I had no idea what an honor the Charles A. Caine Award was until Rachel Lewis, Communications Director for Worker’s Compensation Fund, paid us a visit.  Rachel enthusiastically toured our building paying special attention to areas such as our first aid room and manufacturing floor.  Along the way, she shared a few facts on how companies become Charles A. Caine nominees.  It may seems obvious for a company to have a “zero-accident” goal but it takes a concerted effort to actually achieve the objective.  For the past ten years, Dave Nuttall, Ultradent’s Safety and Security Manager, has worked towards this objective by decreasing the number of reported injuries with a few primary measures – an onsite first aid room to evaluate injuries, a first–aid response team which consists of employees to help with treatment of medical emergencies and most important, a strong company-wide safety mindset.  Dave encourages sharing of safety concerns so that potential accidents are addressed and prevented.  If a workplace injury does occur, the details of the incident are reviewed by managers to address any necessary changes to prevent future mishaps.  One of the measures used for workplace safety is called an e-mod rating.  Basically, the higher the e-mod number, the higher the number of reported injuries.  Ultradent’s e-mod has been reduced from 2.92 in 1995 to a very low .76 rating today!

Ultradent is among 12 companies out of 24,000 to receive the honor of the Charles A. Caine Award for Workplace Safety this year.  The award will be presented on Thursday, June 4^th at the Little America Hotel.

A big congrats to Dave and the first aid responders for making this a safer place to work.

As a long time chairside assistant, it was my sworn duty to do the best job I could to help increase patient retention and office productivity. With today's technology changing, well on a daily basis, it is our duty as dental professionals to stay on top of new improvements and changes.

As a advocate of continuing education for the entire dental team, I wish to thank the state dental associations that are starting to provide CE specific to each member of the team.  Because I am a dental assistant and a product educator, I find that when dental assistants are handing chemistry to a doctor to place in a patient's mouth, the dental assistant should know the proper placement technique and handling issues associated with that specific chemistry.

I'm a hybrid layer freak.  As I say when doing lectures and educating our future dentists..."The hybrid layer can make or break your practice".  We are all so "rushed" and seem to take it (the hybrid layer) for granted.  Now is the time to slow down and apply your products according to the manufacturer's recommendations.  It is also the time to sit down and discuss the instructions and storage recommendations with every member of the team that might come in contact with that said product.  We must also stop assuming that all products are created equal, so please take time to read the instructions.

You can also pat yourself on the back if you go to regular continuing education programs...and doctors, if it has to do with a clinical procedure, take your dental assistant along with you.

I just returned from speaking at the Connecticut State Dental Association meeting.  Kudos to CSDA for having such nice auxiliary track programs, and thank you doctors for attending my adhesive program.  I might not have a DDS, or a DMD, but I do have tons of experience and I work for Ultradent...a education and research based company. I read, read, read and use the World Wide Web to find out just about anything on all different types of products.

If you have questions or concerns because a product doesn't seem to be working right for you, you can always go to the company website and look up FAQ's...frequently asked questions.

Increased productivity, happier patients with long lasting dentistry, and better educated team members are only a click away.  Webinars and Podcasts are also available...inexpensive and easy.

I would also appreciate the support of dentists across the country by asking htem to send their chairside assistants to CE.  I will be lecturing on May 31st in Loma Linda, CA...Secrets to Successful Dental Assisting.  The FNDC in Orlando in June is offering a wide variety of programs for team members as well.  I am fortunate to do 2 days on adhesive dentistry and 1 day on whitening.  In July I will also be at the PNDC in Seattle, Washington.  Great things are happening and you can be part of it!

I would like to thank Ultradent and Dr. Dan Fischer for being such a great mentor and educator in my life for the past 13 years, and I would love to thank all the state associations that are starting to promote excellence in education as well.

Be the sponge...soak up as much knowledge as you can.  Your practice will be happy, as well as your pocketbook.

Happy Education!

Victoria

It's that time of year for our future dentists; State boards and graduation. Many of you may have already used the InterGuard by Ultradent in dental school.  If you haven't, then I highly recommend you give it a try when taking your boards.

InterGuard is a durable stainless steel preventative aid that will help prevent iatrogenic damage during Class II preps, and it is great for tunnel preps by protecting the adjacent tooth! It is reasonably priced as well.

In working with dental schools over the past 5 years, I've had numerous comments from graduates stating that the InterGuard really helped them with the board exams.  So make a small investment in your future and give us a call at 800-793-5215 to order.  And, while you are talking with our fabulous University Assistants, ask them about the "Student Board Kit" we offer as well.

Best of luck and have a blast with your dental career!

Victoria

Last week I traveled to India with Jim (Intl Sales Director) and Girish (Indian Country Manager).

Jim, myself, Girish and his family.

As we were going around the country to visit several of our dealers, Jim and I discovered some unbelievable facts and stories about India.

In Mumbai, We met with the Jehangir’s brothers. top notch dental professional who have been promoting Ultradent for over 20 years. They told us about an interesting religion. They are Zoroastrians (Parsis), a religion which started in Persia. They are famous for being highly ethical and excellent business person: and they confirmed it. When the first Parsis ancestors came from Persia to India several centuries ago, the Indian governor didn’t let them in. “India territory has no space for your community” and so he showed a jar full of milk to illustrate the saturation of population. The Parsis leader pour some sugar in the jar and replied “our community will sweeten and enrich the Indian culture just like this sugar in your milk”. and so they live in harmony since that time with the other ethnics in Gujarat. I love the picture!

One particular detail about their religion is that they believe that a corpse is a host for decay. Consequently, death shall be followed by the "safe" disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the "good" creation. On of the ritual still practice in India is to deposit the corpse in the "Towers of Silence" and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey...

As each day brought some new stunning discovery, we learnt next about the “aghori sadhus”; they are a small sect of people who still practice cannibalism eating meat rotten dead and meditating on human corpse... Thanks God, Girish didn’t introduce us to them!

Animals are everywhere; from gigantic bats to sacred cows in the middle of the road. As we were navigating on our rickshaw in the middle of the chaos, we even discovered that hand cart needed a plate registration to be able to circulate! Unbelievable but true India.

The most extraordinary story was definitely this one:

Did you know that some Indian have lived for 65 years without having any food or drink during their entire life, only surviving with a few leaves and sun rays... Want to know learn more? visit that link

Giri, as his mother likes to call him, is a sweet loving person, who always strive to get things done the right way. He has showed so much enthusiasm and passion for his job. In less than a year, he already achieved so much for our business development in India. I am proud and blessed to work with such an humble and yet ambitious human being. Always going the extra mile with a large smile on his face. Thank you Girish for all you do and good luck with the newborn!