"Trust, Talent & Teamwork" - How Dentists Can Retain, Develop, and Empower Dental Assistants (feat. Kevin Henry)

In this episode of "The Dental Domination Podcast," DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian talks with Kevin Henry, editor-in-chief of Dr. Bicuspid and founder of Dental Assistant Nation. They discuss the state of dental assisting in America today, challenges related to workforce shortages, and the importance of retaining dental assistants. Kevin shares his thoughts on the need for dentists to create a supportive culture and provide opportunities for professional development for their dental assistants, and the crucial role that dental assistants play in building trust with patients and improving the overall patient experience. For more information, check out the show notes.

Transcript

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All right, welcome back to the Dental Domination podcast. My name is Dan Bryan. I'm the co -founder at Dental Scapes. I'm not here to talk about that today. as I hope listeners will be familiar with, but I am here episode 22 to talk with a very special guest, Kevin Henry. And we are going to be talking about something, that I think is near and dear to both of our hearts today. as, listeners may know, my husband is a dentist. definitely all about. team -based care and we're going to be digging in specifically to dental assistants today. So sort of the state of the nation as it goes with dental assisting. Obviously there's some challenges related to workforce these days and we want to dig into that. But I also want to talk about dental assisting from the perspective of the dentist. So a lot of our listeners, of course, are dentists or specialists. And so want to dig in with the expert in dental assisting nationwide here today. Kevin Henry, and I wanna kick things over to you to say a few things about yourself and your experience, Kevin. But before that, I want listeners to know Kevin Henry, he's got the resume, man. So editor in chief of Dr. By Cuspid, maybe you've heard about it, known as the eyes, ears, and voice of the dental industry, and also the founder of something I'm really excited about and wanna dig into more. a little bit later on, but Dental Assistant Nation, which is a sweet podcast. hope you check it out. If you're interested in all things dental assisting, think one of your recent episodes, you dug into social media and dental assisting. So it's really interesting stuff. But Kevin is also a nationwide speaker, goes on the road, talks about all things dental assisting, represents Dr. By Cuspid and Dental Assistant Nation. And he really is, in the words of his LinkedIn profile, a champion of dental assistant. So. I appreciate your service to the profession, Kevin, and thank you so much for joining us. It's a real honor. Dan, I'm glad to be here and anytime we can talk about dental assisting and what's going on out there, I'm always down for that. So I really appreciate you having me. Cool, yeah, so what can you tell us a little bit more about your background? How did you get into dental journalism for one? And how did you end up focusing on dental assisting specifically as sort of a passion project? Yeah, I'm blessed that I've been in the dill journalism world for the last 25 plus years. I was managing editor for dental economics. That's where I started my career and then moved over to the editor in chief at dental products report, becoming editor in chief here at Dr. By Cuspid. And I was honestly fell into it. I was in sports public relations and the company I was working for left my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma to move to Kansas city. My daughter was six months old at the time and I couldn't move her away from her grandparents. knew that would be a bad thing. Yeah, so I stayed in Tulsa and luckily there was a managing editor position in dental economics. It was open. I applied for it. I had my master's in journalism. I'm a journalist by trade. yeah, and so it's just been something that I've been so lucky to meet so many great people in this industry and they've helped me so much along the way to get to where I am today. I'm very blessed by that. Yeah, man. Love it. Love it. And like I said, I do hope that folks listening in, check out your podcast, really, really valuable stuff there. And I'm excited to see what you do with dental assistant nation in the months and years ahead. you know, just to kick things off, let's, let's take a look at dental assisting across the country today. So obviously this is, you know, in all aspects of dentistry, a very transformational time within the profession. And we're also dealing with a lot of workforce issues. so dental assisting is really along with hygiene, you know, at the forefront of that. What would you say is the state of dental assisting in America today? And, you know, what should folks know about the field? I think that, you know, a lot of times whenever I talk to people about dental assistance, they always say, well, COVID hit, and then all of sudden it was hard to find dental team members after that. And I go back and I look at the years before COVID. And if you go back and look at some of the statistics, we were actually