MEMBERSHIP
Quarterly FALL 2017
VOL 16 / ISSUE 1
inside...
The President’s Message Program Preview Gala Tickets 1111 Har vard Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4205 206.448.6620 www.skcds.org 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 1
“The entire construction process was completed in 60 days as promised. There were no hidden surprises and no unexpected costs. The finish of my office is exceptional and truly reflects my style. The whole experience was a lot less stress than I expected and there was never a moment I felt things were not right” —David Buck, DDS LVIM
C O N S TA N T I N E B U I L D E R S . C O M 2 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
Seattle-King County Dental Society Membership Quarterly Managing Editor: Ms. Sandra R. Anderson Contributors: Mr. Abid Bhatti Dr. Brittany Dean Ms. Jennifer L. Freimund
FALL 2017 Volume 16, Issue 1
CONTENTS
President’s Message with Dr. Craig Neal ................................................................ 4 Member Profile .............................................................................................. 5 2018-19 SKCDS Elective Office Openings Announced............................................ 7 Publisher: Bill Newcomer, BNC Printing & Graphics, Vancouver, WA Welcome New Members .................................................................................. 9 COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Foundation Gala Tickets Now Available.................................................................10 Dr. Shane Ness, Chair The Safety Net You Never Knew You Had!...........................................................11 Dr. Victor Barry Young Dentists, Take Note: Programming Just for You...........................................12 Dr. Daniel Geare Transition Planning for Mid-Life Dentists..............................................................13 Dr. Derek Hou SKCDS Volunteers - Where would we be Without You?........................................ 14 Dr. Molly McIntosh Dr. Christopher Pickel The Member Resource .....................................................................................15 Dr. Oleg Shvartsur Two Courses on Medical Billing for Dental Practices............................................... 17 Dr. Douglas Walsh Young Dentists - Join Your Peers for the ADA New Dentist Conference 2017.............. 20 Dr. Judson Werner Key Arena Clinic ............................................................................................21 Exposures with Dr. Al Munk............................................................................ 22 OFFICERS Dr. Craig E. Neal, President THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS Dr. Kirk E. King, President-Elect Dr. Timothy A. Hess, Past-President Constantine Builders ........................................................................................2 Dr. Joe Vaughn, Secretary AFTCO Vern Frickel ........................................................................................6 Dr. Lisa Egbert, Treasurer Nakanishi .......................................................................................................8 Katharine Christian DMD - Sleep Apnea and Snoring ................................................9 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Dental Connections ........................................................................................ 9 Dr. Ryan M. Fox, Executive Council 2018 WDIA ...........................................................................................................10 Dr. James W. Reid, Executive Council 2018 Keller ~ Rohrback Law Firm.............................................................................11 Dr. Amanda Spivey, Executive Council 2018 Sleep Apnea and Facial Pain Center ................................................................. 12 Dr. Shane T. Ness, Executive Council 2019 Garde Capital - Tony Baruffi, CFA ........................................................................14 Dr. Noah E. Letwin, Executive Council 2019 Ann Durham Attorney at Law ........................................................................... 17 Dr. Austin Baruffi, Executive Council 2020 Home Owners Club ........................................................................................17 Dr. Imahn Moin, Executive Council 2020 NORDIC .................................................................................................... 17 Ms. Jennifer Freimund, Executive Director Pudget Sound Perio ........................................................................................18 Pudget Sound Perio .......................................................................................19 Change of Address: To ensure continued receipt of issues, change of address must be reported to: SKCDS Central Office, 1111 Harvard AFTCO.......................................................................................................... 21 Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4205, as soon as possible -Dental Group LLC............................................................................................23 206.448.6620. Email: skcds@skcds.com Northwest Radiography PS .............................................................................24 The information in this publication is for the exclusive benefit of SeattleKing County Dental Society members. Neither the Society nor the publisher makes any express or implied warranties as to the information herein, including the contents of any advertising. Opinions in the Quarterly do not necessarily express the official policies of the Seattle-King County Dental Society, nor the opinions of the editor, unless so stated. Publications of advertising is not an endorsement, qualification, approval or guarantee of either advertisers or product. For advertising and publishing details, contact: Mr. Bill Newcomer, BNC Printing & Graphics, 503.318.5916, 360.573.1201, bill@bncprinting.com; www.bncprinting.com
2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 3
The
President’s Message
licensed clinician, you are the expert in knowing what is best for your patient, and we wish to provide you with information so that you can make an informed decision on how to utilize opioids in your practice. Please go to our “Members Only” section on our website to access these tools. • The American Dental Association has launched a national campaign to drive prospective patients to their online tool—Find A Dentist. If you have not yet updated your practice profile, I highly recommend you do so as soon as possible. Just go to https://www.ada.org/ en/member-center and follow the simple steps. We all know that, in this day and age, more and more of our new patients are finding our practices online. Don’t miss this chance!
