PDS Life Q1 2018 by PDS Health®

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2018 PD

13 18 24 COMMUNICATIONS AND PR TEAM A NEW TEAM WITH AN EXCITING PLAN CLINICAL CORNER IMPLANTS VS. BRIDGES

PDS ® UNIVERSITY AN INVESTMENT IN EACH OTHER

Dear PDS ® Teammates,

Message From the PRESIDENT

2017 WAS GOOD; 2018 IS GOING TO BE GREAT!

Please join me in celebrating another solid year and believing that 2018 will be even better.

Why do I think 2018 is going to be a great year? Because we have the best people in the dental industry operating on the best platform—PDS-supported offices have experienced growth in every market, every year, in spite of economic slowdowns, natural disasters and the personal challenges each of us has had to overcome. How are we going to ensure 2018 is great? By building on those successes and maniacally focusing on the fundamentals.

One of our core belief statements says, “We Believe in the power of teamwork. Therefore: we fail or succeed together.” This team of ours consists of many players, each one performing a vital role. We all contribute to PDS being the Greatest Dental Company in America and to each practice being the provider of choice in their market. Below are some basics for us in the field to focus on this year:

#1 PRODUCTIVE SCHEDULES

Help patients get the dentistry they need and dentists achieve their goals by focusing on the schedule. Every day, review the schedule with your team to ensure it provides the opportunity for

dentistry to be done. You can never make up for a lost day of production.

#2 PRODUCTIVE MORNING HUDDLES

Have daily, productive morning huddles. Connect with team members, read the Daily XP and review the schedules (patients, treatment, opportunities such as family members, specialty referrals, etc.).

#3 EXECUTE THE PERFECT PATIENT EXPERIENCE®

Differentiate yourselves from others by performing the initial patient connection! Provide every patient with the PPE®, every time. The BC Handoff is crucial— make it seamless and natural.

#4 3C s : CONNECTION, CHOICES, COMMITMENT

Connect with the patient, educate them on the need for care (caries and periodontal disease do not go away on their own), offer choices and secure a commitment from them for their oral health.

#5 OVERCOME ANY FINANCIAL OBJECTIONS

Be the financial advocate patients want and need. By the time patients get to the dental office, they’ve overcome fears and almost every objection. The last and arguably the biggest hurdle—

financial objections—can be overcome by understanding their concerns and helping them find a way to get that care.

All economic indicators point to a great fiscal year in 2018, and we’re well positioned and better equipped than ever before. If we stick to the basics, incrementally improve to achieve our new personal bests, and don’t miss or neglect the little things, we are guaranteed to have a breakout year.

While we celebrate our achievements and review 2017 in this issue, let’s encourage one another to greater heights of success, personally and professionally. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Let’s move forward together with this momentum, learning and growing from it, utilizing it to catapult us to a phenomenal 2018.

To an even healthier and happier year!

Sincerely,

Stephen Thorne IV, President

WHAT’S INSIDE

2017 YEAR IN REVIEW

In spite of unprecedented challenges, PDS ® team members accomplished a lot in 2017 and we’re proud to showcase that here.

AWARD NOMINEES

The 2018 Annual XP Award Nominees have been announced! Congratulations to everyone included on this prestigious list!

MEET THE WINNERS

Meet the President’s, Pinnacle and OM Champion’s Club winners who went above and beyond to win a well-deserved getaway along with our respect and admiration.

NEW LAWS TO KNOW ABOUT IN 2018

Thousands of bills are introduced in state legislatures across the country every year. Here are a few of particular interest to our team members.

PDS UNIVERSITY TM

Read about the relaunch of PDS University as a key way we are investing in the professional development of our PDS team members.

WHAT’S NEW FROM THE IT WORLD

The IT team is focused on enabling clinicians and empowering patients through innovative technology solutions. Check out what’s coming soon to an office near you!

In 2017, we opened 70 supported offices, bringing us to 620 PDS®-supported offices in 18 states (hello Virginia!) by year-end. Here’s a glimpse at some of the exciting developments that PDS and supported owner dentists experienced over the past year.

FINANCIALS

PDS-supported practices closed out 2017 with strong year-end results. On a gross production, non-GAAP basis, the majority of supported offices achieved year-over-year growth, as well as growth in NOI dollars and improved margins during 2017.

REVENUE GROWTH BY YEAR

REVENUE GROWTH BY SPECIALTY

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY 3%

PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Clinicians choose PDS ® for our platform: our owner dentist model, our patientcentered focus on modern dentistry and our culture of Clinicians Leading Clinicians in Clinical Excellence ®

ASSOCIATE SUCCESS

An associate dentist’s success is largely defined by the engagement of the operations managers, regional managers and owner dentists that support them. Alignment in expectations and accountability between the supporting team members is key.

• PDS-supported owner dentists onboarded 468 associate dentists.

• 58 of the 66 U.S dental schools were represented in 2017 hires.

• 200+ participants in optional webinars focused on indirect restorations, PPE ® and treatment planning.

• 90+ clinicians graduated from ICE in 2017 – 16% increase from 2016.

CLINICAL EXCELLENCE

• 80% of all indirects completed using CEREC – this percentage has remained solid for more than a year.

• 71% of CEREC completed same day – up from 69% in 2016.

Quality Improvement

• Professional Partnerships has completed research to allow creation of the peer review structure as a Professional Staff Association (PSA). A PSA is an unincorporated professional association formed for the purpose of conducting peer review and quality improvement. A steering committee of practitioners will formalize governance processes and provide administrative, business support functions and policy development.

• Quality Improvement Success Score (QISS) for GP has been accumulating valuable data throughout 2017 to use for future reference and comparison.

- QISS for Hygiene will be completed and available shortly.

- QISS for Pediatrics will follow Hygiene in 2018.

PDS U ™ : INSTITUTE OF DENTISTRY

2017 was another great year for the development of PDS-supported clinicians. Our faculty now supports over 25 disciplines plus our ICE and WTR courses. Our supported clinicians and faculty members were published over 30 times this year in major dental journals and publications and are on the podium of some of the most influential dental meetings in the country. We currently offer over 600 hours of unique CE content for general practitioners and collaborate with vendor partners that are world leaders in education.

• 30 faculty (chairs and SMEs) supported 25 STM tracks

• 48,000+ CE hours issued to clinicians

• 48 STM tracks completed

• 192 dental school events (38% in educational partnership)

OWNER DENTIST DEVELOPMENT

• 107 new owner dentists onboarded in 2017

- 90 single-office ODs

- 14 multiple-office ODs

- 3 pediatric unit ODs

• 434 supported owner dentists across PDS

OWNER DENTISTS

ASSOCIATE DENTISTS ONBOARDED

468

71% CEREC CAD/CAM RESTORATIONS SAMEDAY

434

PDS-SUPPORTED OWNER DENTISTS

OPERATIONS SUPPORT

NEW SUPPORTED OFFICES AND EXPANSION INTO A NEW REGION

PDS® helped our supported dentists open 70 new offices in 2017, including our first office in the state of Virginia. Stay tuned for more, as we’re targeting 85 new offices in 2018!

REVENUE OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC)

• Collections: 96.1% (up 0.3 points)

• Adjustments: 3.2% (down 0.2 points)

• Over 90s: 10.9% (up 1.8 points)

• Non-ortho credits: 13.2% (up 2.4 points)

TARGET FOR NEW OFFICES IN 2018

In 2017, PDS-supported offices experienced another year of growth in new and continuing care patients by continuing to leverage the PDS platform.

• Over 90s collected: 73.0% (down 0.5 points) OF SUPPORTED OFFICES HAVE

COLLECTIONS 9 6 .1 %

SPECIALTIES

Specialties continue to have strong growth. In 2017, total revenue from specialties constituted 47% of the organizational service mix! The quality of the GP referral continues to be a key driving factor in supported clinicians’ success.

• 47% of total revenue ($580M in specialty production)

• 12% year-over-year growth:

Orthodontics: 10%

Endodontics: 13%

Oral Surgery: 17%

NUMBER OF SPECIALTY DAYS

KIDS’ DENTISTRY

Periodontics: 19%

Hygiene: 11%

Pediatric Dentistry: 3%

13,815 PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

• 27 pediatric dentists completed Introduction to Clinical Excellence (ICE) Pediatrics program.

• Onboarded three new pediatric owner dentists in 2017 and three more in January of 2018.

• Developed a new heat map tool and custom Kids’ Dentistry score report by site for improved site selection.

• Continued 10% year-over-year growth in orthodontics.

ORTHODONTICS

In 2017, PDS ®-supported orthodontists were leaders in the orthodontic industry with 26,294 case starts.

228.1 K

TOTAL FACEBOOK PAGE LIKES

47% OF TOTAL REVENUE

PEDIATRIC CCX PATIENTS 2017 2016 169,281 149,450

79.04 K

TOTAL GP & KIDS’ FACEBOOK PAGE LIKES

26,294 CASE STARTS

149.77 K

TOTAL SMILE GENERATION® FACEBOOK PAGE LIKES

PEOPLE SERVICES

• Supported 9,021 PDS ® team members.

• Contributed $5.23M in 401(k) matching to team members’ accounts.

• People Services Center system enhancements – including Alpha rollout of manager self service.

• Provided $32M towards team members’ health coverage.

• Launched the People Services ticketing system, recording and responding to 1,428 inquiries from team members per week. Resulted in an average survey score of 4.85 out of 5.

401( k ) MATCH

$5.23 M CONTRIBUTED TO TEAM MEMBER ACCOUNTS

• Enriched the PDS Team Member Dental Plan to include additional supplemental payments to our PDS-supported dental practices who serve our team members and their dependents –2017 projecting ($1M).

• Enhanced the Total Compensation Dashboard, available in the People Services Center. The Dashboard provides a breakdown of employer–paid compensation and benefits as well as CE units earned through the PDSU ™:Institute of Dentistry.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

• 1,253 continuing education courses offered

• 43,714 continuing education credits awarded to PDS-supported clinicians

• 653 OMTs completed training

• 50 new “certified” regional trainers completed the PDS Trainer Certification program to facilitate essential program workshops

• Deployed OM Development Essentials – advanced and mastery program

• Deployed DA Development Program and DA In Training tools

RECRUITING

• Onboarded 4,175 team members (14.7% increase year-over-year)

• 468 new ADs joined PDS

• Received 80,000 applications

• 2017 marked the eleventh year in a row PDS was listed on Inc. 5000

653 OMTs COMPLETED PDS TRAINING

43,714 CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AWARDED

4,175 TEAM MEMBERS ONBOARDED IN 2017 11 YEARS IN A ROW

WE SERVE

2017 was an incredible year of service creating Healthier Happier Patients ®, communities, and team members. PDS ® team members and supported clinicians logged more than 59,000 volunteer hours and implemented the 3Ds (dentistry, drives and do-something) locally, nationally and internationally to impact the lives of thousands. Below are some of our proudest moments.

DENTISTRY

• Donated nearly $7.2M in dentistry

• 5,000 volunteers served over 5,100 patients

• $4.3M was donated on Smile Generation ® Serve Day to 2,300 patients

5,000 VOLUNTEERS

$7.2M IN DONATED DENTISTRY

5,100 PATIENTS SERVED

DRIVES

• Collected over $520,000 worth of goods for 1,794 drives

• 30,000 people received clean drinking water through charity: water

1,79 4

30,000 DRIVES

PEOPLE RECEIVED CLEAN DRINKING WATER

DO SOMETHING

• Built two playgrounds with K a BOOM !

• Served over 59,000 hours with organizations such as the Special Olympics, Make-A-Wish Foundation ®, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Habitat for Humanity ®

59,000+ VOLUNTEER HOURS

PHOENIX, AZ

HOUSTON, TX

PACIFIC DENTAL SERVICES ® FOUNDATION

The Pacific Dental Services Foundation creates opportunities to serve through improving oral healthcare locally, nationally and internationally.

