In this episode, Ash welcomes Kevin Henry from Kevin Speaks Dental, a seasoned advocate for dental assistants with over twenty years of experience in the field. Kevin shares his insights about the evolving roles of dental assistants and the challenges they face, including compensation concerns, feelings of undervaluation, and workplace culture. They discuss the importance of communication, team accountability, and culture in retaining and supporting dental assistants, explaining how these factors often outweigh pay in promoting job satisfaction.

The conversation covers practical ways practice owners can support their assistants, from regular check-ins about career goals to fostering a sense of empowerment and belonging within the team. Kevin also discusses how technology and generational shifts are impacting dental practices, stressing that open dialogue and targeted training help ease the adoption of new tools and responsibilities. They also talk about why it's so important for practice owners to stay updated on state regulations and to invest in knowing their numbers, ensuring both patient care and a profitable, harmonious workplace.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Common challenges for dental assistants: pay, respect, and team culture
• Ways to add value for assistants beyond compensation
• Importance of regular check-ins and career goal discussions
• Team accountability and the role of leadership throughout the practice
• Improving the hiring process and assessing team fit
• The impact of technology on dental practice workflow
• Managing generational differences and communication styles
• Ensuring compliance with state regulations for assistant duties
• Balancing business profitability with patient care and staff satisfaction

To learn more about or connect with Kevin, you can find him at: https://www.kevinspeaksdental.com/

Welcome to Beyond by Wings, the business side of dentistry, brought to you by Edwards and Associates, P. C. Join us as we discuss how to build your dental practice, optimize your income, and plan for your future. This podcast is distributed with the understanding that Edwards and Associates, PC is not rendering legal, accounting, or professional advice. Listeners should consult with their business advisors before acting on any of the information that is shared. At Edwards and Associates, P. C, our business is the business of dentistry. For help or more information, visit our website at e and associates dot com.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Beyond Bitewings. In today's episode, we have a very special guest. His name is Kevin from Kevin Speaks Dental And he's been with the dental publishing community for more than sixteen years. We will be talking more about some of the folks that do some of the hard work on the back office end and how maybe their roles may need to evolve to serve the landscape of modern dentistry. So without further ado, hi, Kevin. How are you doing today?

Hey, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.

Oh, absolutely. So for our listeners that don't know much about what you do. Yeah. And how you help out dental assistants all across the country, would you like sharing a little bit about yourself?

Would be happy to. Yeah. I've been fortunate enough to work with dental assistants for just over twenty years now. I have a weekly podcast that comes out every Monday called the Dental Assistant Nation. And I've been blessed to speak at dental meetings focused on dental assisting, ranging from everything from Chicago midwinter to the South African Dental Association meeting. So I've been very blessed and and the crazy thing to me and and thing that just keeps giving hammered home, whether I'm in South Africa, whether I'm in Vancouver, BC, whether I'm in Seattle, wherever I am, is that a lot of the dental assistants, no matter where you are, you're facing the same kind of stressors, the same kind of, questions about the future. So I'm real glad that

we're having this conversation today. Oh, amazing. Yeah. I said all across the country, but it's really all across the world.

Yeah. I was I've been lucky enough to be in South Africa twice, a couple of the Canadian meetings, a couple of times in Europe. So, yeah, very, very blessed. And and, but it's given me a good perspective on how to help American dental assistants understand that they're certainly not on an island whenever it comes to what's bothering them every day.

That's right. Yeah. And what would you say some of the challenges are that they're facing in today's world?

I think one of the biggest challenges that we have with dental assistants today is trying to find their own worth. And what I mean by that is that, you know, it's no secret, and I don't think I'm gonna shock anybody whenever I say this, they are the lowest paid member of the dental team. And a lot of times, I've heard this for years. I don't think it's as true now as it was once, but it was the whole, you know, dental assistants grow on trees. They can work at Taco Bell in the morning, then we can have them in the dental practice in the afternoon. It's that easy. And and by hearing those kind of comments and knowing that they're making in some states still below $20 an hour, there's there's a lot of things that I think we have to remind dental assistants of why they not only need to stay in our industry, but why they also need to love what they do and what they need how they need to be engaged with what they do as well. Because we know so often they control the infection control process.