Dr. Craig Neal
We’ve Got Your Back!
• Did you know that your practice’s website needs to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Once more, you can find resources for how to ensure you are by going to SKCDS’s “Members Only” site.
• Not sure how to fire or discipline one of your staff members? Did you know that SKCDS has an experience human resources We are all busy with our practices. Some days, it must feel like professional on retainer? He can help you problem solve or even issues and problems are coming at you from all sides—and that role play how to address employment issues. Just call the Central doesn’t include the challenges that patient treatment sometimes Office at 206.448.6620 and ask to be connected to him. There is brings! Organized dentistry is here to help you. no charge to you for this service. Here are just a few things I would like to draw your attention to: • The Washington State Dental Association, with the assistance of legal counsel, has successfully petitioned Delta Dental of Washington to call special meetings. They are requesting that Delta Dental make some amendments to their Bylaws that will do the following: ensure that Delta Dental’s decisions are patient care-focused; make Delta more responsive to patients and its member providers; and, give Delta members more visibility into its operations. By the time you are reading this column, the special meetings on September 6th will have occurred. I encourage you to go www.wsda.org/delta to learn the outcome of these meetings.
Finally, we are also working on further enhancing our existing membership benefits. I would welcome your ideas on how we can better serve you. Think about the issues that drive you crazy and that you aren’t sure how to address. Just shoot me an email at drcraig@nealoms.com. We want to make sure we continue to have your back into the future.
Dr. Craig Neal
• The opioid epidemic is very real in Washington. As healthcare providers, we have a role in addressing this scourge, and we want to help you. We want to be very clear about our goal in providing templates, resources and other information to you. SKCDS has no desire to intervene in your judgment or care of your patient. As a Cover Photo: Our beautiful city. 4 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
MEMBER PROFILE 1. My name: Tofunmi Osundeko 2. Childhood ambition: To be an OB/GYN. But that would have taken way too many years! 3. Fondest Memory: Simple moments of laughter with friends and family. Time spent traveling. 4. What was your first LP or CD? Hard to remember but I’m pretty sure it was an ABBA CD that I got as a gift after wearing out my parents’ ABBA tapes.
5. Wildest Dream: To become a prolific writer, turned prolific actress, turned prolific singer with all the extravagances, traveling and drama that come with each. I’d wear a feather boa and dark sunglasses everywhere. Yes, indoors too.
6. Proudest Moment: Getting accepted into dental school. 7. Biggest Challenge: Navigating this unexpectedly challenging dental professional landscape. For every kind, generous dentist out there, there’s another one willing to manipulate you for their own gain and that’s been most challenging to accept.
8. First Job: Sales assistant at an art gallery. I babysat paintings and conducted maybe one transaction. Maybe.
9. Last Purchase: A houseplant that may or may not be struggling to live right now. 10. Favorite Movie: Speaking My Future Truth, Black Panther and probably A Wrinkle in Time, too. 11. What is your idea of perfect happiness? A good book, a warm, lazy day, and spending time with people I love.
12. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Can’t say I specifically identify with any historical figure. But I certainly admire Harriet Tubman for being the bravest woman, spy and American hero there ever was.
13. Which living person do you most admire? My parents. They made something out of nothing and didn’t lose themselves in the process. 14. What is your greatest extravagance? Traveling, even when I can’t really afford it. I can’t say no to an invitation. 15. What do you dislike most about your appearance? White lab coats can be very unflattering in my opinion. Braces aren’t cute either. 16. What is your most treasured possession? My heritage. I’m trying to do my best not to lose it. 17. What do you most value in your friends? Their humor and their willingness to try anything once. 18. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? It’s a toss up between Claire Huxtable, Zoe Washburne and Michonne. All can kick your butt, Claire just does it with her words.
19. Who are your heroes in real life? Maxine Waters and Michelle Obama. Both women have a long history of being on the right side of history and achieving greatness despite circumstance.
