Who is ClearChoice?
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
November 1, 2016
Volume 7, Issue 11, November 2016
Page(s): p. 53
ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers are locally owned and operated by dentists, and they are part of a professional affiliation of implant practices operated by oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and restorative dentists across the United States. ClearChoice dental technicians work onsite with the clinician and staff using advanced technical skills to construct sophisticated implant prosthetics. The majority of ClearChoice patients can have their implant procedure in one day, without additional bone-graft surgery, and may leave the office with a provisional prosthesis in place. The clinical team and the dental technician work together to provide this all-in-one care under one roof.
Starting Your Career with ClearChoice
Whether you are a student beginning your career in the dental laboratory or a seasoned technician looking for a change, the ClearChoice network’s team approach and career options provide employees with an unmatched growth path. When looking for talent, Scott Adams, Senior Director of Dental Services, looks for three main characteristics: dental IQ, technical skills, and growth potential.
“We score their résumés based off a system and questionnaire specifically designed for ClearChoice,” Adams says. “Once a candidate is scored and meets the scoring threshold for an interview, we bring them in for a one-day ‘hands-on’ working interview involving single-arch implant setups.”
Based on that interaction, Adams is able to score the candidate to determine if he or she is trainable and has the potential to become a valuable part of the ClearChoice team.
A Personal Account
Marc Glatt, Lab Manager in Rockville, Maryland, was managing the removable department of a local dental laboratory a few years ago when he began to observe a decline in business and decided to start monitoring ClearChoice’s job board. It had been 24 years since he had last interviewed for a job, and he was unfamiliar with full-arch implant treatment, but Glatt took a chance.
“The center was literally a 15-minute walk from my current job at the time, and a position became available so I applied for it,” Glatt says. “Even though I was terrified, I completed the two-day working interview, and passed by the second day. I was offered a job that afternoon.”
Glatt says he could not ask for a better working environment.
“The culture at ClearChoice is amazing,” he says. “It is a combination of extremely serious, intense attention to patient care and lots of laughter and camaraderie.”
Life at ClearChoice
ClearChoice laboratory technicians enjoy a four-day work week with several paid vacation weeks each year, plus annual training events.
“Every person is treated as a critical part of the team,” Glatt says. “We are encouraged to be thinkers and innovators. There is an air that we are doing something cutting-edge and life-changing.”
Typical days in the laboratory include setting up try-ins, surgery cases, investing, processing, conversion of surgical arches, and handling resets and model work while patients wait.
“Working for ClearChoice is an entirely new type of laboratory work,” Glatt says. “As removable technicians, we have an incredible amount of satisfaction virtually every day while working side-by-side with prosthodontists and oral surgeons who treat us with the utmost respect.”
The culture at ClearChoice is values-based, with a strong emphasis on teamwork, trust, and making an impact in changing patients’ lives. The culture supports the sharing of ideas across the network; the national laboratory team is referred to as a “tribe.” The laboratory leadership team consists of some of the most talented and skillful people in the business field, adding support and an even stronger foundation of communication and understanding.
“From a laboratory standpoint, we have never had stronger leadership from the executive positions down to our center managers,” Adams says. “We share best practices across the network and offer training on leadership skills to help our managers communicate better with their teams. You can feel the positive energy across our network as we continue to learn and grow together.”
Glatt is glad to be a part of it.
“Working at ClearChoice has changed my life,” he says, “and I have never been happier.”