We know so often they are the advocate for the patients and patients will ask them after the doctor leaves the room if they really do need that crown or that root canal or whatever has been, prescribed during the during the appointment. So I I think just making sure that they understand how valuable they are and trying to figure out if it's not pay that shows them how valuable they are, what is that? I think that's the biggest question that we've got to ask, and I think we've been trying to solve that riddle for the twenty plus years and even before I started working in this industry.

That's right. But you must have gone close to what could add more value to them than just compensation.

Yeah. And I think, you know, we talked about culture in the practice Mhmm. And and I know people roll their eyes and we've talked about culture for years and leadership and all these things that, you know, were once just kinda fluff, in a lot of people's minds. But I will tell you, for dental assistants to walk into the practice, to feel valued, to feel like there's not gonna be drama in the day, to feel like that they belong, to feel like they're part of the team, you know, to feel like they're they are part of and and I use the word team all the time, not staff, but I do use the word team. It's it's vitally important more today than ever because these dental assistants, if they're going to choose to work in your practice and stay in your practice and they're not going to get compensated as much as the hygienist or the front office or whatever else may be happening there. We have to figure out a way for them to love what they do. And a lot of times that means that they have to really feel like that they're making an impact on their patients.

So how can a business owner help them realize that?

I I think it a lot of it comes in with attitude. Okay. And I think a lot of it is simply the the dentist, the DSO hiring manager, whatever you however you find your practice today, whether solo or part of a DSO, is you have to make sure that you're not only seeing this person who walks through your doors as a dental assistant, but you're seeing them as a human. You're seeing them as somebody who is truly trying to figure out, am I going to stay in this industry or am I going to become a hygienist? Or am I going to, you know, find another job out there that pays more than this one does? And so I think we've really got to start asking the questions about what do you wanna get out of this job? What where do you see your career going? What are your goals for the rest of the year? You know, I I just finished speaking, recently at the star of the north meeting in in Saint Paul, Minnesota. And and that's the thing that I always encourage my audience is no matter where I am is for those dental assistants to have these check ins with the dentist to talk about not just any kind of raise. I mean, money's a band aid in my mind, and we can talk about that in just a minute. But to have these check ins with the dentist to say, here's what I'd like to accomplish by the end of the year. I'd like I'd love to earn my after.

I'd love to earn my CDA. I'd love to get better at taking impressions. I'd love to know more about technology, you know, and really work out a way where the dentist and the assistant can figure out how that they're going to check that box together.

Interesting. Yeah. So instead of the business owner or the manager approaching them first, they take the first step.

Yeah. That's I always try to empower my assistants. You know, whenever I first started speaking, I said that three things I wanted to do were educate, enlighten, and empower every dental assistant that I I come into contact with. And we still try to do that at Dental Assistant Nation every week. But if they sit back, you know, and and I think it's true for any of us. If we sit back as humans and just wait for things to come to us, there's not gonna be a lot of action. So I think we have to be a little bit proactive. I think we have to be a little bit bold and say, I hope to get this out of the rest of the year.

Can we work together to make that happen? And again, it's not about earning $5 more an hour or whatever that number might be. It's about them feeling like that they're growing, that they're contributing and that they're really moving forward toward where they see themselves in this profession.

Fascinating. Okay. So I can see how that would help them grow and it could be self serving to them, right? Sure. If we have to focus a little bit on the patient side, right? We hear this quite a bit that, Oh, I'm a practice. We put the patient's needs first. And let's say a practice truly wants to uphold that mission statement, right? Like serve our patients first. What kind of a role will dental assistants have, to, let's say, create a positive and welcoming environment to make them feel like they come first?

