How can you earn 4 CE credits, and learn to achieve your personal best life balance with inspiration from award-winning journalist Poppy Harlow (shown above)?
Attend the 7th annual Lucy Hobbs Project celebration of women in dentistry. When? October 3-5, 2019. Where? Iconic Chicago hotel, The Blackstone. Add it to your schedule and register today.
Benco Dental, in partnership with Cameo Dental Specialists, invites women in dentistry to bring their dental team together and join a special celebration of in Chicago… three days of fun, networking, and discovery focused on living, practicing, and thriving smarter.
Who will provide the inspiration?
Award-winning journalist, Poppy Harlow (shown above), will dedicate an afternoon away from CNN to offer an exclusive interview on how she prioritizes a mind-bending schedule with optimism and positivity.
2019 Lucy Hobbs Project Award Recipients
2. The incredible recipients of the 2019 Lucy Hobbs Project Awards (read about all six women here!) will receive their moment in the spotlight and share insights.
Guest speakers at the The Lucy Hobbs Project 7th annual Celebration of Women in Dentistry
3. Eight outstanding women in dentistry — Dr. Vladana Babcic Tal, Dr. Carrie Etheredge, Marissa Cohrs, RDH, Amanda Frankini, RDH, Dr. Julie Arabia, Dr. Sheila Farahani, Dr. Betsy Carmack, and Nicole Zwiercan, RDH — will speak to:
staying healthy in body and mind, while balancing work and person life.
staying in a positive head space when working under stress with different personalities.
setting positive examples for everyone — colleagues and patients, included — and fostering an environment that lifts everyone up.
Guest speakers at the The Lucy Hobbs Project 7th annual Celebration of Women in Dentistry
Frank Lafata had the rest of his life planned. As an undergraduate student working toward a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene at Detroit Mercy Dental, Lafata (shown above with one of his favorite dentists Dr. Meri) was ready to storm the world and pursue his dream of becoming an orthodontist.
Lafata’s entire blueprint changed after a car accident during his studies in hygiene school. The accident left him with a serious back injury, threatening his hopes of becoming an orthodontist. However, Lafata persevered and continued working hard to reach his goal.
As Lafata moved into the professional world as a Registered Dental Hygienist and worked at several private practices, but he soon came to realize that the physical demands of the dental profession would take too much of a toll on his body. This was the moment Lafata decided that it was time to make some changes in his life blueprints.
Frank Lafata is featured in the Spring/Summer edition of the Detroit Mercy Dental Alumni Magazine Leading Edge.
Not wanting to stray from the world of dentistry, Lafata decided to put his skills to use in dental equipment sales. Lafata said that Detroit Mercy Dental fully prepared him for whatever role in sales he decided to fulfill through curriculum like dental material classes. He was featured recently in the school’s alumni magazine, Leading Edge: https://dental.udmercy.edu/alumni/leading-edge.php
“Detroit Mercy [Dental] helped me a ton! I learned so much about instruments, ergonomics, dental equipment and so much more,” Lafata said.
Frank Lafata, RDH
How did Lafata overcome such a setback?
The most important thing Lafata had to tell himself was to
“just keep pushing on.” Lafata said that because the accident happened when he
was in hygiene school, it was even more difficult to give up because he was so
close to reaching his goals.
“Sure, I have my bad thoughts when things don’t go my way, but everything happens for a reason. I process what happens and adjust accordingly,” Lafata said.
Lafata gives this advice out to anyone who feels like they may have reached a dead end or a stumbling block. Remembering what the ultimate goal is and the rerouting process to get there are the most important components of his everlasting work ethic.
Even though he did not end up where he expected, Lafata said that every day he can make an impact in his current position as a Territory Representative at Benco Dental.
Lafata said that his past experience allows him to better relate to his clients when selling dental equipment because he can offer in-depth explanations about how the products will function. The fact that Lafata has been in his clients’ position allows them to better trust his judgement.
“They trust me because I’ve been in their shoes and understand their needs,” Lafata said.
“I feel like I have a better working knowledge of how the [products] run in dental practices,” Lafata said.
Not to mention, Lafata is constantly learning from his
coworkers and other clinicians, which allows him to continuously fine tune his
skills in dental sales.
He still manages to find time to work clinically on Saturdays and even keeps himself active by playing hockey every Monday night.
Lafata said his role at Benco Dental illustrates the best career move he could have made. This just goes to show that sometimes the plan you have set for yourself may not be your true destiny.
