Hear from two California dental students who share insights and speak about their experience advocating for patients’ oral health and the profession of dentistry at the state Capitol. Verena Mikhail, MHA, a dental student at Western University College of Health Sciences, said she emphasized the dentist-patient relationship when discussing CDA-sponsored AB 371 with legislative offices: “A patient may be comfortable with a provider who is out of network. Why should patients be penalized for receiving care from a dentist who is simply in a different location than someone in network?” Learn more about Verena and Tony Qu’s experiences at CDA's Student Advocacy Day, then use our sample email to tell your legislators to support AB 371, which would implement more stringent standards for dental plan networks to reduce the time patients must wait for an appointment or the distance they must travel. (fb)

Employees who work five to six hours can waive their meal period by mutual consent with their employer — but only if the waiver is revocable and without retaliatory risk. Employers should document the use and revocation of any waivers. CDA members can access our sample policy and waiver to get started: (fb)