Yeah. If if you look at how the dental practice in so many places is set up, the dental assistant is with the patient more than any other member of the practice unless they're there for a hygiene visit. Now that's that's the exception, I will say. But if they're there for any kind of restorative visit, any kind of orthodontic check, whatever it might be, it's the dental assistant that we usually greet them, take them back, and is with them the entire procedure. And then I'm also may walk them back up to the front depending on the handout how the handoff is handled. So I think whenever you're investing in your dental assistant, isn't it isn't just about his or her clinical skills, but it's also about their communication skills and about their case acceptance skills and building those relationships. Because I I will tell you, and and I mentioned it a minute ago, and it's it's not hyperbole and it's not a joke. There are so many patients who will ask for the dental assistants, opinion on a case, you know, because patients will often see the dentist as somebody that is trying to make money.

Right. They will often see the dental assistant as an equal or somebody that maybe is looking out for their best interests. So when you have an empowered dental assistant who truly has good communication skills and loves what he or she does, that shines through from the moment that patient walks through the door till the time that he or she walks out. And I think that's what we have to remember. If you're building a business and every dental practice is a business, then you're wanting to make sure that that customer has a great experience all the way through. And I am a staunch believer that it is the dental assistant that guides that experience from start to finish.

Interesting. Now, one other thing you may be aware of is, the turnover rate's also quite high amongst dental assistants. Is there anything that a practice owner can do? You know, sometimes some of these, and I'm thinking of, let's say, a business owner, not a DSO, run practice, but let's say a single practice owner, is trying to find ways to use his or her limited resources in a way where they can keep all the team members happy, including the dental assistants. And make sure that they can stay on board and they can absolutely love working where they're working. And that would foster confidence in that practice owner to invest more. Are there some things that they can do as a practice owner to

Yeah. I strongly believe that. And and I believe it's up to the practice owner to make sure that each of his or her employees is empowered and and really feeling like that they're a big part of what is happening every day and moving toward those goals, whatever those goals might be in the practice. And I think, you know, I'll go back to the communication side of things. I think having those conversations about goals, objectives, dreams, hopes, whatever you wanna call them

for

the dental assistant is a key part of that. Because I I will tell you, I have had numerous dental assistants that I have been in contact with in the past that I believe are great dental assistants who have left our industry simply because a, they weren't being paid what they were hoped to. And so they went on to other professions where they made more money. And b, they they didn't feel like that they could ever find a practice that they truly could make that difference or that they were empowered enough to make that difference. So I think bringing these conversations out into the open and making sure that if you have a dental assistant who works in your practice that you truly respect, that you truly enjoy working with, I think having the conversation about what comes next is vitally important. And then, actually, you know, I I don't just always talk to my assistants about how the conversation. It's always about having these little milestones along the way to actually get to when you accomplish whatever it is that you hope to accomplish. You know, we we don't just say, well, I'd love to learn this.

And all of a sudden, it's December 31 and poof, you have. I think that we have these these moments along the way where you take a class or you do some study or you work on something in the practice, that a piece of technology is brought in, whatever it might be. But there's these moments when the dental dentist and assistant hold each other accountable that they're actually walking down this path toward that goal and that the goal is something that actually impacts the bottom line of the practice. And and again, I firmly believe whether it's communication or clinical skills, when you invest in your assistant and he or she is energized and empowered, that absolutely it makes a difference in your bottom line.

Right. Well, that makes sense. And how frequently do you think the, the, the, whether it be the practice owner or the manager be checking in with their dental assistants?

You know, I I think it could be done even twice a year. I I think it's something that if you do it at start of the year and you do it halfway through, and then, you know, that start of the year meeting, you have also a recap of what went well the previous year and what could have been done better. You know, I I think it at minimum, twice a year is important. You know, I know a lot of a lot of dental practices will have monthly check ins with each other. Mhmm. You know, I know that there are some who will take advantage of a Monday morning huddle or a morning meeting or whatever it might be to, you know, set aside some time for individualized, you know, focus as well. But I think as long as you at least have twice a year and you at least have those, you know, by July 31, we'll have this done by October 31. We'll have this done and really hold each other accountable to hitting those deadlines.

