Ed Rabinowitz

Captain Ben Salomon, a commissioned dental officer, served in the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division, during World War II. He was recommended for the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in defending wounded soldiers under his care on Saipan on July 7, 1944. Fifty-eight years later, he became the first dentist to receive the award.

Dentists are many things, but you cannot call them boring. As pillars of their communities, they become close to their patients and have a gift for remembering birthdays, family milestones and even patients' favorite toothpaste flavors. Our contributor put together a list of the most charismatic dentists around the United states, so continue below to see if you or a friend made the list.

If you've been overlooking the setting up of a compliant record storage system, it's time for a change. Recordkeeping violations can be costly both from a monetary standpoint as well as with respect to human capital. Understanding both Federal and state compliance regulations is imperative. Continue below to see best practices and suggestions from our experts.

Some heroes wear capes, but this one sports a lab coat. Dr. Michael Teitelbaum is not only helping restore confidence to his patients through cosmetic dentistry, with his passion for learning, he is helping patients with sleep apnea wake up refreshed for the first time in a long time. Continue below to learn more about Teitelbaum's accomplishments and advice.

Sexual harassment continues to be a common issue in businesses large and small. A lack of awareness and training helps foster an environment where harassment and discrimination are not only tolerated, they are often accepted as part of the culture. Luckily, creating a safe and healthy work environment for your employees is not complicated. Read below to learn more.

In today's visual generation of selfies and social media, people are increasingly cognizant of their smile. Cosmetic dentistry is the beneficiary to the tune of $2.75 billion spent each year. But before simply integrating cosmetic dentistry into your practice, understanding the aesthetics is critical. Continue below to learn more.

If you are struggling to recruit younger generations as patients, you may not be reaching them through the proper channels. In the age of digitized marketing and disappearing newspapers, utilizing social media to promote your practice is no longer optional. Not only can effective social media marketing save you the money that was once used on print ads, but it can bring in a whole new set of loyal clients. Read on to learn about how millennial women in particular are changing the market.

Life does not always stick to the plans we have for it, and no one knows this better than Lauren McDonough. The Aspen Dental owner aspired to be a world traveler, but after careful consideration, chose a career in dentistry, where she combines her passions for photography and writing with her desire to help others. Continue below to learn about McDonough's journey.

Greg Vigoren says that patients are his passion, and he has pioneered the use of digital magnification photography and lifetime cavity prevention for children. Now he is spreading the word on why basic X-rays are a thing of the past while learning everything he can get his hands on. Continue below to find out about this pioneering dental professional.

Success in business is often based more on whom you know rather than what you know. When building a successful referral-based dental practice, fostering relationships with those constituents, whether patients in a general practice or general dentists for a specialty practice, is key. Continue to know more about the specific strategies for building referrals.

Though selling your practice may be a long way away, PMA Practice Transitions president Matthew Scherer says putting of plans can hurt the value of your practice. To ease the transition and maintain or even increase the value of your practice, Scherer recommends developing a business or succession plan early on. At least several years prior to retirement is optimal, he said. Learn more about cash flow, managing overhead and examining fees below.

For individual practices, serving Medicaid patients can be challenging, frustrating and not cost effective. But the economies of scale combined with a wide range of support as part of a DSO can help dentists make a difference. Dale Mayfield, chief dental officer at Kool Smiles, knows how meet those challenges head-on. Read on to learn more about how to make Medicaid work for both you and your patients.

Growing up, Texas dentist Jayesh Patel's passion for working with his hands and helping others was sparked by his parents. Now, a father himself, Patel has not forgotten the value of giving back to the community. Armed with his dental tools, an endless supply of energy and an abundance of compassion, you can find Patel offering free dental services to those in need. Read on to learn more about Patel's efforts to make dental care accessible to as many people as he can.

Depending on state laws and practice work policies, requiring your dental practice employees to clock out whenever they go on break could be problematic. The legal implications of clock in and clock out times can carry more risks than may appear on the surface. Understanding the ins and outs of employee hours could help avoid costly lawsuits and maintain employee morale.

