Why Dental Professionals Helping Underserved Patients Thrive at Benevis

At Benevis, we take pride in our unique care delivery model that empowers our entire dental team to work at the top of their licenses and capabilities, while also providing high-quality, comprehensive care to our patients in 100+ communities across 13 states and Washington, D.C. This approach creates a rewarding and supportive environment for our dental professionals to grow and excel in their careers.

Our assisted hygiene model helps to set us apart, allowing each clinical team member to contribute to their skills and knowledge, while also efficiently moving patients through their appointments and addressing their needs. “We started 20 years ago as a purpose-built business and said we want to have an office design and a care team that can allow for this level of care to happen in a manner that also allows us to be effective and efficient,” said CEO Bryan Carey.

In the assisted hygiene model, dental assistants support the hygienists as much as possible with tasks such as greeting and directing patients to care bays, taking them to get x-rays, and walking them out of the office to check out. Hygienists are then able to focus on providing preventative care and education to patients, including an oral exam, cleaning, and consulting with the dentists about areas of concern, utilizing their full training and expertise.

Dominique Szach, Director of Dental Hygiene, emphasized that dental hygienists have a broader role than some may realize, which is important for Benevis’ model of care. “Hygienists are providers. They are not support staff. Hygienists can see their own patients and in certain states, they can even open their own practices. That is overlooked sometimes,” Szach said. “I always tell my patients that hygienists are the experts with soft tissue and dentists are experts with hard tissue. We both have roles to play in overall oral health.”

Dr. Jane Whang, Regional Director of Clinical for the East Region, echoes this sentiment: “It is important to remember that hygienists are dental providers and, when they are supported, they can be most efficient; and they can work more efficiently to provide the care that they were trained to provide. Having that dental assistant support helps us provide high-quality care efficiently for our patient volume."

Beyond optimizing efficiency, our model fosters an environment of teamwork and mutual support across all roles. "As a clinician, I feel blessed to have a dental service organization that supports us on the operational side, so we can focus on patient care," said Dr. Whang. “We can provide full quality care for our patients and create a dental home for them. We can communicate with physicians and pediatricians and keep that communication open so that we're not just focusing on oral health, but we're really focusing on the overall health of our patients.”

What truly drives our team is our shared mission of increasing access to quality dental care, especially in underserved communities. “Our doctors work very hard. From the moment they get into the office to when that last patient is walking out the door, they are working hard,” said Carey. “I happen to think a lot of them do it because they relate to Benevis' mission. Many of our providers are from these communities, live in them, and, in addition to practicing their profession, they connect with the community.”

Dr. Whang said that commitment to the mission and the support dentists receive to meet the mission is what has kept her at Benevis for over 13 years. "Culture is mission. I tell people I can practice dentistry in many ways, but what keeps me here is the mission and that mission attracts like-minded leaders. If you do everything, make every decision in terms of what is in the best interest and what is the best thing for this patient that I have in the chair, you can't help but do the right thing for the patients and also be successful.”

This unity of purpose creates a positive and passionate workplace culture. "When you invest in people, you allow them to be supported and grow within the organization," explains Dr. Whang. Benevis actively supports professional development through robust training programs and ample opportunities for upward mobility across roles.

Numerous Benevis team members have advanced from entry-level positions like dental assistant or front desk receptionist into leadership roles as district managers. Dr. Whang herself started as an associate dentist and now serves as a regional clinical leader who connects the voice of dentists in the field directly with the leadership team.

If you are a dentist, hygienist, assistant, or any dental professional seeking a supportive team environment aligned with an important mission, explore career opportunities with Benevis. Join us in delivering quality care while growing your impactful career.