I think that that's a key point. I, I don't think and I want to make this very clear. I don't think that donors should micromanage or should, like, lord over every little step. I think you've got to trust that that assistant is going to do that. And if for some reason the assistant doesn't, then I think that tells you, a, that there's a disconnect there and b, that there may be some other work to be done in terms of, is this person really wanting to achieve those goals that we talked about?

Well, that's true. And I'm also thinking it's not always just the practice owner, but if the practice is an office manager, sometimes it's with that person or more specifically the front desk people.

Yeah, it does. I'm also a big believer that, you know, I joked a minute ago about how that we all kind of rolled our eyes at some point over these last few years about leadership and everything. And I'm a big believer that everybody in the practice is a leader. They may not be the leader, but they're a leader. And and I think holding each other accountable in the practice and making sure that no matter what your role is in the practice, that you're you're doing the very best every day that you can. It's not gonna be perfect, but doing the best that you can and setting that leadership example for all those around you is important as well. And that does include, you know, the office manager. I know that there's a lot of opportunity for there to be conflict between the front and the back and for the, you know, the clinic, the clinical folks to say, gosh, all they do upfront is sit around and look at the computer, you know, and I think that's where the value of cross training comes in.

I think that's where the value of actually having those open lines of communication. And so everybody knows the challenges that each other is facing during the day. And there's those opportunities to say, well, if you're if you're fighting through that, maybe I could do this. And there's a way that we can figure out, even if it's changing up the schedule a little bit, or if there's a moment where the assistant could come up to the front and and do something, to to alleviate some of the the front office's needs. I think that's vital.

Yeah. That's true. Now the holding accountability part, did you mean like the others? So like every single team member will hold each other accountable or you hold yourself accountable so you can lead through example? Why not both? That's what I

say is I think we have to hold ourselves accountable. I think that's part of each of us being an employee wherever we work.

That's true.

But, but I also think that a true culture comes from whenever you can trust the other people to not only have your back, but also to speak openly if there's something that needs to be done that isn't being done up to a level that benefits the entire team. I'm a I'm a huge believer in the whole rising tide lifts all boats philosophy. And I think that if we're working in a dental practice and seven people are doing the work and one person isn't, then I think it's not just up to the dentist to talk to that person about it. I think it's up to each individual team member to say, what's going on? What can I do? Where where's the disconnect? And really see how we can help each other make sure that there's a culture of accountability in there.

How do you have the team members be as invested as, let's say, an owner or an investor?

I think it boils down to do you love what you do? You know, I will tell you in my years being an editor and and currently I am with doctor Bicuspid, I I love my part of the day that tracks metrics, tracks page views. I I look I constantly have a Google Analytics in the background to see what's clicking, what people are reading. And then that helps me know what to do the next day and the day after that as follow-up articles. But that's part of something within me that I love. I geek out on numbers. I geek out, you know, on my own podcast. I love to look at the metrics and everything else to try to figure out what we can do better. Now not everybody is like that, but I think we have to find those things within us that excite us and figure out how that translates into the day.

And so I think really having a team that works together well, it's almost like, dare I say, the avengers or, you know, make a superhero, Justice League, whatever you wanna do. Everybody's got their own individual superpower, but you're so much better whenever you actually combine those powers together. And I may be better at what you you know, it's something that you're not strong at and vice versa.

Right.

How do we make sure that those things are being, you know, risen to the top where everybody's given the opportunity to shine at whatever is the best of what they do.

Mhmm. Yeah. That's right. So maybe a bit of that vetting can be done during the interview stage.

Oh, for sure. Okay. Yeah. I think we've gotten a little lazy when it comes to the interviewing process. I think that we have just we're looking for a heartbeat right now with today's hiring shortage. It's like, hey.

We

start on tomorrow. Great. You're hired. And we run with that. You know, I I and I think that we regret those decisions a lot of times because then that person does not end up being the right person for that role.

Mhmm.

And so I think that you really have to think about when you're doing that interviewing process, what does that piece of the puzzle that you're missing really look like and drive questions toward figuring out, is that person the right fit?

Mhmm.

And making sure the questions you're asking are just yes, no questions, but they're actually ones where you get a view of the person's personality as well. Right.