MOBILE DENTAL CLINIC

• 33 events

• 980 patients served

• $805,857 in donated dentistry

33 EVENTS OVER

980 PATIENTS SERVED

$805, 857 IN DONATED DENTISTRY

INTERNATIONAL DENTAL CLINICS

• Serving Guatemala, Ethiopia and Fiji

• 1,463 patients served

• $1,092,175 in donated dentistry

1,400 PATIENTS SERVED OVER

$1.1 M IN DONATED DENTISTRY

SPECIAL NEEDS ADVOCACY AND TRAINING PROGRAM

• Nine national training events

• Over 870 dental professionals trained

DR. CAROLYN GHAZAL DENTAL ASSISTING SCHOLARSHIP

• Nine scholarships granted (six extern/graduate)

9 SCHOLARSHIPS GRANTED

6 EXTERN/ GRADUATES $ $

2017 ANNUAL AWARD NOMINEES

This year’s 2017 Annual Awards will be announced during the XP 2018 Conference, taking place in Las Vegas, NV on April 27-29. Congratulations to all the contenders! And the nominees are ...

OFFICE OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

#12 Norco

#23 Yucaipa

#56 Anaheim Hills

#117 Buckeye 1

#150 Fontana 2

#240 Clairemont

#246 Tucson 2

#272 Seal Beach (Rossmoor)

#288 Long Beach 1

#522 Aurora 2

#773 Austin 2

#804 Kansas City 2

DE NOVO OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

#295 West Covina 1

#298 Downey

#359 Seattle 1

#415 Long Beach 2

#423 Mission Hills

#426 South Pasadena

#490 Reno 4

#494 Henderson 5

#555 Fountain 2

#607 Spring 4

#924 Atlanta 1

MOST IMPROVED OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

#47 Valencia 3

#98 Citrus Heights

#122 Gilbert 3

#209 Brentwood 1

#507 Aurora 3

#536 Aurora 5

#551 Pueblo

#571 Eagle 1

#718 Dallas 1

#805 Kansas City 3

PEDIATRIC OFFICE OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

#12 Norco

#56 Anaheim Hills

#203 Phoenix 4

#215 Surprise 2

#266 Queen Creek 3

#286 Fairfield

#634 Pearland 1

#816 Arnold

REGIONAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

Sarah Brooks

Nicole Brown

Jennie Browning

Alex Creelman

Nicholas D' Amico

Emmett Grealy

Amanda Holbrook

Alicia Lowry

Natasha O' Keefe

Victoria Rickard

Christine Roberts

Dan Rodriguez

Mary Rossi

Cathie Wild

SPECIALTY REGIONAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

Travis Hill

Tina Nguyen

Ryan Wright

REGION OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS

Midwest –

Simon Abrahams

Pacific South Coast –

Paula Larson

Desert Mountain (AZ/NV) –Kevin Lawton

Northern California –Koert Takkunen

May

17-20,

4+ YEARS

Dr. Adam Block

Dr. Mark Dindal

Dr. Brian Freeman

Dr. Eric Genenbacher

Dr. Michael Hill

Dr. Miran Ho

Dr. Mohammed Khakwani

Dr. Jonathan Richtsteig

Dr. Bart Stears

Dr. Jennifer Thomas

Dr. David Watkins

Dr. Harmohinderpal Jaswal

Dr. Timothy Windham

Dr. Phi Huynh

Dr. Tanisha Jackson

Dr. Bindu Kansagra

Dr. Nathaniel Leng

Dr. Bach Nguyen

Dr. Sumeet Pandhoh

Dr. Swati Shetty

Dr. Jessica Peters

Dr. Dana Vilar

Desert Mountain

Gulf Coast

Pacific South Coast

Rocky Mountain

Dr. Todd Vincent Rocky Mountain

Dr. Afshin Habashi San Diego

Dr. Deepika Dhama South Inland Empire

Dr. John Hsieh South Inland Empire

Dr. David Lee South Inland Empire

2–4 YEARS

Dr. Sean Hanna Desert Mountain

Dr. Janki Patel Georgia

Dr. Ashley Hopkins Gulf Coast

Dr. Nicholas Bell Midwest

Dr. Anjali Doshi Midwest

Dr. Matthew Yip Midwest

Dr. Soojin Lee Pacific South Coast

Dr. Victoria Nguyen Pacific South Coast

Dr. Nicole Smith Pacific South Coast

Dr. Michael Conner Rocky Mountain

Dr. Mark Urbane Rocky Mountain

Dr. Steven Alvarado San Diego

Dr. Ali Jadali-Araghi San Diego

Dr. Ronny Le San Diego

Dr. Jessica Ahn Washington

2018 | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico | Chileno Bay

President’s Club is a prestigious honor annually bestowed on a select group of PDS ® -supported owner dentists, associate dentists and specialists. This year’s recipients are in store for an amazing getaway at Chileno Bay Golf and Beach Club on Cabo’s most celebrated coast. Congratulations to all the President’s Club winners!

0–2 YEARS

Dr. Jeffrey Roberts Desert Mountain

Dr. Kevin Tan Desert Mountain

Dr. Ricky Tran Northern CA

Dr. Ariella Pessah Pacific South Coast

Dr. Karim Zaklama Pacific South Coast

Dr. Ryan Pfeifer Rocky Mountain

MKD/EKD

Dr. Isabel Simpson Desert Mountain

Dr. Chris Claus Northern CA

Dr. Christine Marcelo South Inland Empire

SPECIALISTS

Dr. Michael Nguyen Endodontics

Dr. Kouros Izadi Oral Surgery

Dr. Kenny Lam Oral Surgery

Dr. Chad Allred Orthodontics

Dr. Iyad Sood Periodontics

ASSOCIATES

Dr. Bryan Harman Desert Mountain

Dr. Yun Oh Northern CA

Dr. Elmira Latshikyan Pacific South Coast

Dr. Lisa Lam San Diego

Dr. Sundus Abudayyeh South Inland Empire

Dr. Khanh Chau South Inland Empire

Dr. Margarita Mendoza South Inland Empire

Dr. Kumudini Panchal South Inland Empire

Dr. Kyle Poulsen South Inland Empire

Dr. Trevor Thomas South Inland Empire

TOP 5 NOI$

Dr. Walter Jefferson Pacific South Coast

Dr. Christian Schmidt Pacific South Coast

Dr. Justin Mercer South Inland Empire

Dr. Minh Pham South Inland Empire

Dr. Carolyn Ghazal South Inland Empire

The Pinnacle Club honors the annual, top-performing regional and specialty managers/directors and NSC/HSC directors and vice presidents. Congratulations to this year’s hardworking winners, who will enjoy a luxury island resort experience at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. (Don’t forget the sunscreen!)

TOP NOI% CATEGORY

Victoria Rickard Desert Mountain

Jennie Browning

Alex Creelman

Christine Roberts

Pacific South Coast

Natasha O’Keefe South Inland Empire

HIGHEST % OVER NOI BUDGETED DOLLARS

Sarah Brooks Desert Mountain

Nicole Brown

Cathie Wild

Desert Mountain

Mary Rossi Desert Mountain

Nicholas D’Amico

Amanda Holbrook

Desert Mountain

Georgia

Rocky Mountain

SPECIALTY REGIONAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR

Travis Hill Desert Mountain

Tina Nguyen

Ryan Wright Midwest

Pacific South Coast

NSC/HSC DIRECTOR/VP

Jennifer Bryant Legal

Cara Cavanaugh Legal

JoAnn Cunningham Organizational & Talent Development

Candy Tresler Patient Relations

David Swanson ROC

CHAMPION’S C LUB RANCHO

PALOS VERDES 2018

OM Champion’s Club honors operations managers who go above and beyond to keep PDS ® -supported practices running smoothly. This year’s recipients will enjoy a gorgeous weekend getaway at the premier oceanfront Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Congratulations to all the OM Champion’s Club winners!

4 + YEARS

Tiffany Amistoso

David Correa

Juan Esquivez

Samantha Gusk

Tracy Kaus

Manuela Klein

Callaigh Propes

Meagan Pryor

Jasmine Reyes

Melanie Stewart

Sara Arrazola

Desert Mountain

Gulf Coast

Ryan Means Gulf Coast

Theresa Murphy

Tamara Brooks

Lisa Chatwood

Marcia Cortez

Julie Delgado

Jen Flores

Anita Martinez

Cynthia Orozco

Kristina Phipps

Scott Bishop

Kristin Caldwell

Alisha Guerrero

Northern CA

Pacific South Coast

Rocky Mountain

Alicia Masteller San Diego

Florence Anya South Inland Empire

Rebecca Battistoni South Inland Empire

Chamath Siriwardena South Inland Empire

Melanie Smith South Inland Empire

Erica Stapleton South Inland Empire

TOP 3 NOI$

Mary Nakaki

Brian Taylor

Northern CA

Pacific South Coast

Kim Valko South Inland Empire

2-4 YEARS

Mia Kilcrease Georgia

Melissa Dalton Gulf Coast

Matthew Hornbeck Midwest

Kamaile Crowell Pacific South Coast

JoAnna Kotrba Pacific South Coast

Amanda Vorhes Pacific South Coast

Mary De Anda San Diego

Heather Dickerhoff San Diego

Marissa Hernandez San Diego

Jennifer Johnson San Diego

Emily Rawls Washington

0-2 YEARS

Melanie Freitas Desert Mountain

Mark Palovick Georgia

John Hullette Gulf Coast

Mayra Jimenez Northern CA

Bethany Saylors-Kirk Northern CA

Sandra Dessens Pacific South Coast

Kelly Nguyen Pacific South Coast

Negar Nikroo

Pacific South Coast

Ashley Vargas Pacific South Coast

Sara Quick Rocky Mountain

Bianca Sierra San Diego

MKD/EKD

Sandy Aguirre Desert Mountain

Jessica Rodgers Midwest

Nicole Wigmore Northern CA

Vanessa Bradley Pacific South Coast

Kaitlyn Anderson Rocky Mountain

Barbara Acosta South Inland Empire

September 20-23, 2018 | Rancho Palos Verdes, California | Terranea

IMPLANTS: ON THE RISE

Dentists supported by Pacific Dental Services ® are poised to make history! In 2018, they will do more implants than bridges. This has been years in the making, and has taken much longer than many had hoped. But the good news is, we are there now and it will happen!

I remember five years ago when we were happy to finally provide 3,000 implants for our patients. Yes, our implant rate was improving, but it was still so inadequate. Of course, as we have grown our patient base has also grown. With the ever-increasing volume of patients we see, it is more important than ever to offer the ideal treatment choices. We have seen a 26% increase in implants in 2017 alone. In the dental industry as a whole, improvements in technology and increased patient awareness are all driving implant demand across PDS ®supported regions.

With the recently-renegotiated three-year pricing agreement between Nobel Biocare ® and PDS, there has never been a better time to consider implant procedures for all of our valuable patients. While we do not dictate what implant choice to use, Nobel Biocare is our

supported vendor for implants. They offer the Nobel Active and Nobel Replace, which will meet the needs of a majority of the patients you see. There are also concessions for zirconia crowns and abutments if they are routed through their lab. Additionally, Nobel Biocare provides the continuing education you may desire and the field support you may require.

Let’s not forget that some of our implants can be restored in-office with e.max ®, n!ce ®, and zirconia meso blocks. The new keyword there is “meso.” These implant blocks have a hole, and when used in combination with the CEREC ® 4.5.2 software and a titanium base, they can be an excellent and quick solution for many of your patients. Digital planning and guided surgery templates can ease provider worries while resulting in more accurate patient outcomes. These resources all provide more reasons to keep as much patient care within the hands of the primary dentist as possible. Over 3,200 patients were able to receive in-office restored implants by PDS-supported dentists in 2017.

