For those of you who made to trek to San Antonio--the second-largest city in Texas and the seventh largest city in the United States--for the recent ADA Annual Session, I hope you had a good time along the Riverwalk.
I know I enjoyed my time "deep in the heart of Texas," and certainly came away with some information about new products (as well as a few pounds from all of the Mexican food I ate).
A few things that stood out to me about the ADA show:
1. Hats off to the ADAA staff for another great meeting. I sat in on part of the educational session, including when representatives of ADAA, DANB, and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) talked about the collaborative efforts occurring among these groups. I hope that some of the things discussed in that room actually become reality, for the betterment of all dental assistants.
2. The annual ADAA Foundation fundraiser was fun again this year, with an auction raking in a nice amount to support ADAA functions throughout the year. I had the pleasure of seeing dental assistant friends from Texas, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, California, and other states during the function. It's great to be able to connect with old friends and hear what's going on in various locations around the country. It really does encourage me to see the steps being taken to give dental assistants more reasons to be proud of their careers. Lois Parento, president of the California Dental Assistants Association, shared with me the items recently signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger. I'll share those with you in the next issue of DAD.
3. Traffic on the show floor seemed a little light, but the exhibit hall was huge to say the least (isn't everything bigger in Texas?). I did a bit of surveillance at a couple of booths where I knew dental assistants would stop by, and I'm glad to say that it appears they were treated well. It is always my hope that booth personnel treat dental assistants with the respect they deserve. I plan to do a little more examining at the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM).
4. If you're looking for new products to be launched, look for them to come out at the GNYDM and Chicago Midwinter Meeting. They seem to have become the new product shows while the ADA Annual Session seems to be the product information and networking meeting.
If you have any thoughts on the ADA Annual Session, I'd love to hear them. Just drop me a line at Kevin Henry.
This is our first issue working with the ADIA, so my heartfelt thanks to Lynn Mortilla and her compatriots for helping us in this partnership. Be sure to check out the implant articles in this month's issue, and keep watching for the implant section in each issue of DAD.
Don't forget to answer our one-question bur survey, as well as fill out our salary survey if you haven't already. We'll publish the findings in the November issue.
Have a great Halloween, and be sure to thank and remember a veteran as we draw closer to Nov. 11. Read on, this is your e-newsletter!
