Page 13 - GP FALL 2010

AGD Benefits Give Members a Voice

Take advantage of all the resources and tools designed with Academy of
General Dentistry (AGD) members like you in mind, and you’ll be advanc-
ing your profession while you do!
If doesn’t have to take a lot to make your voice heard when it counts. But not more
Any time you speak up, you can make a difference for general dentistry.
Share your opinions with your state and federal lawmakers on matters that than you deserve.
impact your profession through Capwiz, the AGD’s online advocacy tool,
available at www.capwiz.com/agd. The more you participate, the stronger
our voice becomes for the best interests of general dentists and their
patients. Or, get involved in shaping the future of the AGD by answering the B.C. Szerlip Insurance
AGD’s call for Volunteer Leaders. Apply online at www.agd.org/gover-
nance/cfvl today for a local, regional, or national leadership role. Agency has specialized in
You also can strengthen the voice of general dentistry by keeping your supporting the practices of
patients informed! The AGD offers convenient tools to help, including per- health care professionals for
sonalized oral health fact sheets on a variety of topics that help keep patients
up-to-date on the latest information. These fact sheets are automatically cus- almost 30 years. And now,
tomized with your office information so you can print them for distribution or the health care industry’s
embed them into your website. The AGD’s interactive customer web portal, trusted source for top-rated
www.KnowYourTeeth.com, gives patients a fun and easy venue for accessing
all kinds of information on oral health, which helps to improve treatment malpractice, office property
acceptance, decrease cancellations, and improve office visits. and liability coverage also
If you have questions about more ways to strengthen the voice of general offers general business and
dentistry through member benefits, please contact the AGD Membership
Services Center at 888.AGD.DENT (888.243.3368) or membership@agd.org. personal insurance.
Using our industry-wide
Advocacy in New York State contacts, we offer the most

comprehensive coverage at
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) makes sure that general dentists
can speak up when it matters the most. That means monitoring the issues the best possible rates, and
and relaying the facts so that our members can unite their voices on leg- provide insight that allows
islative and regulatory activities that affect their practices. Read on to find
out what’s happening in New York State. you to make informed
decisions. In fact, we
New Bills in New York maintain our partnership

On April 13, 2010, the New York legislature introduced two bills that, if passed, with our clients three times
will affect the dental team. The first, AB 10638, authorizes a limited permit to longer than the industry
hygienists to practice dental hygiene for a period of one year, although it may
be renewed for an additional year. The bill requires that hygienists practice average. It’s no wonder
only under the personal supervision of a licensed dentist. The second bill, AB why–we operate with
10649, would require quality standards for dental prosthetic devices and for ethics, not profits, as our
disclosure of the manufacturing location of such devices.
first priority.
Although Align Technology Inc. announced in April that it has dropped the
patient case start quota from its 2010 Invisalign Proficiency Requirements,
the New York legislature is not ending its fight against manufacture-enforced
quotas. On April 26, 2010, SB 7614 was introduced to prohibit manufactur-
ers from enforcing patient quotas on dentists for selected dental treatments.
Insurance. Experience. Confidence.
Preventing Early Childhood Tooth Decay
A bill recently introduced in New York could help dentists in the fight against 732-842-2020
tooth decay in young patients. SB 8014, introduced on May 28, 2010, insurance@bcszerlip.com
requires manufacturers or importers of baby bottles and sippy cups to pro-
vide a label to warn about the potential for early childhood tooth decay from www.bcszerlip.com
such products.

www.nysagd.org | Fall 2010 | GP 13