Searching for a more relaxed atmosphere for oral health care with vetted expert dentists? Dentulu offers fully mobile dental units that can pop up in any standard 10 by 10 room, where an electrical outlet is the only necessity for the Dentulu team. This includes the living room, bedroom, hospital room, senior living center, or even poolside (shown at top).
“I have been performing mobile dental services for the rich and famous here in Beverly Hills for almost a decade and an excited about providing access to this incredible service for all Americans alike,” said Dr. Arash Hakhamian, founder and CEO of Dentulu.
Meet the founder, CEO of Dentulu
Dr. Arash Hakhamian, chosen as one of the 2018 Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 award winners, is the founder and CEO of Dentulu, Dentistry on Demand, platform. According to Dr. Hakhamian, Dentulu is the world’s first and only on demand mobile app that allows patients anywhere in the United States to connect to a dentist, on demand and from the comfort of their own home, within a few minutes. Dentulu’s multiple features allow for increased access to dentists both virtually and through mobile dentists who are able to provide dental care in the comfort of the patient’s home or workplace.
“My hope and dream for the future of dentistry is to bring our profession up to date with the technological advancements we currently see in other sectors. The Uberization of different sectors has helped give the user more control of their experience and Dentistry has unfortunately lagged behind other fields.
The public can now schedule doctors, haircuts, massages and a myriad of other services to their home and there is no reason basic dental services should not be available as well.”
Dr. Arash Hakhamian, founder and CEO of Dentulu, Dentistry on Demand platform
Dr. Arash Hakhamian worked with companies, including Google, to set up the Dentulu platform.
Need to connect with a licensed dentist within 5 minutes?
With the help of recent legislation that has passed by Congress and the American Dental Association, Dentulu is now able to bridge the access to dental care for millions of Americans through the use of mobile and teledentistry.
“Patients who are having an emergency no longer have to take a trip to the Urgent Care or Emergency Department to address their concerns, only to wait for hours and sometimes walk away with opioids and recommendations to find a dentist. Patients can now simply download the Dentulu app and connect with a licensed dentist within five minutes and receive immediate care through a real time virtual consultation and have a prescription sent to a pharmacy and simultaneously connect with a dentist that can see them in his or her dental office.”
Dr. Arash Hakhamian, founder and CEO of Dentulu, Dentistry on Demand platform
This service is not only for emergencies. Patients who are interested in a consultation or a second opinion on various treatments such as cosmetic dentistry, braces, implants or wisdom teeth can also schedule a virtual consultation from the comfort of their own home with a trained dental expert for less than $10. The patient simply picks the type of dental professional they want to consult with on the Dentulu Network and can schedule a 10 minute consultation to meet and doctor and have all of their questions answered before making a trip to the dental office.
Dentulu also provides mobile dental services to almost any location of the patients choosing. Busy patients along with elderly or disabled patients no longer have to waste hours of time and deal with the logistic nightmares of sitting in traffic or the waiting room for simple checkups and cleanings. By downloading the Dentulu application, patients are able to schedule basic cleanings, whitenings, Invisalign and other basic dental services to their home or workplace, saving them time and money, with or without the use of dental insurance.
Receive care at home, a hospital room, senior living center … even poolside
Dentulu offers fully mobile dental units that can pop up in any standard 10 by 10 room, including the living room (shown above), bedroom, hospital room, senior living center, or even poolside where an electrical outlet is the only necessity for the Dentulu team. This service has been proven to save patients time and also provide a comfortable and relaxed environment where the patient and family can get individualized and person attention with vetted expert dentists in their area.
“I have helped implement the protocols for proper infection control and logistics in providing mobile dental care for various organizations including NGO’s in third world countries, where access to dental care is limited.”
Dr. Arash Hakhamian, founder and CEO of Dentulu, Dentistry on Demand platform
According to Dr. Hakhamian, Dentulu also provides numerous features including: Virtual Reality (VR) glasses, aromatherapy, and audio/visual software that patients can utilize to improve the user experience. By changing the environment of the dental services, Dentulu provides an opportunity to reduce the anxiety and fear of the dental office and enhances the patients comfort during dental procedures.
“We have worked diligently with great organizations, including Google and Amazon, in setting up our platform, and will continuously improve our capabilities to provide a great user experience while working with local dentists in increasing their patient acquisition and generating new patients seeking their services to their office.
Please visit the Dentulu website at www.dentulu.com or visit our social media pages for more information. We are currently enrolling clinicians coming to a city near you! There is also an investor page for those interested in investing with our company. “
Dr. Arash Hakhamian, founder and CEO of Dentulu, Dentistry on Demand platform
Dr. Arash Hakhamian worked with companies, including Google, to set up the Dentulu platform.
