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What is an associate dentist?
Dental associates are dentists that are working in the practice but they are not the owner of the dental practice. Associates work as either an employee of the practice or as an independent contractor. The main differentiating factor is that they have no equity in the business or any stake of ownership as compared to the owner dentist.
Depending on the agreement with the dental office that they are at, they may or may not have a written contract for the job. Some contracts specify a minimum duration that they must remain at the practice and cannot leave before that time is up.
There are also some restrictive covenants that may be included in the contract.
Non-compete clause. Prohibits the employee from practicing within a specific geographic area if they were to leave their current position.
Non-solicitation clause. Prohibits the dentist from soliciting former coworkers and patients of the previous dental practice.
Aside from that, the duties and responsibilities are pretty much universal for all dentists.
Job description and responsibilities
Associate dentists are fully fledged and credentialed dentists. Associates are not dentists in training. They are responsible for everything that a dentist should know and do.
Clinical competencies:
Dental exams and x rays.
Teeth cleanings and deep teeth cleanings.
Cavity fillings.
Dental crowns and porcelain veneers.
Root canals.
Tooth extractions.
Removable dentures.
Dental implant crowns.
Good hand skills and spatial perception.
Administrative and Soft skills:
Managing their schedule.
Managing their staff.
Be knowledgeable about dental insurances.
Strong communication skills.
Good bedside manner.
Requirements to be an associate dentist
Once again, associates are fully licensed dentists. This means that they've fulfilled these criteria according to the american dental association (ADA):
Completion of an accredited 4 year dental school for a DDS or DMD degree.
DDS - Doctor of Dental Surgery.
DMD - Doctor of Dental Medicine.
Completion of any post-graduate residency training.
Licensure for practicing in their respective state.
Maintaining an active license which requires a certain number of continuing education (CE) credits every 2-3 years.
Some of the CE requirements may vary depending on the state.
What should associates look for in a practice?
The first thing that associate dentists look for in a practice is employment. This is where they will be practicing dentistry and receiving compensation to support their career. This includes living expenses and any student loan payments.
Dental school can be very costly, here is an example of some of the less costly options for the DDS and DMD degree.
The second thing that dental associates should look for is the practice with the right fit. This not only includes getting along with their team members like the dental assistants but also the practice's values and philosophies. Those have to be consistent with what the associate wants. If their values are inconsistent with one another, it will typically lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the long run.
An example would be treatment planning philosophies where one can be more conservator or more liberal.
How to approach patient care and valuing the patients as human beings.
The third thing that dental associates should want is a path to ownership. That is correct, associates should be able to become partners with the owner dentist if this relationship is to last long term. An associateship position that does not lead to ownership will eventually fail or at the very least, will not be an enduring relationship.
Where to look for a job position?
There are a variety of places to look for an associate position.
You can always check your local newspaper.
Online from Indeed.
Your state dental society classified section, ours is in new york state.
Your local dental society, ours would be queens county dental society.
You can always do it the old fashioned way and just try giving the dental offices in your area a call or you can go visit in person. Just be sure to dress your best and bring your resume.
Associate dentist salary
The national average salary of associate dentists is $159,740/year according to ZipRecruiter. The average dentist salary in new york is $157,805. Hopefully that helps with some of the statistics, if you click on the ziprecruiter link, you can find information for all of the states.
