When the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) kicks off its 30th conference this spring, Nick Clausen, MBA, will share his ideas on the positive impacts dental lasers can have on dental practices and their patients.

Clausen, well known and respected in laser dentistry circles for his passion for helping dentists optimize their laser use to increase practice profitability and boost ROI on their laser investments, will be the ALD’s keynote speaker during Dentistry’s Laser Meeting, ALD2023, which is taking place on April 21-22 in Dallas.

He is the ALD’s Manufacturers Council Chair and also the Director of Laser Mastery for Fortune Management. As the owner and founder of Dental Laser Coaching, Clausen worked as a trainer for most of the leading laser companies including BIOLASE and Convergent Dental.

“We are thrilled to have Nick opening our 30th Anniversary Conference & Exhibition,” ALD Executive Director Gail Siminovsky, CAE, says. “He shares the passion of our individual and corporate members for changing dentistry for the better with lasers. There are very few people better than Nick to demonstrate how lasers can be utilized in everyday dentistry to boost practice performance and patient care.”

Clausen’s keynote address is entitled, “Lasers for Practice Success—How to Leverage Your Laser to Transform Your Business.” During this session, attendees will learn the following:

How lasers dentistry can create a better patient experience and better clinical results

Optimal laser implementation can also lead to compounded practice growth when done with intention and the entire team is involved

How to leverage your laser to increase profitability by attracting more new patients and increasing case acceptance and ‘same-day-dentistry’

This keynote is especially relevant because dental lasers are unique tools that can be used on multiple clinical applications resulting in more conservative and cleaner outcomes that yield a better patience experience. Laser utilization can also positively impact the practice’s bottom line. Despite this, transformation doesn’t just happen. In order to achieve all the aforementioned results, the dentist must understand a few things they may have never done before, both clinically and on the management side of their business, according to the ALD. 

“Change can be hard for some people. But the change required for laser optimization and transformative results is not harder, it’s just different,” Claussen says. “I’m excited this year’s ALD annual meeting focus is on ‘Lasers For Practice Success’. This will give dentists proven keys to get the most out of their Laser technology for yourself, your patients and your practice’s economic strength.”

ALD 2023 is 2 days, Friday and Saturday, with a pre-conference certification program taking place on Thursday, April 20. On Friday and Saturday morning, the main stage presentations will be a mix of Ted Talk-style sessions and panel discussions. Afternoon workshops will provide a deeper exploration of the morning topics.

“The ALD is changing dentistry. Our conference attendees set themselves above the rest because lasers make dentistry kinder and gentler,” adds Simonovsky. “Whether you’re a private practitioner or part of a DSO or group practice, you’ll benefit from the ALD’s 30th Anniversary Conference theme, ‘Lasers for Practice Success’.”

For full conference program details and registration information, visit 

The ALD is the only independent and unbiased non-profit association devoted to laser dentistry and includes clinicians, academicians, and researchers in all laser wavelengths.

Articles

Nick Claussen, MBA, announced as the keynote speaker for April laser meeting in Dallas.

ALD 2023 Conference Focusing On Dental Lasers for Practice Success

Dr Dan Fischer Inducted into Crown Council Dental Hall of Fame


Founder and CEO Emeritus of Ultradent, Dr Dan Fischer, was inducted into Crown Council’s Dental Hall of Fame. This induction is meant to recognize Dr Fischer’s lifelong commitment and contributions to innovation in dentistry as well as his humanitarian efforts, according to a press release from Ultradent. The award was presented by Dr Fischer’s daughter, Dr Jaleena Jessop, and Crown Council CEO Greg Anderson.

In its 44 years, Ultradent has expanded under Dr Fischer to 16 global offices, more than 500 products, and product sales worldwide. With a passion for oral health, Dr Fischer led initiatives in Ultradent to bolster dental humanitarian missions. He also founded and works to fund The Diversity Foundation, Ultradent’s charity that helps young people leaving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints community.

