Still Standing. Still Growing. Still ADAA.
Hello, ADAA Family!
Can you believe it’s August already? Summer seems to have two speeds: “Finally, it’s here!” and “Wait…where did it go?” ☀️
As we move toward the final stretch of summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about momentum. Not the kind that comes from everything being easy or predictable, but the kind we create when we decide that change will not stop us from moving forward.
And if there is one thing dental assistants know how to do, it is adapt, adjust, and keep moving!
Think about an average day in the dental office. The schedule changes. A patient arrives late. Someone needs an emergency appointment. The doctor asks for the instrument that somehow disappeared into another dimension. The suction decides today is the perfect day to develop a personality. 😄 And what do dental assistants do? We figure it out.
That ability to think, adapt, lead, reassure, organize, anticipate, and keep the day moving is exactly why dental assistants are such an essential part of dentistry.
It is also the spirit I see in ADAA.
Our association is moving through an important season of change and evaluation. As we look toward the future, your leadership continues working to determine how ADAA can become stronger, more responsive, more sustainable, and even more valuable to the dental assistants we serve.
And through it all, one thing remains crystal clear:
ADAA is about dental assistants.
It is about the student walking into a dental office for the first time wondering, “Can I really do this?”
It is about the seasoned assistant who has spent decades mentoring others and still learns something new.
It is about the assistant who quietly holds a nervous patient’s hand.
The assistant who notices something before anyone else does.
The assistant who advocates for their patients, supports their team, pursues continuing education, learns new technology, trains the next generation, and sometimes holds an entire clinical day together with determination, caffeine, and an impressive collection of pens that somehow keep disappearing. 😂
You are the reason this organization matters.
As ADAA moves forward, I want us to remember that we are not simply preserving an association. We are continuing to build a professional community where dental assistants can learn, lead, advocate, connect, and have a voice in conversations affecting our careers.
There is tremendous work ahead of us, but there is also tremendous opportunity.
We have an opportunity to rethink what membership can look like: To strengthen communication and connection with our state organizations. To expand education and professional development. To advocate more boldly for dental assistants. To create new opportunities for leadership and most importantly, to make sure dental assistants have a seat at the table when decisions are being made about our profession.
Because if the conversation is about dental assisting, dental assistants belong in the conversation. Period. 🎤
So, this August, I want to celebrate YOU.
Whether you have been a dental assistant for 30 years, 30 days, or you are still deciding whether this profession is where you belong, please know this:
Your work matters. Your knowledge matters. Your experience matters. Your voice matters. Together, our voices are much louder.
There may be changes ahead for ADAA, but change does not have to mean the end of something. Sometimes change is the invitation to build something better.
That is the momentum I feel right now and I hope you feel it too.
Thank you for continuing to believe in this profession, in one another, and in the power of dental assistants to shape the future of dentistry.
We have more work to do, more voices to amplify, and more assistants to reach. We also have a future to build.
So, ADAA…let’s keep moving forward. Together. 💜
With gratitude, excitement, and tremendous pride in our profession,
Erin Hendricks, RDA, CCHW
President
American Dental Assistants Association
2025–2026
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
— Vincent van Gogh