Heartland Dental, Concorde Career Colleges break ground on co-branded campus

Heartland Dental and Concorde Career Colleges have broken ground on their first co-branded dental training campus in Fort Myers, Fla.

Concorde Career Colleges launched a partnership with the DSO to open campuses for hygienists and dental assistants in August. As part of the deal, Heartland Dental is funding the construction and providing scholarships to students. 

The Fort Myers campus will train up to 190 hygienists and dental assistants each year.
Concorde Career Colleges announced the groundbreaking in an April 8 LinkedIn post. The campus is expected to open later this year.

 

Announcing Three 2025 Continuing Education Lectures / Hands-on Workshops Presented by Corky Willhite , DDS, FAGD, FAACD 

If you would like to join Dr. Willhite for his popular Ultimate Esthetics Course, we invite you to join us at the Center for Esthetic Excellence in Chicago this May 15th & 16th for his 2-day lecture and hands-on workshop called “Ultimate Esthetics with Composite: The Basics of Layering to Advanced Techniques." There are a few spots left, and this course will be a deep dive into how to achieve more natural results with composite resin. You will learn a practical and predictable layering technique that you can incorporate into your daily practice to make your composite restorations look natural and beautiful. 

 Dr. Willhite will also be teaching a few more courses at the Center of Esthetic Excellence in 2025: “Composite Bonding for Smile Makeovers: Designed for Accreditation Case Type 5” on September 24-26, 2025 & “A Simple, Predictable Technique to Open VDO, Change Occlusion, & Build Long Lasting Cosmetic Restorations” on November 13-14, 2025. 
 To learn more details about what will be covered in each course or to register, you can use the links below: 

1. • “Ultimate Esthetics with Composite: The Basics of Layering to Advanced Techniques,” on May 15-16, 2025 Master Anterior Composite Restorations - Cosmedent 
2. • “Composite Bonding for Smile Makeovers: Designed for Accreditation Case Type 5” on September 24-26, 2025: https://www.cosmedent.com/product/composite-bonding-for-smile-makeovers-designed-for-accreditation-case-type-5-1/ 
3. • “A Simple, Predictable Technique to Open VDO, Change Occlusion, & Build Long Lasting Cosmetic Restorations” on November 13-14, 2025.  https://www.cosmedent.com/product/a-simple-predictable-technique-to-open-vdo-change-occlusion-and-build-long-lasting-cosmetic-restorations-1/

 If you have any questions, please contact Erika Heier at either erika@cosmedent.com or 
1-800-837-2321

Delta Dental of Washington and Dentistry.One Partnership Offers Virtual Dental Care

 

New Service Helps Address Barriers to Care; Provides 24/7 Service for Dental Emergencies

A new partnership between Delta Dental of Washington and Dentistry.One, a virtual-first dental care solution introduced by MouthWatch, LLC provides a virtual dental care option for more than 4 million Delta Dental of Washington members. 

Through this partnership, Delta Dental of Washington members gain 24/7 access to Dentistry.One’s suite of virtual care services, including live video consultations, asynchronous photo reviews, and AI-powered SmileScan™, which utilizes artificial intelligence to track a patient’s oral health. 

Members also benefit from a nationwide network of expert dentists, including eight dentists located in Washington state, and dental hygienist care advisors, offering tailored advice and seamless coordination of in-person care when needed, including evening and weekend appointments for dental emergencies. 

After a virtual care appointment, Dentistry.One will share the member’s oral health report directly with the member’s preferred dentist, if they have one. For those without a dentist, Dentistry.One can assist with identifying a nearby dentist and with scheduling in-person appointments as needed.

"Our partnership with Delta Dental of Washington represents the future of oral healthcare – seamless, accessible, and patient-centered," said Brant Herman, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of MouthWatch and Dentistry.One. "We’re excited to offer Delta Dental of Washington members an innovative benefit which makes accessing care easier than ever, enhancing member engagement, and keeping members healthy. Dentistry.One is designed to meet the evolving needs and goals of oral health, by delivering a new standard that improves member experience and outcomes while connecting more members to care." 

“This partnership amplifies Delta Dental of Washington's decades-long commitment to innovation and dental care equity,” said Diane Oakes, Chief Mission Officer of Delta Dental of Washington. “Partnerships like this move us closer to our goal that everyone can enjoy good oral health with no one left behind – including many rural communities where dental care resources are scarce.”

By combining Delta Dental of Washington’s mission to remove barriers to health care and improve overall health with Dentistry.One's virtual technology and ecosystem of services, the collaboration provides new access to care. For patients managing chronic health conditions, this means easier access to dental services which can significantly improve their overall health outcomes. 