Dr Fischer was recognized in an onstage ceremony held on January 28th, 2023

Founder and CEO Emeritus of Ultradent Dr Dan Fischer is being recognized by the Crown Council for his innovation and humanitarian efforts in the dental community. 

Dr Dan Fischer Inducted into Crown Council Dental Hall of Fame

Designed to meet the demands of today’s growing dental practices, DENTALEZ®’s Ramvac line of compressors and vacuums now feature significant updates to the entire line.

With the latest updates, the company has upgraded its compressors to handle more users to meet the demands of today’s growing dental practices. DENTALEZ compressors are more efficient and provide more flow to support the evolving needs of clinicians. The vacuums are flexible to fit into any electrical infrastructure. Additionally, its has completely converted its entire suite of utility options with smart technology.

DENTALEZ manufactures a full line of technologically advanced front-to-back office solutions from well-known brands including Star, Ramvac, Forest™, NevinLabs™ and Columbia Dentoform. The latest enhancements to the vacuums and compressors includes:

Added an 8-, 12- and 18-user compressors – supporting the largest number of users in the dental market today

Enhanced entire vacuum line to be “3-phase,” meaning it can meet all electrical requirements

Made Aeras monitoring technology standard on all of the company’s compressors and vacuums; designed to provide total peace of mind

compressors smaller, more flexible and quieter,

 now meeting the needs of our larger practices by providing machines that can handle more users, while maintaining all the flow necessary to run their equipment,” says Beth Jones, Senior Product Manager. “And our line of vacuums has undergone the changes necessary to meet the electrical needs of today’s practices. We can literally offer the right vacuum or compressor to a practice of any size and configuration.”

Today’s dentists are moving faster than ever before, and would rather focus on patient care than equipment. In response, DENTALEZ has upgraded its entire Ramvac utility line with Aeras smart technology. Monitoring systems embedded in the equipment provide real-time data, 24/7, on a simple, intuitive dashboard to let the user know the health of their system and alert them to any potential maintenance issues.

Jones adds, “Knowing that our dentists cannot afford a minute of unexpected downtime, we integrated Aeras smart monitoring into the equipment they rely on most. We provide this service at no additional cost whatsoever, to provide our dentists with that additional peace of mind.”

Significant updates to company’s line of compressors and vacuums can meet the demands of today’s growing practices.

New Enhancements to DENTALEZ’s Aeras Utility Line Designed to Service All Practices

Designed to be a suitable training tool for classrooms and practices worldwide, regardless of native language, the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) has produced an updated and revamped

This compelling 5-minute video uses real dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) and was premiered at the 2023 OSAP Dental Infection Control Boot Camp

. The video illustrates common dental infection control and safety flaws, the cross-contamination DHCP would see if saliva were red, and how controlling contamination by using personal barrier protection, safe work practices, and effective infection control products, reduces the risk of exposure.

Produced without a voice track, the video uses visual rather than verbal cues to stress the need for procedure-specific dental infection control. To view and download 

How to Tell the Story: A Facilitator's Guide

. This guide provides facilitators, educators, consultants, and in-practice instructors with visual cues and talking points from the video, answers to common questions, a checklist of the elements of a comprehensive dental personnel training program, and a list of resources.

OSAP says this digital video and facilitator guide are available at no cost thanks to CareQuest Institute for Oral Health grant funding.

“We are thrilled to finally release this video to the oral healthcare community after years in the making. It is one of the most impactful visuals to facilitate a discussion about cross-contamination and appropriate mitigation strategies,” says OSAP’s Executive Director Michelle Lee, CPC. “The creation and development of the video was possible with the dedication and expertise of our infection prevention experts, including, Eve Cuny, MS, CDIPC; Kathy J. Eklund, RDH, MHP; Karen Gregory, RDH, CDIPC; Michele L. Lash, RDH, BA; Shannon Mills, DDS; and Michele Neuburger, DDS, MPH. We hope this video is widely shared among the oral health care community to help ensure every dental visit is a safe visit.”

