Do you need more Continuing Education Classes?

Coastal Cascades Dentist Society E.D., Nissa Newton

This is the time of year when many of you are looking to renew your licenses and will start digging through CE Certificates. You may discover that you need more CE than you thought. So, In addition to our hybrid Human Resource class on March 12 , I thought I would share a few other resources that could be helpful.

The Oregon Dental Association Winter Webinar Series has one more class left this month: Preparation & Management of Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office. It is at 8 am on March 14^th. Here is the registration link.

The American Dental Association offers a lot of online classes and currently have over 300 courses available. Even though they are not free, ADA members get a 34% discount, or members can get a subscription and get one year of access to these classes for $199.00 https://engage.ada.org/store/1/index/2

There are companies that also offer FREE online classes and give CE, although they typically promote their products on some level. You can reach out to your favorite vendors and ask them if they offer any online CE options. A lot of them do. Here are some companies that I am aware of that offer online CE credits:

Solventum (formally 3M Healthcare): https://3mdentallearning.com/training.asp

GC has a lot of free online on-demand webinars. You sign up and become a free member when you select a class. https://www.gcdentalcampus.com/en/webinar/on-demand/

Colgate has a lot of online webinars: https://www.colgateoralhealthnetwork.com/webinar/

PM Dental Protect currently has 3 free dental courses available online: Strategic Risk and Compliance Planning for 2026: A Year-End Review for Healthcare Professionals [Dentist] 1 HR CE,The Rising Cost of Risk: Healthcare Professional Liability in 2025 [Dentist] 1HR CE, and Communication Under Pressure: Self-Assessment and De-escalation [Dentist] 1 HR CE. Registration information is below:

Getting Started with ProLearn: Access Your Complimentary Education

Welcome to ProLearn—where we Protect, Empower, and Educate healthcare professionals. Our complimentary content is designed to support your professional growth while helping you navigate today’s evolving clinical, ethical, and risk management challenges. Accessing your education is simple and seamless. Follow the instructions below to create your account, log in, and begin learning—on your time, at no cost. ProLearn delivers trusted education that protects your practice, empowers your decisions, and supports your professional success.

1. Create an account at: https://pmpro.cehouselms.com/new-user

2. Enter information to create an account.

3. On left navigation pane, navigate to Dental Courses. Select course content and Click Enroll. Courses you

have enrolled in will now show in "My Courses."

4. In "My Courses", click on course to be completed.

5. Read course instructions and then click on the "Course Materials" tab.

6. For course content, complete Exam and Evaluation to obtain Certificate of Completion. For article content,

no exam or evaluation is required. No certificate will be offered for review of the article content.

7. To view course certificates, navigate to "My Courses", to "Completed", and "View" certificates. Certificates

can be downloaded and printed or saved to your device.

Questions? Contact Dr. Julie Goldberg at julie.goldberg@pmuw.com for assistance.

Advocacy regarding proposed revisions to: OAR 818-042-0040.

There are two ways you can actively advocate for scaling dental assistants. One way is send a letter to the Board of Dentistry advocating for scaling dental assistants. The letter would offer reasons that you are supportive and request that the Board not support revising the rules prohibiting scaling dental assistants, and instead take time to study and consider it. Another way to get involved is to join the ODA Regulatory Advisory Committee (RAC). This is the committee charged with studying these policies and issues and reporting back to the Board of Trustees, making recommendations on what to do and how to proceed. The Board of Trustees approves the legislative agenda. You could also submit a letter and materials to the RAC explaining why you support it. The ODA Board of Trustees and staff would benefit from hearing from members about how scaling dental assistants will benefit them and their patients. Letters can be emailed to the Board of Dentistry's Interim Executive Director, Haley.Robinson@obd.oregon.gov. Below is a link to a letter template opposing revisions.