To reiterate, in 2018, PDS-supported dentists will place more implants than bridges. This is just the beginning! There is still so much potential upside to this trend that it is incredible to think about. When you consider the number of non-implant supported dentures we currently do, it’s easy to see how we can place so many more implants as we pursue more implant-supported dentures as well as implant-supported crowns. Hooray for all PDS-supported dentists, and “Woo hoo!” for patients even more.

CHARLES RODGERS, DDS

Dr. Rodgers is the VP of Clinical Quality for PDS, focusing on improving clinical outcomes provided by all PDS-supported clinicians. Dr. Rodgers is the chairman of the National Dental Advisory Board (NDAB). He is also involved with evaluating, trialing and implementing appropriate new technologies and materials.

DENTAL SEDATION AND ANESTHESIA: ADVERSE EVENTS AND

PROTOCOL

This is a condensed version of the article published in the October 2017 issue of Dental Economics.

DENTAL SEDATION is commonly administered for the treatment of anxious children. It is one of the hallmarks of training for pediatric dentists. An estimated 10-20% of children and special needs adults will require pharmacosedation to safely and efficiently complete dental treatment.1,2 Children and the elderly present the highest risk and lowest error tolerance during sedation procedures. Although rare, the most serious outcomes of sedation are brain damage and death.3,4 No one should die from visiting the dentist.

INCIDENCE OF ADVERSE EVENTS IN THE U.S.

A number of adverse events have occurred in the U.S. during the past five years. In response, state legislatures instructed their dental boards to investigate dental anesthesia-related adverse events.

The panels reviewed de-identified data involving patient mortalities and patient harm during or following dental treatment in which sedation/ anesthesia was administered. They also evaluated substance and application of emergency protocols related to the administration of the sedation/anesthesia.

In 2016, a Texas panel performed a review of 78 cases.5 Nineteen were determined to have been mishandled, six were identified as major events (death or permanent injury), and four of the six were children under eight years of age. An additional 13 were categorized as mishaps (no permanent injury). Between 2011 and 2016, five deaths and one brain injury occurred that were directly related to sedation/anesthesia.

Texas is not alone. A July 2016 pediatric anesthesia study undertaken by the Dental Board of California found that between 2010 and 2015, nine pediatric deaths were noted from various combinations of sedation and anesthesia.6 Fifty-six additional pediatric hospitalizations were also described.

KEY FINDINGS FROM THESE REVIEWS INCLUDED:

• The incidents were varied and occurred in office settings, outpatient surgical centers and hospitals.

• They occurred in the presence of highly-trained dentists, nurse anesthetists and medical anesthesiologists.

• No one type of provider or sedation delivery model had better outcomes.

• The nature of the mishaps was varied, but included drug overdoses and patients becoming more sedated than anticipated.

• There were cases of premature discharge.

• There was poor drug selection.

• There was poor management in early stages of a developing urgency, allowing the condition to deteriorate to an emergency.

• There were delayed calls to 911.

RESPONSE AT THE STATE LEVEL

Dental board requirements and state laws are changing in response to these accidents. Although pediatric dental sedation has an excellent safety record, adverse outcomes sometimes occur in apparently healthy patients, indicating that there may be inherent risk in sedation and general anesthesia. Nevertheless, it is important to continue efforts to improve outcomes for all patients who receive sedation for dental treatment.6

Presently, 25 states have special requirements for pediatric patients, and nine states have a separate permit for pediatric sedation. It is anticipated that Texas and California will mandate updates to staff requirements, educational requirements, and monitoring standards in an effort to improve the safety of pediatric dental sedation. For example, dentists will be required to use precordial stethoscopes and capnography as part of patient monitoring. For the treatment of children under seven years of age, it will also be necessary to have a separate staff member trained in patient monitoring dedicated to that task.

TAKING ACTION TO MITIGATE ADVERSE EVENTS

Each day, numerous patients are put under some form of sedation. Patient care and safety must always be the primary objective. In addition to being properly trained in approved residency programs, it is requisite that the doctor and team have current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification. Emergency drills should be practiced on a quarterly basis. Offices must maintain emergency medical kits, portable oxygen carts, and AED machines. To be compliant with many state laws, monitoring equipment needs to include capnography, and doctors need to have a precordial stethoscope. Additionally, appropriate protocol mandates that there is always a third, dedicated staff member who provides patient monitoring.

Regardless of current mandates, we have the obligation and opportunity as healthcare providers to take all appropriate precautions when treating patients with sedation/anesthesia. In PDS®-supported practices, the health and safety of patients are always our top priorities. Our pediatric specialists and teams strive to take every precaution that will help ensure the utmost safety for every patient at every visit.

John R. Ayre Jr, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist practicing at Woods Dental Group and Orthodontics, a Pacific Dental Services®-supported practice in Conroe, TX. He graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and completed his pediatric residency at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He has been practicing dentistry since 1999.

REFERENCES

1. Houpt M. Project USAP 2000: Use of sedative agents by pediatric dentists—15-year follow-up survey. Pediatr Dent. 2002;24:289-294.

2. Saxen MA, Wilson S, Paravecchio R. Anesthesia for pediatric dentistry. Dent Clin North Am. 1999;43:231-245, vi.

3. Cravero JP, Blike GT, Beach M, et al. Incidence and nature of adverse events during pediatric sedation/anesthesia for procedures outside the operating room: Report from the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium. Pediatrics 2006;118:1087-1096.

4. Chicka MC, Dembo JB, Mathu-Muju KR, et al. Adverse events during pediatric dental anesthesia and sedation: A review of malpractice insurance claims. Pediatric Dentistry. 2012;34:231-238.

5. Luce EB, McNeill RG, Yu DH, et al. Report to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission: Blue Ribbon Panel on Dental Sedation/Anesthesia Safety of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. GetResponse website. https://multimedia. getresponse.com/801/24395801/documents/491840601.pdf?_ga=1.125661066.1242 463108.1483979633. Published Jan 4, 2017. Accessed August 3, 2017.

6. Pediatric Anesthesia Study, Dental Board of California. Dec. 2016:56.

CONGRATULATIONS

NEW OWNER DENTISTS

OCTOBER 2017

NOVEMBER

2017

DR. JEREMY CATMULL (Pediatric Owner) Custer Star Dental Group Desert Mountain

DR. CRAIG NIKOLAUS Prescott Valley Dental Group Desert Mountain

DR. NATHANIEL GONZALES Bloomington Smiles Dentistry Minnesota

JANUARY 2018

DR. JASON BYUN Lynnwood Crossroads Modern Dentistry and Orthodontics Washington

DR. JENNIFER CRUMBAUGH White Oak Dental Group Midwest

DR. JANA KUBICEK Dentists of Apache Junction Desert Mountain

DR. SEEMA PATEL Cedar Park Modern Dentistry Gulf Coast

DR. CHRISTINE WALTERS Juban Crossing Modern Dentistry Gulf Coast

DR. IMRAN HAMEEDI Mount Dora Modern Dentistry Central Florida

DR. PRABHJOT CHAHAL Atascocita Modern Dentistry and Orthodontics Gulf Coast

PAUL PARK Chino Smiles Dentistry and Orthodontics Pacific South Coast

DR. RICHARD KUN Grant Road Dentistry Desert Mountain

DR. KINH LA-PHAM Bixby Knolls Modern Dentistry Pacific South Coast

DECEMBER

2017

DR. AMY YEN CHAU Eastvale Smiles Dentistry South Inland Empire

DR. HEIDI MEURET Fort Collins Modern Dentistry Rocky Mountain

DR. GILLIAN FINNERTY Centerville Dental Group and Orthodontics Rocky Mountain

DR. JOSHUA GIROD Acadian Modern Dentistry Gulf Coast

DR. ISIOMA ANIZOR Snellville Smiles Dentistry Georgia

DR. GREGORY MONTGOMERY Santa Fe Dentist Office Rocky Mountain

DR. MIKE NGUYEN Dentists of Gainesville Virginia

DR. FREDERICK GANJI Battle Ground Smiles Dentistry Oregon

DR. ELMIRA LATSHIKYAN Dentists of Anaheim Hills Pacific South Coast

DR. JORDAN MORRIS Tortolita Dental Group and Orthodontics Desert Plains

DR. JONATHAN NGUYEN Dentists of Slidell Gulf Coast

DR.

DR. MARZIEH SHAFIE Broomfield Modern Dentistry Rocky Mountain

DR. WENDY WERLEY Parkville Modern Dentistry and Orthodontics Midwest

DR. VIVIAN LAM Tigard Modern Dentistry Oregon

DR. LUIS SALAZAR Centennial Modern Dentistry and Orthodontics Nevada

SALIVARY DIAGNOSTICS Your “Microbial” X-Ray

By Jan Lebeau, RDH Director of Dental Hygiene

It’s an exciting time to be practicing dentistry. Almost daily, new technology and better products are being introduced that can help dentists and hygienists deliver better care more effectively and efficiently. However, it is the research published in recent years on The Mouth-Body Connection® that is making big waves in both the medical and dental communities.

On November 29, 2016, Postgraduate Medical Journal published research stating periodontal disease with high risk pathogens (A.a., P.g., T.f., T.d., and F.n.) is causal for arterial sclerotic vascular disease1 Until this landmark research was published, the profession has always accepted that there is only a link between periodontal disease and whole body health. This powerful statement of causality has become a game changer for the future of dentistry.

Enter salivary diagnostics. Through a simple salivary sample, dentists and hygienists now have the ability to identify the pathogenic bacteria responsible for the clinical signs of periodontal disease and determine if the patient is at risk for more serious systemic concerns. MyPerioPath® by OralDNA® Labs allows the clinician to see the types of pathogens responsible for the infection and if the pathogens present are at a dangerously high load. Additionally, MyPerioID®, which can be run from the same salivary sample, can identify if the patient is among the 30% of the population that expresses an exaggerated response to pathogenic challenge, thereby presenting with more severe destructive inflammation locally and potentially systemically. Dentistry is well versed in diagnosing hard tissue disease with the dental X-ray. With salivary diagnostics, dentists and hygienists can identify oral and systemic health risks with a sort of “microbial” X-ray.

The key to preventing periodontal disease is to identify the patient risk before the clinical signs of destruction are present. Inflammation,

bleeding gums and bone loss are the end results rather than the beginning of long-term infection. Patients at high risk for periodontal disease (e.g., those with a family history of periodontal disease, heart disease, diabetes, etc.) regardless of the clinical signs present might consider testing for identification of high-risk pathogens and/ or inflammatory response. If these pathogens are present, the dentist or hygienist can determine a proactive treatment plan focused on prevention rather than waiting until disease and destruction are present. Once periodontal disease and destruction are present, the risk for systemic concerns increases.

Dentistry is being called upon by our medical colleagues to join the fight against conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, through the treatment and resolution of active periodontal disease. Identifying the pathogens and the patient’s ability to manage the more virulent ones will give the dentist and hygienist a better understanding of how to prevent periodontal disease or treat the patient’s periodontal infection and maintain their long-term oral health.

Contact Jan LeBeau at LebeauJ@pacden.com if you are interested in adding salivary diagnostics to your practice.

1. http://pmj.bmj.com/content/postgradmedj/early/2016/11/29/postgradmedj-2016-134279.full.pdf

TWO NEW PROGRAMS FOR DEVELOPING DENTAL ASSISTANTS

By JoAnn Cunningham, RDA, CPC Director, Learning & Development

Most people approach the new year with plans to simplify, improve or change something, or just to focus on the positives. The PDS® Organizational & Talent Development (O&TD) team is no different. We are continuously looking for ways to simplify and improve our learning programs to meet the needs of the organization as PDS grows and expands.

