AGD’s “Three for Free” membership offer is back. Invite your colleagues to join for 2025, and they’ll get the rest of 2024 for free — that’s up to three months. Plus, you’ll earn $50 in Referral Rewards for each sign-up, perfect to put toward your renewal.

Calling all students, residents and new dentists! Join AGD Oct. 21 for “Dental Defense: Mastering Insurance, Malpractice and Student Loan Strategies for New Dentists,” where AGD benefit providers will be sharing insurance, malpractice and loan tips that all new dentists should know.

AGD is working to address the most pressing issues faced by our members as we advocate to government entities for general dentists.

The October issue of AGD Impact is now live! This month, our cover story explains how compassion and empathy as parts of a modern model of providership can improve patient outcomes and reduce provider burnout. Additional content includes a look at frenectomy treatments, three firsthand accounts from AGD2024, how to convey your practice’s personality in your digital marketing, and a Member Spotlight on Dr. Sam Asthana.

While it’s well known that jewelry can cause radiographic artifacts, a report in General Dentistry details a previously unreported type of anomaly produced when jewelry removal left a large soft tissue defect. The atypical radiolucency presented a diagnostic challenge until it was correlated with the piercing defect.

Do you know a talented young dentist who’s doing extraordinary things and deserves some recognition? Nominations are currently open for AGD Impact’s popular cover story, “10 Dentists to Watch.” Nominations for this honor are open to all AGD members and will close this Friday, Oct. 4.

Registration for the 2024 Fall Fellowship Review Course and Exam, taking place Oct. 4–6 at AGD’s headquarters in Chicago, ends tomorrow! Don’t miss this important step to becoming recognized as an AGD Fellow while earning 16 hours of CE during the two-day review course.

Dr. Brett Kessler, ADA president-elect, and Dr. Hans P. Guter, AGD past president, discuss the importance of mental health and finding support during times of struggle. Kessler talks openly about his own battle with substance abuse and how he uses the strength and resiliency he found in recovery to help others.

In select cases, third molar extractions offer the opportunity to place miniplates for anchorage to distalize mandibular molars, an approach that may be of interest to patients with time restraints that limit traditional orthodontic treatment options.

AGD Impact columnist Wesley W. Lyon II, CPA, CFA, delves into the dual role of life insurance as both family protection and an investment tool. Explore the benefits and pitfalls of using insurance as an investment, the impact of fees and commissions, and whether life insurance can be a tax-free advantage or a potential tax trap.

AGD is working to address the most pressing issues faced by our members as we advocate to government entities for general dentists.

Registration for the 2024 Fall Fellowship Review Course and Exam ends next Tuesday, Oct. 1. If you’re working toward the AGD Fellowship Award, this is your chance to earn 16 CE credits during the two-day review course and take the exam the next day.

AGD Impact columnist Clayton Sorrells, DDS, provides an update on his first year as a dental practice owner: “I have learned a lot about business, teeth and people in the first year of ownership.”

AGD Impact’s popular cover story, “10 Dentists to Watch,” will return in 2025. Nominations for this honor are open to all AGD members! Do you know a talented young dentist who’s doing extraordinary things and deserves some recognition? Let us know!

AGD Impact regularly features a Testing the Tools column with practical reviews of some of the latest dental products. This month, reviewer Ross Isbell, DMD, MBA, a general dentist in Gadsden, Alabama, tested mints for dry mouth, dental pods and a cleaning paste for bonding surfaces. Stay informed on equipment that helps you and your practice by checking out his reviews.

As digital technology and 3D intraoral scanners become more prevalent, effective digital communication of the relationships between the teeth and the face becomes essential. But expensive intraoral scanners and additional face scanners are not a feasible investment for many. Instead, learn how you can mesh smartphone-based facial data with high-resolution intraoral scans.

Earn CE credits anywhere with the AGD Online Learning Center. Choose from 160+ on-demand webinars on various dental topics. AGD members get access to 13 free webinars in the Free CE Library. Plus, earn credits with Self-Instruction exercises based on AGD’s award-winning publications.

The AGD website now allows previous members to reinstate their membership and buy back up to five years of past membership! Know any past members who have been itching to return to AGD for Fellowship, automatic CE tracking and more?

AGD members have been working on a change to our current governance model. Register for an upcoming town hall meeting to discuss the new models, learn more about the development process, and hear about next steps. Meetings are scheduled through Sept. 19.

Since dental procedures pose bleeding risks, it is important for oral healthcare providers to stay up to date regarding the best management of anticoagulant drugs and the usage of newer medications with potential effects on hemostasis.