Chuck Underwood, Business Administration/BBA is one of the pioneering scholars who created the field of generational study. His original principles are a permanent part of this discipline. He is the founder/principal of “TGI” – The Generational Imperative, Inc., an Ohio based generational consulting firm. He consults and trains corporations and organizations in Generational Workplace Strategy and Generational Marketplace Strategy. His book - America’s Generations: In the Workplace, Marketplace, and Living Room – is the most comprehensive presentation of generational strategies every published. He is the host of the PBS national television series, America’s Generations with Chuck Underwood, the first such series in the history of national television. Chuck had spent his earlier career in the mass media of radio and television, first as an award-winning broadcast journalist and national sports play-by-play announcer, and then as a creator and producer or original programming.
Keynote Address: “The Generational Gearbox”
8am-9am
CE Hours: 1 Practice Management
Handouts
This session helps us to (1) recruit, (2) onboard, (3) train, (4) manage, and (5) retain each of the four unique generations of employees that dominate our practices. Each generation brings to work each day unique core values, workplace strengths and weaknesses, expectations, and needs that we must knowledgeably manage. It’s called a Generational Gearbox: the ability to shift gears instantly and accurately when dealing with employees from one generation to the next. This session is presented by one of the half-dozen people who actually pioneered the field of generational study.
Breakout Session: “Managing Your Multigenerational Team”
9:30am-Noon
CE Hours: 2.5 Practice Management
Handouts
Dr. Tim Bizga, DDS, FAGD, is a general dentist practicing in Cleveland, Ohio. His background in dentistry is lengthy and diverse. Once a former chairside assistant, he also worked as a dental lab-technician, making his perspective unique among others in the field of dentistry. He received his DDS from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where he is also an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor. He is currently a member of the American Dental Association and a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Bizga is a Certified John Maxwell Speaker/Trainer/Coach, a certified DISC profile trainer, clinical consultant for The Dental Advisor, and Director of Education at Smile Source. Dr. Bizga gives back to the community via dental missions around the world.
“Effective Assisting in the Modern Practice”
9:30 am to Noon
CE Hours: 2.5 Academic/Clinical
This dental assisting continuing education course is designed to teach dental assistants and EFDA’s the skills necessary to better support their dentists in the everyday routines associated with a general dental practice. A lecture-based program, coupled with everyday practice essentials is the basis of this class. The topics covered will include basic material science, procedural protocols, and topics related to patient care and treatment.
“Endo/Resto”
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
CE Hours: 3 Academic/Clinical
This course is designed to walk dentists and assistants through an entire endodontic appointment from phone call to the final result. The course focuses on the ultimate goal of the single visit Endo/Resto appointment: preservation and extension of the tooth life cycle. Dentists and assistants will not only come away with understanding how to efficiently fill the root, but how to immediately preserve the long-term success of the tooth via current restorative trends and techniques. The goal of this course is simple: reinforce the value of combining Endo/Resto into a single visit appointment thereby preserving teeth, providing exceptional service to the patient, and improving practice profitability.
Dr. Margherita Fontana, DDS, PhD, is the Clifford Nelson Endowed Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics at University of Michigan School of Dentistry (U-M). She is Director of the Global Initiatives Program in Oral and Craniofacial Health at the School of Dentistry. She is currently co-director of Cariology courses, and cariology discipline co-coordinator at U-M. As a principal investigator, she has received research grants associated with cariology from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, the Delta Dental Fund, DentaQuest, and private industry amongst others. She has over 150 papers published in peer reviewed journals, such as Journal of Dental Research, Caries Research, Journal of Dental Education, Pediatric Dentistry, Advances in Dental Research, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Journal of the American Dental Association, British Dental Journal, etc. She was the 2007-2008 President of the Cariology Group of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), and the 2010-2011 Chair of the Cariology Section of ADEA. In 2012 she received the USA Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work on caries risk assessment in children. She was the 2009 winner of the IADR Cariology Research Group’s Basil G. Bibby Award in Cariology, and in 2016 winner of the IADR Burrows Memorial Award.
"The Evidence Behind Minimal Intervention in Cariology"
9:30 am to Noon
CE Hours: 2.5 Academic/Clinical
Handouts
Delta Dental Representatives: Katie Nagle, Professional Relations Representative and Karen Whitaker, Professional Review Specialist
"Explaining Dental Benefits to Patients"
9:30 am - 10:30 am
CE Hours: 1 Practice Management
Deductibles, co-insurance, annual maximums…dental benefits can be confusing for patients. This interactive session will cover the basics of dental insurance and how dental office staff can help patients understand the value of their dental benefits. The session will highlight programs like Health through Oral Wellness and Prevention Pays, which give patients more bang for their premium buck while helping them prevent the need for most costly services.