And I'm thinking even for the interviewing process, I feel like most places, right, and I've seen it through all size practices, They typically hire someone when there's a gap to fill. Meaning, there's a time crunch.

Yep.

It has to be filled by a certain date because they're expanding, they're adding more operatories, or they're bringing in a new associate. The new associate demanded, you know, we need to have this many assistants ready by this date. And the office manager is in a hurry to fill that spot.

Sure.

To be able to vet someone where they can analyze the personality and do a proper fit check, I feel like, as you said, like, they they may need to spend more time.

I I think they have to. And I think we've also gotten away from doing background checks as well. You know, I I will tell you, I I've written about numerous embezzlement cases. I'm doctor Bicuspid. And and time and time again, whenever I talk to the folks who uncovered the embezzlement, they will tell me, had the person just called the dental practice where the person was working before, they would have realized there was a problem, and that's why that person no longer works there.

So

I know a question that we always have is why did you leave your your last job? And that's a great question to ask, but I think we've got to take that next step as well is actually call that last job and ask why, why is that person no longer working there?

Yeah, absolutely. And then for the personality test, do you think it's worth, for a business to maybe invest in a company that offers those types of personality tests?

Yeah. I'm a big believer in personality tests. Now I will warn you, do not use personality tests whenever you're hiring because in some states that can be against the law and could be seen as discrimination, if you don't hire a certain person. So I will definitely warn you against that. But when you have your team assembled, you know, and and and I've worked with several practices that we we go in and we talk about personalities and how each other works together because you and I could be asked the same question, and you and I could answer it a completely different way because of how we're wired internally. It doesn't mean either answer is wrong. It just means that we're both see the world through a different lens.

Mhmm.

And I think it's really important to have people who see the world through a different lens within your practice. That way you get different opinions. That way you get different viewpoints and everything else.

Mhmm.

But it's important to understand why that other person, if you're really spending that much time with them, why do they think the way they do? You know, the same way that my wife and I have worked on personality assessments with each other so that we know what each other is thinking. I think you have to do that with your coworkers as well. Because in all honesty, during the week, if I'm going into the dental practice, I'm spending as much, if not more time awake, with those people I work with than with my spouse or, or Correct. Another

Yeah. Absolutely right. That's true. And I think some companies would even call it a culture. What is it? Cultural index? For sure. Absolutely. Yeah. And

again, I will say culture is more important today than it ever has been.

Oh, I agree. Yeah. Any, any stats you pull up anytime and not just in dentistry. You know, there was a time when the number one factor was compensation, but now it's like three or four and culture is still today, right now, the number one factor that determines whether an employee or sorry, a team member, decides to stay on or not.

Yeah. And and I think it's vitally important that we just simply realize that the world has changed and it it changed before COVID. And we didn't really realize that as far as the hiring process and the number of people that were out there. I I mean, I've I I show in in my lectures that we were losing assistance in this industry before COVID ever hit. All that all that that little bug did was just put the gas pedal down on the number of assistants who left the industry. It was already shrinking before that. So I think we have to realize that it is a different world and that we absolutely have to do what we can to keep the people together that we feel like are of value to each other.

No. That's right. It's an ever changing world. And I think that's part of why we're doing this episode. We're talking about the ever changing, evolving landscape, right, of the modern dentistry. Speaking of which, I wanted to bring in maybe technology into our conversation today. How important do you think it is to implement new technology as they emerge into a dental practice and not just for the patients, but also for the dental assistants?

Oh, I I think anytime that you're seen as in front of the technology curve, I think that's important.

Mhmm.

I I will tell you, I I was at the international demo show in in Cologne, Germany, back in March.

Mhmm.

And it is the I always tell people, it's like the Detroit auto show for cars. You know, you see all these prototypes of what's coming and these trends, and they talk about in five years, we're going to be here and here's the technology it's going to be doing. So I get a little glimpse of what's coming. And and and obviously, AI is the buzzword out there. There's there's no doubt about that. But I think just as a dental assistant or or as anybody, you want to feel like that you're on the the cutting edge of things. You you want to be at the forefront of things. And while it's good to wow your patients with all the latest bells and whistles and toys and everything else, I think it's more important that whenever your team has that conversation with with patients and they say, yes, doctor Smith, you know, is is using the latest advances to make sure you have the best oral care possible and that they really believe that.