starting to lose dental assistance before COVID hit. And all that the pandemic did was put the gas pedal down. Interesting. lose even more. estimates tell us that there's about 320 ,000 dental assistants right now in the United States. And the scary thing is we worked with Danby, the dental assisting national board, Dale, which is their sister that works with all the education, as well as the American Dental Assistance Association. We did a big study with them. And one of the things that we're finding is that we're on the... precipice of losing and and you know, I'll talk about this in just a minute a third of all the dental assistants that are in practice right now, so I Know and and I know I know you hope that was gonna bring some sunshine and rain But but this is the message I'm trying to get out there is that we are starting to see a lot of dental assistants that are gonna age out in the next five years or pursue other opportunities whatever that might be so if you have a dental assistant your practice that you love, that you trust. This is the time to make sure that he or she knows how valuable that person is. Yeah, lock it down. This is the time to do that because as bad as it has been to try to find team members around the country, I hate to tell you, it is going to get worse. Yeah, so, you know, talking about the workforce shortage, talking about, you know, the rise in pay, obviously, we're dealing with inflation as well now. What are you hearing from dentists that you talk to, practice owners around the country, as it pertains to DAs right now? What are some of the common themes that you're hearing? You know, one of the most common things I'm hearing is that a lot of times they're surprised whenever their dental assistant hands in the notice saying, I'm going to go work across town or I'm going to go do something else. And that's where I think we've got to do the stay interviews where we're talking to our assistants ahead of time before they leave about their hopes, their dreams, how they're they're doing, are they happy, all these different things that maybe aren't in the comfort level for Dennis. Yeah. are the conversations we need to have with our team members right now. So you don't have that surprise because I'm hearing so much about trying to find those team members then to replace the ones who have left is such an arduous task. And so I, my goal is, you know, for being on this podcast, whenever I'm out speaking at greater New York or Chicago midwinter, wherever it might be is to remind dentists, this is the time to make sure. You are in that lockstep with your team members about their careers, futures, their hopes, all that good stuff. Well, you really teed me up here because I want to dig into that specifically. So obviously retention is sort of the name of the game right now. And you mentioned it yourself, you know, now is the time to really secure that workforce, to really keep the team that you want in place. If you have someone on the team that's valuable or people on the team that are truly valuable. What would you advise dentists consider now? as far as tweaks to the practice culture and that sort of thing. What's most important when it comes to retaining dental assistants in today's influx environment? I will tell you a lot of dentists that I speak with at Seattle study club meetings or whatever, they come up and they say, what if I give them a dollar or two more an hour? What if we give them a raise? And I will tell you the vast majority of assistants I talked to, that's nice, but it's a bandaid on the situation. It's not something that's going to cure the problem. These men and women, to be perfectly honest, they want to come in, they want to have a drama free day. They want to go home. Yeah. and so I think you hit the key word, culture. You know, what does that dental practice culture look like? Do they enjoy what they do? Do they feel like there's opportunities for them to grow in their careers, you know, advance in their skills? And I think those are the things that they're looking for much more than how much they're going to take home at the end of the day. They want to feel fulfilled. They want to feel like that they are safe. They want to feel like that they're heard. And I think if you have those things in your practice, that means so much to today's dental system. Yeah, and I think you really hit it there because I know, you know, I'm of a, would not say a young generation. I wish I could say that, but I know for younger people, you know, Gen Z and millennials, I think a lot of folks are really looking for, like you said, not just a paycheck. That's important, obviously, and a good paycheck. but they're looking for purpose and they're looking for fulfillment. And so I love what you said there and about creating a culture that, that, that really emphasizes that, sort of more broadly though, beyond just retention, what do you, you know, we've got a lot of dentists listening to this podcast and, you know, a lot of practice owners and there are men, I'm, I'm in no means trying to diminish what dentists know about dental assistants and, and, and their world. But what do you wish that more dentists realized about the dental assistants on their