Winners of the Great Practice for Dental Assistants to Work award announced

Nine dental practices were selected to receive the Great Practice for Dental Assistants to Work award, which celebrates outstanding dental practices and clinics that prioritize dental assistant recognition, satisfaction, and professional growth. 

Dental assistants are valuable, high-contributing members of the dental team, as research on the Financial Impact of Dental Assistants shows. The Dental Assisting National Board and the DALE Foundation created this new award in summer 2024 to recognize the dental practices and clinics that foster supportive and fulfilling environments for dental assistants. 

The winning practices receive a plaque to display and a $250 gift card to host a staff party. 

2024 Great Practice for Dental Assistants to Work award winners

 

Practices and clinics were nominated by their dental assistants and the applications were evaluated by a panel of judges working in dentistry, including two dental assistants. The award was highly competitive, with hundreds of applications received from across the country. 

The dental assistants who nominated their practices and clinics highlighted the factors that make their workplaces so enjoyable and rewarding.  

The winning practices all prioritized dental assistants and the dental team by encouraging positive work/life balance, fostering team camaraderie, providing opportunities for dental assistant career growth and development, and offering wages in line with or above other practices in the area.

In addition to the nine winners, 30 practices and clinics were named as runners-up.

2024 Great Practice for Dental Assistants to Work award runners-up

Ai Orthodontics, Emmaus, PA Mott Children’s Health Center, Flint, MI
Alaska Center for Dentistry, Wasilla, AK Mountain View Family Dental, Mesa, AZ
Appletree Cove Dental, Kingston, WA
 Paradox Dental, Indianapolis, IN
Braces and Smiles, Queens, NY
 Pederson Family Dental, Walker, MN
Community Health Center of the North Country,
Canton, NY
 Samuels Sinclair Dental Center,
Providence, RI
D Dentistry, Reno, NV
 SKS Orthodontics, Fayetteville, NY
Dartmouth Dental, North Dartmouth, MA
 Sunnybrook Dentistry & Braces, Jackson, MS
Dental Care of Baltimore, Randallstown, MD
 The Children’s Dental Center, Somerville, NJ
Dr. Brian P. Rask, Pompano Beach, FL
 Thundermist Dental, Woonsocket, RI
El Paso VA Healthcare System-Dental Clinic, El Paso, TX
 Timber Kids Dentistry, Klamath Falls, OR
Halonen Dentistry, Battle Creek, MI
 UI Health Mile Square Dental, Chicago, IL
Jack Ollason Family Dentistry, Albuquerque, NM
 Union City Oral Surgery Group, Union City, NJ
Kissing Camels Family Dentistry, Colorado Springs, CO
 Wichita Dental Group, PA, Wichita, KS
Maverick Smiles, Mauldin, SC
 Wilkinson Dental, Springfield, MO
Modern Dental of Durham, Durham, NC
 Yuma Dentistry 4 Kids, Yuma, AZ

 

Research shows that dental practices and clinics that value their dental assistants by offering competitive wages, benefits, work/life balance, and a positive team culture reap many rewards, including reduced turnover, increased productivity, and higher patient retention.  

The Great Practice for Dental Assistants to Work award celebrates the dental practices and clinics that excel in all these areas and are places where dental assistants love to work.