Letter Template Opposing OAR 818-042-0040 Revisions

Do you have an issue or some thoughts for legislation that you believe ODA should pursue in a future session? Please complete this form to let us know! Interested in getting involved in the legislative process? Join ODA's Legislative Action Team! For any questions related to advocacy, contact Brett Hamilton, Oregon Dental Association's Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at (503) 218-2010 ext. 2002, bhamilton@oregondental.org

How Dental Practices Can Use SEO to Attract the Right New Patients

By Kayla Mauldin, Founder, Firelight Marketing

Former dental professional with 23+ years of industry experience

If you’ve ever wondered why some dental practices seem to stay consistently busy while others struggle for visibility, the answer often comes down to one thing: how easily patients can find—and trust—the practice online.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, plays a major role in how potential patients discover dental offices today. But SEO is often misunderstood. It’s not about “gaming Google” or stuffing keywords into a website. At its core, SEO is about clarity, credibility, and accessibility.

Congratulations to this Year's Award Winners: Dr. Ivan Paskalev & Linda Eichner

Dr. Paskalev received the 2026 Dental Service Award for his extensive volunteer work across many local organizations. Linda received the 2026 Public Service Award for her many year's of service at Eugene Dental Clinic.

Oregon Dental Association Benefits

American Dental Association Benefits

ADA responds to HHS request for information on AI adoption in dentistry

Emphasizes rural practices, nonmedical device clarity.

“Despite the potential benefits of AI, adoption across dental practices remains uneven, particularly among small and mid-sized practices. Adoption decisions are most influenced by practice owners/clinical leadership, in coordination with IT/informatics, compliance/privacy, and legal/risk management, especially when regulatory status is unclear. The need for such coordination places undue burden on small and rural practices,” the ADA said.

Read Article on ADA Website

Urgent! Integrated Family Dentistry is looking for a dental hygienist to cover on March 16, 17 & 18. Additionally, they are looking for a hygienist for two days a week, with days and wages negotiable. Contact drmercedesdelvalle@gmail.com for more information.

Dental Practice Deal of the Year in NE Portland, OR (ORD190) Immediate opportunity with seller willing to work back 1-2 days per week. Currently working 3 days per week and 2 Saturdays per month. Location near St. Vincent Providence Hospital, I-84 and I-205. Approximate average annual EBITDA is over $220,000, about 40% of collections. In-network with some PPOs and 65% is OHP. $562,000 average collections last 3 years. 6 ops, 5 equipped. $230,000 asking price. Contact Megan Urban at 503-830-5765 or megan@omni-pg.com for more information. Lic.#201221407 (Omni Practice ID: ORD190)

Ideal South Salem, OR Practice and Building for Sale (ORD188) Desirable South Salem neighborhood. Updated space and equipment, 7 ops, 2 front-office areas, 26 on-site parking spaces. Strong hygiene department producing 29% of office total. Great personal/work experience as dentist works 28 hours per week and about 177 work days per year. CBCT, CEREC, Dentrix. Excellent opportunity to step into a popular, quality practice treating families for decades. Contact Megan Urban at 503-830-5765 or megan@omni-pg.com for more information. Lic.#201221407 (Omni Listing ID: ORD188)

Profitable Dental Practice and Building for Sale in The Gorge, Oregon (ORD187) Tremendous opportunity to step into a successful and profitable hygiene-driven practice. Growth potential as most OS, endo, removable and surgical implants are currently referred out. 4 ops and room for more. Collections over $1.0M. Live and work in the beautiful Columbia Gorge area. Practice includes updated office building with four ops and plenty of room to add more. Building includes plenty of parking. Contact Megan Urban at 503-830-5765 or megan@omni-pg.com for more information. Lic.#201221407 (Omni Practice ID: ORD187)

Associate Dentist Position in Lincoln City, OR (ORD185) Great opportunity for part-time associate, starting 2-3 days per week. Current dentists are producing $8,000 to $10,000 per day. Averaging 38 new patients per month. Contact Megan Urban at 503-830-5765 or megan@omni-pg.com for more information. Lic.#201221407 (Omni Listing ID: ORD185)

Caring Hands International will have the Benton County free dental clinic on Sunday, April 12th, and needs dental hygienists, dentists, and dental assistants. It will be at the Benton County Fairgrounds Auditorium from 8:30 am to 4 pm. Interested professionals can sign up at https://form.jotform.com/242850492820154.

