An essential part of your career in dentistry is selecting dental associations that represent your interest and provide valuable resources to you and your practice. These organizations are more than just a fraternity of dental professionals; they represent a powerful tool and support group that can help your practice succeed.
The American Dental Association
ADA is perhaps the most well-known of these organizations. Still, hundreds of them represent city, county, and state interests and serve specific specialties. It’s common for dental practitioners to join several of these organizations. How do you know which ones to pick with so many to choose from? It starts by considering what benefits you’ll gain by being a member.
- Endorsed Products – Products approved by your dental association have a reputation for excellence that helps you buy with confidence. They also tend to come with a discount for organization members.
- Insurance Options – Some associations will provide their members with private insurance options, such as malpractice insurance. They can often offer better rates and coverage than non-association options.
- Health Plans –Even dentists need good dental and health coverage, and associations often provide plans available only to their members.
- Latest News And Technology – Things change fast in the dental industry, and associations make it a point to keep their members informed of the latest changes that affect their business.
- Representation – One of the most critical roles a dental association plays is that of an advocate. These groups represent their membership to legislative and regulatory bodies, working hard to protect their interests.
These are just some of the benefits that come with being part of a dental association. We spent some time exploring the most prominent organizations out there and researching what benefits and options they provide to their members. Based on information gleaned from sources like DentalTown, we present the following dental associations you should join.
1. American TeleDentistry Association
Founder: L Dr. Marc Ackerman, DMD, MBA, FACD
Mission: Increase access to dental care through teledentistry solutions
Business Model: 501(c) non-profit
Partners: Smile Direct Club, Candid Co., Dominion National, Byte, Rhinogram
TeleDentistry has become an increasingly popular search term, according to the Dental Creatives, as the name inspires many in the medical field to integrate the concept of “social-distancing” medicine. Because an online presence has become more crucial than ever to give better access to patients in need, The American TeleDentistry Association addresses these new advancements in dentistry by providing dentists with resources, products, and practice guidelines to help increase the innovation of teledentistry and supporting both dentists and patients in need of technology solutions.
2. Productive Dentist Academy
Founder: Dr. Bruce Baird, Co-Founder, Victoria Peterson, Co-Founder, and CEO
Mission: Provide dental consulting and education to improve practices
Business Model: For-profit Service Marketing Company
Partners: OraVital, Weave, Six Month Smiles
For new dentists who come out of college, practicing what they learn in school can become challenging, especially when managing finances, establishing relationships with patients, and optimizing current systems. The Productive Dentist Academy addresses these concerns by providing a variety of financial and service-orientated resources, including business development coaching, productivity seminars, and marketing assessments. Established in 2004, the Productive Dentist Academy has won multiple awards for its services and resources, including America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies by INC. 5000 and both bronze and silver Stevie Winner for Women in Business.
3. The Dawson Academy
Founder: Dr. Peter E. Dawson
Mission: Advance dentistry through education curricula and research summits
Business Model: Post-Graduate Research and Education Facility, For-profit Business
Partners: American Dental Association, National Association of Dental Laboratories, Continuing Education Recognition Program.
The Dawson Academy provides dentists with educational and clinical research, teaching dentists the necessary skills and principles needed to create a successful practice. Founded in 1979, the Dawson Academy has a high reputation among dentists as a credible source for learning more about the spectrum of dentistry. Its core focus centers around creating a work-life balance for dentists. Its reputation gives its association weight within the dental community, as it gives dentists patient resources for treatments, marketing materials, and live educational webinars.
4. American College of Dentists
Founder: Dr. Stephen A. Ralls, President
Mission: Evaluate the standards of dentistry, encourage graduate study, and grant fellowships to notable dentists in the field.
Business Model: For-profit organization
Partners: American Society For Dental Ethics, Student Professionalism, and Ethics Association
The American College of Dentists focuses solely on educational purposes, giving dentists fellowship grants, ethic summits, and historical resources to use as resource materials for their practice. The association amplifies its missions by focusing on continually evaluating dentistry standards in place. Thus, it offers dentists the ability to learn new leadership skills and represents a gold standard for dentistry. Those who are members of this association become the organization’s fellows and help support dentistry’s advancement through constant evaluation and research.
5. Special Care Dentistry Association
Founder: Council of Hospital Dentistry, Council of Dentistry for People with Disabilities, Council of Geriatric Dentistry
Mission: Provide networking and educational resources to dentists interested in serving patients with special needs.
Business Model: For-profit organization
Partners: N/A
The Special Care Dentistry Association takes a unique but necessary approach when it comes to promoting oral health; the SCDA integrates its initiatives through other councils to support the needs of disabled people. The SCDA helps members, including dentists, non-dental healthcare members, health program administrators, and hospitals, engage with special needs patients by offering strategic plans, education initiatives, exchanging ideas, and networking opportunities. The SDCA helps dentists and healthcare professionals share their experiences and annually holds meetings, fellowship memberships, student chapters, and publications to expand resources for dentists internationally so they can assist patients in need of dental care.
| Dental Association | Founder(s) | Mission | Business Model | Partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American TeleDentistry Association | L Dr. Marc Ackerman, DMD, MBA, FACD | Increase access to dental care through teledentistry solutions | 501(c) non-profit | Smile Direct Club, Candid Co., Dominion National, Byte, Rhinogram |
| Productive Dentist Academy | Dr. Bruce Baird, Co-Founder, Victoria Peterson, Co-Founder and CEO | Provide dental consulting and education to improve practices | For-profit Service Marketing Company | OraVital, Weave, Six Month Smiles |
| The Dawson Academy | Dr. Peter E. Dawson | Advance dentistry through education curricula and research summits | Post-Graduate Research and Education Facility, For-profit Business | American Dental Association, National Association of Dental Laboratories, Continuing Education Recognition Program |
| American College of Dentists | Dr. Stephen A. Ralls, President | Evaluate the standards of dentistry, encourage graduate study, and grant fellowships to notable dentists in the field. | For-profit organization | American Society For Dental Ethics, Student Professionalism and Ethics Association |
| Special Care Dentistry Association | Council of Hospital Dentistry, Council of Dentistry for People with Disabilities, Council of Geriatric Dentistry | Provide networking and educational resources to dentists interested in serving patients with special needs. | For-profit organization | N/A |
Associations can be hard to choose from, especially if you’re trying to improve your business image and gain valuable insight into your industry. By paying attention to the benefits they offer, you can make a solid decision on your part to acquire those resources and help your business grow.