2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 5
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2018-19 SKCDS Elective Office Openings Announced In accordance with the Seattle-King County Dental Society Bylaws, the Leadership Committee will meet in late November 2017 to formulate a slate of officers for the 2018-19 Society year. Our Society is only as strong as our membership, and we are doing some amazing things in which you need to participate! We also thank all of our current volunteer leadership who give so freely of their time and talents on behalf of the Seattle-King County Dental Society. The following leadership positions are open: • President-elect– One (1) opening, one year term The president-elect will automatically become president in the year following the year in this position. The president-elect will be a member of the Budget and Finance and Program Committees as well as the Executive Council. • Executive Council – Three (3) openings for three year terms Executive Council members meet approximately 10 times a year and always in the evening with a meal provided. This is the governing body of the Dental Society, and it is an excellent way to participate in the organization. • Delegates to the WSDA—Up to seven (7)* openings for three year terms This position represents the Seattle-King County Dental Society at the governing body of the Washington State Dental Association’s House of Delegates. Delegates must attend at least one—and ideally two—evening caucuses before each meeting of the House of Delegates. The delegates must also plan to attend the Washington State Dental Association’s House of Delegates meeting (usually held from Thursday evening to Saturday noon in September). Finally, they will be asked to participate in Grassroots Legislative Advocacy for Dentistry (GLAD)—our efforts to be more visible in the State Legislature. *The number of Seattle-King County Dental Society Delegate seats for the WSDA House of Delegates is determined each year based on membership as of January 2018; therefore, we do not know at present time how many seats will be open. This change in how the seats are allocated was approved by the 2005 WSDA House of Delegates. If you are interested in learning more about the duties of these positions or wish to be considered for one of the offices, please call Jennifer Freimund at 206.448.6615.
2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 7
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Please welcome our new members JUNE Dr. Jane Austin Dr. Michael Austin Dr. Cam-Tu Do Dr. Huoy-Yuan (Daphne) Hsieh Dr. Shang Lun (Allen) Liu Dr. Yu Lwo Dr. Alberta Quaidoo
JULY Dr. Laura Albarracin Dr. Ashley Cheng Dr. Li-Wen Cheng Dr. Yong Choi Dr. Daivd Chong Dr. Adam Drew Dr. Xue Du Dr. Scott Fincham Dr. Stephanie Kim Dr. Jason Kum Dr. Nitya Narayanan
Dr. Yen Nguyen-Tran Dr. Wesley Nomi Dr. Jared Roberts Dr. Nayrika Salamati Dr. Riley Schaff Dr. Navid Sharifzadeh Boshehri Dr. Sonali Sharma Dr. Priyanka Sharma Dr. Adam Szajman Dr. Natalie Trongtham Dr. Daniel Varadi Dr. Bing Wan Dr. Lindsey Yap
Members of SKCDS are encouraged to invite non-member dentists who are practicing in King County to join the Dental Society. A quick call to the WSDA Office at 206.973.5210 is all that is needed for them to apply for membership at all three levels: Seattle-King County Dental Society, Washington State Dental Association and the American Dental Association.
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Get Your Foundation Gala Tickets NOW!! Tickets are now on sale for our Seattle-King County Dental Foundation’s 21st Auction and Gala! This big fun event will be on Saturday, November 4, 2017. For the first time in our history, we will be holding our Gala on the Eastside at the Bellevue Hyatt Hotel. The fun will begin at 6 pm in their lovely Regency Ballroom, and parking is complementary. Our theme this year—the Black and White Ball—should conjure up visions of Old Hollywood, timeless elegance and all sorts of fun! You will definitely want to purchase your tickets as soon as possible—remember: some of our previous Galas sold out about a month before the event. So, go to http://www.skcds.org/our-foundation/foundation-events to order your tickets now. We will be holding a brief auction during the gala, but we promise to also offer lots of fun and opportunities to catch up with old—and make new—friends! All proceeds from the Gala go to funding initiatives and make programs that reduce dental pain and infection among King County residents. Your Foundation is looking at funding some exciting mobile dentistry options that will increase the visibility of dentists’ good works. The Foundation has given away over $1,300,000 since its founding in 1992—all to help the most vulnerable among us. One last head’s up: while you are on the website, considering buying a table for you and nine of your guests. We hope to see you there!
