Career Opportunities For Women in Dentistry

by Dr. Matt Artho who is a proud resident of Argyle and his kids attend all four schools in the district.

Humility is all about knowing oneself. There are situations in the medical field where proper practice appears beyond a provider’s expertise. Of course, in those difficult situations, I default to the old maxim that “dentists are not real doctors.” And that seems to hold up. In fact, I find I gain more credibility by keeping several “real doctors” in my company. Keeping in the theme “Women in Business” for this current issue, it goes without saying that I lack much, if any, expertise practicing as a businesswoman. But between having six daughters, a wife, and working with mostly women, I may have surrounded myself enough to have credible experience to speak on the subject.

In terms of business opportunities for women, the field of dentistry itself holds many areas that can fulfill multiple life goals. Here are some examples.

DENTIST

Obviously, practicing as a dentist is a great opportunity to meet multiple lifestyle needs. Not only are dentists able to serve patients in a medical capacity, but prospects exist to pursue life as a business owner, associate, educator, or even a military provider. In each circumstance, full or part-time employment may be possible to coordinate with family or extracurricular routines.

DENTAL HYGIENIST

The focus of a dental hygienist is to provide oral care associated with the gum and periodontal health of the patient. This is accomplished mainly through various degrees of teeth cleaning. The hygienist also provides support to the dentist in helping address necessary treatment needs and dental habits of the patient.

DENTAL ASSISTANT

A dental assistant encompasses a variety of supportive responsibilities with the main task to assist the dentist during treatment to improve the comfort of the patient and the speed of the treatment. Dental assistants also support hygiene, perform proper cleaning and sterilization duties, and help guide the overall flow of the office.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Administrative support is another crucial role. Front office coordinators work behind the scenes to keep up dental records, assist with insurance needs, and maintain accounting records, all while sustaining a working schedule for patient appointments. In many offices, the administrative role of office manager exists to oversee all aspects of the office to create a comfortable, friendly, and efficient environment.

Opportunities abound in the grand field of dentistry, and no doubt, women have played a great role in advancing the discipline. As a future career, it is worth a consideration. Happy Smiling!

940.455.7645

www.CountryLakesDental.com info@countrylakesdental.com 74 McMakin Rd. Bartonville, TX 76226

Keeping You And Your Family SMILING NO MATTER WHAT

by Steve Gamel | photography by Your Candid Memories (YourCandidMemories.com)

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and many businesses were either forced to close temporarily or asked to limit their services, Dr. John Shillingburg and his amazing team at DFW Oral Surgeons in Flower Mound had everything under control. Granted, they weren’t allowed to perform elective procedures such as wisdom teeth removal, dental implants, bone and tissue grafting, etc., but they were more than ready to expedite care for their patients in emergency situations.

And according to Dr. Shillingburg, there dentoalveolar surgery, facial cosmetic was a surprisingly high number of those surgery, implant surgery, orthognathic over the last few months. surgery, facial reconstructive oral surgery, “We treated multiple jaw fractures for kids who were home and either got hurt riding their skateboard or were playing around in some other way and got seriously injured,” Dr. Shillingburg said. “I had a gentleman yesterday who had a horrible abscessed tooth pop up out of the blue on him.” He added, “It’s hard to understand why these emergencies happened now, but they did. And we were here to help.” and dental anesthesiology. This allows him to treat everything from a simple tooth extraction to replacing every tooth in a patient’s mouth. He holds membership with the American Dental Association and is a Diplomate of both the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology and American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Dr. Shillingburg has also spared no expense in surrounding himself with top-of-the-line technology that makes his job seamless. Along with When you have an emergency, there’s no reason to go anywhere else because DFW Oral Surgeons is equipped for it all. There are a few reasons why that was his insistence on investing in Dr. Shillingburg is the go-to guy for the facility as a whole, which is a true even the most complicated of emergency outpatient surgery center capable of procedures. For starters, he’s a boardtreating any mouth and jaw condition certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with ease. When you have an emergency, and is trained and credentialed in there’s no reason to go anywhere else

972.539.1491 | www.dfworalsurgeons.com

because DFW Oral Surgeons is equipped for it all.

Simply put, they do it all, and they do it right.

“There are plenty of things that we do all the time that we haven’t been able to do because of the guidelines that are in place, but we have been open the entire time from an emergency basis. Our goal was to be as safe as possible,” Dr. Shillingburg said. “We recently added an air purification system that goes well beyond what we already have. All of our procedure rooms are positive pressure rooms and have fan filter units with HEPA filters — just like a true operating environment. It’s 100% purified and extremely safe. We wear N95 masks per CDC guidelines and even wear a traditional Level 3 mask over those for another layer of safety. It’s enabled us to remain safe and provide the best care possible for our patients when they need us most.” 4421 Long Prairie Rd., Ste. 100 • Flower Mound, TX 75028

“I got used to managing patients in that environment, where we were extremely concerned about safety for a lot of reasons. Having that type of training in that type of environment prepared me.”

Beyond the accolades and credentials mentioned earlier in this article, perhaps what truly prepared Dr. Shillingburg for the coronavirus crisis and how he would maintain a high standard of care was his military experience.

“I was military trained in the Army. When I was in my residency, we were at the height of Iraq and Afghanistan and saw a lot of wounded soldiers and military service members who would come back with some really strange infections. I got used to managing patients in that environment, where we were extremely concerned about safety for a lot of reasons. Having that type of training in that type of environment prepared me.”

Many of us take our oral and dental health for granted, and when we are suddenly faced with severe problems, the consequences can be overwhelming. Having a doctor like John Shillingburg in your corner is a lifesaver.

Dr. Shillingburg and the amazing team at DFW Oral Surgeons are proud to serve the residents in and around Argyle, Bartonville, Highland Village, Lantana, Double Oak, South Denton, Denton County, and surrounding areas. We are conveniently located on the west side of Long Prairie Road between College Parkway and Cross Timbers Road.

“As an oral surgeon, my job is to manage complications,” Dr. Shillingburg said. “We’ve been pretty busy considering the circumstances with the coronavirus. But we were there for our patients when they needed us most.”