taking the open position. My hope was short-lived though, as two had moved on and were happy in their new careers, and two had retired and were happy to remain so.
However, my good fortune was that a previously retired receptionist / office manager agreed to help several days a week temporarily and train the new employee when I did find someone to hire.
Some potential employees that I interviewed were very nice, and I wanted to give them a job, but they just did not have the qualifications needed for the position. I interviewed 15 candidates over a twomonth period on lunch breaks, at the end of work days, and on Saturdays. Eventually, I found two very nice, qualified, part-time individuals to fill the full-time position. So far, so good.
The process, however, was quite painful. Near the end, I sometimes felt misunderstood, rejected, inadequate as a potential employer, and ghosted.
Several years prior, I had a similar experience when I was searching for dental hygienists. I looked even longer for a hygienist. While they were all qualified, they were far and few between, and they also all had interviews with almost all the dental offices in the surrounding towns. Since they were in such high demand, they could ask for increased salaries and specify benefits they desired. For almost half a year I was apparently out bid. Finally, a new hygienist who was in the National Guard, as I was, took the position. Several years later, she moved on to her“ dream job” at a VA hospital dental clinic, and I understood, because it is a great career option. Luckily, two other hygienists whom I had previously worked with in a hospital asked to work in my office and are current staff members.
In fact, most of my current staff either worked with me previously or I knew them from that hospital. I worked with my two hygienists and two assistants, and the two part-time front desk staff I mentioned earlier were both pediatric patients at the hospital. Alice, the retired office receptionist and manger who is filing in temporarily, was my boss at the hospital. I guess I have been very lucky when I think about it.
However, I am keenly aware that these highly trained, well-spoken, caring staff members are in high demand. I try to pay them as well as possible, be as flexible as possible, and provide some benefits to try to keep them as the valuable staff members they are. They all would be terribly difficult to replace and losing them would cause untold stress.
There is a massive shortage of available and qualified front desk personnel, dental assistants, expanded functions dental assistants and dental hygienists. There are many reasons for this. Some retired or changed professions during the Covid pandemic. Baby Boomers and Generation X are retiring. There are fewer dental assistants and dental hygienist graduates for various reasons, and the population is still continuing to grow.
Demand is higher, and because there has been more than 20 % inflation over the last four years, salary expectations are higher. This obviously adds stress to dentists and their practices, especially because insurance reimbursements have not at all kept up with inflation. However, dentists report that even greater of a challenge and stress than the high wages is there are simply not enough appropriately educated and trained dental professionals, and therefore not enough staff member applicants of all kinds.
The Pennsylvania Dental Association and the American Dental Association are working through numerous avenues to try to help increase the number of trained dental professionals. In the meantime, we all understand the shortage of assistants, hygienists, and front desk personnel puts great stress on dentists.
Please remember, you can always discuss this with your PDA colleagues. It may help to know you are not alone and are not the only one experiencing this.
New Member Benefit: Talkspace Go In January, ADA introduced Talkspace Go, a self-directed therapy app, now available to all members and dental students. Talkspace Go is designed to support mental well-being through personalized, sciencebacked courses on topics ranging from work stress to relationships through therapist-led live workshops, daily journaling and more.
To get started, members and dental students must visit ADA. org / TalkspaceGo and use their ADA login to receive an exclusive access code. Once they have the access code, they can download the Talkspace Go app to start their own well-being journeys.
Talkspace Go is just one of many resources ADA has to help members in their wellness journey. We encourage you to visit ADA. org / Wellness to explore more resources for being at your best in 2025, including:
• Well-Being Index( WBI): This anonymous assessment tool helps you check in on your mental health and receive tailored resources. You can use it as often as you need year-round.
• Physical and Ergonomic Health: Dentistry can take a toll on our bodies. The ADA offers tools to help reduce strain and improve your daily work environment. Learn about ergonomic stretches and more at ADA. org / App.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please text or call 988 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It’ s free, confidential, and available 24 / 7 / 365.
MARCH / APRIL 2025 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 19