Green Dentistry: This is a Must Conversation

Green Angel Training for Dental Health Professionals

(Dentists, Hygienists, Lab Technicians, Administrative Staff, CDAs)                                                                                                                                                           

Learn about Health Promotion Theory (as distinguished from disease prevention, diagnosis or treatment), through sustainable best-practices, energy and water conservation and the potentially toxic ingredients that are in our patients' and in our own personal care products, cosmetics, home and office cleansers. 

Then use your knowledge to deliver your services sustainably and to educate your co-workers and your patients on the importance of environmental (epigenetic) health promotion. These important conversations will contribute to staff and patient health, retention, and new patient generation.

High Tech + High Touch = Because You Care!

One of the challenges in health care, in addition to prevention, is health promotion. Patient education is getting to the root causes of disease, while health promotion, as distinguished from disease prevention, is connecting your patients to information that inspires behavioral change towards optimum health outcomes.

Green Angel Training Dental Health Professional facilitates conversations that include your patients’ home, work and school environments as possible contributors to disease. The opportunity presented is to connect your patients to the role that their environment has to their health promotion, and for you and your team to connect to your patients’ personal living experience. 


Synopsis - 8 hours of online CE

                    REGISTRATION FORM

                    REGISTRATION FORM

This program is delivered through a series of videos, articles and a PowerPoint Presentation of applied "green dentistry" concepts that are designed to connect you to your patients, to earn their trust and to generate new patient growth by their word of mouth talk about your "green dentistry."

The Green Dentistry discovered here is an applied Behavioural Change Experiment and Health Promotion Theory that includes:

  • Behaviour - recycle, re-purpose, reduce, conserve, core values supporting purpose and co-diagnostic model

  • Design - skylights, air quality, patient flow, windows, plants, renewable construction materials, low VOC materials, etc.

  • Supplies and Sundry Items  - choose the most sustainable, locally sourced and low packaged items that are least toxic to our environment

  • Equipment - digital x-ray, impression and CAD/CAM manufacture, LED lights, dry vac, etc.

  • Diagnostic - lead in lipstick, mercury (tuna) in diet, toxins in toothpaste, soaps and lotions, cosmetics, etc.

  • Heart - because people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care; includes socio-economic determents of health


Learning Objectives

  • To motivate sustainability, health promotion, and prevention best-practices in your office, home, and community by making wise consumer and lifestyle choices

  • To identify and address current barriers in working effectively with patients around trust

  • To address key strategies in engaging your patients and staff in their future

  • To generate new patients from patient relationship-building

  • To reduce your operating costs and save your patients' money through awareness of ↓ Co2 emissions and ↑ environmental awareness

  • To provide practical, worksheet materials uniquely for patients and staff (team building exercise) to run their own Home, Office, or School Eco-Audit experience

  • Learn about a new expression in dentistry called the Health Promotion Theory

  • Learn how climate change and environmental factors are responsible for 25% of health issues

  • Learn how fear, stress, poverty, unemployment and social isolation are all barriers to health and are a contributing factor (45%) of dental disease

  • Learn about the silent pandemic of neurodevelopmental toxins and how more could be done about antibiotic resistance

Summary

  • Where are we? - Examining current social and environmental realities of our world
  • How did we get here? - By addressing the root cause of our current imbalance
  • What's possible for the future? - Discovering new ways of relating to one another and the Earth in this emerging movement for change

The Context and Why of Green Dentistry

     IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT

     IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The evolution of dentistry from a solo practice to the corporate model, MSO and DSO, is also the evolution from the individual to the group practice; single cell to multi-cellular. Now, in the 21st century the disconnect is that dentists are still trained in last century's model of individuals competing with each other towards their retirement. This is happening in the context of a world full of systems that are no longer supporting us sustainably; in a world whose carbon emissions are warming the planet, likely another 2 degrees in the next 15 years! If you knew your body temperature was going to go up 2 degrees in 15 years, how would you feel?

Does the modern dentist work his or her practice in a race toward last century's ideal of retirement or is there now a new context from which to operate - from one that's less about what's best for "me" for success, and more about what's best for "us" to survive with our communities and our environment intact. In 15 years you may not have anything to retire too because like rust, time and carbon never sleep...

This in a critical inflection point on which we are positioned, as our world around us is in full crisis.  Here is your opportunity to break with the status quo, challenging yourself to be "green" while living in a carbon-based economy.