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Your WDIA Team: Matt French & Kerri Seims 206.441.6824 · 800.282.9342 · www.wdiains.com Sole broker for:
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The Safety Net You Never Knew You Had! Everyone struggles with hard times at some point in his or her life. Maybe it is a divorce or a death in the family. Maybe health issues are complicating your practice and your finances. Financial challenges create stress, which then makes the situation even worse. When you are independently employed this is even harder to deal with. For this reason, the ADA Foundation instituted a Relief Grant program more than 100 years ago; and, it carries on today. Until about 10 years ago, the fund was linked to each individual Society and the Societies were requested to identify and vet the applicants. Today, the process is handled directly through the ADA Foundation headquarters in Chicago. While this method is much more efficient, it has resulted in fewer and fewer members being aware of this valuable program. This member benefit can have a significant impact on a dentist who is facing challenging times. The ADA Foundation discretionally awards relief grants to assist with temporary daily living expenses. The relief grants are not intended to help the applicant conserve resources or assets. This is not intended as a long-term solution but rather a short-term option to help a member in dire circumstances. Relief grants are subject to renewal based on the availability of funds and the discretion of the ADA Foundation. The funding is made available to the member in monthly installments and cannot exceed twelve months. Additionally, a member has the option of a one-time request for emergency assistance. The application process is a bit lengthy so that qualified applicants can be fairly vetted. The ADA Foundation may request documentation such as income tax returns and bank statements. If you are interested in learning more about this benefit, or to make an application, please go to the ADA Foundation webpage. The application form is also available through SKCDS. If you have questions about the ADA Foundation Relief Grant application process, contact Tracey Schilligo, Grants Manager at 312.440.2763 or schilligot@ada.org.
2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 11
Young Dentists, Take Note: Programming Just for You The Seattle-King County Dental Society has long been known for programming aimed at our young members. Whether you are a new graduate or you have recently moved to the Seattle area, there are lots of ways to meet people and connect. More than just networking, our programs offer continuing education with a practice management focus. This fall you can enjoy informal Happy Hours at venues around the greater Seattle area. Beginning in January, you can take advantage of free continuing education. We will offer the follow events: • January 24, 2018 – Finance Panel featuring local dental CPA’s • March 7, 2018 – Insurance Panel featuring Dr. Greg Ogata and Matt French of WDIA • March 24, 2018 – New Dentist Boot Camp. The sixth annual event focusing on starting your practice with advice from local experts. • May 9, 2018 – Legal Panel with attorneys Scott Henderson, Joe Romberg and David Cohen. Young members are also very welcome at our Foundation Gala (see article on page10), Women in Dentistry events, our free Member Meetings and Dental Action Day. Make sure you are receiving our weekly email newsletter for up-to-the-minute information. You can also check out our website (www.skcds.org) and Facebook. We want our young members to feel welcome and make the most of their tripartite membership!
Happy Hour at The Ram in 2016
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Transition Planning for Mid-Life Dentists with Verlin Frickel, AFTCO consultant
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 6:00 – 9:00 pm Credits: 2
This program will focus on dentists planning to retire in the next few years. For younger dentists, this presentation will help them plan for the future. Things are changing in the business of dentistry and this presentation will address the interests of the practitioners who are thinking about retirement in five to ten years. How do you prepare your practice for sale? How do you find a purchaser? There are many questions and details that need to be considered before a dentist is ready to make the step to retirement. The market is changing and, as a national company, AFTCO is interested in raising the understanding of market realities. Learn how you can make the most of the opportunities that are available and avoid the potential pitfalls. Mr. Frickel brings nearly 50 years of experience in the dental industry; and, his forthright style will both inform and engage.
Meetings are free to members but you must register in advance!
The DoubleTree Southcenter Hotel 16500 Southcenter Parkway Tukwila, WA 98188 206.575.8220
Thanks to our sponsor: Cohen Law firm PLLC
Type ADA Member/Retired Member
NO CHARGE
Non Member
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Spouse/Staff
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About our Presenter:
Verlin was involved in the insurance and securities industry for twenty-five years, before beginning a second career in 1985 as a practice transition consultant. He has been with AFTCO longer than any other analyst in the AFTCO network and remains one of the company’s most consistently successful analysts. He is experienced in assisting with buying, selling, mergers, coaching, market value analyses and all kinds of practice transitions including innovative exit-strategies. Outstanding advice and service have built a loyal following of satisfied clients, many of whom come as referrals of satisfied clients, which is the hallmark of a truly outstanding consultant. Verlin Frickel is dedicated to helping practitioners achieve their objectives for their practices and their goals or dreams for their personal “quality of life.”