Mobile dentistry isn't just another ancillary service that can be brought into a practice to supplement revenue. It's a commitment–”but when done right, it can be both a clinically and financially rewarding experience.

Music is therapeutic, and not just for patients. Sargon Lazarof, D.D.S., says at the end of a stressful day, there's nothing better than strumming his guitar and singing. It helped pay his way to an undergraduate degree, and now it's helping his patients.

Millennial dentists are growing up quickly and changing the face of the industry. With a focus on technology and patient experiences, they've issued a challenge to older more established dentists: Adapt, or get left behind.

Are you sending out claims daily? Do you have the right people in the right seats? Those might seem like simple questions, but unless your answer is 'Yes' to both, you may not be maximizing your accounts receivable collections.

Joanne Rief, D.D.S., has been practicing dentistry for 31 years. But it never gets old, especially when it comes to returning smiles to her patients' faces. And it doesn't matter if she's treating patients in her Maryland office, or on the Galapagos Islands. Rief is a purpose-driven dentist who does not shy away from hard work.

If you've ever had someone answer your phone call and immediately place you on hold, you know how patients often feel: neglected, and overlooked. Don't overlook the value of the phone when it comes to recruiting new patients and retaining existing ones. It reinforces the human connection that people crave.

Dentists are well-positioned to help patients with obstructive sleep breathing, however, if they're thinking adding appliance-based therapy to their practices will create another profit center, they need to think again. Experts say effective sleep therapy happens when dentists commit themselves to being properly educated on the condition. It also requires collaboration with physicians, something that hasn't happened historically in dentistry.

After several years of lower expectations, dentists once again are opening their checkbooks to make investments in overall practice health, according to a recently released survey from TD Bank. That's a reflection of the overall optimism dentists feel regarding revenue growth in the coming years. About two-thirds of respondents said they expect their practice revenue to grow in the near term.

According to Pat Little, D.D.S., F.A.G.D., C.F.E., embezzlement can affect between 3 and 5 percent of a dental practice's revenue. Little knows a thing or two about that, and he has dedicated himself to helping dentists avoid pitfalls that can lead to fraud and embezzlement. Unfortunately, when it comes to dental practice embezzlement, it's often more senior employees that you need to keep an eye one, Little says.

The best way to continually build positive reviews is to directly ask patients for them. That means building relationships and providing a high level of customer service so that patients have a willingness to post those reviews. Over time, this approach will yield more positive reviews that will block out any negative reviews your practice may have received.

Are you giving your patients the optimum dental experience? Metrics aside, happy patients are retained patients, which improves patient flow. And that's one of the best indicators of a successful practice.

When Emily Letran, D.D.S., says she has seen it all, she has. A native of Vietnam who came to the U.S. in 1981, Letran rose above the death and destruction she experienced as a child, and today helps other dentists realize their full potential.

Approximately 10 percent of a dental practice's overhead is tied up in lab costs. Partnering with the right digital dental lab can be a boon or a bust when it comes to affecting that debt percentage. Gary Kaye, D.D.S., F.A.G.D., explains how building a strong business relationship with your dental lab will save you money in the long run.

Does your dental practice have a social media presence? Is it well managed? It's no longer sufficient to simply put up a website and expect to attract new patients, or retain current ones. In today's information age, content is key. So is keeping your patients engaged.

Ever heard of a dental summit on a mountain biking trail? If that caught your attention, then you'll want to learn more about Technology on the Rocks, which combines recreation with continuing education to help dentists make educated technology decisions to benefit their practices. Its host, Larry Emmott, D.D.S., has made it his professional mission to help dentists incorporate technology into their practices.

Maximizing your reappointment, or patient recall system, can have a significant impact on practice productivity and revenue generation. Robert Lipschutz, D.M.D., provides an overview of integrating an effective patient recall system into your dental practice. Having an automated system in place, he says, will save time for your front-office staff, and provide patients with more useful reminders about upcoming appointments.