“If we could join forces”: Q&A with Lauren Bursell of Best Dental Help

Lauren Bursell, RDA and owner of Best Dental Help, has been in the dental industry for almost 40 years. With a passion for preventing oral disease in children, Lauren sat with Delta Dental of Washington to talk about why she started Best Dental Health, the joys and challenges of leading a school-based oral health program (SBOHP), and ways the entire dental community can work together to create meaningful, lasting change.

What inspired you to get into the dental industry, and why a school based oral health program?

You could say my lifelong career in dentistry started when I was 7 years old, when I was chosen to manage the toybox at my uncle's dental practice. As I sat in my high school graduation years later, I realized I didn’t know what I’d be doing next – as in, that following Monday – as no one in my family had yet been college bound. That weekend, I saw an ad for Bryman College of Dental Assisting, and I thought “I could do that on Monday.” So, there I am. I completed my Coronal Polishing certification and became an RDA (Registered Dental Assistant) in California. I was then in small practice, large practice, multi-location, practice, specialty practice, all of it! Except for academics. But as I watched my husband – who was a teacher – I realized I too wanted to have the same impact he had.

So, I went off to university as an adult, working full time to become a teacher- four years of undergrad and then two years post-grad for credentialing. I was totally committed, though when I had a classroom to myself – just me and my second graders – I had a full-blown panic attack. The enormity of the responsibility to shape these young people hit me – like, “if I blow it, I could ruin kids’ lives.” At the time, I was still working for this dentist (whose wife was a teacher) and he said, “Lauren, I can’t imagine my practice without you. I’ll match above your compensation package to keep you.”

And so, I stayed! I’ve assisted and managed practices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and now Washington. When I moved here, I took an opening at an oral health nonprofit that brought my career path full circle. It was the beginning of combining all experience – assisting, teaching, and consulting – to teach oral health to kids while applying the philosophy of private practice into the nonprofit space. Once I was ‘biten by the public health bug’, I realized a new path was ahead of me. I have a true love and respect for private practice – it shaped and fulfilled me for years – though I quickly realized there was a deep need for more nonprofit oral health organizations. When I opened Best Dental Help, I didn’t think I could do it – I thought there wouldn’t be enough demand or too many hurdles. Though as I formed my team, I quickly learned how much schools wanted this type of programming for their kids. Seven years later, we’re still growing – and grateful to be a positive and essential part of so many kids’ oral health journeys.

What would you say is the most satisfying part of your job?

For me, it’s working to fill the holes of our industry or foster passion with the next generation to step into these and come up with bigger, brighter, more efficient solutions.

For example, for 50 years we’ve been talking about medical dental integration. There’s good effort and good faith, we just haven’t made great strides. but it's just not where we need to be 50 years later. I think dentistry as an industry has lost a little bit of its human connection. It's very factory-oriented – which isn’t a bad thing, because it efficiently reaches more people. But I hear more patients express their dentist-patient relationship is becoming more distant. I know many dentists prioritize their relationships as much as they can – and understand the reasons why they sometimes can’t as much as they’d like to. As I’ve got a community-based program, I find it really satisfying to have the ability and staffing to focus on giving kids that personal relationship with dentistry early.

You're passionate about eliminating oral health disparities in children because:

Because it's preventable. I can’t help but ask: “why do we still have 70% decay rates by third grade? Why do we still have 30% of those untreated?”. Imagine a gymnasium filled with a thousand third graders. If 700 of them had broken arms – 400 of them in a cast and 300 of them weren’t treated at all, we would be outraged and work together to solve the problem. Oral health disease is slow-moving and endemic – the number one CDC recognized disease – though it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s largely preventable.

I’m also passionate about my work because we know that kids experiencing decay may be suffering silently – because they don’t know why they’re in pain, so they can’t verbalize what’s hurting and what they need. And if you’ve ever had a toothache, you know how distracting and excruciating it can be. If I can help even one child not have to experience a toothache, I know I’m doing my part.

Lauren Bursell, RDA and owner of Best Dental Help, has been in the dental industry for almost 40 years. With a passion for preventing oral disease in children, Lauren sat with Delta Dental of Washington to talk about why she started Best Dental Health, the joys and challenges of leading a school-based oral health program (SBOHP), and ways the entire dental community can work together to create meaningful, lasting change.

What inspired you to get into the dental industry, and why a school based oral health program?

