Each day we advocate for ourselves, for our family, for our friends and for issues we care deeply about. These interactions can be minor and between colleagues or family members, or they can involve talking to elected representatives about issues that we are passionate about.
As dentists and as part of the American Dental Association (or ADA for short), we commonly lobby our members of Congress and state representatives on issues that matter to the availability of oral health for our community. We hope that you’ll join us in our efforts to help influence public policies affecting the practice of dentists and the oral health of all Americans.
Below are some ways we are trying to make a difference in our community and to ensure everyone has access to needed dental services!
Expand access to services
As part of our dental advocacy we’ve made it a high priority to improve and expand the availability of dental services to areas and communities that are underserved. Many of these are in rural areas of the state or were hit hard by the economic recessions.
Because many of these residents rely on public health clinics and other grant programs to be able to afford care, we’ve called out to Congress to improve community health centers and provide options for low cost dental care. Since good oral hygiene can promote good overall health, we believe this is a way to lower health care costs for everyone through prevention of other diseases caused by poor oral health.
Opioid abuse
As we’ve all heard on the news, and as many of us have experienced first-hand, the prevalence of opioid abuse in the country in overwhelming. As prescribers of opioids, we’ve taken steps to reduce the number of opioid persecutions given out and to work in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to adhere to best practices in prescribing. The ADA has taken action by testifying before Congress and advocating for more funding for opioid crisis response, too. These efforts have been largely successful, and we’ve seen a historic increase in funding to help combat this deadly epidemic.
What can you do?
If dental advocacy is something you’re interested in, we would encourage you to seek out the resources provided by the ADA on their website. One of the most important reasons to get involved is that decisions about the future of dentistry and practice structures are being made on a daily basis—either in Austin or Washington, D.C. If you want to have your voice heard, it’s important to be part of the decision-making process as opposed to just watching what is happening from afar. If you are looking to pair up with other people, consider joining one of the ADA Action Teams. Here you will work with a team to help maintain a political presence at both capitols. In addition, the ADA will provide you with briefing materials, action alerts on important decisions being made and training on the best practices in advocacy. Here you’ll have the opportunity to meet other people in your community who share your enthusiasm for dentistry. Finally, we encourage you to contact your lawmakers directly. Though phone calls, letters and emails, legislators need to hear your thoughts and opinions.
We hope that this has encouraged you to take on dental advocacy! While it might seem daunting at first to meet with your Congressperson, it’s an important step to take. Stay informed with what’s happening around us and help push for change. Keep us updated—we’d love to hear about your progress!
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