Anne: Hi everybody, it's Anne Duffy and welcome to Dental Entrepreneur, the Future of Dentistry's podcast. I am so happy that you're with us today, and I have a dear friend and an amazing lady on to be my guest on the podcast today. But before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about her. Atia Black is the Director of Business Development for the Dental Assisting National Board.
DANB DANB and the Dale Foundation. She has worked as a chairside dental assistant office manager and sterilization manager, plus held leadership roles and administration, sales management, and business development. Attia holds degrees in biology, pre-dental hygiene, and business administration. She earned a woman in leadership certificate from Utah Valley University and fun facts about Attia.
She loves skateboarding, hiking, and concerts, works as a mentor for the local woman shelter that helps women with children get back on their feet. Please help me welcome my dear friend, Atia Black.
Atia: Hi Anne. Thank you so much for the warm welcome too.
Anne: I'm so glad you're here.
Well, we've known each other for a long time and I've seen your beautiful journey for where you were, where you are right now. And then right before we started everybody, we had a little conversation about where she's going. So get ready for that. Going within her role. As the director of business development at DANB, because you've got big plans for that organization and we both know it's well needed in this industry.
Yeah, in this time. Tell me though, before we get started on the real conversation is how you got. introduced, what was your role in dentistry when you first got started? Why did you get in dentistry?
I know, right? Like a lot of dental assistants, it kind of fell in my lap. I was working for the dentist who lived across the street.
I was helping his wife babysitting. I was like 17 years old. And she must have raved about me because he offered me a job at his dental office. Leaning up at the end of the day, like he wanted to take care of his dental assistants and knowing everything that they do all the time. He hired me to come in and just clean the sterilization, cleaning the practice vacuuming, doing the front desk, making sure everything was taken care of so his staff could leave and go home and be with their families.
And from there it. Really became a deep love. I started jumping in different places and saying, oh, hey all, let me help clean your room. Let me show me how to do this. Show me how to do that. And I really fell in love with the patients and being helpful.
And I love to be active. So the activeness of being a dental assistant was also something that I, really enjoyed. And it just becomes a part of you. You can't get out. So I don't wanna get out, but. That's how I started and, that's the journey that I took in getting to where I am today.
My goodness. That is so cool. Couple things there. she saw something in you, and then he agreed it was something about your personality. And like, you know, we say so many things like, you know, we can teach some things, but we can't teach hard work. We can't teach, empathy. lines up with your strengths.
Now that I'm thinking about it 'cause restorative you wanted to help and you don't care what you have to do, but you wanna make sure that everything's right and, and that's why you loved it and came in. And then it's so interesting how. With assisting, you're helping the whole team. I think it's such a great profession and such a great role in the dental office.
As a hygienist, I always felt the assistants, you know, honestly didn't get their due for all what they do to make that practice run and make the care for the patients be pristine. Yeah,
Atia: you're absolutely right. The dental assistants are the heart of the practice. Mm-hmm. They kind of are the ones that make sure that everything runs smoothly and.
That's kind of what got me here to DANB and I am like, I feel like I'm home where it really is. A place where I wanna help grow the, the profession and really help it become a true profession. And not just the job that I thought I was getting when I was younger, but it really has helped me create a profession and grow in so many different ways in my life.
And as a dental assistant, I feel like that gives you the foundation of, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna learn confidence. In helping all the patients. I'm going to learn organization and structure and I mean, just the dental assistants do so much in the practice. It's a great place for me to be, to help. Like you said, my, empathy and my restorative, it really helps me use my strengths to, push the profession forward.
Anne: I love that because it needs to be, it is really mm-hmm. Something that, we can't do without. Our assistance. Mm-hmm. And just the level of appreciation and contribution is something that you're perfect to be at the helm because you've, been there at the, very bottom when you come in and you clean the office and then you go up to the top.
So excited about the profession and I'm excited about you being in charge and in the head of this growth as a business development, director For our assistants, but also Atia, I would say. You're all about having the assistants love the profession. Is that correct? Yeah.
Atia: Oh, a hundred percent.
And a lot of them do. And like at DANB, we've had dental assistants tell us, I wanna stay as a dental assistant, but I can't afford it. there's nowhere for them to go. They need to have different. Options. And so it's obvious in the industry, we all know that.
