Nakanishi

3D-Printed Nightguards There wasn’t much about 2020 we liked… except the launch of this revolutionary new material for nightguards and splints! Our “Keysplint” 3D-printed nightguards cOME AND are designed digitally by our experienced technicians and printed on our state-of-the-art Carbon 3D-printers for highly accurate nightguards and splints. This “body-activated” material softens with the heat of the oral cavity, providing superior patient comfort. Because of the digital technology used to produce these nightguards, they are our most economical and fastest nightguard option. The best part about these nightguards though, is we keep a digital record of the design, so if the dog decides to eat it… we can fabricate a new one with no new impressions! SAY hi TO US AT THE

The Nakanishi Denture eXperience The future of dentures is here! Simplify your denture process with our new 3D-printed denture workflow. Instead of multiple try-ins of teeth in wax, we can digitize occlusal rims or an existing denture and send you a precision fit denture at the very next visit. This technology allows us to fabricate dentures that are 2x PNDC ! stronger than traditionally made dentures, for a fraction of the cost. The digital design record is stored in our cloud system can remake without starting from scratch. #LifeSaver. Nov ember 1 1 - 1 2t h indefinitely, so if the patient loses their denture, we Kaila Nakanishi, CDT Megan Nakanishi

Virtual Diagnostic “Wax Ups”

Raise your hand if you want more predictability in complex restorative cases! Using our computer-aided-design software, we can digitally design diagnostic “wax ups” and communicate the designs in a variety of ways: emailed images, 3D-printed models, or milled wax. The ability to design these virtually gives us a true blueprint when it comes time to fabricate the Provisionals and eventually the definitive restorations. Simplified Guided Surgery Guided surgery has never been easier! Send us impressions or a model and a CBCT file, and 24 hours later we will email you a link to review and approve the guide at your convenience. Once approved, we will send you a precision-fit 3D-printed guide and a detailed report to aid in your implant placement. Our lives are complicated these days, let’s at least make this simple!

Dave Nakanishi, CDT

Where

Pacific Northwest Dental Conference Washington Convention Center 1705 Pike Street, Seattle, WA Booth: 502 F o r e v e r y c a s e c o m p l e t e d b e t w e e n O c t 1 1 a n d t h e P N D C , y o u w i l l r e c e i v e a t i c k e t t o e n t e r o u r r a f f l e ! L o o k f o r t h e d e t a i l s i n y o u r n e x t c a s e .

Booth 502 Nov. 11 9:00 AM- 7:00 PM Nov. 12 9:00 AM-2:00 PM

Enter our exciting raffle for a chance to win some great prizes!

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This is the second of a multi-part article interviewing three volunteers who are working with SKCDS and SKCDF to make a difference in our communities, profession, and the world we live in.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not a new concept, the protests of summer 2020 shone a light on many of the inequities in our society, and highlighted the need to carefully consider how diversity, equity and inclusion are navigated in all areas of life. Great words are just that – words. And as many of us have grown up hearing, “Actions speak louder than words”. So, let’s act.

Past-President Lisa Egbert served on the DEI Task Force that developed the Society’s DEI statement and is now the co-chair of the DEI Special Committee. At the same time, the Seattle-King County Dental Foundation’s (SKCDF), President Nina Svino tasked the SKCDS Access Committee to develop an overarching strategy of projects that SKCDF could look to fund in the short, near, and long term to fill needs in our community. SKCDS Access Committee Chair, Rolf Christensen, assigned this to a work group of whom Dr. Doug Jackson was one of the authors of ‘The White Paper’ to SKCDF to recommend projects.

OGATA (O) – What one thing would you like to see done to address workforce issues in King County? EGBERT (E)- The simple answer to addressing the severe shortage of hygienists is to expand existing programs and/or open new ones. There are far more qualified applicants to hygiene programs than there are spots available. Without support staff, there is no way to provide quality care for the people of King County at a reasonable cost. Talking to career counselors about the benefits of entering the dental profession and removing barriers to education is critical. Encouraging people from diverse backgrounds, shortening the time needed to obtain credentials, and providing education at non-traditional times and locations are obvious strategies to get more people into these jobs. SVINO (S) - We need to create awareness of job opportunities and education in the community and what kind of financial support can be relied on while they are training. JACKSON (J) - Just like Washington State, the racial and ethnic demographics of King County are changing. As a health profession, the diversity of the workforce needs to keep pace with those changes. Sadly, the oral health professions, have not been keeping pace with these changes. We know anecdotally that we are nowhere close to parity for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities and their representation within the oral health professions. There is ample research demonstrating that the quality of health and healthcare for minoritized communities improves when there is greater diversity in the healthcare workforce. We need data to understand the magnitude of the disparity in representation within all oral health professions in King County and to use that data to make a bold plan for a building a future workforce that truly reflects the communities we serve.

O - Identify one area SKCDS/SKCDF is doing well in addressing diversity and contrast that to an area where we could do better? J - As a Black cis-gendered male in academics at a predominately White institution who lives in a “liberal” city, I see points of reckoning around me every day about the importance of diversity and inclusion, the impact of race on how one navigates their way through the world, and how the time for dismantling systemic/institutional factors that have been limiting true equity is long overdue. The conclusion most have reached is that we’re doing a lot, but that we can do a lot better if this is truly among the values we hold deeply. My experiences as a longtime member of SKCDS suggest that as a dental Society and Foundation, we’ve taken diversity for granted and haven’t really talked about it in meaningful ways that address the true issues. This work is hard and sometimes it makes all of us feel uncomfortable. These are not good reasons to not start the conversation and to instead continue perpetuating the status quo. S - I think with this past year all sectors are more aware, minority groups are speaking out and organizations are wanting this input. I feel that when we can attend health clinics and support family days in those underserved areas we can educate and engage groups that may not be properly represented. E - Statistically, SKCDS leadership and committees reflect our membership. There are a higher proportion of women, new dentists, and people of diverse backgrounds who are very involved with the Society than in our general membership. This only tells part of the story, though. There are groups of dentists who are underrepresented in our membership and the Society needs to find ways to be more welcoming and inclusive. J - All of us have roles to play in addressing this, whether they be at the individual level and at the organizational level. The mere fact that we’re asking the question “Where could we do better?” is a great place to start and a foundational question that I hope we ask every year. The work of equity, diversity and inclusion is not a sprint, nor is it a marathon. It’s a lifelong journey that reminds me of an African Proverb many of you may have heard, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. I hope we’re willing to make long-term plans to go together.