Office Life
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March 01, 2023Dental Assistants Recognition Week is about showing appreciation to assistants in the dental industry for all their hard work and dedication that has improved the lives of their patients and improved the dental sector overall. DAWR is also a great tie for dental assistants to reflect on their career accomplishments and goals.
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February 22, 2023
Operating a successful dental practice extends beyond purchasing equipment and supplies. Understanding the nuances of expenses and implementing targeted approaches to reduce costs while increasing profits is pivotal for sustained growth and success.
Understanding Variable Costs and Fixed Expenses
Variable costs, representing 45-55% of a dental office's expenses, encompass various essential elements like payroll, lab fees, expense fees, dental and office supplies, staff CE training, and infection control products. Meanwhile, fixed expenses, constituting 4-7%, encompass recurring overheads such as rent or mortgage, utilities, phone/internet services, dental software subscriptions, and staff health benefits.
Diverse Factors Influencing Costs
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December 29, 2022
This blog may have been posted after our holiday season celebrations with office parties and family gatherings.
As we return to our routine office schedules, we must maintain our respiratory health program with the most current and appropriate CDC infection prevention recommendations for the 2022-2023 flu season.
Influenza viruses are constantly changing, and even new viruses can appear each year and a gift none of us wants to receive.
Although the fall and winter is typically the most popular season for the flu to rear its ugly head, the season of flu can vary from different parts of the country and from season to season.
Annual flu is “a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death”.1 (CDC influenza). Flu symptoms include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or
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September 30, 2022Although we need more studies to assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and long-term use of teledentistry, the observed strengths, and upcoming opportunities indicate that teledentistry may fill a significant gap in oral health care delivery. But we also need to consider essential aspects of teledentistry when providing this service.
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September 21, 2022The workplace has been evolving over the past few years, and the dental office is no exception. Making sure that employers and employees are on the same page can circumvent a toxic work environment potentially leading to passive-aggressive behaviour such as quiet firing or quitting.
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August 26, 2022
Fluoride continues to be our number one defence in the prevention and progression of dental caries. For those patients who adamantly refuse to use fluoride in any form, we must be knowledgeable in guiding them to alternative methods to increase their resistance to and prevention of caries. Prevention of dental caries involves many aspects. Primary prevention involves the etiology of ...
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August 25, 2022The potential patient pool will shrink during a recession, and an effective marketing strategy can bring patients to your dental clinic door before they go through your competitors. Instead of cutting marketing budgets, dental practices should look for lower-cost ways to market their dental practices. We've put together a list of low-cost ways to market your dental practice.
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May 05, 2022As oral health professionals, it's our responsibility to keep dental clinical contact surfaces clean and disinfected. At the same time, oral health professionals have a substantial investment in dental office equipment that they don't want to destroy with harsh chemicals. This is why it's important to look for cleaning and disinfecting products that meet or exceed IPAC standards and are also gentle enough to use on equipment. You can definitely have the best of both...
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April 14, 2022
Managing dental fear in children can be challenging. In my about 30 years working in dentistry, I have picked up some tips to help alleviate dental fear in pediatric clients. Yes, there is a business management side to a dental office, but we cannot be so wrapped up with the tight schedules that we lose sight of the importance and value in the role we play as dental professionals to make dental visits fantastic for every child.
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March 22, 2022
Great organization is key in any workplace environment, and it greatly relies on having established systems. In a dental office, the daily schedule, whether paper printed or on a computer monitor, is a masterpiece creation that the entire dental office team relies on every day. Without proper dental scheduling, there are many ways that time can be wasted in a busy clinic. And when time is lost, revenue and morale take a hit too.