St. Vincent de Paul Request for Donation: St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is looking for a donation of a dental chair to be used at our Schlies Resource Center (SRC), which serves homeless adults. The SRC is located next to SVdP’s Lindholm Center and Eugene Service Station on Hwy 99. The SRC provides an accessible clinic and workspace to several of our community partners, who offer medical, housing, and public health services to homeless clients. With a dental chair, we can look for a provider of free dental services for our clients. If you have an unused dental chair or are planning to replace a chair, SVdP could use that chair

to help our clients who need primary dental care. Contact: Annetta Forrer, Grant Writer

Annetta.Forrer@svdp.us 541-521-8133.

Volunteer Opportunity: Dental Professionals Needed!

The University of Oregon Pre-Dental Club is partnering with the Med Advance Suturing Station to offer a dental-specific suturing session for students. What is Med Advance? Med Advance is the University of Oregon’s annual pre-health conference, designed to give students hands-on exposure to careers in healthcare through interactive stations and workshops. We are seeking a dentist to lead this station. All materials will be provided; your expertise is all that’s needed!

Who can help: Dentists (or dental specialists)

What you’ll do: Guide students through dental suturing techniques in a hands-on session

When: February 28th, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Where: University of Oregon

We would love a dentist to help demonstrate proper technique and guide students through the hands-on portion. Your involvement would be a meaningful experience for our pre-dental students!

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Erika Holder at dental@uoregon.edu.

More Information About Med Advance Event

Whitebird Dental Clinic Update

Here at White Bird Dental Clinic, we provide restorative, comprehensive, and hygienic

dental care by appointment, Monday to Friday. Insurance we accept: OHP/Trillium,

Private Insurance, CAWEM Plus/OHP Open Card, Salud. For those who are uninsured,

we offer a sliding scale fee based on income, ensuring that everyone has access to

quality dental care. We also provide free interpreter services to all patients. In addition,

we offer an emergency walk-in clinic that operates on Mondays and Wednesdays, and

bi-weekly Fridays starting at 7:30 AM, ready to support individuals with current tooth

pain.

We’d like to note that we take pride in our partnership with Arizona School of Oral

Medicine, OHSU, and Lane Community College, providing us with dedicated dental

interns who are here to provide exceptional care while gaining invaluable clinical

experience! We also run a sealant clinic within the Bethel School District, every fall and

spring. To conclude, we are deeply grateful for the support and donations from our local

dentists, which empower us to continue offering affordable dental care to all. We take

immense pride in the dental care that we provide for our community!

Thank you,

White Bird Dental Clinic

Coastal Cascades Dentist Society appreciates our Sponsors: Columbia Bank Healthcare (Platinum) and Digital Systems Integrators, LLC (Silver)

We are happy to have Business Associate Member partners:

Coastal Cascades Dentist Society

Executive Council 2025-2026

President: Mercedes Del Valle, DDS

Secretary: Ivan Paskalev, DMD

Treasurer: Travis Alcorn, DDS

Past President: Matthew Bahen, DMD

Directors at Large:

Mariya Costa, DMD

Kent Burnett, DDS

Executive Director: Nissa Newton

The Coastal Cascades Dentist Society is the professional organization for dentists in Lane, Benton, Linn, and Lincoln Counties in Oregon. CCDS invites interested dentists to become members of this dynamic organization. We are an active and welcoming chapter committed to the highest standards of practice; providing continuing education and networking opportunities and promoting community service.