team, their role, their impact, their importance? What do you, what do you, what would you say to that? The biggest thing I would say is that you have to understand that that dental assistant is really the bridge between your patient and the practice. Whenever you leave the room and you tell Mrs. Jones that she needs a crown, eventually when you leave the room, Mrs. Jones is going to turn to that dental assistant and say, what do you think? And that's the chance when you've got to make sure that your dental assistant is right there, has the same mentality as you, has the clinical and the communication skills to explain to Mrs. Jones why she needs that crown. Yeah. I've heard countless tales of how it's actually the dental assistant that closes the dare I say sale more times than anybody else because that patient trusts the dental assistant, sees her as meaningful. talk at Dental scapes about the role of, know, we do online marketing, so we're not intimately involved in the practice, you know, the inner practice marketing, but we always talk about, and, know, I understand there's discomfort with the word sales and that's, that's, you know, a lot of dentists aren't comfortable considering themselves salespeople, but it is a part of the job. And, you know, the hygienist and the dental assistant are certainly a part of that workforce. And so. I'm really glad that you got that. So to that point though, the importance of the dental assistant, not just in assisting with clinical care delivery, but also, you know, being sort of a liaison to the patient, sort of an intermediary between the dentist and the patient. What should a dentist, in your opinion, be looking for when they go out to hire a new DA? Or how should they be assessing their current team? in determining who has the right attributes and skills and mindset for that position. I think a lot of it comes down to first of all, asking the team members. You know, we talked about those goals, those hopes early on. I think that that's something that you've got to know. And I will tell you one thing that a lot of dentists and dental practices don't know off the top of their head is, you know, every state dental assistants are allowed to do different things. Colorado, my home state is different than Wyoming, is different than Idaho. You know, all these states are different. Good, good. Because that's what I strongly encourage. If you're listening to this, know what your dental assistants can do legally in your state to impact the bottom line. And then work with that dental assistant to make sure that he or she has the skills, has the knowledge and the confidence to actually do those things. But you know as well as I do, Dan, a lot of times that dentist has to actually then step back and let the dental assistant do it. And that's a whole different story as well. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's hard, but it's funny. sorry. It's funny. You mentioned that because we had a guy, real knowledgeable guy on the podcast way, way back in the day, Kirk teach out. He's a dental consultant and his wife owns a practice and he's managed the practice for a long time. And one of his, you know, key tips or, key takeaways for dentists out there is if it doesn't require a dental license, as in a dentist license, Delegate that and there are so many opportunities for dental assistance depending on scope of practice to to assist in that and so I Love what you said there. I think that's that's real true Yeah, that's always my, the drum that I bang is, and you hit it on the head. If your dental assistant can do it, let him or her do it, but don't set them up for failure. Set them up that they take the courses, they have the knowledge, they have the confidence to actually do it. And then they know that they have your support dentist to also do it whenever it comes time to actually do that in the practice. But... You know, whenever we're looking at how dental practices can grow, I honestly think that's one of the biggest ways is making sure your team can do everything legally allowed in that state to impact the bottom line of the practice. Absolutely. And I think that that again drives home that whole the emphasis that we talked about earlier on empowerment and fulfillment. And if you can allow a DA to, you know, to practice at the top of their licensure, that is that's infinitely important for developing that, that support and that that empowerment. You know, and you teased EFTAs a minute ago, Expanded Function Dental System. Yeah. Great. You know, and again, not every state in EFTA can be an EFTA. That's the thing. There are CDAs, there are RDAs, there's all different levels out there. So absolutely, I want to encourage you, explore what your state offers. Yeah. I know so many dentists are hesitant to have their assistants become FDIS because then they're like, what if I train them and they leave? it is, absolutely. But I think if you really look at then letting that person, letting that assistant do what he or she can do, I think you're going to see that ROI. absolutely. any hesitation about that, that dental assistant leaving once he or she gets the FTA or CDA or whatever it might be. My, my response is always back. Well, what if they