You could say my lifelong career in dentistry started when I was 7 years old, when I was chosen to manage the toybox at my uncle's dental practice. As I sat in my high school graduation years later, I realized I didn’t know what I’d be doing next – as in, that following Monday – as no one in my family had yet been college bound. That weekend, I saw an ad for Bryman College of Dental Assisting, and I thought “I could do that on Monday.” So, there I am. I completed my Coronal Polishing certification and became an RDA (Registered Dental Assistant) in California. I was then in small practice, large practice, multi-location, practice, specialty practice, all of it! Except for academics. But as I watched my husband – who was a teacher – I realized I too wanted to have the same impact he had.

So, I went off to university as an adult, working full time to become a teacher- four years of undergrad and then two years post-grad for credentialing. I was totally committed, though when I had a classroom to myself – just me and my second graders – I had a full-blown panic attack. The enormity of the responsibility to shape these young people hit me – like, “if I blow it, I could ruin kids’ lives.” At the time, I was still working for this dentist (whose wife was a teacher) and he said, “Lauren, I can’t imagine my practice without you. I’ll match above your compensation package to keep you.”

And so, I stayed! I’ve assisted and managed practices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and now Washington. When I moved here, I took an opening at an oral health nonprofit that brought my career path full circle. It was the beginning of combining all experience – assisting, teaching, and consulting – to teach oral health to kids while applying the philosophy of private practice into the nonprofit space. Once I was ‘biten by the public health bug’, I realized a new path was ahead of me. I have a true love and respect for private practice – it shaped and fulfilled me for years – though I quickly realized there was a deep need for more nonprofit oral health organizations. When I opened Best Dental Help, I didn’t think I could do it – I thought there wouldn’t be enough demand or too many hurdles. Though as I formed my team, I quickly learned how much schools wanted this type of programming for their kids. Seven years later, we’re still growing – and grateful to be a positive and essential part of so many kids’ oral health journeys.

What would you say is the most satisfying part of your job?

For me, it’s working to fill the holes of our industry or foster passion with the next generation to step into these and come up with bigger, brighter, more efficient solutions.

For example, for 50 years we’ve been talking about medical dental integration. There’s good effort and good faith, we just haven’t made great strides. but it's just not where we need to be 50 years later. I think dentistry as an industry has lost a little bit of its human connection. It's very factory-oriented – which isn’t a bad thing, because it efficiently reaches more people. But I hear more patients express their dentist-patient relationship is becoming more distant. I know many dentists prioritize their relationships as much as they can – and understand the reasons why they sometimes can’t as much as they’d like to. As I’ve got a community-based program, I find it really satisfying to have the ability and staffing to focus on giving kids that personal relationship with dentistry early.

You're passionate about eliminating oral health disparities in children because:

Because it's preventable. I can’t help but ask: “why do we still have 70% decay rates by third grade? Why do we still have 30% of those untreated?”. Imagine a gymnasium filled with a thousand third graders. If 700 of them had broken arms – 400 of them in a cast and 300 of them weren’t treated at all, we would be outraged and work together to solve the problem. Oral health disease is slow-moving and endemic – the number one CDC recognized disease – though it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s largely preventable.

I’m also passionate about my work because we know that kids experiencing decay may be suffering silently – because they don’t know why they’re in pain, so they can’t verbalize what’s hurting and what they need. And if you’ve ever had a toothache, you know how distracting and excruciating it can be. If I can help even one child not have to experience a toothache, I know I’m doing my part.

What are some of the challenges that the kids you serve face you wish more dental professionals knew about?

I wish more dental professionals knew how challenging it can be for kids with Medicaid to get care. In Kitsap County, we’re only reaching about 37% of Medicaid-eligible children once per year. In that, I know it can be challenging for providers to take more Medicaid patients. I know all the challenges of running a practice – including that there are bills to pay! Though if I had to wish for something, it would be for more providers to take even a small percentage of Medicaid patients – so more kids and families have a place to go to get the dental care they need. And if that doesn’t work for your practice, that’s okay. Like I said earlier, we’re here to fill some of the holes in our industry – including treating the Medicaid population – and appreciate it when providers turn to those of us working with this population for recommendations on everything from care to policy.

I’d also love to highlight how many kids have barriers to accessing care – and I see them for free. This past school year, Best Dental Health sponsored 1,400 uninsured kids. My organization and others like mine are truly filling an unmet need.

What else would you like to share with your fellow dental professionals?