Seattle-King County Dental Society 1111 Harvard Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 206.448.6620 FAX 206.443.9308 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 13
SKCDS VolunteersWhere would we be Without You? As a membership organization, we are almost entirely dependant on the support and leadership of our volunteers. Our Executive Council gives their time generously to the running of the organization. Our Foundation Board also contributes their time to keep the Foundation running smoothly. Committee Chairs show up at meetings when it’s raining and stormy. Committee members brave horrible traffic to participate. Various individuals give freely of their time and talents to keep this Society afloat. For over 100 years, we might add! We cannot express our gratitude enough. This summer we have had two wonderful community members assisting us with special projects. Martha Hill, a retired non-profit administrator, helped us gather all of our volunteer leadership data and enter it electronically. Since 1999 all of our records of volunteer participation have been stored in paper format. We know this is not a good long-term plan for records management. Martha came in 2-3 mornings each week during the summer to enter thousand and thousand of records. The information will be uploaded to the ADA database for permanent retention. If we are wondering who was on the Membership Committee in 2003-2004, we have a record. If we are wondering who the President was in 1956, we have that data electronically now. To the best of our knowledge, we might be one of the first Societies in the nation to utilize the ADA database in this way. Another community volunteer, Alan Kristal, has been helping to build a survey about low income patients and dental services. The Access to Care Committee has been actively creating a survey that will give us feedback on how people are receiving their dental health services. During the Seattle King County Clinic (Key Arena Clinic), people will be interviewing those attending the Clinic while they wait for their dental services. Individuals will be asked basic questions about how they receive service outside of the Clinic, what options they are aware of and what barriers to care they are experiencing. The Committee hopes that this information will better inform the dental community on how to reach our most vulnerable citizens. Dr. Alan Kristal is a retired epidemiologist from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research and he has a great deal of experience in this type of work. We appreciate his gift 206-552-7916 of time to help make the project a success. tony.baruffi@gardecapital.com
We sincerely thank all those who help make the Society what it is – an organization that supports members, and their careers, as they help the larger community.
Tony Baruffi, CFA Comprehensive Wealth Management for Dentists and Physicians Investment Management - Wealth Transfer Wealth Protection - Charitable giving “Top 100 Wealth Management firms in the United States” - 2016 “Top US Registered Investment Advisors” 2017 “Top 25 Wealth Management firms” - 2017
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The
Resource What’s New this Fall? The Membership Resource! For over twenty years, SKCDS has produced the annual Membership Guide. This comprehensive directory has included all member’s contact information along with dental resources to help our members and their patients. But, as times have changed, so has the Membership Guide. We are happy to announce that we will be moving to an online directory of members starting this fall. After much discussion by both the Executive Council and the Membership Committee, we sent out an online survey in order to get member feedback. We received 63 responses, and the comments leaned toward going electronic. While some members seem to prefer the hard copy of the directory, the benefits of going electronic ultimately outweighed. As more of our members rely on their smart phones, tablets and other devices, it makes sense to have our membership information available in that way. The cost savings will also help us use members’ dues wisely. Finally, and most importantly we will be able to offer the most up-to-date membership information as we will load a fresh directory each month. We will also be able to list multiple practice locations for our members and specialists who have them. However, we heard that a printed resource was still needed for listings of reduced-cost clinics, programs, classes, listings of officers and committees as well as other reference material. These documents will become the new Membership Resource! It will be produced annually and sent to all members. It will be a smaller publication, and it will look a lot like our Quarterly newsletter. However, it will be a durable reference that you can access all year long. We hope you enjoy this new member benefit. Please explore the online directory when it becomes available.
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Two Courses on Medical Billing for Dental Practices featuring Dr. Chris P. Farrugia Friday, October 13, 2017 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Credits: 7 Emerald Queen Conference Center 5700 Pacific Highway E., Fife, WA 98424
FRIDAY CLASS Medical Billing for Dental Practices
Dental practices are filled with patients that pay premiums for medical insurance policies that have benefits available for services they render. Accessing medical benefits requires the dental office to step out of their “dento-centric” view of their practice and into a medical view. In this course, dental practices will learn to separate the medical portion of their services from the dental, identify when to file for medically necessary services and the basics of medical claim submission. Understand the basis for medical billing for dental practices Learn basic medical insurance terminology and concepts Understand the medical claims cycle and how it works Understand medical necessity for claims Learn ICD and CPT coding basics Learn what can be billed to medical insurance Learn how to complete the CMS1500 claim form
Coding For Medical and Dental Claims
ICD 10 replaced ICD-9 in October 2015. Changes to the ADA claim form require the use of ICD-10 diagnosis codes as does the CMS1500 medical claim form; thus, a working knowledge of ICD-10 is important for dental practices that file dental AND medical claims. This course will prepare the practitioner and staff for medical and dental claims using ICD-10. Learn the contents, organization, conventions and structure of ICD-10-CM Learn how to locate and assign a code with ICD-10-CM Learn how to prioritize your diagnosis codes for successful claims Learn how to code various clinical situations (ICD and CPT) including exam, consultation, radiographs, CT, emergencies, TMD, sleep apnea appliance and surgical removal of wisdom teeth
Saturday, October 14, 2017 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Credits: 6 AGD Educational Center
19415 International Blvd, Ste 410, SeaTac WA 98188
SATURDAY CLASS Advanced Medical Dental Billing Workshop
This course will focus on adding dental medical billing to your practice and navigating the dental medical billing world. Once dental practices are fundamentally sound in the claims process, medical claims may be successfully submitted for "beyond the basics" services. This is the ultimate in-depth coding course for surgeries, appliances, and trauma claims plus more! Basic medical billing concepts are not covered in this course. A working knowledge of the medical claim form and the claims process is a prerequisite for registration. This course is not appropriate for practices with little or no medical claims experience. This course is designed as a follow-up to Friday’s class. It is strongly encouraged that both the dentist and the staff attend together. There is a discount if you register for this bundled class th before Friday, October 13 .