The dental industry is facing a dental assistant (DA) crisis. DA schools are closing and there are not enough DAs to support the number of dentists who will be practicing. At PDS, we are committed to putting the resources in place to get ahead of this curve.

This January, we launched two new programs that improve the onboarding and development experience for PDS dental assistants. The new Dental Assistant Development Toolkit and Lead Assistant Development Program provide office and regional teams with guidance, tools and resources for a more effective, efficient learning and development process for this essential group of PDS team members.

The O&TD team created the DA Development Toolkit with a focus on

improving the office-level experience and building on the relationship between the operations manager (OM), dentist and dental assistant. The primary role of a dental assistant is to support the success of the clinician through effective delivery of the Perfect Patient Experience® (PPE®). Helping each new DA understand and develop their skills to support this process is one key to the success and retention of dental assistants.

The toolkit assists the OM in preparing and creating a plan for their DA’s first 90 days, helping the new DA effectively integrate into the office team. The training calendar can be used as a guide for timely completion of DA Essentials learning items and progressive integration into proper infection control and chairside restorative procedures. We have also created proficiency checklists for the most common systems and procedures to help track training and development opportunities for each individual.

Focusing on building a strong, professional relationship between the DA and the dentist will support clinical success and long-term commitment to the team and office. Each new DA is a unique individual and will process information differently; keeping this in mind

will allow for specific development planning for each DA. By allowing the dentist to guide the clinical skills development chairside and the OM to guide and support soft skills in the overall PPE process, we can increase the long-term commitment of each new DA in PDS-supported offices.

Many DAs express a desire or willingness to further expand their skillset toward more leadership-focused roles and responsibilities. O&TD created the Lead Assistant Development Program with those DAs in mind. This 14-week program provides a progressive learning toolkit that aligns with the regional training and talent development teams to cultivate leadership skills. A combination of selfguided and partnered learning modules help participants prepare for lead assistant (LA) roles and responsibilities as part of the office “trinity ”– LA, OM and dentist. Regional management determines candidates for the program based on specific qualities: positive attitude, critical thinking, organizational skills, and the potential or ability to develop others. A prerequisite of the program is completion of the DA Essentials Program.

Each week, participants in the program learn new skills and knowledge that help prepare them for a future leadership role. Many DAs move on to become successful benefits coordinators and operations managers, and developing leadership skills provides these DAs with the potential for additional career opportunities.

Our PDS vision is to be “The Greatest Dental Company in America,” and we must continue to do everything in our power to support and develop our dentists and team members. Strengthening the development of dental assistants—each one a valuable asset to the profession—is a critical step toward achieving this goal.

For additional information on DA learning programs, contact your learning operations coordinator or email LearningOperations@pacden.com

INTRODUCING PDS®’ NEWEST DEPARTMENT

Communications and Public Relations

By Debbie Millsap | Director of Communications & PR

As the new kids on the PDS block, we wanted to introduce ourselves and share a little bit about who we are and what we do. “We” is currently a team of two. Debbie Millsap, Director of Communications and PR, and Annie Koeller, Communications and PR Specialist, make up the team that will expand to include a Public Relations Manager in the very near future. Pacific Dental Services ® is growing FAST! With nearly 10,000 team members, over 625 supported offices, and a presence in 19 states, exciting change is happening all the time. The Communications and PR team was created to ensure that we are effectively communicating internally about the information our own team members need and externally in our industry and communities. At the most basic level, our purpose is to ensure that our target audiences have the information they need, when they need it, through the most effective communication channels. Pretty simple, right? But let’s dive a little deeper.

Since we are building the Communications and Public Relations department from the ground up, we’re initially devoting a lot of attention to developing the foundation and infrastructure that will enable us to drive a consistent communications strategy across PDS. This includes creating or expanding the systems, resources, and solutions that will serve our communication needs long-term, both internally and externally. Many of these tools are now available on our Communications and Public Relations page on PDSConnect under the Departments tab. Check out the great resources we have available. More to come!

From a messaging standpoint, it all starts with our vision – Engage internally; inform externally. It really is that simple. Through our internal communications, we strive to engage team members in our PDS purpose, our long-term strategy, the values we aspire to, and the personal impact that each team member can make. Every communication, whether it’s a comprehensive project deployment or a straightforward company announcement begins with this intent.

Externally, we focus on promoting the incredible work supported offices are doing in their communities, the many ways PDS is leading in the industry by enabling clinicians and empowering patients, and the impact that the Smile Generation ® is making locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

How do we do this? Think back to elementary school. Remember when you were learning how to write a report and your teacher taught you the 5W1H technique – who, what, when, where, why and how? These are the same basic principles that we use to develop our internal communications to the growing number of PDS team members in our organization and our external communications to promote the Pacific Dental Services and Smile Generation brands.

WHO needs this information?

WHAT information do we want the audience to know or WHAT action do we want the audience to take?

WHEN will change happen; WHEN will the event occur; WHEN is action required?

WHERE is this change, event, announcement happening … is it a specific location, system, process?

WHY are we sharing this information/making a change; WHY is this information or change important to PDS or Smile Generation-trusted offices; WHY should our target audience care about what we’re communicating?

HOW are we going to implement the change we’re communicating; HOW will the information we’re communicating make a difference; HOW will we achieve the objectives we’ve defined?

We use the answers to these questions to build our standards, best practices and communication plans. Each communication plan also includes the vehicles or channels we use to communicate. Internally, how we get our messages to team members may include any combination of channels, from in-person meetings to video, PDSConnect intranet to PDS Life, email to RAD boards. Externally we may use press releases, case studies, authored articles, social media, our websites, recruiting events, community service activities… Long story short, we match the message to the channels that will deliver the most effective communication.

Communications & Public Relations

CONFER LISTEN ENGAGE ALIGN REPEAT

Most importantly, Communications and Public Relations is a support department. We are here to help team members in the offices, team members in the field, and team members in our support centers deliver the most effective communications that will engage internally and inform externally. We look forward to working with you!

yKids’ Dentistry

2017 was a great year for the development of PDS ® -supported pediatric dentists. In August, the PDS University Institute of Dentistry hosted its inaugural Introduction to Clinical Excellence (ICE) program for pediatrics dentists; 27 pediatric dentists have completed the program year-to-date. The program reinforces core fundamentals, focusing on clinical excellence and operational best practices leading to exceptional outcomes and experiences for Healthier, Happier Patients ®. Kids’ Dentistry and supported owner dentists also saw continued momentum with their ownership model. PDS onboarded three new pediatric owner dentists in 2017 and three more in January of 2018. The team currently has six additional pediatric owner dentists in the pipeline as we continue to position PDSsupported pediatric dentists as the gatekeepers of oral health for kids. In support of Clinicians Leading Clinicians in Clinical Excellence ® through Kids’ Dentistry, PDS onboarded a chair of orthodontics, Dr. Jaleh Pourhamidi, and two co-chairs of pediatrics, Dr. Lisa Bienstock and Dr. Eric Ellis.

By Jerry Manko, VP, Kids’ Dentisty

The top 30% of orthodontic offices have

10 10% YEAR-TO-YEAR GROWTH

$780K 24.1% NOI

Orthodontics continues to strengthen, with AVERAGE ANNUALIZED PRODUCTION DAYS PER MONTH AVERAGING

This year, Kids’ Dentistry partnered with the Real Estate team to develop a new heat map tool and a custom Kids’ Dentistry score report by site. These tools will help RPs and supported owner dentists pick the best sites to build successful orthodontic and pediatric programs in their markets.

HELLO, RETIREMENT!

Sounds pretty exciting, right? Living on your own schedule, relaxing, spending more time with family and friends. There’s a lot to look forward to.

As you get closer to retirement, you probably have some questions. And maybe a few middle-of-thenight worries.

DETERMINE HOW MUCH YOU MAY NEED

• Think about how much you might need to spend each month. A lot of that money will go toward things like food, housing and transportation. And you’ll likely spend some on fun activities like travel or hobbies.

• Of course, for most retirees, one of the biggest expenses is health care. Let’s look at that.

PAYING FOR HEALTH CARE

• Your medical costs will likely go up as you get older. Eventually, health care may become one of your biggest expenses.

• Medicare can pay for a big share of retirees’ health care expenses—over half, according to some sources. But Medicare itself isn’t cheap. It’s definitely worth it to know the ins and outs of Medicare―so you can make the most of this benefit.

MIXING UP YOUR INVESTMENTS

• Choosing a mix of investments in different asset classes with varying levels of risk may help manage your risk and give your savings the potential to grow over time. That’s because different types of investments tend to move in different directions.

• For instance, stocks and bonds tend to move in opposite directions. If the value of stock investments goes down, the value of bond investments may increase. Overall, this might generate a more consistent return over time.

BE AN INFORMED INVESTOR

• The Pacific Dental Services® 401k Retirement Plan offers several different kinds of investment options so you can choose from a range of risk and return levels.

SAY IT WITH LOVE

Doug Fields, PDS ® Director of Strengthening Relationships

As a child, I remember playing in one of the most important basketball games of my life. I had a chance to win the game by taking the last shot as the clock struck zero. I missed. We lost the game and I felt like a loser. Afterwards I didn’t want to see anyone—especially my dad. My dad was an ex-athlete. He shot hoops with me in the front yard all the time, he taught me to dribble with my opposite hand … he was essentially my proxy coach from the stands. After losing the game, I felt like I let him down and knew he would be disappointed.

As I tried to slip out of the gym without anyone seeing me, my dad came running toward me. To my complete surprise, instead of expressing disappointment, he hugged me so tight it pulled me off the ground. Instead of anger, he had moist eyes of compassion and said, “Doug, I’m so very proud of you. That last shot doesn’t define you. I want you to know I love you when you make shots and when you miss them. It’s just a game.” My dad wasn’t a mushy type of man, but he wanted me to know in that moment that I was loved.

Saying “I love you” is one of the most important gifts you can give to anyone—but especially your children. I encourage parents to communicate love verbally, but there are other ways to communicate love that are just as important and meaningful.

At our most recent PDS Marriage & Relationship Experience, I recommended Gary Chapman’s book called The Five Love Languages. In this best-seller, Chapman explains the concept that humans have emotional love “tanks.” Your child, spouse, friend or co-worker most likely has a primary love language, but there are a number of ways in which he/she can receive love in profound ways.

I encourage you to learn these five love languages and become liberal at expressing them. Here is a brief overview of the five ways you can express your love to your kids and other primary relationships:

1 Words of affirmation. In parenting, it’s common to criticize failure. If overdone, this can create devastating consequences in one’s adult life. You’ve got to become intentional at encouragement during the seasons of parenting when it doesn’t come easily. Consider a minimum of two genuine compliments a day as a good goal.

2 Quality time. This is not what you consider quality time; rather what your child considers quality time. This is the gift of being present. I know a mom who watches her son play video games because he’s a “gamer,” and it’s a way for her to connect with her son in a way that he values. That’s good parenting! Discover your child’s interests and take time every day to provide your kids with quality time. If it’s not a priority, it’s too easy to forget.

3 Receiving gifts. Gifts, if overdone, can become meaningless and teach a child a false set of values. But periodic gifts, thoughtfully chosen and given with affirming statements, can help meet a child’s need for love. The end game isn’t for your child to get more “stuff;” it’s for them to know that you thought of them and expressed those thoughts in a tangible way.

4 Acts of service. This is tough with parenting because you’re constantly performing acts of service for your children. But the next time you complete a task for your child, make sure you connect it to your love for him/her.

5 Physical touch. Hugging, kissing and appropriate touching are very important to fill up your child’s emotional love tank. As children get older, you need to be sensitive to the forms of affection you express, but your kids still have a need for physical human contact that can be uniquely fed by their parents.

DOUG FIELDS is a communicator, consultant and writer. He’s the author of 50+ books – primarily on relationships, and he works with the HomeWord Center for Youth/Family at Azusa Pacific University.