So it's exciting to be a part of what options can we give them? How can we help them grow? How can we help influence you know, the DSOs, the dentists, the different offices that they're in? How can we help? Influence them to allow the dental assistants to grow so that they can stay in the profession.
And, money's one of it. not getting recognized for what they're doing. Feeling overwhelmed that they just have so much to do and not enough time to take care of it. So all those different things that dental assistants are giving us feedback on, we get to take that feedback and then help inform.
Industry that this is what dental assistants are needing, this is how we keep them, because we all know that staffing's an issue. And so how do we keep the good assistance that wanna continue to grow in the industry?
Anne: That is so key. When you think about what's happening, it's really a disruption in the industry right now.
And I do think that there's a need to readjust, how we're paying. Everybody. even the dentist. and the patients need to understand these things, somebody's gotta help pay for everything in the dental office because it's expensive to run a practice.
to hire the team and pay the team that you have. And again. A dental assistants, They have to be smart, organized. They have to learn all the tools, I mean, the ins and outs of what happens with these procedures and be ready for multiple things. that's why you were hired because they saw that you were smart and you were efficient and you were, obviously, responsible.
But again, that's a great assistance. So we do have to show them there's somewhere to go. That it's not just like a dead end job. That's key, what you just said. So I'm excited for you to be able to share that knowledge and the reason behind DANB coming forward. In fact, tell us a little about your article.
for Dental Entrepreneur The Future of Dentistry, and it is in our spring edition. Ian McNichol is on the cover. And we want everyone listening to this to go back and read that edition. It's on the website, dental entrepreneur.com. But tell me a little bit about what you, wrote about in your article and what takeaways would you like our listeners to get today?
Atia: First of all, it was fun to be able to ponder back on my journey, and that's kind of what I focused on, was my journey through dentistry and how it really laid the foundation for me in my life to live the life I live today, which is I'm not just saying this, I know it seems really cheesy, but I really do live a life that I love and part of that comes from having that foundation as a dental assistant to be able to explore what that would look like.
So for example, starting as a sterilization specialist. Mm-hmm. At 17 years old. Then being able to put myself through college as a dental assistant and then from there. Work all the way around the practice to understand the ins and outs of what the dental practice and all the different roles in it and how it functions and the business side and the patients, and all those different things that you need to know to have a practice run successfully.
I got to learn all of that, and then from there, I was able to not work for a couple of years while I had my baby. But then I was able to lean back into the dental assisting and my confidence and my knowledge that I had something to fall back on. I was getting divorced and, I'm a stay at home mom. I've got this baby, and now what do I do?
But I absolutely knew I called the dental practice. I worked at and scheduled an appointment to meet with the dentist, and I walked in the door and it was written all over my face, they were just like. Come in. Aw, arms hugs right there, ready to be like, okay let's, do this. And they were ecstatic to have me back because of all the hard work I'd done before.
And that's what this article talks about is like what you can do in dentistry to create that solid base in your life. And then using that to lean into it as your life progresses as different stages of life happened. So after I went, back to work in the dental practice, my son got older and I needed some flexibility and they needed me in the practice.
So I was able to transition into working in corporate dentistry in a software company. And I had a little bit more flexibility there. So. Using my dental assisting career and in dentistry I was able to make that transition and it's just grown from there. You know, I went from one software company to another, and now here I'm at DANB, kind of back at the beginning, and I'm able to help show other dental assistants.
This is a great way to start and build a beautiful career that will help you build on top a beautiful life and having that stability of dentistry, dental, assisting, and that knowledge. Mouths don't change. Dentistry procedures might change a little. Products might change a little, but you have got that base and that foundation that you can use for the rest of your life,
Anne: so Oh my goodness.
Yeah, that's, just so encouraging. and funny a couple things like sterilization, so one of the. Most prominent women in my life to this day was our sterilization coordinator at the practice. I have been in, in Charlotte for, you know, a long time and she made such a difference in my life.
So I think sometimes we minimize what The outcome is for people that are gonna meet you in the dental office, whether you're doing assisting, you're the dentist or the hygienist, because you are going to be affecting people in your life. And, I think mostly when you go into dentistry, you, are caring, you wanna kind of give back.