Course Prerequisites: Billing for Dental Practices
About our Presenter: Dr. Chris P. Farrugia is a speaker, teacher and leader in digital dentistry. An early adopter of digital CAD/CAM technology, Dr. Farrugia added CT to his practice in 2011. He trains dentists nationwide who want to advance their practices with CAD/CAM digital restorative techniques, digital imaging and successfully access medical benefits for their services. Dr. Farrugia is a graduate from the Emory University of Dentistry and an alumnus of LD Pankey Institute. He has been a CEREC Chair side user since 2000, a CEREC in Lab user since 2009 and a Patterson Certified CEREC Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Trainer. Dr. Farrugia is the owner of Artistic Dental Laboratory Services and author of multiple articles on medical billing for dentists. Academy of General Dentistry Approved PACE Program Provider. FAGD/MAGD Credit Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement. 2017 to 2021 AGD Provider 3193
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1111 Harvard Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 206.448.6620 FAX 206.443.9308
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adurham@durhamlawpllc.com www.durhamlawpllc.com Practice Transitions
Employment Contracts
Business Formations & Dissolutions
Commercial Property Leases & Purchases
Estate Planning
Restrictive Covenants 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 17
Dear Friends and Colleagues
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It is my pleasure to support this Seattle-King County Dental Society publication, while also introducing you to my practice. My name is Dr. Tom Kang. Along with Dr. Kevin Suzuki and Dr. Allen Liu, my team and I would like to introduce you to our brand of specialty periodontics. Personable and friendly interactions with our staff and doctors are the hallmark of our practice. Excellent clinical results and follow-up are our trademark. Conservative and predictable outcomes are our goal. Excellent teamwork is our expectation. Going into our eleventh year of clinical practice, I am pleased to announce that our practice has grown to three locations including two new offices located in West Seattle and on Eastlake Avenue near downtown in addition to our Federal Way location. For additional information about our practice locations including hours and availability please visit our website at: www.pugetsoundperio.com. I believe the reason for the success and growth of our practice is related to our simple beliefs and philosophies: • Do the right thing. • Go the extra mile to satisfy your patients, staff, and doctors. • Strive to make every patient interaction a positive one. We understand that each time we meet one of your patients, we are a reflection of your practice. • Be respectful. NEVER condescending to patients, referring offices, or their teams. • Be available. Our doctors are available 24-7 by phone and email to answer all questions. • Get our correspondence into your hands within 24 hours of a patient visit. • Always make time to see your patient within a week of being referred to our practice. We understand that patients need a timely response when given a referral to a periodontist. • Understand that a patient may not always be the right fit for every office. • Love what we do. I use these philosophies in how I care for my patients, team members, family, and friends. I am lucky to have been rewarded with nearly zero turnover in my staff, an extremely loyal base of partner dentists, and an excellent reputation in the community for excellent clinical results and excellent patient experiences. If you find that your patients are waiting for extended periods of time just to be evaluated, or that your periodontal specialty partner is not providing your patients with the five star experience that you want reflected on your practice, then I would like to invite you to try our brand of periodontics. Kevin, Allen, and I look forward to the opportunity to meet you in the near future. Best regards, Dr. Kevin Suzuki, Dr. Thomas Kang, & Dr. Allen Liu
Thomas Kang, DDS
www.PugetSoundPerio.com P. (206) 329-0410
F. (206) 260-2758
2731 Eastlake Avenue East Seattle, WA 98102 18 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
P. (206) 400-0800
F. (253) 874-9068
2505 S 320th St. #330 Federal Way, WA 98003
P. (206) 519-5337
F. (206) 260-2712
2743 California Ave SW #200 (West) Seattle, WA 98116
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Please consider making your referral online at www.pugetsoundperio.com
PLEASE INDICATE LOCATION AND PREFERENCE (check all that apply):
Federal Way: ☐ First Available West Seattle: ☐ First Available Eastlake: ☐ First Available
☐ Dr. Suzuki ☐ Dr. Liu ☐ Dr. Liu
PATIENT INFORMATION
Today’s Date:
Full Name: Primary Phone: (
☐ Dr. Kang ☐ Dr. Kang ☐ Dr. Suzuki
)
Last
First Email:
M.I.