Dentulu is currently launching in Los Angeles and is actively seeking investors for expansion to the remainder of the United States.
“I have been performing mobile dental services for the rich and famous here in Beverly Hills for almost a decade and an excited about providing access to this incredible service for all Americans alike,” added Dr. Hakhamian.
Dr. Jonathan B. Levine, Stacey Levine AND their sons, Julian and Cody (shown) —with an assist from rocker Lenny Kravitz (shown) —bring free dental care and education to the Bahamas.
Giving back was always in GLO Science’s DNA. Founded seven years ago by inventor, professor and prosthodontist Dr. Jonathan Levine and his wife, Stacey, the company burst out of the gate with dental health and technology products that won consumer admiration and four Edison Awards. The couple launched the GLO Good Foundation around the same time, dedicating a portion of the business’s profits to philanthropy.
Ed Kobesky, Incisal Edge dental lifestyle magazine Associate Editor
In the magazine’s summer editions, Kobesky interviews Stacey Levine and Grammy Award-winning musician Kravitz about the foundation’s work in Eleuthera, including a small clinic they launched in 2015 to deliver community health and dental care.
Giving back Twice
Julian and Cody partnered with Kravitz to create Twice, a new-age oral-care brand making better-for-you toothpaste for morning and night. Twice donated 700 tubes of toothpaste for the most recent Bahamas mission; 10 percent of profits go to the GLO Good Foundation.
Later this year, Chicago will host the 7th annual Lucy Hobbs Celebration gala, a tribute to women in dentistry (find out this year’s winners here !). The whole big-shouldered city is gala, of course—and tackling it like a local will make your time there even better.
Carrie Schedler is the senior dining editor for Chicago magazine. Her first piece for Incisal Edge dental lifestyle magazine focuses on eating like a local there and visiting every attraction the city has to offer.
YOU MAY THINK you know Chicago: the bone-cutting cold, the carbohydrate-and-cheese behemoth we call pizza, Da Bears. And though we’ve heard every deep-dish insult you could possibly lob our way, you’re not wrong. But there’s so much more to love in the Midwest’s largest city: gorgeous architecture, verdant parks, sparkling lake views and world-class food.
Chicago is a place that can feel like both a global destination and a small town all in the span of just a few blocks. It’s little wonder the annual Lucy Hobbs Celebration is being held here this October—every attendee of this extravaganza, which lauds the achievements of women in dentistry, will find something worth discovering. (Even, dare we say it, exceptional thin-crust pies.)
Check out a restaurant recommended from an #IE40Under40 honoree and Chicago resident.
Chicago Magazine rates this hidden gem the second best restaurant in the city. With its contemporary feel and luxury ingredients, it’s no wonder that The Oriole is one of Chicago resident’s Dr. Wenfei Wang’s favorites. Dr. Wang, an Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 honoree in 2018, can’t wait for date nights at The Oriole with her husband, Dr. Alan Commet (shown at top).
The Oriole dining area. (Photos courtesy The Oriole)
In preparation for the upcoming 7th annual Lucy Hobbs Project Celebration in Chicago, October 3-5, (register today! ) attendees may be looking for hot spots to dine, and Dr. Wang is happy to offer a recommendation. “My favorite meals in the city have definitely been here,” said Dr. Wang.
The Oriole offers a 15-course, $195 fixed menu prepared by Executive Chef & Owner Noah Sandoval. Their specialty: impeccable flavor pairings of food and beverages.
“Their menu is designed to be a surprise set of courses, which is great for the indecisive eaters like me who hate to pick just a few items out of an amazing menu,” said Dr. Wang.
An example of The Oriole’s menu and sample plates.
Dr. Wang attributes the ambience and food to the incredibly professional and knowledgeable staff. They work within a 28-seat space with an open kitchen, giving the restaurant a unique and special vibe.
View of the dining area of The Oriole.
This restaurant offers an opportunity for Lucy Hobbs Project Celebration attendees to try some new and different flavors while in the Chicago area this October.
Speaking of the 7th Annual Celebration….
The 2019 Annual Lucy Hobbs Project Celebration is the perfect retreat for a dental practice. Thought leaders, panelists and networking events will focus on more than individual wellness. They’ll impart strategies for incorporating wellness concepts throughout a practice to build a happier, more productive and engaged team.
The theme: Mind+Body+Soul. Achieve Your Personal Best Balance, At Home & Work. The idea: Celebrate wellness together with your entire team.