I I think that that's vitally important. Now it's going to take training. It's going to take resources. It's going to take investments, you know, to make all this happen and for the dental assistant to really understand the full grasp of what technology will do for his or her day. But at the end of the day, if you have an assistant who feels like he or she's working in a cutting edge practice, that he or she has everything at his or her disposal to actually make sure that patient is not only comfortable but also healthy as well, I think it changes the mindset for that assistant as well. And why would you leave a practice like that to go somewhere that still may be, you know, practicing, at the start of the century? Back in, back in the way back in those February or, you know, even twenty tens. Right?

Mhmm. That's right.

Now, do you

think the dental assistants get overwhelmed if practices, implementing new technology too quickly?

I I will say yes. I think they get overwhelmed and they get confused and they get frustrated if they're not told why a change is happening. And I know that for a lot of dentists, they they say, well, it's my practice. I can make those decisions. And then you absolutely can. But if you're making those decisions in a vacuum and your dental assistants, your hygienist, whoever it is in the practice doesn't understand not only why that change was made, but also is how it's going to impact the workflow and his or her day and everything else, then you will get a lot of resistance to that change, which is obviously gonna slow down how much that that change is gonna make a difference in your practice. So

I I

think that what we have to realize is, you know, we talked about communication at the very start of this. And I think it goes back to that with this as well is change is never a bad thing. I I fully believe that and change is going to happen. But it's also something that has to be communicated so that people can wrap their heads around the change that is coming, and again, why it matters.

Right. Exactly. I completely agree. I think it's Sometimes I feel like with dental practice owners that are operating in an overly saturated market, they get overwhelmed by what their other peers are doing, and they don't want to fall behind. And, you know, thinking just empirically by looking at numbers, they're like, okay, if they're doing it, we're doing it. Oh, we're implementing AI now. We're doing this, we're doing that.

Yep.

And I think it's very easy for them to fall into that pit and not realize that, hey, you're in the business of selling services, not goods. And these services are being provided by your team members. And they're equally as involved as you are. So just to communicate with them that, hey, look, this is what I'm thinking. What do you guys think? You know, and I will help you with training and whatnot. Yeah. It it Can go a long way.

What you just said is the key. I'll help you with the training. You know, you're not gonna have to fight this this new thing on your own.

And, you

know, we're going to do this together. And I think, again, instilling the value of this is what's best for all of us. This is what's best for our business. This is what's best for our patients. I I think is a really key point that needs to be made anytime a change happens.

Do you think there is resistance, from dental assistants that's been practiced for, I don't know, more than two decades with all these changes? I mean, I'm thinking of it from any industry perspective that yes, there would be some resistance, but I'm just curious. Maybe they're a different breed.

Oh, yes. And I will say a lot of times whenever I work with practices on empowering their assistants or work with them on personalities, generations make a huge difference. You know, my daughter is 27. Mhmm. She's she's in the physical therapy, world. And how she learns about her profession is so different than the other people that are there at that practice with her because, you know, she will go on TikTok and find things. She will, you know, do research and she has her own little study club. She doesn't belong to the National Physical Therapy Association because she doesn't see the value of organized whatever it is whenever she has her own little group that she can brainstorm with and learn from right there.

And I think that's where the American Dental Assistance Association is failing so badly. I think that's where the ADHA, the ADA, everyone is struggling because this next generation coming in sees things differently than the ones that were there twenty, thirty years ago. It bottom line is they don't see the value of organized dentistry. They see the value of their own groups, whether that's on social media or whether that's in their own town, and they feel like that is good enough for them. And so, yes, there there's a huge difference between how the dental assistant who's been out twenty five years and the dental assistant who's been there twenty five months, you views the world. And I think, again, you have to, as a practice owner, you have to be cognizant of that and you have to make sure that the conversation you're having with one assistant is different than the one you're having with another one because they're, again, going to view the world differently. And they're each going to have their own ways to learn and the ways that they wanna see their career grow or the ways they wanna advance. So, absolutely, generations makes a huge difference in not only your communication style, but if you're going to have everything be a cookie cutter approach, it's it's going to be a real tough road to hoe.