BRINGING SMILES TO

By Kyle Guerin, Sr. Manager, We Serve

Over 17 million people live in Guatemala. It’s a culture founded on strong Mayan and Spanish influences. From the smoldering volcano, to the bright colors, to the craziness of the souped-up chicken busses, the country is alive and filled with personality.

But it’s the personalities and inner beauty of the people that always make these trips so special. On January 23-28, 14 members of the Smile Generation® family served at the Pacific Dental Services® Foundation’s clinic outside of Antigua, Guatemala. We had the privilege to serve 119 patients and provide nearly $70,000 in donated dentistry.

“This is the first time I have traveled on one of these international trips with the PDS® Foundation, and I was blown away by the joy of the patients I had the privilege to serve,” said owner doctor, Ashley Hopkins, from Austin, TX. “I absolutely fell in love with the people of Guatemala. I also had a great time getting to know other dentists and team members from different regions. We’ll be friends forever! Anyone who has ever wanted to go on one of these trips needs to stop making excuses and just find a way to go. You won’t regret it.”

Thank you to our PDS team members whose lives were impacted forever by the giving of their time and talent to serve others.

For more information or to go on a future international trip, email WeServe@pacden.com.

Dental assistant and hygienist scholarships are available. For more information or to apply, email InternationalTrips@pacden.com.

FUTURE TRIPS

GUATEMALA

April 3-8 & July 24-29

FIJI

June 14-23

ETHIOPIA

September 14-23

THE NEW LEGAL LANDSCAPE IN 2018

By Gary J. Pickard, Director, Government & Industry Affairs and Michael Williamson, Sr. Director of Compliance & Ethics

Every year, thousands of bills are introduced in state legislatures across the country. Many of these bills become laws, and a handful of those laws impact our business. The Legal, Government & Industry Affairs and Compliance & Ethics departments at the National Support Center track and monitor these bills and influence them where possible. When new laws affect dental practices and/or dentists, we ensure offices are aware and in compliance. Below are a few new laws that are of particular interest to our team members in the field.

CALIFORNIA

Assembly Bill 168: Salary history inquiries –Employers will no longer be able to ask job applicants about their current or prior earnings. Employers will also have to provide the pay scale for a position upon an applicant's request.

Senate Bill 1256: Financial discussions in preferred language – Essentially, this law requires that any patient in California for whom credit is extended, established or arranged by a third party, must be provided with required notifications in the patient’s primary language.

TEXAS

House Bill 2561 – Legislators added new Section 481.0763 to the Texas Controlled Substances Act. This new section requires the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to register prescribers with the state Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). The Texas State Pharmacy Board emailed prescribers on January 11, 2018 with details. This change is in response to the opioid crisis in the state and in the country overall.

COLORADO

Senate Bill 17-065: List cash prices – A document listing the fees for the 15 most common healthcare services provided by the practice is required to be made available electronically or on the provider’s website and needs to be updated at least annually. A small group practice of six or fewer identically licensed providers (includes both dentists and dental hygienists) may post the information in the patient waiting room as opposed to a website.

NEVADA

Assembly Bill 474: Controlled substances – This bill introduced changes to the laws and procedures for prescribing a controlled substance (CS) to address opioid challenges in the state. Among these changes are:

• The prescriber must obtain informed written consent after discussing the risks and benefits of controlled substances with the patient. A new informed consent form for this purpose has been loaded into CPS.

• The prescribing dentist must perform a patient risk assessment that includes a review of a patient’s medical history, among other things.

• There are additional components whose inclusion is required on controlled substance prescriptions, and prescribers must review a patient’s Prescription Monitoring Program report before prescribing.

Michael Williamson, Sr. Director of Compliance and Ethics, sent a memo, dated 12/21/17, to Nevada supported dentists and specialists outlining all requirements.

GEORGIA

House Bill 154: Hygienist supervision – The following are now permissible by hygienists under general supervision if their supervising dentist chooses to allow it:

• Oral prophylaxis and assessment

• Application of sealants

• Fluoride treatment

• Oral hygiene instruction and education; and

• Exposure and processing of radiographs (if the radiographs are provided for by specific standing orders of the authorizing licensed dentist)

Contact the Legal department if you have questions about any existing and/or proposed laws or rules in your state.

Introducing PDS University ™

By Joanna Rodgers, Sr. Vice President of People

At PDS®, we know that businesses don’t create value, people do. We strive to treat our team members with the same level of detail, care and concern that we do our financial resources. You are the driving force of our success.

During our Q1 Monthly Management Meeting, our founder and CEO, Steve Thorne, shared his vision for the future of PDS, both in 2018 and in the coming years. In order to accomplish the goals we’ve set as a company and individually, in order to truly reach our potential, we must invest in each other. We must pool our experience, our skills, and our talents to lift each other up.

To empower team members to achieve these objectives, we are relaunching the PDS University. The PDS University is comprised of three schools:

• Institute of Dentistry

Clinicians Leading Clinicians in Clinical Excellence®

• School of Business

Functional, operational and technical training

• School of Leadership

Talent development, leadership skills, operational excellence to drive real-world results

Josh Whipple, Director of Leadership and Organizational Development, will have oversight responsibility and leadership accountability for the PDS University and will serve on the PDS University Board and Advisory Board.

The PDS University Advisory Board, which will include internal and external business partners and subject matter experts, will provide strategic guidance, ensure business alignment and buy-in from key

stakeholders, and communicate and reinforce the importance of PDS University to other executives and regional partners.

The Clinical Advisory Board, which will be led by Dr. Brad Guyton, Dean of the Institute of Dentistry, will provide the clinical direction and oversight for the Institute of Dentistry. Dr. Guyton will also serve on the PDS University Advisory Board.

The schools within the PDS University will help team members and supported clinicians pursue their individual development goals and increase their personal value by providing world-class learning and development opportunities.

The PDS University:

• Is the foundation for all learning and development

• Builds individual and organizational readiness

• Embeds learning in business and people processes

• Focuses on valued results and accomplishments

• Promotes continuous learning through feedback

Over the coming months, the PDS University and Organizational and Talent Development (O&TD) teams will curate and create courses and learning and developmental opportunities to support the PDS University’s imperatives.

I have no doubt that as we continue to provide new opportunities for team members across PDS to learn and develop, we will achieve even greater results together.

The Team Approach to Associate Dentist Success

By Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, Multiple-Office Owner Dentist & Chair of Associate Development

The observation and evaluation of the successful ramp-up of associate dentists (ADs) for over two decades clearly demonstrates that supporting a new-graduate dentist requires structure and intentionality. This is best accomplished when the owner dentist (OD), operations manager (OM) and regional manager (RM) all effectively execute their roles and responsibilities. Any ONE role can only accomplish so much, as the OD will have his/her own patients to tend to, and the OM and RM are unable to address clinical issues.

In my experience, ownership and brand building of an owner dentist start with associate success and the execution of the following key standards and best practices for ODs, OMs and RMs.

Overview of roles, responsibilities and cross-over that exists between the OD, RM and OM in associate success.

(Does not capture all details)

• Clinical Coaching

• Clinical Culture

OD/RM/OM

• Onboarding

• Intentional Meetings/Coaching

• Leverage Team Support

• In-Office Orientation

• Morning Huddle

• PPE Process

• AD Playbook

• Accountability Partner

Owner Dentist

Office Manager Regional Manager

• Set expectations with the AD during onboarding.

• Support the AD with clinical coaching, including:

Shoulder-to-shoulder coaching

Co-diagnosis and treatment planning

Role playing (clinical conversations)

• Support the AD in embracing the comprehensive care culture.

Operations Manager

• Facilitate AD onboarding to include in-office orientation (see the AD Playbook).

Include the lead assistant (LA) in the onboarding process. Ensure all onboarding paperwork is complete and submitted (I-9, credentialing, etc.).

• Make the AD Playbook available.

• Ensure team huddles occur daily.

• Own the Perfect Patient Experience® (PPE®) process and ask the AD for permission to provide feedback.

• Update the AD’s schedule to reflect regional Introduction to Clinical Excellence (ICE) workshop attendance.

• Schedule and calendar meetings between the OD and AD and ensure that the meetings take place.

• Leverage the team for support and accountability, including the LA or benefits coordinator when applicable.

• Serve as an accountability partner for the OD.

OD/RM

• IDP w/Takeaways

• Business Review

Regional Manager

• Facilitator to the OD/OM

• Collaborate with LA/BC/SRM

• PPE Coaching

RM/OM

• ICE Enrollment

• 120-Day Calendar

Regional Manager

• Build a relationship with the AD during onboarding.

• Support the AD in creating an individual development plan (IDP).

• Own the 120-day calendar for a newly hired AD.

• Provide structured coaching that is scheduled on the calendar.

• Verify AD enrollment in the ICE program.

• Review business performance, including doctor metrics, and engage in early conversations around compensation competency and goals.

• Define takeaways for the AD to work on, and follow up during the next meeting/visit.

• Serve as a facilitator for the OM/OD team and include the LA and/ or specialty regional manager when applicable.

• Support the AD with PPE coaching.

There will be crossover between roles, as shown in the diagram.

In a PDS-supported practice, “We Believe in the power of teamwork; therefore, we fail or succeed together.” When we collaborate with teammates to ensure an associate dentist is supported and successful, the positive impact will influence the success of the practice and the success of the entire team. When the entire team is experiencing success, the owner dentist is able to drive their brand and attract successful team members to their practices.

Owner Dentist

COMING IN Q2 & Q3

By David Baker Senior Vice President Chief Information Officer

IT Service Desk

Single Sign-On (SSO)

New office phone systems

With Q1 almost behind us and an exciting three quarters ahead, I want to share a quick summary of what’s coming to PDS® from the IT team in our quest to give you back minutes in your day. Here are just a few of the projects we are working on to move PDS to the next generation of technological innovation!

From the 8,000 total tickets received, IT has emailed the approximately 200 individuals who rated the service they received as poor to see where we can improve. The feedback has been amazing, and as a result, we have made many changes to our processes. Our objective is to make the Service Desk more efficient.

SSO was released in late January to the support centers and early February to all of PDS. SSO allows you to log in once and enjoy instant access to your most frequently used business applications with one user name and password, all in one place. To date, we have added PDSConnect, MY Success Center, People Services Center, Help Desk Ticketing and Box to the Single Sign-On dashboard. SSO also enables you to reset your password yourself via a text (SMS) message sent to your mobile phone or through a secondary email address.

IT has rolled out Ring Central phones to over 60 offices to replace the older XO and legacy phone systems. We have conducted numerous training sessions, and the feedback from the offices has been overwhelmingly positive. As we move forward, we plan to deploy around 50 offices a month until all offices are on Ring Central phones, providing consistency and stability when making and receiving calls throughout the entire organization.

The IT team is focused on extreme ownership and getting your problems solved more quickly with opportunities for instant self-service along the way. I’m excited to share our progress and talk about the next technology advances we have in store in the next issue.

As always, your feedback is valued.

Please reach out to me directly if I can help in any way at: David.Baker@pacden.com

Unified communications are here, and we are in the middle of replacing outdated conferencing systems, helping everyone to easily and conveniently enjoy video meetings from the device of their choice. The Polycom systems in the Support offices are being updated with the equipment that will allow Ring Central Meetings access. Throughout the rest of the year, you will begin to see new communication tools added to make it easier for us to do business and communicate internally.

We are pleased to finally be able to be offer a secure, office-to-patient text messaging platform that has been evaluated and will be deployed alongside the phone system refresh in Q3.

Following successful Alpha and Beta testing, we have begun deployment of the Online Scheduler application, enabling patients the ability to directly schedule appointments online. We look forward to going live across all PDS-supported offices throughout 2018.

