Managing the Dental Team: Guidelines for Practice Success. American Dental Association

      

       Acknowledgments

      The American Dental Association thanks the following individuals for their contributions to this module:

      • Dr. Andrew B. Brown, Council on Dental Practice 2012-2016, chair 2015-2016

      • Dr. Jean L. Creasey, Council on Dental Practice 2012-2016

      • Dr. Julia Mikell, Council on Dental Practice 2015-2019

      • Dr. Scott Theurer, Council on Dental Practice 2014-2018

      • Ms. Heidi Arndt. RDH, BSDH

      • Ms. Lois Banta

      • Ms. Debbie Castagna

      • Ms. Denise Ciardello

      • Ms. Teresa Duncan, MS

      • Ms. Cynthia C. Durley, M.Ed., MBA

      • Mr. Paul Edwards

      • Ms. Debra Engelhardt-Nash

      • Ms. Ginny Hegarty, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

      • Mr. Gary Kadi

      • Ms. Virginia Moore

      • Ms. Kristen Pelletier

      • Mr. Tim Twigg

      In addition to the individuals cited above, principal contributors to this publication include Dr. Pamela M. Porembski, director, Council on Dental Practice, Cynthia Kluck-Nygren, manager, Dental Team Activities and Publications, and Dr. Diane Metrick, senior manager, Special Projects and Emerging Issues. Special thanks to the ADA’s Council on Dental Practice and Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs for their review of and contributions to this module.

       Legal Disclaimer

      In making this publication available, the ADA does not, nor does it intend to, provide either legal or professional advice. Nothing here represents ADA’s legal or professional advice as to any particular situation you may be facing. To get appropriate legal or professional advice, you need to consult directly with a properly qualified professional or with an attorney admitted to practice in your jurisdiction.

      Managing the Dental Team generally discusses certain federal and state laws, but does not and cannot address every federal and state law that could affect a dental practice. Each dental practice must be aware of and comply with applicable state and federal laws. Managing the Dental Team refers to federal and state statutes and regulations, including regulations adopted by agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), among others. However, the materials that follow have not been approved by HHS, the FTC, or any other federal or state agency. Dental practices vary widely, and each should address legal issues and develop and implement various compliance programs appropriate to its circumstances and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

      We have made every effort to make these materials useful and informative. As a consumer of the information, however, you must understand that the law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and it sometimes changes more rapidly than these materials. For that reason, we make no representations or warranties of any kind about the completeness, accuracy, or any other quality of these materials or any updates, and expressly disclaim all warranties, including without limitation all implied warranties (including any warranty as to merchantability and fitness for a particular use).

      To the extent we have included links to any websites, we intend no endorsement of their content and imply no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Nor do we make any representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites, which we do not control in any way.

      © American Dental Association 2017

       Table of Contents

       Introduction

       Leadership

      

The Dentist Is the Leader of the Team

      

Preventing Drama

       The Members of the Dental Team

      

Position Overviews

      • Sample Position Description – Dental Assistant

      • Sample Position Description – Dental Hygienist

      • Sample Position Description – Office Manager

      

Position Overviews – Clinical Staff

      • Associate Dentist

      • Dental Assistant

      • Dental Hygienist

      • Dental Laboratory Technician

      

Position Overviews – Non-Clinical Staff

      • Administrative Assistant

      • Appointment Coordinator

      • Bookkeeper

      • Business Manager

      • Financial Coordinator

      • Marketing and Communications Coordinator

      • Office Manager

      • Practice Administrator

       Managing the Dental Team

      

Staffing

      •