"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

In the way of "Green Dentistry," you show your patients that you care by connecting your concern for our environment to your concern about them and their overall health, not just their oral health. This includes their socio-economic environment in addition to what gets washed down the drain into their physical environment.

What's your vision for our future?


Green Angel Training for Dental Health Professionals (Details)

Instructor – Dan Kingsbury, DDS - Advanced Green Business Management for Dentists; AGD-PACE Provider

Advanced Green Business Management for Dentists and Green Angel Training are formatted into CE Content designed for PACE Program Providers by the Academy of Dentistry. The formal continuing dental education programs of this program provider are accepted by the AGD for Fellowship, Mastership, and membership maintenance credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement. The current term of approval extends from 7/01/2016 to 6/30/2019. Provider ID: 305683.


Part 1 - Detoxifying North Americans - Patient Education and Motivation

AGD Subject Code 432 – Prevention/Toxins (Pediatric Dentistry)                                                Delivery Method – Self Instruction
Credit Hours – 2

  • Part 1 contains videos and articles to help you build your knowledge base about toxins found in products we use and consume every day, sustainable food choices, energy, water, and waste. This information can be shared with your patients, friends, family and colleagues to generate interest for patient safety and health, facilitate conversations for sustainability, and attract new patients with conversations that matter. It’s the conversation that counts.

Part 2 - Discovering your Core Values and Green Dentistry

AGD Subject Code  557 - Patient Education/Motivation (Practice Management)                          Delivery Method – Self Instruction
Credit Hours - 2

  • Identifying and sharing common core values
  • Identifying success metrics
  • Optional Telephone consult with Dr. Dan Kingsbury
  • PowerPoint presentation - Green Dentistry: This is a Must Conversation                              

Part 3 - More to Learn

AGD Subject Code 557 - Patient Education/Motivation (Practice Management)                        Delivery Method – Self Instruction
Credit Hours - 1                                                     

  • Foods – pesticides – indoor and outdoor air quality – plastics - GMOs
  • Toxins and chemicals in everyday products and ingredient lists
  • Check-lists – questions and answers on everyday chemical pollution  

Part 4 - Solidify your Knowledge

AGD Subject Code 550/557 - Practice Management and Human Relations                               Delivery Method – Self Instruction
Credit Hours - 3                                                     

  • CE Exam
  • Home/Office Eco-Audit

Course Cost

  • $59 CAD - by credit card for instant online access
  • $50 CAD - cheque or money order

 

All proceeds go to The Jellyfish Project, a coalition of musicians for our environment and our future, who educate youth on ocean sustainability, climate change and environmental stewardship.

Online Registration - Dental CE

Printable Registration - Dental CE


Dan Kingsbury, DDS

Listen, Learn, Share and Act

My Core Values:


1. Community
2. Integrity
3. Stewardship/Sustainability
4. Future/Creative Thinking
5. Team Work/Harmony


Dr. Dan Kingsbury practised dentistry for 20 years before a significant visual disability led to an early retirement. Re-inventing himself, he developed an online continuing education course for dentists on the business-side of dentistry, and co-founded the Dental Coaches Association.

Realizing that real environmental change has to begin with the children, Dan wrote a learning resource on environmental stewardship for grades 6-12, became a Suzuki Elder* and created the Green Angel Training Program, inspired by Lindsay Coulter, the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Queen of Green.”

Dan’s focus as a life coach is sustainability, green dentistry and dental practice management.

*Who are the Suzuki Elders?

Elders are one source of society's collective memory and we have a responsibility to share this in our words and actions as Suzuki Elders:

  • We draw upon our lived experiences to tell our stories
  • We consider how our work serves present and future generations, particularly the young
  • We champion the wise use and conservation of Earth's natural gifts and resources
  • We apply commonly accepted principles of sustainability and social justice
  • We use a realistic, positive framework

For a consultation, coaching, or to book a speaking engagement, contact dankingsburydds@gmail.com, or fill out the form below.

Dan Kingsbury, DDS Speaking Packet - .docx

Dan Kingsbury, DDS Speaking Packet - .pdf


Partners

All proceeds from the Green Angel Training Program are donated to our partner, The Jellyfish Project Society.

Please contact us if you are an organization that can see synergy with what we do.