“Through our virtual consultations, we can identify potential oral health issues before they become serious, offer immediate triage, and coordinate in-person care, when necessary,” said Dr. Derek Weigand, a dentist at Dentistry.One. “For populations like diabetic patients or expectant mothers, this proactive approach can be truly life changing." 

To learn more about the partnership and see if you are eligible, visit https://www.deltadentalwa.com/virtual-dental-care.

About Delta Dental of Washington
Founded 70 years ago by Seattle area dentists who set out to revolutionize oral health care, an innovative program was developed to provide longshoremen’s children access to dental care – and the concept of dental benefits was born. Today Delta Dental of Washington, a not-for-profit, is the state’s leading dental benefits provider covering nearly 4 million people statewide and beyond.

Through corporate philanthropy, oral health advocacy, and funding the Arcora Foundation, Delta Dental of Washington plays a vital role in making dental care more equitable and accessible, increasing dental health education with an emphasis on youth, and expanding diversity at all levels within the dental profession. These collective efforts aim to improve oral health care in Washington so all people can enjoy good oral and overall health with no one left behind. Delta Dental of Washington is part of the Delta Dental Plans Association, consisting of 39 independent, affiliated member companies. For more information, visit: www.deltadentalwa.com. 

About Dentistry.One 
Dentistry.One was created to break down the barriers that prevent millions of people from accessing the dental care they need. Our vision is to make dental health accessible to everyone, unlocking the significant health and cost-saving benefits that come with a healthy mouth. Through telehealth, Dentistry.One provides dental care to the 60% of the population who don’t regularly visit a dentist. Offering anxiety-free online consultations, personalized care coordination, and seamless care coordination, Dentistry.One empowers patients to take control of their oral and overall health. To learn more, visit https://dentistry.one/. 

The Technology Evangelist Podcast is coming Soon!

 

In my first post here of 2025, I mentioned that I was thinking about starting a podcast.  Well, since that post I've been hard at work.  There's a lot that goes into putting a podcast together.  A lot of the work is on the 'backend' post-production.  For me, talking is easy... sometimes too easy... but my point is that, for me, content is easy to create.  The time consuming and sometimes difficult part is creating the content.  It's the backend part that will be more difficult.

That's why I'm grateful that I'm partnering with Medidenta Digital on this.  They have the experts and the expertise to put this all together into a digestible form for the audience.

We've just about got the whole process ready to go.  In the not too distant future I'm going to start interviewing guests and then getting that content out to all of you.  I know the graphic for this post says "Register here to Watch or Listen for free", but our content isn't live yet, so there's no link to follow.

However, the moment it *does* go live, I'll let you know.  There will be a post about it here and I'll also push it out on my social media channels.  That way no matter where you follow me, you'll know when you can subscribe.  I'm super excited to be wrapping up the planning and details stage and moving forward to letting you watch and listen.  So be patient just a big longer and then I'll get you all the details.  I promise to bust my backside to give you pertinent, interesting, and fun info.  Let the games begin!

CareQuest Institute Reacts to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin’s Statements on Fluoride

So, once again a post on the fluoride controversy.  Sometimes I plan a theme for a few posts, but this week that wasn't the intention.  It's a simple matter of the news being the news and since this is an issue that really impacts the profession, I reordered the queue of posts to make sure these were going to be seen.  Unfortunately, I don't know how much longer this issue will carry mainstream news interest, but I hope it doesn't fade quietly away.  I worry about lower income folks not seeing the benefit of fluoride.  However, as I've stated previously, I believe in democracy and the concept of majority rule.
 

    April 8, 2025 (Boston, MA) – CareQuest Institute for Oral Health®, a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system today issued a statement regarding U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide and EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin’s announcement that the EPA, which oversees water quality, will also “take action”. 

CareQuest Institute Senior Director of Policy Melissa Burroughs issued the following statement:  

“Decades of research have proven that at safe and optimal levels, fluoride is safe and plays a critical role in preventing tooth decay and promoting good oral health. Efforts to remove it from public water systems–like those recently proposed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and already enacted in Utah–ignore this well-established science and risk worsening our nation’s oral health crisis.  

 “These actions come at a time when 70 million Americans lack dental insurance, 23 million face potential cuts to Medicaid dental coverage, and recent HHS layoffs have scaled back vital oral health programs at the federal level. As a result, our nation is at risk of losing critical layers of protection for basic oral health access. Without these programs and infrastructure, the US could see a sharp rise in not just dental disease, but also preventable conditions linked to poor oral health — including diabetes, hypertension, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. As this administration works to make America healthier, we need solutions on oral health that continue to make improvements and address challenges posed by recent changes.” 

