Week in Review: Holding your team accountable | A-dec founder dies | Dental insurance changes

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

People often think that accountability means holding people responsible. True accountability, Dr. Roger P. Levin writes, is giving people the tools to help them develop as professionals so that they can do their jobs. Unfortunately, most leaders don't understand how to instill a sense of accountability in their teams. But if you desire to have a great team, accountability is key -- starting with you.

All of us here at DrBicuspid.com wish to extend our condolences to the family of A-dec co-founder Ken Austin, who died on May 1. Austin and his wife, Joan, founded the company in 1964 and built it into one of the largest privately held companies in dentistry.

Also this week, your patients are probably telling your team members or you that their dental benefits aren't as affordable as they used to be. Now data from a recent webinar back that up. In recent years, employers have begun shifting the cost of dental insurance and premiums to employees, making dental care increasingly unaffordable for working Americans.

Does periodontal disease cause systemic disease? What might seem to be a simple question with a direct answer actually has many shades of gray, according to periodontist Dr. Alvin Danenberg in his latest column. He writes that while periodontal disease is a focus of infection around the teeth, it may well have its origin in other areas of the body.

If you want to discuss any of our content or continuing education courses, our Forums are a good place to start. We appreciate the diverse nature of the comments and the direct feedback.