We are continuing the discussion and discovery around the software platform that will take PDS into the next generation of dental practice management. This is a huge undertaking with many hundreds of hours invested to ensure we select the right partnership and product.

David Baker Senior VP & CIO

IT Quick Tips & FAQs

Quick Tips

With thousands of tickets coming in every month, the IT Service Desk has a few pointers to help you get your tickets closed quickly and correctly! Why doesn’t CPS open on any computer in the office? We are unable to take X-rays!

When you fill out a ticket, make sure you give as much information as possible.

If you have a computer issue or need a program installed, make sure to include the computer host name. You can usually find the host name in the lower right corner on your blue home screen; it is labeled “PDS Host Name.”

If you are having an issue with an office machine (e.g., a CEREC or sensor), make sure to include the machine’s serial number.

Be sure to provide your correct contact information, and keep an eye (and ear) out for emails or calls from the IT Service Desk.

If you need help right away, it is always best to call the IT Service Desk so that one of the techs can help you or route your ticket to the appropriate person quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions Did you know?

If you are unable to sign into QSI due to a locked port, the port will automatically unlock after 15 minutes.

SOLUTION : This is usually caused by the general account being locked. The account will automatically unlock after 10 minutes.

SOLUTION : This is the SecureDoc screen, and a wired internet connection along with your Windows credentials are usually required to gain access. If the machine belongs to a dental office, then the general office account will grant you access. If the WinMagic screen shows “Please wait,” press the F10 key to go to the login screen.

One Dental Assisting Scholarship

FIVE LIVES CHANGED

By Mary Yonker | Director of Financial Aid, Concorde Career College, Portland Campus

It was early October 2016. I was meeting with a young woman, Sheila, who had just enrolled in our dental assisting program. In her arms was her beautiful newborn baby girl.

She was a single mom with four small children (hence the five lives) whose main sources of income were child support and food stamps. She could not afford even the minimum monthly payments of $50.00 to cover her program balance left after exhausting her federal aid, but she was willing to make a smaller monthly payment then pay off her balance with her tax return in February. While this was not our standard process, we made the exception. This was a young woman wanting to make a better life for herself and her kids.

What I remember most about Sheila were her contagious optimism, her infectious smile, and her simple desire to provide for her family. As we finished up the appointment, she was excited and eager to start the program that would change her life.

Because the Pacific Dental Services® Foundation scholarship was such a new opportunity for our students, I almost forgot to tell her about it. As she was walking out of the building pushing her baby girl in her stroller, I ran after her to tell her. She was so excited! She returned the application within days, scrambling to get the best reference letters she could before the application deadline.

This was a lifechanger for Sheila and her family.

Initially, Sheila was informed that she did not receive the scholarship, but the following month, the Foundation re-introduced Sheila’s application to the committee. She was later told that her application was one that they just could not stop thinking about, and she was awarded the scholarship that month.

After receiving the phone call, Sheila came to my office in tears. She could not believe it! She had received a phone call from Dr. Ghazal herself!

Her life and the lives of her children have been forever changed thanks to the Pacific Dental Services Foundation and the Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assisting Scholarship program!

This was a life-changer for Sheila and her family. The possibilities were now limitless, and soon she would be able to begin her new career in dental assisting without the weight of student loan debt on her shoulders.

Sheila has since graduated from the dental assisting program and is working in the field at a PDS®-supported dental office. Her life and the lives of her children have been forever changed thanks to the Pacific Dental Services Foundation and the Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assisting Scholarship program!

DATE

Fall in Love on the Oregon Coast

By Beth Pharis Specialty Benefits Coordinator Oregon Region

A romantic weekend on the beautiful Oregon Coast

Staying at the Whale Cove Inn was amazing! We fell asleep and woke up to the relaxing sound of the waves. Our weekend was filled with breathtaking views and amazing food. We had the most delicious fresh seafood at the Restaurant Beck, and enjoyed spectacular views at the Clearwater Restaurant, voted best restaurant on the Oregon Coast. We also took a romantic nature hike at Yaquina Bay, and I had an amazing time getting pampered at the Salishan Spa, where I got a massage, body scrub treatment and a trip to the salon for new hair color so I could look my best for our dream date!

YOUR MATE: — what a getaway!dream date yourmate

The magic didn’t stop, and we even had some luck at the Chinook Winds Casino on our way home!

Thank you PDS® for offering such a wonderful contest and caring about me and my relationship with my mate! We have such great memories from our dream date.

Be on the lookout for our next

Opened in November

Opened in December

CARSON CITY

Nevada. Opened 11/7/17. Dentists of Carson City

APACHE JUNCTION

Arizona. Opened 12/5/17. Dentists of Apache Junction

CERRITO

California. Opened 12/20/17. Dentists of El Cerrito Plaza

Oregon. Opened 1/16/18. Cedar Hills Modern Dentistry 2 MELBOURNE 1

Florida. Opened 11/7/17. Viera Modern Dentistry

3 SCOTTSDALE 5

Arizona. Opened 11/9/17. Dentists of Scottsdale

4 STAPLETON 2

Colorado. Opened 11/21/17. East Stapleton Dentistry and East Stapleton Kids' Dentistry & Orthodontics

5 EASTVALE 2

California. Opened 11/28/17. Eastvale Smiles Dentistry

6 GAINESVILLE

Opened in January Future States

LONG BEACH 3

California. Opened 12/5/17. Bixby Knolls Modern Dentistry

Texas. Opened 12/18/17. The Dental Office of Prosper and Prosper Kids' Dentists & Orthodontics

VILLAGE

Colorado. Opened 12/19/17. Dentists of Greenwood

NONA

Florida. Opened 12/19/17. Nona Dentists

Virginia. Opened 11/28/17. Dentists of Gainesville 12 MURFREESBORO 1

Arizona. Opened 12/20/17. Grant Road Dentistry

California. Opened 12/26/17. Delta Shores Dentistry

Florida. Opened 12/28/17. Lakeland Modern Dentistry

Kansas. Opened 12/29/17. Village Modern Dentistry

Tennessee. Opened 12/19/17. Murfreesboro Modern Dentistry 18 COLUMBIA 1

South Carolina. Opened 1/15/18. Killian Dentistry

MARY

Florida. Opened 1/16/18. Lake Mary Modern Dentistry

SOUTH JORDAN

Utah. Opened 1/23/18. Dentists of South Jordan and Orthodontics

Virginia. Opened 1/30/18. Springfield Dental Group

AND GROWING STRONGER

Around the PDS® FAMILY

“Great advice from Dr. Oliveira of Coral Springs“

“Ugly sweater day at Aurora 2“

“Forney hosted a coat drive benefiting a local women’s shelter in their community“

“Even Central Florida’s RM, Michael, needs his six-month check up“

“Vancouver 1 team building“

“Alexa at Rock Hill volunteered at the local Santa Run“

“Menifee 3 at the local Christmas tree lighting event“

“Local schools enjoyed a snack on Pasadena“

“Cypress 2 sporting pink for cancer awareness“

“Our friends in Stockton enjoyed quality time together this holiday season“

Her Shoes event“

“SDR RP, Mike Butler, RMM, Brian Ortega and Talent Dev. Manager, James Neff, at the Walk a Mile in

“Loving the smile socks in Redlands“

“Chesterfield wore purple to help fight pancreatic cancer“

“Holiday fun with the Gainesville team”

“Central Florida’s Fall Fiesta“

“Dr. Reed and staff at

“The doctors at Tucson 2 supported the local university in their matching polo shirts. Bear down“

“Woodland MKDO®’s team (plus Santa (Dr.) Claus) enjoyed the holiday parade“

“Merry Christmas, from the team of Eastvale 2“

“Oregon Region award winners“

“Oro Valley 2 donated 680 pounds of food to a local food bank“

“Team Encinitas 1 enjoyed some fun in the sun on a team bonding beach day“

“Cedar Park’s endodontist, Dr. Strong, with his tiniest patient“

Santa Fe ugly sweater contest“

“Team Hemet did an OD Dr. Lee Look-a-Like Day“

“South Florida team members at the 2017 holiday party“

“The tooth fairy has arrived at Katy 5 MKD®“

“The Virginia team celebrated the open of Sterling“

“San Marcos 2 having fun in their Halloween costumes“

“Frisco 1 showed a wide range of emotions for Halloween“

“Beaverton 1 got sweet treats from new patients“

“The weight challenge is on for the team at Kansas City 3“

“Smile Generation® had a blast at the Dodgers Employee Health Fair“

“Miami 1 celebrating the New Year“

“Tomball dressed to impress on Halloween“

“Clermont smiles for new benefits“

ANNIVERSARIES

MARTHA NEVAREZ

Benefits Coordinator

1/1/1998

Congratulations to Martha on 20 wonderful years! Martha makes a connection with every person that walks through the door and treats them like family. The trust and rapport that she builds with patients is the key to the success we achieve with both our case acceptance and retention. We appreciate her dedication and hard work and know Laguna Niguel would not be the same without her.

– Karlene Belani

MELBA CASTILLO

Operations Manager

2/14/2003

It’s been a pleasure working with Melba over the years. She’s tough when needed and compassionate all the time. She’s such an asset to our practice.

− Dr. Sonny Chokka

ELIZABETH GOMEZ

Dental Assistant, Oral Surgery

3/31/2003

I have had the pleasure of working chair-side with Elizabeth for 15 years; she is a true professional. Her skills and work ethic have set her above the rest. Congratulations on your 15 years! The Pacific South Coast Region appreciates your hard work and dedication.

− Orlando Sanchez

DR. INAKSHPAL JOHAL

Owner Dentist

2/1/2003

I have had the opportunity to watch Dr. Johal grow and develop as an owner leader over the past seven years. Her commitment to supporting her associates and her team in alignment with their goals has accelerated her success and set a foundation for a bright future. It has been an honor for me to support such a wonderful owner dentist as her partner.

− Koert Takkunen

ROBYN JOHNSON

Lead Registered Dental Assistant

1/13/2003

It has been a pleasure to have Robyn as my LDA; her calm demeanor and sweet smile comfort the most anxious patient. Robyn brings much experience and knowledge to our team. She is hardworking and dedicated. She is very passionate about patients, and she strives to do all that she can to make each patient’s experience enjoyable. We are fortunate to have her on our team. I want to be the first to congratulate you on your 15 years of service, and I am excited to see what the next 15 will bring!

− Violet Aquino

DR. JOHN NOSTI

Multiple-Office Owner Dentist

3/31/2003

I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Nosti at his first PDS ® -supported office 15 years ago. It was easy early on to see that he had a passion for dentistry and that he had a high-level of character, both personally and professionally. He became an OD a couple years later and has continued to be successful to this day. I value Dr. Nosti’s insight and professionalism and enjoy our candid conversations. He is a key leader here in the San Diego Region. Thank you Dr. Nosti, for all that you do. I look forward to your continued success for many years to come.

− Mike Butler

TRACY PATE

Registered Dental Assistant

1/27/2003

It would be quite difficult to go an hour without seeing Tracy’s beautiful smile or hearing her infectious laugh around the office. She is a consistent light to our team and someone that every patient and team member can always rely on. Thank you for being such a great spirit to be around, Tracy, and cheers to many more years to come!

− Andrea Goode

YEARS

DR. MANORANJANI SAMBANGI

Multiple-Office Owner Dentist

2/3/2003

Dr. Mano’s success is not just about the offices she owns, but about the people she has mentored and positively influenced. She has helped to develop many associate dentists, and quite a few have become owners themselves within PDS ®. She has compassion for patients and staff, and treats others with respect and patience. It is my privilege to be on her team and work together to reach office goals, help others reach their personal goals, and help patients get the dentistry done that they need. Congratulations on 15 years, Dr. Mano!