RFK Jr. says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water

 

It's sometimes strange how the news cycle works.  This is the second post this week about fluoride and adding it to municipal water systems.  This post is short, because all of the real information is in the lnked story at the bottom, but it for sure is something you need to be aware of.  

My post this past Monday was on the ongoing fluoride controversy and my feelings on that.  However today's post is about a news item.  Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr had a press conference on Monday.  He was in Salt Lake City celebrating the recent law passed in Utah that bans fluoridation in any municipal system in the state.

While there, he announced that he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide.  It was also announced Monday that the EPA is reviewing the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.

You can read all of the info on a pretty informative article on the Associated Press website.  

Dandy Launches The 3-Appointment Smile Makeover — A Breakthrough in Digital Aesthetic Dentistry

Some interesting info today from Dandy.  This definitely bears checking out... 

Dentistry’s first all-digital workflow delivers predictable, patient-approved results, while saving dentists’ valuable time

Dandy, the leading fully digital dental lab, has launched dentistry’s first end-to-end aesthetic digital workflow, “The 3-Appointment Smile Makeover”. The new offering enables dentists to deliver predictable aesthetic outcomes without the inefficiencies of traditional labs.  

Aesthetic cases, such as veneers and anterior crowns, can be high-pressure. Dentists need to ensure that patients are confident in the process and delighted with the outcome. Given their complexity, these cases require constant two-way communication and data transfer between the dentist and the lab. Today, no dental lab offers a streamlined workflow for aesthetic, multi-appointment cases, and much of this communication is done via email, phone or text messages, leading to disorganization, lost files, and unpredictable results. 

Dandy’s 3-Appointment Smile Makeover offers a novel solution to an industry-wide problem. It enables dentists to go from temporaries to final restorations in one connected, predictable workflow. Dentists can scan, order, and communicate with the lab, all within Dandy’s fully-integrated software. There’s no need to reference previous smile designs, scans, prescriptions, or shades, as all patient and case data is in one place. 

Dentists can also allow patients to test-drive their new smile with lab-designed provisionals and then perform a Temp-Reference Scan, capturing the approved temporaries with any adjustments that Dandy will use as the blueprint for the final design. This important feature ensures the final restoration fits, functions and looks exactly as the patient expected.

The 3-Appointment Smile Makeover has three simple steps:1. 

1. Consultation 

Order a Physical Wax-Up + Matrix for the next appointment.
Digitally modify and approve the wax-up design before production. 

2. Smile Test Drive

With the Matrix, temporize the patient using lab-designed, aesthetic provisionals.

Perform a Temp-Reference Scan with any chairside adjustments for a precise digital blueprint of the finals.

Approve the final design with Dandy’s seamless Design Preview.

3. Deliver the Perfect Final Restoration

Predictable fit, function, and aesthetics—no surprises.

Streamlined workflow eliminates errors and unnecessary lab back-and-forth.

Give patients the confidence of a truly life-changing smile.

The 3-Appointment Smile Makeover is just the latest innovation from Dandy, which is committed to delivering exceptional quality dental lab services and practice experiences at affordable prices, through digitization.

“For too long, dentists have had to deal with inefficient lab workflows, constant design revisions, and unpredictable results,” said Ben Licht, Anterior Crown and Bridge Product Owner at Dandy. “The 3-Appointment Smile Makeover changes everything. Now, every dentist can confidently deliver life-changing aesthetics with a simple, fully digital workflow—without the frustration of endless lab back-and-forth. This is the future of cosmetic dentistry.”

“This workflow provides such a huge level of ease and predictability that any dentist can now deliver stunning anterior cosmetic dentistry,” said Dr. David Sherberg of Bayway Dental in St. Petersburg, Florida. “Amazingly, it’s all embedded in the Chairside software we already know and use.”
Dentists can adopt the 3-Appointment Smile Makeover digital workflow in their practice by visiting meetdandy.com/get-started and signing up today.

About Dandy
Dandy is building the modern operating system for the North American dental office. Dental practices partner with Dandy to work with a state-of-the-art intraoral scanner, always-on expert guidance, and the industry’s only fully digital dental labs, all operating seamlessly together through Dandy’s proprietary portal. Dandy empowers dentists with technology, innovation, and world-class support to achieve more for their practice, their people, and their patients. With unparalleled quality, efficiency, and experience, Dandy makes the business of dentistry pain-free. To learn more, visit meetdandy.com or follow along on Instagram @meet.dandy.