Alumni Weekend: ALDA, ALDPAC & MFYS

On February 7-8, ALDA leaders and staff attended the UAB School of Dentistry Alumni Weekend in Birmingham. ALDA, ALDPAC and our More for Your Smile campaign were featured at the Exhibit Show. Thank you to the many ALDA leaders who volunteered and helped make the weekend a success!

Our insurance reform campaign booth was all the buzz during Alumni Weekend

ALDA Hosts "First Bite" Event for D1 Students

On January 23, hosted a "First Bite" Meet & Greet event for D1 students at the UAB School of Dentistry in Birmingham. During the event, ALDA President Dr. Bob Jones, ALDA Executive Director Michele Huebner, and UAB School of Dentistry Dean Dr. Nico Geurs discussed the importance of organized dentistry and encouraged students to get involved in our More for Your Smile campaign.

The dental students enjoyed a catered meal while networking with their peers. During the event, students participated in door prize drawings for the chance to win cash prizes as well as a variety of gift cards.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event! The future of dentistry in Alabama is very bright, and we look forward to hosting our dental students again soon at our Senior Celebration event in May.

On January 24, ALDA leaders hosted and facilitated the 2025 Ethics Seminar at the School of Dentistry. Small group discussions with D3 and D4 students tackled real-world ethics discussions the students could potentially experience in their future practices. Thank you to those who served as facilitators during the seminar to help guide and educate our future dentists!

Dr. Phillip Fortner Awarded Life Membership 

Dr. Phillip Fortner of Rainsville was recently awarded Life Membership for his dedication as a longtime member of the Alabama Dental Association.

Life Membership is awarded to a member of the Alabama Dental Association who has been a member for 30 consecutive years or a total of 40 years.

Dr. Fortner has been a member of the American Dental Association and the Alabama Dental Association since 1991. Congratulations, Dr. Fortner.

In Memoriam: Dr. Thomas W. Weatherford, III

Longtime ALDA member, Dr. Thomas "Tommy" W. Weatherford, III, passed away on January 30, 2025, at the age of 94. Dr. Weatherford was a member of the Alabama Dental Association for over 60 years.

Dr. Weatherford began his career teaching histology in the Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. He then attended UAB, where he earned his D.M.D. and M.S. in Dentistry. After completing his periodontic residency at UAB and serving as a NIH Teacher Trainee, Dr. Weatherford went on to have a successful career at UAB as both a teacher and researcher. He served on faculty from 1962 until 2012, when he was named Professor Emeritus by the UA System Board of Trustees. In 2016, he was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame.

UAB School of Dentistry Dean Nico Geurs stated: "Touching many lives, Dr. Weatherford's teaching responsibilities included the didactic and clinical aspects of the first professional degree and advanced education programs of dental students, dental hygiene students (preceptor and degree) and graduate students in the clinical specialty programs. His teachings were pure, and he served as a mentor for many. In fact, throughout the years he contributed to the education of most dentists and hygienists practicing in Alabama. Dr. Weatherford used his time with us well and his teachings will live on in those whose lives he touched. We have lost a great man and like many of you, I have lost a good friend and mentor."

Visitation and viewing were held on Saturday, February 8, 2025, from 12:00-1:00 pm at Johnson Funeral Home in Monroeville, Alabama. A funeral service with eulogies followed at 1:00pm at the funeral home. Following that, a public interment was held at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliska, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the UAB School of Dentistry or Convoy of Hope, both online.

The Alabama Dental Association offers its sincerest condolences to the Weatherford family.

2025 Ski and Learn Seminar

We are counting down the days until the Ski & Learn Seminar returns on March 13-19, 2025, at the Big Sky Resort in scenic Big Sky, Montana. We would love to see you there!

Click here to view the full speaker line up. Bring your family, friends, and/or team members for this opportunity to learn and connect. We can't wait to see you on the slopes!

Renew your ALDA Membership!