stay, you know, the response is always if they can impact your practice and your bottom line in such a bigger way and find that fulfillment, that's, that's what you're looking for on all levels. Yeah. And that EFTA or even that, you know, lower level DA, like we were talking about, they are true ambassadors for your practice. so finding a good one and keeping that person and you know, that person is also, you know, I think a lot of times overlooked, know, dentists, you know, myself, when I think about the practice, we're kind of prone to thinking about, you know, focusing on the dentist patient patient relationship. And you know, maybe second to that, we think about the hygienist because you know, most patients are going to see the same hygienist when they come in every six months. But they're also, you know, if the practice is stable, they're going to encounter the same DAs and that that relationship is no less critical. So I mean, I think that's spot on. I will tell you, and I'm not going to tell you the whole story because it would take longer than your podcast, but my mom is the perfect example of that. She's 81 years old. She's diabetic. She was scared of going to the dentist for a long time. And I actually got her into a practice where she knew the dental assistant. And it was like that trust. And all of sudden, because she trusted the dental assistant, she trusted the dentist. Yup. And it broke down years of not wanting to go to the dentist, being scared of the dentist. And so I think, Les, you said there's a real trust factor there that starts with the DA, but expands to everybody else on the team as well. Absolutely. think and you know, correct me if I'm wrong. I think I was I was looking the stats up earlier. 2022 maybe a little out of date, but there were over 30 states that now allow FDIS. Is that right or close to right? OK. And I will just say, just quick plug, I work so much with the dental assisting national board, Danby. If you go to danby .org, there's a button on there that says meet state requirements. It pulls up a map of the United States. You can click on any state and see exactly what dental assistants can or can't do in that state. It's a huge resource and it's something that I think every dentist needs to know as well. Yeah. Well, FDIS or not, what are your thoughts on how dentists should be enabling professional development for their team, for their DAs? mean, we talk about CE obviously, but even beyond that, what are some of the best practices that you typically recommend and advise dentists to do when considering how best to support the development of their team? Because again, that's infinitely critical in terms of retention as well. Absolutely. And let's be perfectly honest, not every assistant, not every team member, not every human wants to be at that 120%. And so I think that's where, you know, as we get into the fourth quarter of the year, I think it's important for you to sit down as a dentist with your team members and say, Hey, 2025, what are you thinking? What are your goals? What, know, how can we work together more closely? So I think this is that perfect time to sit there and talk about what the hopes are. how you all can work together. But absolutely, as you mentioned, there's CE courses. I think that a lot of times we overlook the role that that sales rep, that distributor rep or equipment rep, whoever comes into your practice, asking him or her about those things that you can do to improve in your software, improving your knowledge of your technology. Things like that as well that your dental assistant may be using a small fraction of the technology that you paid for. Are there things that you can learn to even open that up as well? So I think now is just a perfect time to talk with your assistants, your reps, know, even your fellow dentists out there, brainstorm with them what they're doing in their practice to make sure that, you know, their team members are happy. I think communication is such a key on all levels. 100%. Well, I'm going to go back, just zoom back out again. So we've talked a lot about, you know, various issues here with, with DAs. And we've talked about the importance of building a culture that is supportive and that, that really leans into retention and can, you know, help you build a more profitable practice simply through the stability of having the right team in place. So I want, you know, in, you've, you've dealt with hundreds, maybe more practices through the years. How would you define the ideal relationship between a dentist and a DA? Because it's so critical for, you know, to keep the machine humming. Yeah. And I think that it goes, you know, a lot of people say, should I be friends with my team members? And I, and I always think that's a very strange question, but it's a relevant one because how close should we get? know, you always hear practices talk about, you know, we treat each other like family and you just hope that's not like cousin Eddie and Christmas vacation there. the biggest thing that we, think that if it was my advice, My biggest thing for dentists to do is look at their dental assistants as not just assistants, but human beings. know, every one of us have family things that go on the back of our mind. Every one of us have hopes for the new year, whatever that might be. And I really do think it's about how do you talk to each other and be open and honest with each other, be open and honest about where you see things going, be open and honest about where you see the practice going and how this person plays a role in that. And I think if there's an open and honest feeling to the culture, I think that a lot of walls that we build go down pretty quickly. 