Delta Dental Representatives: Danya Hepper, Vice President of Growth and Customer Experience and Ann Schwartz, Vice President of Government Programs and Professional Services with Delta Dental
"Medicare Advantage"
10:45 am - 11:45 am
CE Hours: 1 Practice Management
Of the 200,000 South Dakotans over the age of 65, just over 10% currently participate in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan. New MA plans enter the market each year, giving retirees more options for healthcare coverage. MA plans often include dental coverage, which means more older South Dakotans will have dental benefits. In 2022, Delta Dental partnered with Wellmark to include Delta Dental benefits in their new MA plans. In 2023, Delta Dental added a partnership with Sanford. In this session, representatives from Delta Dental will explain MA, review the dental benefits included in the Wellmark and Sanford plans, and talk about the role of the MA provider network.
Mary Wolf, LPC-MH, BCC, is the president of Veritee Partners LLC, a coaching and consulting business designed to promote wellbeing and success for physicians, executives, dentists, and the companies they serve. Veritee Partners offers assessments and consultation for healthcare systems to build wellbeing programs and cultures. Mary is the Program Director for the Avera Medical Group LIGHT Program, an award-winning wellbeing program for physicians and advanced practice providers. Mary is a Board-Certified Coach and holds certifications in executive, life, and spirituality coaching.
"Employee Retention: Building a Culture of Wellbeing" (Office Managers/Administrators Lunch)
Noon to 1 pm
CE Hours: 1 Practice Management
As recruiting dentists and team members becomes more challenging, a key strategy needs to include promoting wellbeing in the workplace. This can be guided by the five essential components for workplace mental health and wellbeing model recently created by the office of the US Surgeon General. Create your wellbeing strategy to enhance workplace. Find out how dental clinics are focusing on wellbeing. The South Dakota Dental Association Be Well Program offers many tools to help. Clinics that invest their time, money, and energy into wellbeing have experienced a multitude of benefits.
Wendy Mamer is the Suicide Loss and Support Coordinator at the Helpline Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Wendy is passionate about mental health education and suicide prevention work. At the Helpline Center, Wendy’s work focuses on survivors of suicide loss, meaning those who have lost a loved one to suicide. Wendy is a survivor herself, as she lost her dad to suicide in 2017. QPR training stands for question, persuade, refer, and it will look at the three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training.
"QPR Training"
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
CE Hours: 1.5 Practice Management
To save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know. About: QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.
Cain Watters & Associates (CWA), Charles Loretto, received a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from University of Texas at Arlington. He joined CWA in 2001 and became a partner in 2016. As an Investment Advisory Representative, he plays a critical role in growing the firm’s client base as the director of business development, marketing, and new client services. He regularly speaks to dental schools and residency programs, study clubs, dental symposiums and state and national dental meetings. Since 2004, Charles has presented to over 30,000 dentists and 51 dental schools. He is a published author, and host of the top-ranking dental podcase, Transition Talk. Charles oversees the practice transition department for CWA, and is founder of affiliate company, National Dental Placements, that assists doctors in the buying, transitioning and valuation of a practice. He and his team help hundreds of clients and non-clients with their transition goals annually.
"Owning Your Practice: The Bridge to Financial Freedom” (New Dentist Lunch)
11am to1pm
CE Hours: 2 Practice Management
All too often, the decision on if and when to own a dental practice becomes an emotional journey rather than a business decision, with massive school debt often obscuring the big picture. This session offers attendees the ability to expand one’s lens to fix their focus on long-term success, with the full disclosure of both the benefits of obstacles of owning a dental practice. Taken from over 35 years of experience advising dentists, this course provides dental practitioners, associates, and residents a realistic view of practice ownership versus an employee. We will weigh the risks, consider debt, and evaluate each option associated with opening a new practice, entering a partnership, buying an existing practice, or working as a partner in a corporate dentistry environment.
"Financial Decisions the Dentist Must Get Right: Flipping Uncertainty into Security”
1:30pm to 4:00pm
CE Hours: 2.5 Practice Management
The volatility and confusion surrounding the last few years has impacted every business, including dental practices. This course offers an opportunity to flip today’s uncertainty into a roadmap for future financial security. Taking the lessons learned from shutdowns, stimulus dollars, new tax legislation, staffing constraints and inflation, doctors can be prepared and confident with whatever the upcoming year has to hold. In this content-rich, interactive course, attendees will learn proven formulas behind building wealth, improving cash flow, getting ahead on pension and retirement planning, plus the short- and long-term benefits of various savings environments.
Nan Dreves, RDH MBA of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is an enthusiastic and comprehensive speaker/consultant specializing in dental occupational health, compliance, safety, and practice management topics. She graduated from Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, in dental hygiene, received her MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, credentialed by OSAP, and is a Certified OSHA Safety Instructor.
“2023 OSHA & CDC Infection Control in Dentistry Show”
1pm to 3:30pm
CE Hours: 2.5 OSHA
By attending this course, dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and all dental team members will update compliance knowledge based on OSHA/CDC requirements. These shows will include lectures, audience participation, fabulous prizes, learning, and laughter.
Course objectives for each participant: Understand current OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, CDC infection control directives, and how to implement (including respiratory protection, e.g., COVID-19 protocols) Identify patient and employee safety hazard(s) in dentistry and how to correct them. Learn proper personal protective equipment, disinfection, sharps disposal, needlestick management, sterilization, aerosolization control, and instrument handling.