07 March 2023

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Pacific Dental Services supports Dental Assistants Recognition Week 2023

Company partners with dental assisting schools to honor dental assistants

Paola Omini

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Pacific Dental Services (PDS), one of the nation's leading dental support organizations, joined the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) in celebrating Dental Assistants Recognition Week, March 5 to 11. 

The weeklong event celebrates dental assistants and their commitment to providing quality dental care and pursuing professional development. To honor its dental assistants and provide support to aspiring dental assistants, PDS is partnering with dental assisting schools nationwide and organizing a range of events at its supported dental practices.

In a news release, Stephen Thorne IV, founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services, acknowledged the organization’s more than 5,000 dental assistants and their unwavering devotion and steadfast pursuit of clinical excellence. 

"As an organization, we remain committed to recognizing, prioritizing, and valuing the vital contributions of our dental assistants, both now and in the future,” he said in the news release. 

Starting Sunday, March 5 and continuing throughout the week, PDS and its supported dental practices will take time each day to recognize their dental assistants and celebrate with events, trainings and volunteer opportunities through partnerships with Concorde Career College, UEI College, Carrington College, Charter College and West LA College, including:

• PDS is donating $14,000 to Concorde Career Colleges in support of dental assisting education across the country, including campuses located in San Diego, Dallas, San Bernardino, California and Aurora, Colorado.
• Dental assisting students from Concorde Career College Dallas, Texas, UEI College and Carrington College in Las Vegas and West LA College in Culver City, California will visit the PDS Support Centers in Dallas, Henderson, Nevada and Irvine, California for educational computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) boot camps. The events consist of hands-on training focusing on the techniques of restorative crown imaging, design, same day milling and glazing through CEREC® CAD/CAM technology.
• PDS will partner with dental assistants from Concorde Career Colleges to provide community service through volunteer events at Harvesters Food Network in Kansas City, Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County in Irvine. In addition, PDS will partner with Concorde Career College Dallas to create hygiene kits for homeless shelters with the help of dozens of dental assistants. Kits will include shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss and hand lotion, along with an inspirational note.
• PDS University & School Relations officials will represent the organization and speak with students during a dental assistant career fair at Concorde Career College in Grand Prairie, Texas.
• PDS University & School Relations officials will attend board meetings with Charter College Vancouver, Washington and Oxnard, California to discuss how the college's dental assistant externs are performing, curriculum changes, and industry updates.

For quite some time, PDS has placed significant emphasis on assisting dental assistants and dental assisting students offering opportunities for advancement, development, and education. PDS is in the final year of a three-year plan of investing $5 million in compensation and advanced training of its dental assistants. 

PDS also supports dental assistants through the PDS College Advancement Program, which launched in 2022. PDS was the first dental organization to offer team members – including dental assistants – 100% college tuition coverage toward an undergraduate degree of their choice. The program has allowed PDS team members the flexibility and satisfaction of advancing their careers while earning their education debt-free – all while remaining employed full-time.

In addition, PDS remains committed to elevating the dental assistant profession through supporting the Pacific Dental Services Foundation's Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assistant Scholarship. These educational scholarships are awarded quarterly and provide dental assisting students with need-based financial aid, mentorship, and on-the-job training to mold the next generation of passionate, servant-hearted dental industry leaders. 

For information about becoming a part of the PDS dental assistants team, please refer to the Pacific Dental Services Careers webpage for more details.

About Pacific Dental Services

Founded in 1994, Pacific Dental Services (PDS) is one of the country's leading dental support organizations, providing supported autonomy that enables dentists to concentrate on clinical excellence and the highest levels of cost-effective comprehensive patient care. PDS originated the Private Practice+ model to enable dentists to focus on their passion: serving patients. PDS also pioneered the concept of modern dentistry so that dentists are equipped to combine advances in the latest technology with the best operational practices and procedures, highly skilled support staff and a commitment to ongoing training and education. PDS continues to grow, and currently supports more than 2,700 dentists in over 900 dental offices across 25 states. PDS-supported dentists aim to be the provider of choice in all the markets they serve and to develop Patients for Life. For more information, visit us at pacificdentalservices.com