First, like I said earlier – I love and respect private practice. It was my life for decades! Second, we get a lot of support from our provider community on our work and sealant programs – and we thank you for that. For providers who have had less exposure to SBOHPs (school-based oral health programs), we understand there are sometimes concerns about the quality of work in SBOHPs. I would want to put their minds at ease that our assistant and hygienists are highly qualified and specialized in the work they do, as we complete upwards of 8,000 sealant applications a year – far more than they’d be likely to do in private practice.

Dentistry is a unique industry, in that its divided into subcategories: endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery. I’m of the belief prevention is worthy of its own category and specialization – so the next generation and everyone after can experience the benefits of a healthy smile their whole lives and from the earliest age.

I would also love it if we could join forces when it comes to policies that impact oral health, like the sugary beverage (soda) tax that was passed in Washington a few years ago – to discourage their consumption. Instead, the tax has generated more revenue than they expected. It’s for a good cause, for parks and recreation, thought when I look back, I wish oral health professionals were at the table – to suggest at least some of the revenue from that tax be poured into oral health prevention efforts or a campaign across the state. I’d love to work alongside fellow oral health professionals and advocates to create that level of change.

You’re happiest when:

I'm happy when I get to see the work of Best Dental Help and other school-based oral health programs creating ripples of change across the dental industry and communities. We love being recognized as a vital and valuable part of the oral health ecosystem – and the positive partnerships that result from it. I’m also happiest when I’m working at our clinics and my team is goofing and the kids are goofing – and that their smiles are staying or getting healthier because of it.

Lastly, I’m happiest when we can identify kids in the community with untreated decay and advocate for them to receive the care they deserve and need at a local dental office. Together, we truly are changing lives – for the better.

What are some of the challenges that the kids you serve face you wish more dental professionals knew about?

I wish more dental professionals knew how challenging it can be for kids with Medicaid to get care. In Kitsap County, we’re only reaching about 37% of Medicaid-eligible children once per year. In that, I know it can be challenging for providers to take more Medicaid patients. I know all the challenges of running a practice – including that there are bills to pay! Though if I had to wish for something, it would be for more providers to take even a small percentage of Medicaid patients – so more kids and families have a place to go to get the dental care they need. And if that doesn’t work for your practice, that’s okay. Like I said earlier, we’re here to fill some of the holes in our industry – including treating the Medicaid population – and appreciate it when providers turn to those of us working with this population for recommendations on everything from care to policy.

I’d also love to highlight how many kids have barriers to accessing care – and I see them for free. This past school year, Best Dental Health sponsored 1,400 uninsured kids. My organization and others like mine are truly filling an unmet need.

What else would you like to share with your fellow dental professionals?

First, like I said earlier – I love and respect private practice. It was my life for decades! Second, we get a lot of support from our provider community on our work and sealant programs – and we thank you for that. For providers who have had less exposure to SBOHPs (school-based oral health programs), we understand there are sometimes concerns about the quality of work in SBOHPs. I would want to put their minds at ease that our assistant and hygienists are highly qualified and specialized in the work they do, as we complete upwards of 8,000 sealant applications a year – far more than they’d be likely to do in private practice.

Dentistry is a unique industry, in that its divided into subcategories: endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery. I’m of the belief prevention is worthy of its own category and specialization – so the next generation and everyone after can experience the benefits of a healthy smile their whole lives and from the earliest age.

I would also love it if we could join forces when it comes to policies that impact oral health, like the sugary beverage (soda) tax that was passed in Washington a few years ago – to discourage their consumption. Instead, the tax has generated more revenue than they expected. It’s for a good cause, for parks and recreation, thought when I look back, I wish oral health professionals were at the table – to suggest at least some of the revenue from that tax be poured into oral health prevention efforts or a campaign across the state. I’d love to work alongside fellow oral health professionals and advocates to create that level of change.

You’re happiest when:

I'm happy when I get to see the work of Best Dental Help and other school-based oral health programs creating ripples of change across the dental industry and communities. We love being recognized as a vital and valuable part of the oral health ecosystem – and the positive partnerships that result from it. I’m also happiest when I’m working at our clinics and my team is goofing and the kids are goofing – and that their smiles are staying or getting healthier because of it.

Lastly, I’m happiest when we can identify kids in the community with untreated decay and advocate for them to receive the care they deserve and need at a local dental office. Together, we truly are changing lives – for the better.