It’s all about the details
When: October 3 – 5, 2019 Where: The Blackstone Hotel, 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605 Ticket price: $199.00 Event registration closes on Friday, September 27, 2019.
An early Ritter X-ray unit from the 1920s, courtesy of the museum at Benco Dental, Pittston.
The first American book on X-rays (discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen of Wurzburg, Germany) appeared in 1896 and by July of that year the intraoral fluoroscope was invented by William H. Rollins. Also in July of 1896, Dr. Charles Edmund Kells, Jr. (1856-1928) taught the first clinic on the use of X-rays in dentistry. He would go on to be fascinated by the science of X-rays and also electricity. His passion for X-rays would cost him dearly. Kells became one of the most noted of a handful of “X-ray Martyrs”.
Dr. Kells, born in New Orleans, was the son of a successful dentist. In 1876 he enrolled as a student at the New York Dental College. There he met and became friendly with technicians from Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory. He started to spend time in the lab and was fascinated by Edison’s efforts in early incandescent lighting and his experiments in electricity. He could already see the applications for dentistry. It was a whole new untested frontier and he wanted to be at the forefront of it. When the Edison Electric Light Company began to supply power to major industries in New Orleans, Dr. Kells signed up for service, becoming the city’s first dentist to use street current to power his dental equipment. Kells wired his office himself and connected it to the power grid outside his office.
High hopes for the uses of electricity
An advertisement of some of the many early dental equipment that was electrically powered.
Dr. Kells had high hopes for the uses of electricity, both in the dental office and elsewhere. Like Edison, his mind began to whirl with all sorts of new inventions, not the least of which was for an automatic electric suction pump which drained saliva, a wonderful invention that did away with using surgical sponges in both dentistry and general surgery. He also registered patents for other items powered by electricity, including an electric thermostat, a fire extinguisher, and a drinking fountain.
Between early electricity and early X-rays, the dental office was a minefield of dangers, some of which were recognized and others which had yet to appear.
While Dr. Kells’s ordeal with X-rays took time to be realized, he understood the dangers of electricity almost as soon as he hooked up his office. He was so worried about it, he sent a letter to the editor of the “Dental Cosmos”, the leading professional dental publication at the time, asking him about the risks in using electricity in the dental operatory. Even as he did so, at the same time he sent a letter to S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company, asking if they could make electric dental instruments for him.
A 1915 S.S.White ad, featuring electrified equipment.
The editor, Dr. Grier, responded:
“The use of commercial lighting current, as shown by the apparatus exhibited by you, their employment to give the light and heat needed and to actuate the motors employed in the dental office, opens up a fascinating and almost unlimited field of application.… Unfortunately, these currents, especially the light arc, possess an electromotive force and strength far beyond the needs of the case, and therein lies the risk of their employment.… THE POSSIBLE TRANSFERENCE OF THE CURRENT FROM THE APPARATUS TO THE PERSON OF THE OPERATOR OR THE PATIENT.…”
An illustration of the freak accident that occurred in New York City many years earlier. This just compounded people’s fear of electricity.
There had been a scare over electricity in New York City several years earlier and people were still not over it. Eventually though, people came to accept electricity in the dental office. Harder to overcome, was the deadly repercussions of all the X-ray experiments Dr. Kells had done, using his own hands.
Now, of course, we understand what happens to repeated exposure of body parts to X-ray, cancer.
In 1913 Kells installed the first commercial X-ray unit made especially for use in dentistry. Dr. Kells, in developing his groundbreaking use of X-rays in dentistry, had developed malignant growths on his left hand. It was the beginning of years of agony. He later noted the dangers of radiation had been recognized even before then, and no knowledgeable doctor would hold a film in the mouth of his patient or in any way expose his hands to the direct rays. Eventually, he had to have the tips of his fingers of his left hand cut off. After more years of exposure, he had to have several fingers removed. That still did not stop the cancerous growths and eventually he had to have his left arm amputated.
Early X-ray machines could be dangerous for more than their radiation. As Dr. Grier had indicated in his response to Kells in “Dental Cosmos”, the electricity that powered these contraptions could also be hazardous. The exposed high-tension wires of these devices caused several serious accidents and a few fatalities by themselves.
Still, today we are indebted to Dr. Kells and other “X-ray Martyrs” like him, who helped make modern dentistry what it is today, despite the early dangers.
About the blogger
Guest blogger Jenn Ochman, Database Publishing Production Specialist in the Branding and Communication Department at Benco Dental, dedicates her time outside work to historical reenactment. She shares knowledge of dental history with TheDailyFloss.com readers on a monthly basis.
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