We Have Much to Celebrate at HPC in March!
National Dentist Day, March 6
National Dentist Day was created as a day to say thank you and show your appreciation for your dentist. It is celebrated annually on March 6.
Do you know?
• As of 2021 there are approximately 202,000 dentists who are professionally active in the United States. There are approximately 1,575 active dentists in Kansas, of which more than 200 are specialists.
• The education and training of dentists typically includes four years of college, four years of dental school and two to three years of residency training if a specialty is chosen.
• There are two different but equivalent degrees dentists may earn: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
• In the United States, 12 specialties are recognized by the American Dental Association.
1. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
2. Pediatric dentistry
3. Periodontics
4. Prosthodontics
5. Oral and maxillofacial surgery
6. Oral and maxillofacial pathology
7. Endodontics
8. Public health dentistry
9. Oral and maxillofacial radiology
10. Dental anesthesiology
11. Oral Medicine
12. Orofacial Pain
Special thanks to our dentists, Nader Rastgoftar, DDS, and Joseph Wittig, DDS, for providing top notch patient care!
National Dental Assistant Week, March 5-11
“Dental Assistants –The Heart of Dental Offices Through Education, Commitment and Safety” is the theme for 2023 and acknowledges the growing importance of dentistry’s role in health care and the responsibilities of dental assistants.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2020, there are more than 347,000 dental assistants in the United States. In Kansas, there are approximately 3,000 dental assistants.
Dental assistants wear many hats in a dental clinic! They greet patients, review medical histories, take X-rays, perform dental charting during the dentist exam, assist the dentist chairside during procedures, polish teeth, review post-operative instructions and schedule patients.
In Kansas, dental assistants are not required to be certified. However, The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is the nationally recognized certification organization for dental assistants. Certification is a source of pride for dental assistants and provides professional advantage and potentially greater earning power.
Thank you to our HPC dental assistants Stephanie Rojas, Enid Sierra and Rachell Perez!
