Our Chamfered Psyche: The Mental Dental Connection (3 CEs)

Dental professionals often examine the physical aspects of wellness yet we rarely explore or discuss the mental aspects. It is time to remove the taboo and face the facts. Anxiety, pain, depression, burnout. Dentistry can be difficult and take a toll. Studies show us that dental professionals experience a high incidence of mental illness. Additionally, many dental professionals don’t clearly understand the mental health conditions that our patients present with, which red flags to watch for or what to do/how to intervene.

Presented in Dr. Joshua Austin’s trademark comedic style, this course explores strategies for working together to improve mental health so we can be our best. Learn how to recognize triggers and warning signs. Identify essential tools and resources. Discover how and when to refer to a mental health professional. Explore and understand mental health terms, common treatments and therapy options. Gain coping mechanisms and learn how to manage expectations – both our own and those of our patients.

Learning Objectives

• Define mental health terms and analyze mental health statistics

• Discover mechanisms for coping with our personal and professional challenges

• Illuminate common DSM-5 diagnoses and characteristics

• Learn how to choose the professionals for our own personal wellness team

• Identify and examine our psychologic triggers and their importance

• Explore the benefits of psychotherapy

• Consider today to be Dental Mental Health Day!

Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD

On mainstages at major conferences across the industry, Dr. Joshua Austin’s presentations deliver practical, applicable education that inspires and entertains attendees while also offering sound fundamentals that make a difference in dental practice success. His keynote performances, from Dentsply Sirona World to Seattle Study Club Symposiums, are met with rave reviews from audiences and conference organizers alike. Joshua incorporates histrademark comedic style in his lectures across the country on topics such as mental wellness, new products/materials review, and online reputation management.

As editorial director and columnist for Dental Economics focusing on dental products and technology (Pearls for Your Practice), he offers a fresh approach in today’s commercial driven dental journalism. When you read a ‘Pearl’, you are getting an honest evaluation of a product which was used by Joshua in clinical practice on a patient.

A graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School, Joshua served five years post-graduation as faculty in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. Today he maintains a full-time restorative dentistry private practice in San Antonio, Texas. Joshua has been honored with several awards during his dental career. In 2009, the Texas Dental Association names him Young Dentist of the Year. In 2010, the Texas Academy of General Dentistry named him New Dentist of the Year. Joshua has earned a Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. In 2014, Joshua was awarded with a Fellowship in the American College of Dentists for his outstanding commitment to ethics in patient care.

Give What You Know (2 CEs)

Brian Holmes, DMD, MPH

Give What You Know (2 CEs)

D r. Brian Holmes, DMD discusses what he and other volunteers have accomplished locally and internationally in reducing Early Childhood Caries.

Participants will engage in discussing strategies for reducing Early Childhood Caries sharing with their colleagues successes and failures. The goal of eradicating dental caries continues to be a worthy goal. Participants will learn various ways to establish programs locally aimed at reducing dental decay for children in their communities.

Participants will be introduced to a successful international humanitarian school-based mobile dental program that can be operated anywhere and on a limited budget. This discussion will include strategies for volunteer recruitment, utilization of partnering with a nonprofit, volunteer training, and working with government officials. Also to be discussed is the importance of partnering with local dental providers and sharing dental knowledge with these individuals.

Time will be allotted at the end of the program for Q & A (which is encouraged during the presentation) and an opportunity for others to share their experiences with international dental projects.

Dr. Brian Holmes D.M.D. was born and raised in the small, northern Utah town of Willard. In high school, he was involved in football, wrestling, and theater. After graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. He transferred to the Inactive Ready Reserve for 18 months to serve a Church mission in Ecuador. After this mission, he studied at Weber State University where he met and married his wife, Tammy DeVine. He graduated from OHSU School of Dentistry in 1992. Upon graduation, Dr. Holmes worked at a corporate dental clinic in Grants Pass, OR and then as an associate dentist at a private office in Gladstone OR. In 1994, Dr. Holmes, Tammy, and their two children moved to Hailey, ID where he bought the practice of a retiring dentist. They loved this small community and the many friends they had there, but they didn’t like the excessive snow and cold. So, missing Oregon, in June of 2000, they sold their Idaho practice and bought a dental practice in Florence, OR. Almost immediately, Tammy and Brian became very involved in the community and in their church. In 2001, Dr. Holmes started a preventative dental program that began in Mapleton. That project soon spread to Florence, Yachats, Waldport, and eventually to Ecuador and Grenada.

Dr. Holmes has participated in twelve international dental humanitarian projects since 2012, and established a 501 (c)(3), Spice Isle Smile, in June 2020 with the focus on Grenada, West Indies. He completed his MPH in Global Health December of 2022. Dr. Holmes has also been accepted as a member of the International College of Dentists. 

Dental Disability Insurance (1 .5 CE)

Dr. Michael Ralph Shirtcliff, DMD will discuss helpful dental disability topics, including things to look for when selecting disability insurance, things that can lead to disabilities, pitfalls of disability insurance companies, and characteristics of a long life.

Dr. Shirtcliff is the former president and CEO of Advantage Dental and currently is president of RMS Dental Director, Inc. His practice in limited to Sleep Apnea treatment with Redmond Dental Group. He serves as a dental consultant to Major Dental Insurance Companies and Dental Networks. In 2011 he was awarded the Ellen C. Lowe Community Advocate Award and in 2019 he was awarded the American Associate of Public Health Dentistry Public Service Award. 

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will understand types of disabilities
• Participants will understand things that cause disabilities
• Participants will understand things that can help prevent disability
• Participants will know where to find policies