The DMD Top 5 for the Week Ending September 8, 2017

Employment law in dental practices, new hires, and dental contracts: These stories are among the most popular on our website this week. Catch up on what you missed while you were filling cavities.

1. When Looking for New Hires, Take it Slow The people you hire can make or break the success of your practice. No one knows this better than Dr. Anne Marie Gorczyca, whose book "Beyond the Morning Huddle- HR Management for a Successful Dental Practice" outlines a hiring process to optimize your results. Continue below for more of Gorczyca's hiring advice.

2. Employment Law: Dentists Can't Afford to Ignore It With everything loaded onto a dentist's plate, it's easy to neglect your regulatory responsibilities. While you may not face any immediate consequences, financial and legal consequences could be right around the corner. Continue below to see what attorney Ali Oromchian advises regarding employment law.

3. Q&A with Dr. Edward Alvarez: How to Market Cosmetic Services, Part I

Social media’s amplification of visual aesthetic bodes well for dentists. With so many young people looking to perfect or simply improve their smiles, opportunities to attract new patients abound — but so does the competition. Whitening is a service offered at almost any dental practice, so how can you make your practice stand out? Dr. Edward Alvarez, DDS, specializes in all things cosmetic dentistry. Keep reading for his advice on marketing your whitening services.

4. Dental Contracts Can Make or Break an Associate's Dream Just because finances prohibit you from opening your own practice fresh out of dental school, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dream. This second of a two-part series examines the dental associate contract from the perspective of the incoming associate. What’s in the contract, and just as importantly what’s not, can make the difference in achieving your dream.

5. AGD Survey Shows Americans Unclear about Wellness Checkup Benefits According to a new Academy of General Dentistry survey, many Americans are unaware that oral health is part of their overall health. Out of a sample of more than a thousand adults, a shocking 50 percent of participants reported that they don't view dentist as prevention experts, and more than 20 percent do not have a general dentist. For more figures from the AGD survey, continue below.