"For the dental industry to flourish, and the field to grow to meet the high demand for quality, affordable oral care, Aspen Dental must prioritize mentorship as a consistent part of the approach to professional development,” said Arwinder Judge, DDS, Chief Clinical Officer of Aspen Dental.

This philosophy is behind the company’s investment in the professional development of their doctor owners and dental teams. It’s this focused approach to professional development and commitment to digital technologies that is fueling not only personal and professional growth, but also the success of the more than 900 independently owned Aspen Dental offices nationwide that are supported by The Aspen Group (TAG).

Networking and continuing education have always been key components of the success of Aspen Dental. However, the company is now formalizing the professional development offerings designed to attract dental professionals who wish to grow their skills and enjoy successful careers as practice owners. This unique journey, which combines traditional classes with a strong emphasis on mentorship, is being spearheaded by Andrew De La Rosa, DMD, a former practice owner who is now Vice President of Clinical Support at Aspen Dental.

Mentorship Makes a Difference

Dr. De La Rosa is the perfect example of an Aspen Dental success story. After leaving dental school, he went into private practice and, after feeling underwhelmed by the professional growth offered by that experience, joined an Aspen Dental practice as an associate. He worked for several different practice owners, learning from each of them and noting their unique ways of running the practice. “I had a few very good mentors when I was an associate,” he said. “They each helped me grow in certain ways and, after six months as an associate, I was relocated to take an opportunity to run my own practice.”

Dr. De La Rosa went on to open six successful practices and won the 2019 Aspen Dental Doctor Mentorship Award. He is now spearheading the company’s New Doctors Journey program. “I had many up-and-down challenges as a new doctor, but thankfully had a large support structure set up from my operation team relationships. From these mentor relationships, I learned how to build teams, train teams, and how to maintain a culture in the practice,” he explained.

Once he had several Aspen Dental practices under his ownership, Dr. De La Rosa’s role changed and he became more passionate about helping his associates grow so they could launch practices of their own. “We do a lot of live training programs here, and we strongly emphasize a peer network because we so passionately believe that both having a mentor and training is so important,” he said. “What makes the Aspen Dental experience so advantageous is the incredibly big network we offer to our doctors, which facilitates quicker learning and ultimate success as a practitioner.”

Carefully Crafted, Designed for Success

The New Doctors Journey program was strategically built to combine traditional learning with the experienced mentor relationship, which has turned out to be extremely effective. The program’s philosophy is shaped in part by personal experience.

Dr. De La Rosa explained that when he was working in private practice, fresh out of dental school, his training was limited to when the tenured doctor was in the office, which was only a few days a week. The rest of the time, the young doctor was on his own with just a small team for collaboration.

After he joined Aspen Dental, Dr. De La Rosa had hundreds of dental friends who were “in it with him,” and the shared communication, networking, and training was like a “never-ending dental school.” He found that environment to be very supportive and instrumental in his success.
In developing the New Doctors Journey, the goal was to introduce new doctors into the Aspen Dental culture, thereby setting them up for success within the organization.

Dr. Judge noted that professionals engaged in mentor-mentee relationships have someone to help chart a meaningful, motivating career path while redirecting discouragement, providing support, and inspiring creativity and innovation. “These are the fundamentals that drive culture—and culture is driving recruitment and retention initiatives that are critical to the longevity and capacity of the dental industry to meet patient needs,” he said.

At Aspen Dental, both mentoring and teaching strategies are leveraged to ensure that doctors feel supported at every level as they grow their skills and careers. Dr. Erum Hussain, dentist owner in Eugene, OR, is among those who have benefited from this strategy. She previously worked in private practice, but realized that her clinical skills were not growing as quickly as she had hoped. She wanted to learn more and grow as a clinician, but lacked a support system. At Aspen Dental, Dr. Hussain said she feels empowered. She said she now confidently performs clear aligner therapy while also restoring and placing implants.

“I am looking forward to mentoring graduating doctors and helping them understand all the tools they have at their disposal to expand both their clinical knowledge and their leadership skills,” she said.

Professional Growth Is Never Static

The process behind the training and mentoring program is to present an evolving curriculum that provides the necessary tools for doctors to be successful in their Aspen Dental practices. The pace of learning is timed to provide sustained learning at a manageable pace. For example, doctors just coming out of dental school haven’t yet learned the subtleties of case presentation and treatment planning that increases treatment acceptance and patient compliance, so that is an early initiative within the program.

Dental schools offer limited training in the art of making dentures, but seeing a great need for such services among its patient base, Aspen Dental has placed much focus on the skill set of designing and fabricating dentures and other prosthetics. Another focus topic is new patient demands. Because it is common to see multiple new patients each day at an Aspen Dental practice, the doctor and support team need to know how to manage their time correctly, build productive schedules and audit them, and make sure they’re prepared to meet those demands.

The first four weeks of the New Doctors Journey involve exploration of those topics and adding layers of complexity week by week to facilitate real learning. “We focus on and know what training is really going to make an impact on the new doctor joining the organization,” Dr. De La Rosa said. “Our goal is to set them up for success.”

Over time, as the new doctors hone their newer skills, topics are added based on where they are on their learning journey. While many of the topics cover clinical areas such as crown and bridge, clear aligners, implants, or preventive care, the training also has a substantial leadership component. This includes building and managing the team, practice culture, and growing from single- to multiple-practice ownership.

From the start of training, the mentor relationship is also established. Each new doctor is paired with a seasoned mentor, working side by side during the first two weeks of training. This mentor relationship evolves so that new doctors at Aspen Dental have a support system to help drive their success.

“My dad and brother are both dentists, but as a woman I wanted a mentor who understood my additional roles as a mother and wife, and how that would impact my growth path,” said Dr. Elizabeth Himel. “I wanted a mentor who was dynamic at handling these roles and was also a great business person and clinician.”

Dr. Himel came to Aspen Dental in 2019 as a managing clinical director and, under the guidance of her mentor, became a practice owner by 2021. She is on track to own multiple practices in the coming year. Dr. Himel also received training on how to mentor other dentists and is excited to help new doctors achieve their career goals. Before joining Aspen, she considered private practice and other organizations but chose Aspen Dental because of the support and culture. “I continue to stay and grow because I see that the world is your oyster here. We are so cutting-edge with so many learning opportunities,” Dr. Himel explained. “Nowhere else would I be owning my practice, placing implants, doing clear aligners, offering digital dentures, and be the successful doctor I am, as fast as this happened. It’s very accelerated, and I’m excited to have all these opportunities, including the chance to mentor other doctors.”

It’s that kind of enthusiasm that is so meaningful to the management team. “At Aspen Dental, we aim to leverage both strategies of professional development and mentorship to complement each other and ensure our doctors feel supported at every level to grow in their skills and careers,” said Dr. Judge.