Dentistry’s greatest problem isn’t know-how, scope creep, or workforce shortages— it’s misunderstanding (though for me personally, reimbursement is the bane of my existence, and we are going to cowl that in future messages).
As I step into my new position as editor in chief of DentistryIQ , misunderstanding retains arising in dialog after dialog—not as a result of individuals are careless or uninformed, however as a result of dentistry has change into so broad, layered, and fast-moving that it’s practically unimaginable for one particular person to completely perceive each position, duty, and pathway that exists inside our occupation.
Dentistry is, in some ways, a double-edged sword.
On one facet, we now have unbelievable flexibility. A dentist who loses dexterity can pivot into teledentistry and proceed diagnosing from afar. I’ve recognized hygienists who diminished their scientific hours when their necks or shoulders began pushing again, however nonetheless had households to assist in order that they transitioned into consulting roles with AI firms, serving to with onboarding or schooling. Dental assistants have moved into credentialing departments, change into educators, or labored in analysis and improvement at massive dental product firms.
That adaptability is one thing to be happy with. It’s proof that dental professionals are succesful, resourceful, and trusted effectively past the operatory.
However that very same flexibility creates a quieter drawback: assumption. When careers department in so many instructions and with dental boards regulating the occupation otherwise in every state, it turns into simple to misconceive the titles and scope that we’ve solely seen from the surface. That is amplified when individuals’s titles are the identical, however the scope is completely different than what we expertise every day.
How is it attainable for each particular person in dentistry to really perceive the ins and outs of each job operate that exists? It isn’t. There’s no reasonable approach it might be, but we regularly behave as if it needs to be. We see this when a normal dentist with restricted orthodontic expertise appears to be like at a comparatively easy case and thinks, “I might in all probability repair that,” solely to run right into a complication—or when a dental assistant watches a hygienist scaling and assumes that’s the whole lot of what a hygienist does.
This isn’t about ego or unhealthy intent. We needs to be happy with who we’re and what we’ve achieved. It takes intelligence, tenacity, and no small quantity of braveness to make it by way of dental schooling—regardless of the position. Then, as soon as we’re licensed or credentialed, we’re requested to be engineers, therapists, HR managers, tax and employment specialists … the record goes on. And more often than not, we rise to that problem.
The blind spot exhibits up after we assume everybody else’s position is less complicated, simpler, or extra restricted than our personal. What we’re actually coping with isn’t disrespect— it’s incomplete data layered on high of accelerating complexity.
Job titles alone are sufficient to make your head spin. What’s the distinction between a CRDH and an RDH? What can an EFDA in Washington State do in comparison with one in Nebraska or Tennessee? Titles hardly ever replicate true scope of apply, and that confusion solely deepens as new laws is launched independently in every state, each legislative cycle. The traces don’t simply blur—they shift.
A lot of what we argue about as scope creep is about how dental boards outline scope and the way otherwise that definition performs out relying on the place you apply.
So, what will be finished?
Development of the occupation, together with the creation of expanded capabilities, shouldn’t be slowed. Dentistry should proceed to evolve because the world round it evolves. However progress with out shared understanding creates friction, frustration, and pointless division amongst individuals who finally need the identical factor: higher care and a more healthy occupation.
That’s the place we’re headed at DentistryIQ .
Our aim is to proceed conserving you knowledgeable, as we now have for years, whereas additionally creating area for deeper conversations, particularly round subjects which can be typically oversimplified or misunderstood. We need to present a number of sides of advanced points and discuss them by way of thoughtfully, with out assuming.
If we need to transfer dentistry ahead, step one is to grasp one another higher. That’s the work forward—and I’m glad you’re right here for it.
Andrew Johnston, RDH
Editor in Chief of DentistryIQ