Compelling video uses real dental healthcare personnel to educate and to illustrate common dental infection control and safety flaws.

OSAP’s New If Saliva Were Red Video Now Available To View

Customer experience platform, Birdeye, has announced the launch of Birdeye Appointments at the Yankee Dental Congress in Boston, Massachusetts. Birdeye Appointments is designed to give dental practices an easy-to-use appointment management system solution that helps dental practices reach new patients, book more appointments, automate reminders, and reduce no-shows, according to a press release from the company.

“Patients today demand digital experiences when it comes to finding, choosing, and booking a visit with a dentist,” Dr. Leonard Tau, DMD, general manager of Birdeye’s Dental Vertical, said per the press release. “They want the freedom to book their appointments through digital channels in a way that is convenient for them. Birdeye Appointments makes this process effortless for the patient, saves time for the practice’s front office, and makes it easy for dentists to engage patients on communications channels they prefer, like text, email, and web chat.”

Consumers now demand a digital experience from their healthcare providers, according to the company’s statement. An internal Birdeye study found that 80% of patients prefer a doctor who offers online scheduling, and it improves patient recall by 10-15%, the statement read. Birdeye Appointments now allows dental practices to provide scheduling when it is convenient for patients, any time of day.

“We designed Birdeye Appointments so that dentists can offer more convenient choices to their patients in booking appointments and to automate reminders and recalls,” Anil Panguluri, senior vice president of products at Birdeye said, in the press release. “Adding Appointments enhances Birdeye’s all-in-one digital customer experience platform, including best-in-class software to manage reviews, listings, referrals, messaging, payments, surveys, and insights

The Appointments solution is designed to automate appointments and reduce no-shows.

Birdeye Launches Appointment Solution for Dental Practices 

A new logo and new brand identity focus, but the same goals.

The Pankey Institute has unveiled an enhanced brand identity, reflecting its focus on providing exceptional learning experiences for the future of dentistry. At the heart of this branding enhancement remain the 4 core values that have identified Pankey's relationship-based approach to dental education over the last 5 decades—optimizing technical, philosophical, behavioral, and financial habits. Portraying the unique education that inspires dental professionals the Pankey logo has been simplified and modernized for visual communication.

The new logo is a natural evolution towards a playful and optimistic approach with a multitude of fresh colors representing the diversity of the personally and professionally satisfying experience of their educational programs, states the non-profit institute. The existing logo that has followed Pankey's journey over the last 5 decades will be re-positioned as the basis for the visual identity of The Pankey Foundation.

"I'm thrilled to unveil our refreshed brand identity. Pankey continues to grow and evolve, and our new logo reflects who we are and symbolizes our future,” says Lee Ann Brady, DMD, Executive Director and Director of Education. “The new logo captures our mission to deliver a modern approach to advanced dental education and is a symbol of excellence that signifies movement, fluidity, and the vibrancy of our community."

This branding enhancement will be followed by a major initiative for a user-centric redesign of their 

later this year, tailored to meet the growing needs of their dental community in the digital space.

The Pankey Institute delivers advanced dental continuing education curriculum and the courses are known for being practical, effective, and easy-to-implement programs. Over 30,000 dentists, dental laboratory technicians, and specialists from 44 nations have attended its courses and have provided exceptional care to over 54 million patients worldwide, according to Pankey.

Non-profit institute in Key Biscayne, Florida is dedicated to helping dental professionals master advanced clinical skills and practice management.

New, Enhanced Brand Identity Focuses on Pankey Institute’s Core Values

Supply Clinic, a free online marketplace for healthcare and dental supplies, has partnered with ODP Business Solutions (previously Office Depot Business Solutions Division) to offer a wide range of office supplies on the dentist-owned and operated healthcare and dental supplies marketplace.

The idea behind the cooperative is to increase productivity and efficiency for Supply Clinic customers who now have a 1-stop-shop for healthcare, dental, and office supplies.

