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Volume 38 • Issue 2
Dental Board Head Announced Albany dentist named to top post with State Education oversight organization . . . 2
NEWS AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Don’t Get Outsmarted Cybercriminals have added artificial intelligence to their arsenal, increasing the threat they pose to unaware healthcare providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Preparing for Next Public Health Crisis NYU researchers hope their findings on COVID-19’s impact on children’s oral health will lead to improvements in healthcare delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Controlling the Office Schedule It may not be possible to eliminate all the stressors inherent in running a dental practice, but adopting some proven strategies can make the office run smoother and add to your bottom line. Gary Stough, D.M.D.
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n two national surveys on dental practice stress I helped conduct, the number-one stressor was “running behind schedule,” followed closely by “constant time pressures.” Ranked fourth was “dissatisfied, ungrateful patients.” These three issues, along with several others, can significantly be reduced if the dentist and staff proactively control the schedule rather than allowing the schedule and patient demands control them.
A wise dentist schedules for peace, not panic. Learn to control your appointment book before your next meltdown, or it will happily control you. Admittedly, no one can completely eliminate running behind schedule or dissatisfied patients. Dentistry involves imperfect humans working on imperfect humans, using imperfect materials under often unpredictable conditions. A cusp fracturing unexpectedly or an inadvertent pulp ex-
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