− Dolores Von Felden-Cain

LISA WOOLUMS

Dental Assistant

1/27/2003

Lisa is such a vital part of our team; we cannot imagine our office without her! The patients love her expertise and knowledge, not to mention her upbeat personality. Whenever we have a question regarding back office equipment we know to go to her as she probably has the answer for us. She has helped to train a multitude of people on chair-side procedures as well as CEREC ® imaging and design. Lisa is always willing to jump in and help to check a patient out or answer a phone; she is a true team player. I am honored to have Lisa working with us, but even more honored that she calls me her friend.

− Tami Sparks

KRYSTAL BARAJAS

Operations Manager 2/27/2008

Krystal’s dedication to the organization and her work ethic have not gone unnoticed. She started as a receptionist and accelerated through all of her roles to land as an operations manager where she has proven results. Krystal has built great teams and truly excels in teaching and coaching new members. She has great potential and I’m excited to see what else she accomplishes in her career with PDS. Thank you Krystal for 10 years of commitment and hard work.

− Dan Rodriguez

LISA BRADLEY

Operations Manager II 2/20/2008

Lisa has been an integral part of the success in the Rancho Santa Margarita offices for many years now. She is a great coach, mentor and leader. I look forward to seeing her continued impact on her office and the Pacific South Coast Region for years to come!

Congratulations on 10 great years!

− Jennie Browning

DR. JOHN BARNES

Regional Partner 2/6/2008

What can I say about Dr. Barnes except that everyone loves him! He is always so positive and so encouraging that people just want to be around him. Dr. Barnes has been instrumental to our continued growth in Texas. Thanks for being such a great partner these past 10 years!

− Steve Thorne

DR. CHARLES CALDER

Oral Surgeon 2/7/2008

I have been working with Dr. Calder for several years now. As I got to know him, I discovered someone who is extremely caring of the patients in his chair and who has a lot of knowledge to share with those around him. But even more importantly, I have been able to learn about the man behind the mask. Dr. Calder is one of the nicest guys I have ever met with a sense of humor I always appreciate. I could not be happier with any other oral surgeon. PDS is lucky to have a provider like you! Hopefully you have another 10 years left in you because I’m afraid another oral surgeon won’t be able to fill your shoes.

− Dr. Christian Peralta

TONA (DAISY) CASTILLO

Specialty Benefits Coordinator

1/30/2008

Daisy, thank you for your 10 years of hard work and commitment to Monrovia Modern Dentistry and PDS ®. We appreciate all you do. Looking forward to many more years.

− Lucy Lopez

DELARA CERDA

Registered Dental Hygienist

1/15/2008

Thank you for being such a valuable member of our team. Always know how much you are needed, respected and valued in our office. Continue to inspire us for many years to come! Congrats! We love you!

− Ally Martinez

DR. GRACE CHUNG

Owner Dentist

3/24/2008

Dr. Chung’s passion and drive are second to none, allowing the team to triumph over any adversity. Ten years in the PDS books ... WOW! Your community applauds your clinical excellence. There’s nothing better than pride in your work. Looking forward to working with you and your team for the next 10. Congratulations, Dr. Chung!

− Shirley Cullen

LINDSAY DAHL

Benefits Coordinator 3/19/2008

Lindsay has been at Alameda Crossing Dental Group for a short time, but in that time she has developed a strong connection with patients and her attention to detail is greatly appreciated. Congratulations on your 10-year anniversary, Lindsay!

− Amanda Fordyce

JESICA DURANT

Operations Manager 3/26/2008

Jesica is truly one of my favorites! Her commitment and passion for her family at home and her family at the office is what drives her to success. It’s been a privilege to work with her and learn from her. I admire her determination and am excited to see where the next 10 years will take her!

−Jose Arellano

MARCIA CORTEZ

Operations Manager 3/26/2008

Marcia has been our leader at Walnut Smiles Dentistry and Orthodontics for 10 years. She is a great example to her team, always taking care of patients and her team. She is an amazing servant leader! Congrats on your 10-year anniversary! I look forward to your impact for years to come.

− Jennie Browning

DR. PAUL DART

Owner Dentist

3/7/2008

Happy tenth anniversary, Dr. Dart! You have been a rock for the San Diego market, and your team greatly appreciates you! It has been a pleasure supporting you over the past 10 years and I look forward to helping you reach your goals for years to come.

− Luis Gutierrez

KRISTINA LEBEDINSKAYA

Dental Assistant, Oral Surgery 1/9/2008

Kristina started working with PDS supporting our general practitioners and made the transition to supporting our periodontics team a year ago. Her team comments on how much they appreciate being welcomed every morning by Kristina’s warm smile and how she gives her full attention to all the patients with whom she interacts.

− Kristen Alvarez

DR. SOOJIN LEE

Multiple-Office Owner Dentist

2/29/2008

Dr. Lee had many successful years as an AD in our Chino Hills office before deciding it was the right time to pursue practice ownership. In 2014, she opened her Claremont office and has earned a wonderful reputation in this community. Her commitment to excellence is felt by her team, associates and patients. 2017 presented an opportunity for multi-office ownership and her passion brought immediate results to this team. In addition to her practice responsibilities, Dr. Lee supports the Pacific South Coast Region in multiple ways through mentorship and sharing her love of PDS ® -supported ownership with others. Thank you, Dr. Lee, for all you do! Congratulations on 10 years!

− Paula Larson

DR. MARCOS MAGAR

Owner Dentist

1/18/2008

It has been my pleasure to work with Dr. Magar during my tenure with PDS. He is such an incredible person with a huge passion for dentistry. One of Dr. Magar’s most charming qualities is the time he spends reflecting on ways to take his office and his personal leadership to the next level. I absolutely love my partnership with him. Over the years we have experienced highs and lows, but through every step of the way we have shared mutual respect, transparency and sometimes brutal honesty, all in an effort to establish him and his office as providers of choice in the Huntington Beach community. I wish Dr. Magar nothing but the best and congratulate him on 10 amazing years.

− Theresa Klostermann

VAN NGUYEN

Accounting Clerk

2/2013/2008

It is a pleasure and privilege to have Van on our team. She consistently goes above and beyond to support our department and 1,000+ P-card users. Congratulations on your 10 years with PDS, and thank you for your extraordinary performance.

− Ben Mizushima

AMBER PADDECK

Lead Registered Dental Assistant 3/5/2008

Amber has spent her career in Las Vegas and San Diego, landing in Santee Smiles as lead RDA. Amber has had an instrumental role in growing office 403 for the past two years, hitting the best numbers yet. Her knowledge, experience and willingness to make it happen are above par. Amber sets the tone in the office and leads by example day in and day out. We appreciate you, Amber, and are excited to see what the years ahead bring. Continue to be a rock star! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Congrats!

− Heather Dickerhoff-Kain

DR. MICHAEL LY Dentist

2/21/2008

I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Ly for only a year and a half but it feels like we’ve worked together for years. He joined us in the fall of 2016 and fit right in. He is easygoing, approachable, and a team player. Clinically, he is invested in patients’ oral health and overall health. His benefits coordinator says, “Dr. Ly connects with his patients, even the difficult ones, and makes them comfortable, more like a friend than a dentist.” I can see those relationships when patients come all the way from Upland to get their treatment done with him. His assistants say, “He is fast and effective.” This can be seen in the way he handles busy schedules without breaking a sweat. He is a valuable asset to the office. On his 10-year anniversary, we at Monrovia Modern Dentistry want to wish him the very best and many more years of success.

− Dr. Priyadarshini Bhatia

DR. SHAHRAM MASHHADIAN

Oral Surgeon 2/11/2008

Dr. Mashhadian is an extraordinary oral surgeon, who is not only experienced and confident, but very pleasant and friendly! He is part of the Chino Hills family, and we all appreciate him very much. Patients are all treated with exceptional care during their visit, and Dr. Mashhadian calls them the day after surgery to make sure they are doing alright. Dr. Mashhadian is a pleasure to work with, and he inspires the staff to be their best. Congratulations on 10 years, Dr. Mashhadian!

− Dolores Von Felden-Cain

JOSE OROZCO

Dental Assistant, Orthodontics

3/19/2008

Jose is liked by all the patients and the orthodontists he supports. Thank you, Jose, for your dedication and hard work. Congratulations on your 10 years with PDS!

− Pearl Vaca

DR. MARC PANA

Orthodontist 1/1/2008

Happy tenth anniversary, Dr. Pana! You are amazing and the team loves working with you. It has been a great 10 years and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you and our team. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to bringing beautiful smiles to patients.

− Valerie Robledo

MARIAM RAFIQZAD

Registered Dental Hygienist

3/7/2008

Mariam is always willing to accommodate that extra patient on her schedule which really creates a positive patient experience. She is also willing to explain in detail, and in language patients can understand, the treatment that is needed.

− Dr. Lance Rygg

JOE SAPORITO

Regional Partner, Rocky Mountain Region

2/28/2008

LUCY RAZO

Insurance Claims Auditor

Lucy is a great team player and is always willing to help out in any way. Her experience is a great asset to our team. Congratulations, Lucy, on achieving such a huge milestone.

− Nick Garcia

Joe has done a great job in his first 10 years as the regional partner for the Rocky Mountain Region. He started the market from scratch and now, at 75 offices, they will do about $144M in dental care this year! Joe is also a great human being and has been a pleasure to partner with for all these years. Congratulations, Joe!

− Steve Thorne

MELANIE STEWART

Operations Manager II 2/27/2008

Working with Melanie is an absolute pleasure. She knows the operations and what it takes to run a successful dental practice, always imparting her knowledge to me, her peers and her team. She has a passion like no other and does whatever it takes to help patients say yes to dentistry. Thanks for all you do, and here’s to the next 10 years of service!

− Sarah Brooks

ARIZONA

ALLISON DAVIS

Lead Dental Assistant 2/27/2013

CAROL LICON

Lead Dental Assistant 3/21/2013

SUSAN FOLEY Registered Dental Hygienist 1/2/2013

KELLY SCOTT

Regional Marketing Specialist 2/6/2008

Kelly is a valued member of the Pacific South Coast Region and an incredible asset to the offices she supports. Her passion for marketing, commitment and expertise shine through in all she does. Constantly taking a proactive approach to facilitating teamwork to help grow our region, she is a true team player. Kelly has earned the trust and respect of the ODs, RMs and OMs with whom she works, and for good reason. Congratulations on 10 years, Kelly! Thank you for your contributions to our team.

− Leslie Polley

GOHAR ZAKARYAN

Registered Dental Hygienist

1/25/2008

Thank you for 10 remarkable years of warmth, friendship, support and hard work. Thank you for taking great care of the patients, who you treat like family. You are loved by everyone who has ever met you. You are one of a kind and we are so lucky to have you as part of our family.

