by addressing some of the workforce challenges they face, many of which arise from the shortage of dentists and dental auxiliary professionals (dental hygienists and dental assistants) in Northern New England, particularly in rural areas. For example, in all three states we support dental loan repayment programs that help newly graduated dentists with their student debts, attracting them to our region. These programs require the selected dentists to practice dentistry in underserved regions and treat patients who might otherwise go untreated.
In addition to the many contributions we’ve made to the ongoing success of Maine’s University of New England College of Dental Medicine, most notably with a $2.3 million lead gift to establish the first dental school in Northern New England, last fall we committed $2 million to establish a Dental Oral Health Education Center in Vermont. Partnering with the Vermont State Dental Society, The University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry will bring students to Vermont to complete their final years of training, addressing the state’s dental provider shortage. The program will provide modern classrooms and on-site clinics to support its clinical dental education program. It will also serve as a public health Medicaid clinic, extending its reach to underserved populations and areas with a shortage of dental health professionals. Learn more here.
The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation awards grants to programs that train dental hygienists and dental assistants, making more trained dental professionals available to dentists and their patients. That brings me to a second opportunity to recognize dental professionals during the month of March.
Dental Assistants Recognition Week™
Dental assistants are recognized during the first week of March each year. In 1885, New Orleans dentist, Dr. Charles Edmund Kells, a pioneer in dental x-ray, had been using his wife as his assistant. However, as his practice grew, he hired Malvina Cuerina to be his first official assistant. The first dental assistants did little more than help mix materials and clean up the examination rooms. Over time, duties evolved, and today’s dental assistants are an essential part of every dental practice. A dental assistant’s duties can include taking impressions of patients’ teeth, sitting chairside to assist the dentist, exposing x-rays, taking a patient’s vital signs, teaching oral health techniques and managing the front office.
Each state has different requirements for dental assistants. Typically, dental assistants can enhance their skill levels, allowing them to take on more responsibilities, by earning additional certifications. We award grants to some expanded function dental assistant training programs.
Dental offices would not function as smoothly as they do without dental assistants, so let’s give accolades to dental assistants this month!
Resources: Learn more about career options at explorehealthcareers.org for a dentist and adaausa.org for a dental assistant.