The partnership allows clinicians to shop for top office supplies like ink & toner, planning & organizational tools, breakroom supplies, filing & storage and more, fulfilled by ODP Business Solutions and their supply chain resources.

Customers can now get quality, fast shipping times, and low shipping costs. These benefits were previously associated with and provided by Office Depot's nearly 30 years of knowledge and experience. ODP Business Solutions’ goal is to help healthcare facilities achieve their goals, aligning with Supply Clinic's patient-first approach that offers a seamless buying experience for healthcare and dental practitioners.

“When supply purchasing is easy, fast, and trustworthy, practitioners can concentrate on what's important, their patients," explains, Scott Drucker, co-founder, and president of Supply Clinic. "We partner with all sellers on the marketplace to facilitate the best prices on the products our shared customers know and trust."

Supply Clinic allows dozens of vendors to compete for customers’ business on 1 website. Users can browse thousands of products and buy from multiple vendors in a single, simple checkout process, according to the company.

Dentists can take advantage of easier, faster purchasing now that Supply Clinic partnered with ODP Business Solutions to list top office supplies, healthcare and dental supplies all on 1 customer-focused marketplace.

New Partnership Means Office Depot Products Available From Supply Clinic Marketplace 

Videos

Join host Lisa Newburger, LISW-S, as she along with John Flucke, DDS, Jamie Collins, BS, RDH-EA, Taneika Duhaney, RDH, Chad Duplantis, DDS, Jean Ocasio, Jeff Rohde, DDS, and Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH, as the latest trends upcoming for dental in 2023. [40 minutes]

Mastermind - Episode 24 - Where is Dentistry Going in 2023?

Artificial intelligence (AI) platform, VideaHealth, was awarded a US patent for its dental AI image recognition technology from the US Patent and Trademark Office, the company announced. Patent no. 11,553,874 covers dental image feature detection powered by machine learning that helps dentists detect dental diseases on images and matches those findings to patient records.

“When I was still a researcher, I saw how impactful AI was becoming for everything from customer service applications to financial market use cases and to healthcare. It was then that I realized how powerful AI insights could be in dentistry when applied to X-ray analysis,” Florian Hillen, CEO and founder of VideaHealth said, according to a press release. “AI-powered X-ray analysis serves as a data-driven assistant to dentists, bringing a higher level of confidence to both dentists and patients.

Dentists using VideaHealth’s AI technology are seeing increases in case acceptance rates, according to the company’s statement. VideaHealth is working with partners such as Henry Schein One and dental support organizations (DSO) such as 42 North to deploy its technology across the US. The VideaHealth team guides change management processes to help clinicians and DSOs fully realize the benefits of diagnostic dental AI for accelerated practice growth and superior patient outcomes.

The patent was granted to the company's dental AI image recognition technology.  

VideaHealth Dental AI Awarded US Patent

The Association of Dental Support Organizations Announces New Workforce Task Force


The Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO) has announced a new task force specifically created to address staffing and workforce issues in dental practices. The task force will be comprised of ADSO member companies and partners to analyze and explore the issues affecting staffing in dental offices, according to a press release from the ADSO.

This comes after feedback and surveys indicating dental practices were actively recruiting hygienists and assistants, and that the labor market has created shortages in dental practices. This task force will pin down just why these issues are happening now, according to ADSO’s Executive Director Andrew Smith.

“This inability to achieve efficient operational standards, compounded by the costly nature of recruiting itself, represents a major challenge that dental practitioners are eager to overcome both from the perspective of financial stability and patient care,” Smith says in the press release. “Our new task force will explore why recruiting and retention have become increasingly difficult and provide recommended solutions to overcome those challenges. Our focus will include not only dental hygienists and assistants, but also helping new dentists find their preferred practice home.”

Non-profit ADSO will seek to answer the questions left by this “Great Resignation” as described in the press release from the group, and to test the viability of any solutions presented.

This non-profit has created a task force to investigate just why staffing shortages as well as recruitment and retention issues are happening in the dental industry. 