Requesting Doctor’s Name: Phone:( ) ☐ X-rays Sent to drkang@pugetsoundperio.com ☐ X-rays Needed ☐ CBCT 3D X-rays May be Required ($115 Fee)
REASON FOR REFERRAL
PATIENT BEING REFERRED FOR:
PRESCRIPTION TREATMENT: ☐ Limited Evaluation: ☐ Crown Lengthening (please temporize tooth prior to referral)(teeth): ☐ Biopsy (sites): PERIODONTAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT NEEDED:
☐ Comprehensive Periodontal Evaluation ☐ Initial Therapy Already Completed Yes ☐ No ☐ ☐ Evaluate for LANAP if Appropriate
Date Completed:
PERIODONTAL PLASTIC SURGERY: ☐ Connective Tissue Graft for Root Coverage (teeth): ☐ Free Gingival Graft for Augmentation (teeth): ☐ Pinhole Surgical Approach Evaluation (teeth): ☐ Cosmetic Gum Lift (Crown Lengthening):
DENTAL IMPLANT TREATMENTS: ☐ Hopeless Teeth Requiring Evaluation for Replacement: ☐ Missing Teeth Requiring Replacement: ☐ Evaluate Site for Immediate Implant Temporization: ☐ Sinus Evaluation for Implant Placement: ☐ Assessment for All on Four Full Arch Tooth Replacement:
Request your appointment online at pugetsoundperio.com 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 19
Young Dentists - Join Your Peers for the ADA New Dentist Conference 2017 By Dr. Brittany Dean As a new dentist, I often want to talk with my peers about our shared struggles and strategies for progressing through different phases of our careers. At the same time, I appreciate gaining wisdom from expert practitioners and from those who have created successful careers in a variety of fields. Thankfully, there’s the ADA New Dentist Conference, which delivers all of this. The event will be held in Atlanta, October 19-21, 2017. Since the New Dentist Conference is organized by a team of new dentist committee members as well as ADA staff and volunteers, you can expect a top-notch meeting with courses that are relevant to your career stage. Having a portion of the ADA meeting venue set aside just for new dentist attendees also means that you get more chances to interact with friends from dental school and other dentists in your area as well as make new connections. For this year’s conference, the $365 registration fee includes: • Customized CE track (multiple options to choose from each day; earn up to 16 hrs CE) • Daily keynote speakers such as renowned speaker Mel Robbins, the truly fascinating actor-turned-activist Chris “Bash” Bashinelli, and Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH who is founder and CEO of Sherpaa, redefining what healthcare delivery can be • Opportunity to stay at the new-dentist-specific hotel • Access to the New Dentist Lounge • Ticket to the New Dentist Reception at GameX in downtown Atlanta • Two networking lunches with your peers and ADA leaders And this year, we’ve tried to add even more flexibility to the schedule so that there are many opportunities to plug in programming from the rest of the ADA meeting so that you can get extra CE or spend more time on the vendor floor. Other highlights include the chance to see Peyton Manning speak at the Distinguished Speaker Series, and entrance to the ADA Block Party (an entire block of Atlanta restaurants serving food and drinks just for ADA attendees). Registration is open now at: ada.org/meeting. You can go to the New Dentist tab to view the entire schedule and see more details. I would love to see you there.
20 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
Key Arena Clinic: MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Seattle Center announced that they have decided to hold a fourth free, community clinic on October 26-29, 2017 in Key Arena. The responses from partners, volunteers, patients and the community-at-large to the 2014, 2015 and 2016 clinics were universally positive, and the outcomes were greater than they imagined. Over the past three years, with your help, this clinic has provided over $10M in dental, vision and medical care to 11,900 people in need from our community. Over 9,800 volunteers have made this possible by donating over 120,000 volunteer hours. Please join us in serving our neighbors. If you have participated in one (or all) of the past Clinics, you know how rewarding it can be. Past participants have spoken highly of the wonderful experience they had and how easy it was to volunteer. Registration for volunteers is now open. Go to seattlecenter.org/skcclinic to register now and find more information about the event. This year, there will be 100 dental chairs on the Key Arena floor offering a variety of dental services. We need several hundred dental volunteers for the four days of the Clinic—held from Thursday, October 26th to Sunday, October 29th. You can volunteer for one day or several days—it is your choice. Please consider volunteering AND bringing your entire dental team along to participate. Please join us for this highly visible (the dental treatment floor made the front page of the Seattle Times for three years in a row) and important event. Use it as a team building exercise and bring your team. We welcome dental assistants and dental hygienists as well!