And so there's that opportunity no matter what you're doing. kudos to you to get your degree. You know, again, if you're listening and you, and you want this, I mean keep learning, because that sets you up perfectly for this opportunity that you're having right now with DANB as far as your business acumen from college.
It goes back to that. And then don't burn bridges. You were such a hard worker where you were, they brought you back. It's like riding a bike in dentistry, would you say?
Absolutely. And then using all this, it's not a dead end job. It doesn't have to be what are some of the things that have helped you?
I know that you've, shown up for the do. Conference every year, you know? And that helps you with your networking. what advice would you give to somebody right now that's listening or they might have a neighbor's daughter that they see is that perfect person to come in, or a man, if it's for men and women, What advice would you give to somebody that's just starting their new career or they're going to be mentoring somebody, starting a new career in dentistry.
Atia: the advice I would give is be curious and be brave. Don't be afraid to go introduce yourself to someone and then just be curious, ask questions.
Get to know them. Get to know, like not just the dentistry park. Get to know them personally because when you build that foundation that relationship, that trust. Mm-hmm. You're gonna learn ways that you can solve problems and help people in their life. And you might not be the solution as an entrepreneur.
Your business or whatever you're doing might not be the solution, but you're helping them find the solution that they need. And you never know when you're gonna need to come back and ask for help from them, or when they know somebody that they can recommend you get help from. You mentioned that I have been at the DO retreats, which are phenomenal.
Highly recommend for anyone who's considering, please sign up. It is well worth the experience. And last year we were talking about masterminds and some women in my area have. a do mastermind from that, and we're able to build these relationships that we're now calling each other, Hey, I need some advice.
it's going back and forth and it, these relationships are foundational And they're in different areas of dentistry. So for example, one is a banker and one was a hygienist who worked at A DSO who's now becoming an entrepreneur. I mean, there's all different aspects. Mm-hmm. One's a dentist and we're able to like, I wonder what they would think about that and then call them and get real quality, reliable feedback.
Yeah. Or Hey, I need advice on this. What do you think? And it's all good advice. So. Be curious, be brave. Make relationships, get to know people. That's where you're going to find ways and avenues to grow. And in doing that, you're going to become not only a better mentor, if that's what you're doing, but also if you're trying to jump into dentistry, you're gonna be able to learn from people who are willing to help and they'll give you advice that's going to really.
How to pull you forward because they want to help you in that way. So
Anne: That's such great advice. First of all, dentistry is a relationship business, there's no doubt about that. the one thing I loved about do, and we're talking about this on Dental Entrepreneur, but when we started it, we just wanted to bring all career paths and that gave us an appreciation for all career paths, right? Because usually as a hygienist, we stayed in our lane of hygiene. Now I've appreciate dentists so much more by actually being in a, a mastermind with them, right?
Or in a community where you can be honest and also get feedback, Not only that, but just support because women love supporting each other. And especially you as a developer, you see that in restorative. You want to support the women that, you're tasked to support, which is, DANB.
And so I feel like, You were the best person for this job because you have such a love for assistance. And we definitely need to raise the bar for that profession. So they stay in it, they love it, they see opportunities. What else do you see the future for DANB and, your role
Atia: So the blessing and beauty of working at DANB is they really are focused on elevating the dental assisting profession. Part of that comes with education and qualifications and certification, the challenges is there's no uniformity across the states.
So. You could be working in one state and be on the border and wanna go to work in a practice that's across the state line and your requirements and what you have as qualifications might not overlap. we don't have uniformity and what a dental assistant does.
Part of that brings challenges in. What kind of qualifications do they have and can they do this? Can they do that? And so at DANB, what I'm excited about doing is we're trying to help. Create uniformity for dental assistant. Mm-hmm. So they know this is my career path.
I come in and I become an entry-level dental assistant from that entry-level dental assistant. I wanna get my CDA so that I'm certified and I can work across all the states. And then from there, a lot of states are, allowing expanded functions, which at DSOs this is huge. because associate dentists come in and do the dentistry and the dental assistants really are helping them see more patients do more dentistry. And like you said, the dental assistants really care. They're good at what they do, and so they're able to come in and take that same quality care of the patients with expanded functions.
Some of them, I wish that my state would've allowed this there. Doing the, fillings, the dentist will come in and prep the fill. The dental assistant comes in and fills 'em, and then the dentist comes back and does the occlusion. But those kind of things that advance a career helps a dental assistant feel like she's.
growing and also in doing more things, You know, you're gonna get more compensation, which also is exciting. So Dandy is setting up a clear path that states DSOs, anybody can adopt into their organization and really create that pathway for dental assistance.
We brought the workforce in from all different areas. We had 20 members on it. And those 20 members were from the a, DA A DSO. The A-D-A-A-A, a bunch of different associations, dentist hygienists, dental assistants, state boards and they created what's called our, professional model. And this professional model is essentially that framework of what would a dental assistant look like, what would those requirements be, and then helping, advance that in organizations or states or, creating that uniformity, but also focusing.
On making sure the patients are getting the best care because their team is qualified. So that's really what I'm excited for at Dandy is really helping elevate that dental assisting profession and creating that uniformity across all the different states.
Anne: Well, that's just gonna help the profession as a whole.
Mm-hmm. And it's almost like the seal of approval for a dentist that is, hiring a, an assistant. Like what kind of training have they had and the uniformity across the board, I think, that's very noble and I'm excited that you're at the head of this. is it a membership? Is Dan be a membership platform for assistance? Nope, it's certification. So if you're a dentist listening to this, or you're a hygienist, or whoever you are that is listening to this podcast, they need to reach out to you to find out how to get involved.
And find out what this looks like so that they can look at their team and see how they can support their team. How do they get in touch with you? Atia?
Atia: Thank you, Ann. So my email is a black, A as in apple, black, like a color at DANB. Like this here, DANB, DAN b.org.
Or look me up on LinkedIn, Atia Black and send me a message. I would love to connect. I'd love to get you more information. And believe me, your dental assistants want this. They want to learn, they want to get better. They want to know, even if, they're asking for more money. S great. I would love to give you more money.
Let's get you certified. Now you're not investing more money in a dental assistant that you don't know is serious about what she's doing. Yes. That's a, a really great opportunity is, hey, you want more money? Great. Let's get you certified to qualify for that raise. I would love to share any of that information.
We have educational products to help them so that they can, study and make sure that they know everything they need to know, and then sitting for that exam to get them certified and have those qualifications. Both of those are great opportunities to help your dental assistants not only become a better dental assistant, but then have the qualifications that they feel like.
They are valid and heard and understood and, having that place in the dental practice,
Anne: that is amazing. I hope everybody will reach out for that because that's so valuable. Thank you. And thanks for leading the fray here. I can't even imagine how valuable it would be to have an associate that's just getting out of a dental school to be partnered with an assistant that is certified, knows what she or he is doing, and can really make That team come together. That would give so much confidence to the new person on the team.
Atia: And you're not wrong, actually, I was just talking to a large DSO and that is their model. They have decided they want certified dental assistants because it's kind of a, recruiting tool for the associates to bring them in.
And not only do they have. A new dentist, but the dental assistant is, doing expanded functions they're getting as much as they can in getting patients into the chair. They're more efficient. so, the associates love working with a certified dental assistant, and that's why a lot of DSOs are starting to really adopt.
They love the professional model. They see the value of it, and they're like, okay, let's get this going. In fact, later today, I'm meeting with the DSO to, discuss a pilot program on getting them set up for. these certifications because it just makes sense. Like this is how we give better dentistry to our patients.
This is how we treat them better, and with the lack of staff and lack of, access to care. This is a great way to increase that in, you know, small ways, but sometimes those small ways make a big difference, so they sure do. You're not
Anne: wrong. Small steps, big gains, right? So, yes. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for this information today.
I'm learning every time I see you, I'm learning something new. So thank you. Atia Black for being on this, podcast today. And anybody, if you're listening, come to the DeW Retreat in November. It's, gonna be awesome in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's all on the DW Life website.
we'd love to have you sit at our table to grow and learn together. And then again, the most important thing for everybody listening is to keep doing you. Thank you so much and I'll see you next time. Att I'll see you at the next meeting on the road. Thanks Ann. You bet. Thanks for being with me.
