Annual Convention to Feature Mini-residencies

FNDC2009 will offer three mini-residency opportunities. Similar programs are offered at dental schools throughout the United States, but can cost as much as $2,000 to $4,000 dollars, plus travel. At FNDC, dentists will get the same in-depth training for a fraction of the price. 

Mini-residencies include:

• Implants – The implant mini-residency, led by Drs. Will Martin, Dean Morton and Jim Ruskin, is intended for dentists who desire to increase their knowledge of the restorative and surgical phases of implant treatment for their patients. The clinical management of the patient, including consultation, treatment planning, surgical placement of implants in the mandible and maxilla, peri-operative and postoperative care, and complications will be reviewed.
• Endodontics – Dr. Jim Haddix will lead this combination of lecture and hands-on course on endodontics. During the course, he will outline the fundamental biological principles of endodontic treatment, discuss the selection of teeth that can be treated successfully and describe different methods of treatment based on these principles. The course will emphasize nickel-titanium, engine-driven files to clean and shape the canal. Thermoplastic obturation techniques will also be discussed.
• Periodontics – Led by Drs. Sam Low and Gregory Oxford, topics covered in this periodontics mini-residency include: initial and non-surgical therapies, restorative interface, soft tissue grafting to support restorative therapy, an overview of laser therapy in periodontics and how to refer patients to a periodontist.

The endodontics and periodontics mini-residencies are capped at 25 people; the implant mini-residency is capped at 35. The fee for each residency is $1,595 and registration has already begun! To register, or for more information, visit the FNDC2009 Web site at: www.floridadental.org/pro/fndc/.

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Three FNDC2009 Mastery Programs
Available for Your Staff

FNDC2009, “Dental Mastery Takes a Team,” is the best and most affordable venue for dental staff training. Programs are available for hygienists, clinical assistants and administrative assistants.

Hygiene team members can also take advantage of great programming through the Hygiene Mastery Program. It is a three-day training of mix and match courses designed to select the skills for which they desire training. Some of the choices are Ultrasonics, Instrumentation and Sharpening, Air Polishing, and Lasers.

The Clinical Assistant Mastery Program gives dental assistants training in all the areas vital to a dental practice. Choices include Provisionals, Bonding, Infection Control and Whitening. There are too many courses to name, but there is something for everyone.

Both the Hygiene and Clinical Assistant Mastery Programs offer a $100 savings for anyone taking a full schedule of six courses.

The three-day Administrative Assistant Mastery Program includes courses such as Nine Administrative Systems that Make Practices Soar, Collecting Money Made Easy, 63 High Impact Marketing Tips, High Quality Teamwork, Selling Dentistry on the Phone and much more. These are skills that can be put to use on Monday morning when your staff return to the office and will directly benefit your practice.

Don’t miss these great opportunities! Space is limited. Register at www.floridadental.org/pro/fndc/.

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Legal Department Fields Tax Questions

The FDA Legal Department has recently fielded inquiries from members who have received letters from the Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) regarding unpaid sales and/or use tax. The DOR imposes several taxes on dental practices and other businesses and has done so for many years. Specifically, a dental practice is required to pay sales tax when it purchases or leases tangible property such as dental equipment, furniture, fixtures or medical supplies from Florida vendors. A dental practice is required to pay use tax when it buys or leases this type of property from an out-of-state vendor. The use tax is the same percentage amount as the sales tax.

The DOR routinely audits out-of-state vendors that sell or lease expensive X-ray machines, laser equipment, defibrillators, computers and medical supplies to dental practices. From this audit the DOR is able to gather names of customers who should have paid use tax. If a dentist did not pay the appropriate use tax to the out-of-state dealer at the time of purchase, he or she should anticipate a “self-analysis” worksheet from Florida DOR. A member dentist that receives such a letter from the DOR should seek advice from his or her accountant immediately. Ignoring the inquiry could lead to an audit of the entire practice, which is always more disruptive and expensive. A prompt and cooperative response could even lead to the DOR waiving the penalties and interest (if any).

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FDA Monitoring FTC Regulations

The FDA Legal Department, working with the Legal Division of the American Dental Association (ADA), will be monitoring recent regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning identity theft that could impact member dentists. The final rules on identity theft, or “red flag rules,” are scheduled to become effective on Friday, May 1. These rules implement sections of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).

FACTA was enacted by Congress to help prevent identity theft. In general, by Friday, May 1, businesses that extend credit, such as by deferring payment for services, must implement written identity theft-prevention programs that provide for the identification, detection and response to patterns, practices or specific activities known as “red flags” that could indicate identity theft.

The FTC has interpreted these rules to include many dental practices within the definition of "creditor" due to practices engaging in activities such as retaining credit card information, not demanding payment at the time of service for co-pays and other non-covered items or services, permitting payment over time, or arranging loans for patients through a bank or finance company. The FDA, in cooperation with the ADA, will be releasing more information about how member dentists can determine if the “red flag rules” are applicable to their office and, if so, guidelines for compliance.

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Spanish Dental Health Brochures Printed

Dental health brochures, similar to those printed last year for the “Dentistry: Gateway to Good Health” campaign, have been printed. In addition to English, all brochures in the series have also been printed in Spanish. They will be used as part of the FDA’s public affairs program in an effort to reach out to Florida’s Hispanic community.

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FDA Collecting Historic Photographs

Do you have photos from past FDA events? The FDA’s 125^th anniversary is in October and Today’s FDA is planning to run a collage of photos. All photos are welcome – from the FDA's origin in 1884 to the present. Please send all photos to FDA Communications Specialist Patty Harrison at pharrison@floridadental.org or 1111 E. Tennessee St., Tallahassee, FL 32308 no later than Monday, Aug. 3.

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April Member Voices Survey Question

Do you regularly use social networking Web sites to connect either socially or professionally? If so, which sites do you visit?

We want to hear from you! Take the survey and let us know.

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March Member Voices Results

The March Member Voices survey asked: Although Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) events continue to grow each year, what do you think the Florida Dental Association (FDA) could do to further increase dentist participation in this annual project?

Most responses suggested:

• having FDA staff contact dentists personally.
• notifying dentists when and where events in their area will take place.
• making sure that other dentistry meetings and events are not scheduled on GKAS days.
• encouraging local dental societies to keep members informed about plans in their area.

Thank you, members, for your participation. Your opinion counts!

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