− Katherine Novales

SHANNON VIZZARD

Registered Dental Hygienist 3/18/2013

JEZEL O’CONNOR Benefits Coordinator 3/25/2013

CARRIE HARVEY

Lead Dental Assistant 1/31/2013

SEAN HERRING

Lead Dental Assistant 1/21/2013

DR. NEAL JONES Orthodontist 3/12/2013

APHRODITE WELLS

Lead Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 1/7/2013

GINA RUIZ

Dental Assistant, Pediatrics 1/31/2013

STEVE SMITH

Registered Dental Hygienist 2/25/2013

MICHAEL SOLOMON Assistant Manager 2/4/2013

CHRIS ZACHAREWICZ

Regional Partner 2/11/2013

GULF COAST TEXAS

ELLEN BERTA Operations Manager 3/26/2013

DR. GARY DENNIS, JR. Endodontist 1/24/2013

DR. BEAU BLANKENSHIP Dentist 1/28/2013

DR. ADRIENNE CARMICHAEL Orthodontist 1/2/2013

DINORAH CASTILLO

Lead Dental Assistant 2/18/2013

MICHELLE FURNISH Dental Assistant, Endodontics 3/5/2013

CRYSTAL ESQUIVEL

Registered Dental Assistant 1/28/2013

AMANDA GONZALES Pediatric Manager 1/15/2013

DR. CRYSTAL FLEMING-SMITH Owner Dentist 1/21/2013

VERONICA FLORES Dental Assistant 1/7/2013

DR. WILL CRADOC Owner Dentist 1/21/2013

LAURA SANCHEZ Dental Assistant 1/10/2013

JOSEPH SILVA Lead Dental Assistant 3/11/2013

NATIONAL SUPPORT CENTER

SCOTT BECK

Vice Chairman 1/1/2013

VANESA CARRILLO Supervisor, Claims Processing 2/20/2013

MIKE HARTKOPF Manager, Talent Development 3/11/2013

WILSON HAYWOOD

Lead Dental Assistant 2/12/2013

TRACE FORTNER Operations Manager 3/6/2013

JOHN HULLETTE Operations Manager 1/3/2013

HEATHER CUTLER Manager, Deployment 2/4/2013

FRANK D’ALESSANDRO Manager, Digital Communications 2/1/2013

DOLORES GLENNON Biller 2/4/2013

SUZANNE HUGHES Senior Representative, People Relations 3/18/2013

CAMRYN LEARY

Customer Service Smart Pay Representative 3/11/2013

PATTY MAULDIN Controller, Regional 2/13/2013

ROSIE NGUYEN Specialist, Insurance Collections 1/21/2013

ARMANDO PALACIOS VAZQUEZ Senior Director, Finance Real Estate 1/23/2013

DEVIN PEREZ Analyst, Quality Improvement 1/9/2013

NASEEM SAFA Developer, Software I 2/27/2013

CHERAY SMITH

Tax Manager 1/14/2013

KRISTINE THOMPSON Executive Assitant 2/25/2013

TRISCHA PROCK Dental Assistant, Periodontics 3/4/2013

STEPHANIE EMRICK Lead, Accounts Payable 1/16/2013

RICHARD NEALAND Supervisor, Billing Operations 2/20/2013

JAIME SHAW Manager, Learning Operations 3/11/2013

MIDWEST NEVADA

TATIANNA BRYANT

Dental Assistant 1/21/2013

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

JANDA BAKER

Registered Dental Hygienist 1/14/2013

GLENDA SELVERA

Operations Manager 2/25/2013

ALLISON HAMM Pediatric Manager 2/27/2013

TERESA MORRISON Dental Assistant, Oral Surgery 3/11/2013

CASSIE NGUYEN Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 3/25/2013

MARKETTA REED Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 3/4/2013

NORTHERN CA

DR. CURTIS CHU

Oral Surgeon 1/21/2013

LUANA HARRISON

Registered Dental Hygienist 3/25/2013

RACHELLE COOK Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 2/28/2013

RACHEL DAVID Dental Assistant, Pediatrics 1/4/2013

LAURAN FRETWELL Specialty Back Office Supervisor 1/11/2013

WACONDA HARPER Dental Assistant, Pediatrics 1/30/2013

DR. JESSE KO Orthodontist 2/1/2013

RACHELLE PORCAYO Dental Assistant, Pediatrics 2/14/2013

PACIFIC SOUTH COAST

JESSICA CHAVEZ

Dental Assistant 2/18/2013

TONI GARCIA

Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 1/2/2013

WALTER MORAN

Registered Dental Assistant 3/7/2013

DR. PEITI SU Endodontist 3/1/2013

ELIZABETH LARIOS

Lead Registered Dental Assistant 1/14/2013

JULIE LAZAR Specialty Regional Manager 1/14/2013

OREGON

KIM TUCKER Dental Assistant, Oral Surgery 1/24/2013

RACHEL MIDDLEBROOKS Registered Dental Hygienist 3/25/2013

FABY NUNEZ Dental Assistant 2/1/2013

AIMEE O’NEALE

Lead Dental Assistant 3/11/2013

MEGHANN DEAN Registered Dental Hygienist 2/6/2013

ANA DELGADO

Benefits Coordinator 1/30/2013

CAROLINA DUPREE Dental Assistant, Pediatrics 1/14/2013

SARA ETTINGER Operations Manager 1/28/2013

DR. MARAL KHAZALI Owner Dentist 1/2/2013

CHRISTINA KOSSOW Registered Dental Hygienist 3/22/2013

SONIA MARTIN Operations Manager 1/17/2013

KELLY MAZE

Benefits Coordinator 1/16/2013

JUSTO PAIZ Registered Dental Assistant 1/23/2013

MINA POLITRON

Registered Dental Assistant 2/4/2013

LEROY QUINN

Lead Registered Dental Assistant 1/21/2013

FLOR DE LIZ

RIZO MEDINA

Dental Assistant 1/16/2013

PACIFIC SOUTH COAST

CHRISTINE ROBERTS Regional Manager 2/2013/2013

LILLY SAMONTE Registered Dental Assistant 3/11/2013

CAROL SANCHEZ Specialty Benefits Coordinator 3/11/2013

AMBER SHUTT Registered Dental Assistant 1/7/2013

CORY WHITE Regional Marketing Specialist 1/7/2013

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

NESREEN AL-ABSSI Assistant Manager 3/1/2013

DR. TOM AUSTAD Owner Dentist 1/2/2013

SHEILA BIRD Operations Manager 3/18/2013

DR. THAD CARTER Owner Dentist 1/2/2013

NIDIA VASQUEZ Lead Registered Dental Assistant 1/30/2013

GEMMA DELGAUDIO Regional Marketing Specialist 1/24/2013

LINDA KELLEY Dental Assistant 3/25/2013

SUZANNE ROSS Registered Dental Hygienist 1/3/2013

ELISSA VILLALOBOS Registered Dental Hygienist 3/25/2013

STEPHANIE WOOTAN Regional Manager 1/28/2013

KELLY TILLMAN Operations Manager 3/21/2013

SAN DIEGO

JESSICA HART Licensed Vocational Nurse 2/2013/2013

JENNIFER JOHNSON Operations Manager 1/17/2013

SOUTH INLAND EMPIRE

JENNIFER ENCINEAS Dental Assistant, Oral Surgery 1/25/2013

RACHEL GIARRATANO Regional Support Manager 1/21/2013

OSCAR SALDANA Registered Dental Assistant 1/29/2013

BRENDA OCEGUERA Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 2/1/2013

SAVANNAH PETERSON Registered Dental Assistant 1/3/2013

STEPHANIE HELDRETH Lead Registered Dental Assistant 1/28/2013

MELANIE VAUGHN

Dental Assistant, Orthodontics 1/2/2013

MONICA QUEVEDO Assistant Manager 2/11/2013

SHEILA JUAREZ Specialty Benefits Coordinator 3/11/2013

SUEMMY (NATALIE) MACIAS SIGALA Specialty Benefits Coordinator 2/6/2013

LORENA RODRIGUEZ Lead Registered Dental Assistant 2/11/2013

WASHINGTON

KRISTIN MOLL Regional Manager 3/1/2013

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ Receptionist 2/6/2013

KYLE MOLL Operations Manager 1/2/2013

What’s New with Organizational & Talent Development

Looking

Ahead to 2018

ACROSS

1. Our company goal is to become The ____ Dental Company in America.

4. We Believe 8, pt 1 - We believe in the power of ____.

5. Two new schools are launching this year as part of the PDS® University; The School of ____ and The School of Leadership.

7. We want to help our dentists do more of the dentistry they ____.

11. The new ICE program for pediatric dentists helps ____ clinical excellence, which leads to Healthier, Happier Patients®.

12. The DA Development Toolkit and LA Development Program will help our teams ____ more effective learning processes.

15. We Believe 1, pt 3 – In order to succeed, we must continuously establish something special between us and our patients to create lasting ____.

DOWN

2. The PDS University seeks to help team members and supported clinicians pursue ____ and development experiences.

3. In 2018, PDS-supported dentists are poised to do more implants than ____.

6. In 2017, PDS signed on the most ____ dentists ever in its history.

8. We want to help our practices ____ every year.

9. The LA Development Program can help current DAs further develop their ____ skillsets.

10. We Believe 8, pt 2 – Therefore: We fail or succeed ____.

13. The PDS Foundation has plans for mission trips to Guatemala, ____, and Ethiopia this year.

14. We Believe 1, pt 2 – Therefore: ____ must do what it takes to please them.

16. The next PDS Date Your Mate Challenge is coming in the ____!

Need Hints? Check

17. We want to be the best choice for ____ dentists and industry professionals.

19. We Believe 1, pt 1 – We Believe that ____ pay our salaries.

20. The DA Development Toolkit focuses on ____ the relationship between OM, dentist, and DA.

18. In 2017, PDS had the ____ ever practice-level operating margins in its history.

Pediatric Sedation, Safety and Compliance

Track Designed by: Dr. John Ayre

The goal of the Pediatric Sedation Process track is to equip the learner to identify and respond appropriately to adverse events in sedation and anesthesia.

Removable Prosthodontics

Track Designed by: Dr. Quyen Pham

The goal of the Removable and Digital Prosthesis track is to provide the participant with knowledge on how to use digital imaging and traditional methods to create a predictable and stable removable prosthesis.

PDS Life Q1 2018

S life the

2018 PD

2017 WAS GOOD; 2018 IS GOING TO BE GREAT!

WHAT’S INSIDE

2017 YEAR IN REVIEW

AWARD NOMINEES

MEET THE WINNERS

NEW LAWS TO KNOW ABOUT IN 2018

PDS UNIVERSITY TM

WHAT’S NEW FROM THE IT WORLD

FINANCIALS

REVENUE GROWTH BY SPECIALTY

PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

ASSOCIATE SUCCESS

CLINICAL EXCELLENCE

PDS U ™ : INSTITUTE OF DENTISTRY

OWNER DENTIST DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONS SUPPORT

NEW SUPPORTED OFFICES AND EXPANSION INTO A NEW REGION

SPECIALTIES

KIDS’ DENTISTRY

ORTHODONTICS

PEOPLE SERVICES

RECRUITING

WE SERVE

DO SOMETHING

PACIFIC DENTAL SERVICES ® FOUNDATION

2017 ANNUAL AWARD NOMINEES

May

4+ YEARS

2–4 YEARS

2018 | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico | Chileno Bay

0–2 YEARS

TOP 5 NOI$

CHAMPION’S C LUB RANCHO

PALOS VERDES 2018

4 + YEARS

TOP 3 NOI$

2-4 YEARS

0-2 YEARS

MKD/EKD

IMPLANTS: ON THE RISE

DENTAL SEDATION AND ANESTHESIA: ADVERSE EVENTS AND

RECOMMENDED

PROTOCOL

INCIDENCE OF ADVERSE EVENTS IN THE U.S.

RESPONSE AT THE STATE LEVEL

TAKING ACTION TO MITIGATE ADVERSE EVENTS

REFERENCES

CONGRATULATIONS

NEW OWNER DENTISTS

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

SALIVARY DIAGNOSTICS Your “Microbial” X-Ray

TWO NEW PROGRAMS FOR DEVELOPING DENTAL ASSISTANTS

INTRODUCING PDS®’ NEWEST DEPARTMENT

Communications and Public Relations

Communications & Public Relations

yKids’ Dentistry

HELLO, RETIREMENT!

PAYING FOR HEALTH CARE

MIXING UP YOUR INVESTMENTS

BE AN INFORMED INVESTOR

SAY IT WITH LOVE

BRINGING SMILES TO

FUTURE TRIPS

THE NEW LEGAL LANDSCAPE IN 2018

CALIFORNIA

TEXAS

COLORADO

NEVADA

GEORGIA

Introducing PDS University ™

The Team Approach to Associate Dentist Success

COMING IN Q2 & Q3

IT Service Desk

Single Sign-On (SSO)

New office phone systems

IT Quick Tips & FAQs