I'm trying to also think of some maybe specific technologies that might appear intimidating at first, but ultimately it makes the dental assistant's job easier or even more efficient later?

I I think digital impressions are a perfect example of that. I think whenever we we get away from the the materials and everything that we used to have to, you know, mix together to have the right impression. And then you didn't know if you were going to, you know, get all the the perfect, you know, features in there that the lab needed. I think the way that we have incorporated digital impressions into a lot of the the treatment flow in a lot of practices, and gotten away from the traditional impressions, I think that's what you're going to see with a lot of different technologies with this younger generation of not just team members coming in, but also younger generation of dentists coming in that this is what they're learning. This is what they're comfortable with. This is what they see their colleagues doing, and they wanna make sure that their practices are up to date and digitized as well. So I really think you're gonna see AI not only helping with treatment, but I think you're also gonna see it help with with everything on the clinical side of things. And I think dental assistants will be right in the middle of that for sure.

Fascinating. I honestly can't wait to see where this is going. Because with everything that I hear on the news, what is it? What was it? I think Chicago allows auxiliary dental assistants, right, that can do some of what hygienists do. Yeah.

Yeah. You know, that and that's that's the thing. Every state is different, you know, and I wanna encourage your listeners. If you're a dentist listening to this, make sure that you have your up to date on exactly what your dental assistants can or cannot do in the practice. And and I encourage you, if you haven't looked over what dental assistant duties are in your respective state yet, get that from your state dental board and make sure that your dental assistants are doing everything legally that they can to impact your bottom line. Again, it's gonna require some training maybe.

Mhmm.

But but I think, again, making sure that every team member who works there is doing as much as they can to to make sure that your business is successful is a really big thing. And they are the the dental assistants are trusting you, the dentist to make sure that if you tell them it's legally allowed in the state that it actually is. And so, every state is different, so I highly encourage you. Make sure that you know what's coming, and also what is there now. Because as you said, Illinois, Missouri is coming out with the oral prevailing assistant. My home state here of Colorado is very progressive whenever it comes to what hygienists and assistants can do it in the dental practice. So, I think it's important that we know what our states are allowing and what's coming down the pike whenever it comes to responsibilities as well.

Yeah. No, absolutely. And you know, these are all to tackle with the changing landscape of today's world, whether we're talking about increased overhead expenses and not enough reimbursement rates from the insurance companies, how do we still keep all the team members happy, be able to give top notch patient care, while also realizing it is a for profit business where the business owner can also make a healthy amount of money to sustain his or her family.

Yep. And my my big piece of advice is know your numbers. If your hygienist walks in and says she needs a $10 an hour raise and you really want to keep that hygienist ground, can you afford it? You know, I don't, don't. Yeah. I mean, knowing those numbers and knowing where your margins are, again, I would say today, it's that is absolutely a part of keeping your team together is knowing those internal numbers as well.

Absolutely. So more than ever before, I would have to say that.

For sure.

Yeah. It's too sensitive, every little thing and too competitive.

Oh, amen to that, for sure.

Yeah. Well, Kevin, it was a pleasure having you on our episode today, and for you to be able to share your knowledge and your wisdom with me and all the listeners, I couldn't thank you enough. Thank you so much.

It was my honor to be here. And anytime that I can talk about dental assistants and try to bring up some of the things that they are battling, as well as some of the victories that I've heard out there, when it comes to these amazing team members, I'm very, very happy to be on. So thanks for having me.

Anytime. Thank you again. Thanks for listening today. Be sure to subscribe to Beyond by Wings on your favorite podcast platform. For more information, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or reach out to us on our website. You can also shoot us an email at [email protected].