Renew your ALDA membership today and stay connected to your dental community!

Pay your 2025 membership dues online or call the ALDA office at (334) 265-1684 to pay by phone. Click here to pay your 2025 membership dues now!

The ADA offers a free contract analysis service that provides members with a plain-language explanation of the insurance provider contract terms to allow them to make informed and independent decisions on the merits of the contract. The analysis is not a substitute for legal advice. The service also provides analysis of certain dental management service organization agreements. Members can utilize the service at no charge by submitting an unsigned contract and an analysis request through their state dental society. To learn more about the Contract Analysis Service, and for other dental insurance contract resources, go to the Support on Dental Insurance Contract Issues page on ADA's website.

The ADA also offers resources to help members navigate employment-related contracts such as an e-book on employment agreements and articles on getting the contract you deserve, compensation basics, negotiating your salary, and general negotiating tips. Further resources related to DSO contracts are also available.

If you have any questions regarding the Contract Analysis Service, please reach out to Maria Reyes at reyesm@ada.org.

Make Your Practice Truly Accepting and Welcoming for All

Neurodiversity Training: Sensory Sensitive Dentistry will empower your practice to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care for neurodiverse patients. You will learn how to create a welcoming environment, manage patients’ anxiety and much more. After completing this Online Course, a partnership between the ADA, KultureCity and Sensodyne, you can apply for Sensodyne x KultureCity® Sensory Inclusive™ Certification and be featured in the searchable KultureCity® App to let patients know you’re prioritizing sensory sensitive care. 6 CE credits.

First U.S. Standard Issued on AI in Dentistry

The first-ever U.S. standard on artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry has been developed by the ADA Standards Program and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

ANSI/ADA Standard No. 1110-1:2025 presents standardized criteria for annotating and collecting data from 2D radiographs to classify the images and use them in clinical decision-making, including image analysis associated with machine learning or deep learning. Along with the new standard, the ADA has also released ADA Technical Report No. 1109:2025 “Evaluation of Dental Image Analysis Systems Using Augmented Intelligence/Artificial Intelligence.” These resources were developed to help dentists utilize AI safely and responsibly in clinical practice, and in conformance with the profession’s ethical and professional obligations.

A summary of these new ADA documents is presented in this ADA News article. To read the documents, click here.

Implementation of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Requirement to Access Alabama Medicaid Interactive Web Portal

Beginning in December 2024, the Alabama Medicaid Agency (Medicaid) will implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requirements when accessing the Medicaid Interactive Web Portal. This process will be conducted in phases based on web portal user account type. Upon Interactive Web Portal login, selected enabled user accounts will be prompted to complete MFA setup.

Users will be required to download and set up a Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) MFA program of their choice to a personal computer (PC) or mobile device. For your convenience, Gainwell Technologies has included a list of MFA mobile applications (apps) that can be installed at no charge:

•  Microsoft Authenticator
• Google Authenticator

For steps to install and use a MFA program on a PC desktop, please contact your local system administrator and/or Information Technology (IT) department. Click here for more information.

ADA Calls for EPA to Appeal on Fluoride

The ADA and 12 other groups are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to appeal a court ruling for the agency to further regulate the fluoridation of public water systems. The group said in a coalition letter that the ruling reflects a “fundamental misunderstanding and misapplication of the prevailing scientific literature on the safety of fluoride and community water fluoridation.” Community water fluoridation has been hailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, the coalition said. Read more here.

Dental Sound Bites Invites Dentists to Do More with AI

On the final episode of Dental Sound Bites season five, innovation strategist Shawn Kanungo deciphers the Wild West state of artificial intelligence and how dentists can take advantage of the moment. Discover AI’s strengths and weaknesses, how you can make AI usage a habit and how you can streamline your practice’s everyday tasks.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, in the ADA Member App or see the video version on YouTube.

 

Sign up to receive up-to-the-minute text messages from the 

Alabama Dental Connection

Sign Up for Text Messages