100%. I want to talk to, before we close out here, you know, obviously we're in the midst of unprecedented change. The profession is changing and obviously a big part of that is workforce. And as we talked about earlier, there is a huge shortage today and it sounds like based on your research, it may well get worse. So fair warning out there to folks listening, don't sit on your laurels and expect things to, to improve on their own. So I think we, we as professionals within the dental industry. in marketing, obviously, but I'm tangentially related. But I think we have an obligation to, you know, be evangelists for the profession and, you know, try to recruit the right people into the workforce. So what would you say to someone, you know, considering a career in dental assisting? What makes it in your mind such an attractive career option and why should folks consider a career in dental assisting today? So one thing that I always say is that we in the dental industry and yeah, I'm tangently in there as well, absolutely. But I think that we so often forget the fact that we change lives every day. I think we forget that we make people smile, that we catch oral cancer early, that we do all these different things that are gonna impact people for years to come. So we talked earlier about these millennials and the Gen Z years and that they want somewhere that they feel like they're going to make a difference. We need to be explained to the next generation of dental assistants that this is the place where you change lives, that you actually do make a difference every day. You're not just going in and punching the clock and hoping you get a lunch break and then you leave. No, no, it's something different with every patient. It's something different where you're going to need to put your mind, your skills to use. And every patient is an opportunity to make sure again that they walk out of there with that their life is a little bit better than it was. Love it. Love it. Well, Kevin, I can't thank you enough for dropping by today. I have truly enjoyed this conversation and I actually have a background in journalism also. And I got to tell you, it's a hell of a lot easier to interview another journalist who kind of knows the ropes and how it all plays out. But anyway, I have really enjoyed this conversation. I do hope that you come back on at some point in the future if you're willing. But before we close on out, what can you tell us about Dr. By Cuspid? but maybe more relevant to this conversation, what are you doing with Dental Assistant Nation and what can folks expect and how do they tune in or get involved if they want to? Yeah, let me just let me kick the doctor by cuspid here real quick. Absolutely would love to have you all it's a free newsletter that comes out every day at 3 30 Eastern time. We try to put news tips whatever in there. So go to dr by cuspid calm free every day. as a journalist, I'm having anxiety right now. I will tell you, I have three amazing assistant editors who do a lot of the work. You know, while I travel around the country and I'm very appreciative of them, but yeah, drbicuspid .com. We'd love to have you as a subscriber. then absolutely, you know, if you want the insight into what assistants are doing every week, I put out a podcast dental assistant nation. I've done it for five years now. We do I try to bring in experts from around the industry that really tuned into what dental assistants want and need and I'm also gonna plug that while you know As we're recording this I'm getting ready to go to South Africa To to lead the South African dental associations dental assistant symposium And so I'm gonna be down in Pretoria, South Africa for a few days working with dental assistants there I love to travel internationally and work with dental assistants And Dan, here's the little secret to tell you, the same problems we're dealing with them in Seattle and Sioux City and everywhere here in the U .S., it's the same in South Africa as well. So whenever I say dental assistant nation and what dental assistants in the U .S. need, to be honest with you, it's anywhere in the world. And I think we could say the same thing. Amazing, amazing. So check out Dental Assistant Nation wherever you get your podcasts. And speaking of which, also, if you've enjoyed what you heard today, please take a moment and leave a five -star review on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you're listening to this. Really appreciate it. And as always, thank you so much for tuning in. And Kevin, thank you. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this conversation. So thank you so much. Hey, my honor and I look forward to being back for sure. Alright man, sounds good. We'll take care and we'll talk soon. Bye.