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Dr. Nina Svino and staff at the Clinic 2015 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 21
GOLDFOIL By Al Munk DDS When I was in dental school, it was still part of the curriculum to teach gold foil. This was a good thing as it taught us the necessary discipline and operating skills to carry on throughout our career in dentistry. It also supplied us with a nice collection of artifacts and doo-dads, which for most of us after graduation would remain a curiosity, an anomalous part of our estate gathering dust during our practice careers. At some distant point in the future, our heirs will puzzle over just why grandpa had a small rubber-faced hammer in his closet. Gold foil is no longer taught in the dental school. One must seek out the services of a study club these days to learn gold foil skills, if one deems their frustration level with practice is insufficient as it currently stands.Foil opens up an entirely new level of complications to that ever-confusing sport of tooth-fixing.
EXPOSURES
To begin with, there is the foil itself. For the uninitiated, this is a sheet of pure gold, pounded and rolled so thin that it is hardly there at all. Our first instructional class at dental school began with a day of cutting and rolling pellets of foil. Imagine I gave you a package of fly wings and told you to construct a copy of the Eiffel Tower. This is the approximate level of difficulty in rolling minute pellets of gold foil. The average freshman dental student can barely be trusted to ties their shoes let alone fabricate perfectly circular, uniform balls of this stuff. Thus, we spent a frustrating day cutting, tweezering, rolling and mostly dropping on the floor this material we were soon expected to pound into an unsuspecting tooth.
larger until it wraps entirely around the tooth, so that the buccal and lingual views are identical. Eventually, the instructor gets tired of you scratching around on the tooth and lets you begin filling it up. Gold foil is basically impossible to fill a tooth with, so extreme measures must be employed. First of all, when the instructor goes to the bathroom, swab the cavity with super glue and stuff in as many pellets of foil as possible. Use your thumb and pencil eraser to accomplish this. This will make it appear that you have been very busy when your instructor returns. At that point, the pounding begins. Your assistant, who by now is beginning to question your sanity for attempting such a feat, is supposed to rhythmically pound on the end of a constantly moving condenser to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” while you expertly position and condense those pellets of foil which are supposed to be round but in fact look like miniature Frisbees. This feels to the patient like a woodpecker is hammering away on their face and, according to my gold foil textbook by Walden Ferrier, is “very relaxing.” After about a zillion pellets have been added to this golden broth, finishing may begin. Sandpaper discs are spun for a few hours until either you run out or the tooth starts smoking, then you are finished. The patient has expired at this point so at least the anesthesia is fine. Your assistant has fallen asleep, and you notice you have grown a beard and a moustache since beginning the procedure. The instructor comes by to check your results, takes a sharp explorer, engages the filling and flips out the entire mass of gold, super glue and pulpal tissue with a smile and flourish as you keel over backward in a dead faint. Thus ends another successful day of dental school.
The first step in this ceremony, for if any branch of dentistry can be called ceremonious, this is it, involves placement of the rubber dam. The rubber dam is the holy grail of foil. There are clamps and separators, pads and compounds and a bag full of gadgets invented just to make it all a little more complicated. The placement of the proper dam for operating a Class V foil frames the operating field like the proscenium arch of Shakespearean theater. On stage is this tiny cavity which you could fill with the white stuff in about five minutes, but, for reasons that escape you, you will be spending the next five hours bleeding out of your forehead. That’s all for now from Ballard. After a few hours of rubber dam shenanigans, cavity preparation can begin. In keeping with the gold foil spirit of making the procedure slow and difficult, the entire preparation is done with the slow speed hand-piece and the dull hand instruments which have been knocking around at the bottom of your locker. Your patient, who started with a nice little cavity at the gumline of their tooth, now has a nice big rectangular hole which your mentor urges you to make ever
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official policy of the Seattle-King County Dental Society. 22 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
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2016 SKCDS WINTER QUARTERLY l 23 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 23
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24 l 2017 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY