Side by Side - Summer 2015 - 2


From the Editor

Shannon Pace Brinker

F

Fellow Dental Assistants,

or more than 23 years, I have had the pleasure and privilege to
be a practicing dental assistant, lecturer, and educator within
our profession. During that time, it has been exciting to witness
all of the new and expanded roles and responsibilities that so
many of my dental assistant colleagues have chosen to embrace. It has
also been amazing to experience the ways in which Henry Schein supports
and values dental assistants as integral members of the dental team.
That is why I am honored to introduce this premiere issue of Side by Side,
a newsletter exclusively for you-the dental assistant. It features practical
and relevant content written specifically by, for, and about dental assistants,
including products and techniques that could help them to elevate their
skills and professionalism throughout their career. And it is all based on
the experienced perspective of your peers.
The synergy we hope to create through Side by Side is unprecedented,
and it recognizes the many ways that dental assistants support dentists and
their patients in achieving successful treatments, experiencing efficiency
and comfort, and maintaining excellence in oral care. As dental assistants,
our work sets the foundation for many treatments,
and we are closely involved with patient care. We
consistently apply our skills and talents to properly
and expertly prepare patients and dentists for
procedures and to ready the dental equipment and
materials that enhance the treatments we collectively
help to provide.

recently identified dental assisting as the No. 1 best job for people under
25 years old, it is more important than ever for dental assistants to
continuously elevate their skills and seek professional certification. You
can learn more about the importance and significance of Dental Assisting
National Board (DANB) certification in this issue's article featuring Cindy
Durley, president of the DANB.
Moving forward, each issue of Side by Side will remain dedicated to creating
synergy among dental assisting professionals. We will strive to accomplish
this by showcasing professional excellence and sharing information about
products, techniques, and continuing education opportunities that enable
dental assistants to enhance their skills and enjoy a fulfilling career. To share
your thoughts and perspectives in an upcoming issue, please contact us
at sidebyside@cpsmagazine.com.
On behalf of everyone at Henry Schein, thank you for your continued pursuit of
dental assisting excellence. We hope you enjoy this first issue of Side by Side.
With warm regards,
Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, CDD, ACE

About Shannon Pace Brinker

Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, CDD, ACE, is
a practicing dental assistant, national and
international speaker, and published author.
She is the CEO/Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary
Product Solutions, a consultant for many
dental product manufacturers, and a past
faculty member of The Dawson Academy and
Spear Education. A 1994 graduate of the dental
assisting program at Bowman Gray School of
Medicine, Shannon is the first auxiliary to serve
on the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Board of Directors. For three consecutive years
(2009-2015), Dentistry Today included Shannon
among the Top 100 Clinicians, and she has also
been named by Dental Products Report as one
of the 25 most influential women in dentistry.
In addition, she was named Dr. Bicuspid's
Dental Assistant Educator of Year in 2012.
For information about Shannon's continuing
education programs for dental assistants, please
call her at 757-285-9477
or e-mail her at shannon@cpsmagazine.com.

Therefore, it is not surprising that our duties inherently
find us striving to stay abreast of product and material
developments, in addition to tracking and ordering
inventory. And that is also why I am so excited to be
working with Henry Schein to deliver Side by Side.
It is a timely resource designed to help you decide
which products and resources would be best for
your own practice based on the experiences and
objective evaluations of your colleagues. It is also an
educational medium for reinforcing or introducing
proper clinical techniques. For example, this issue
introduces several products for chairside use and
also presents considerations for properly trimming
provisional restorations and ensuring ideal rubber
dam isolation. And at a time when Forbes magazine

IN THIS ISSUE

STAFF:

2

From the Editor

Editorial Production: Jeannine Gambuzza, Maureen Knott, Donna Lowe

3

Continuing Education

Creative Services: Candice Chadwick, Mike Khederian

4-5

Featured Products

6-7

Professional Growth

Copy Editing: Carol Block

8-9

Product Review

10

What to Wear

11

The Press

Send address corrections and all correspondence to:
sidebyside@henryschein.com
© 2015 Henry Schein, Inc. No copying without permission.
Not responsible for typographical errors.

WWW.HENRYSCHEINDENTAL.COM * SUMMER EDITION 2015

2
http://WWW.HENRYSCHEINDENTAL.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Side by Side - Summer 2015
