Kayla Klingensmith, D.M.D., is a general dentist and the owner of Evergrow Dental in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is currently the chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee.
I hear it all the time: “Where do you find the time to be so involved in organized dentistry as a new dentist?” My response: “I am not alone!”
I am the chair this year of the ADA New Dentist Committee, and we are a group of 17 dentists, 10 years out of dental school or less, who have volunteered to be advisers to the ADA Board of Trustees for four years. But the New Dentist Committee is so much more than that. Here are some of the highlights we are working on this year:
• ADA 10 Under 10 Award: Every year the committee carefully selects 10 well-deserving dentists who are 10 years out of dental school or less for this award. Any member can nominate a new dentist they feel has excelled in their area of dentistry. The 2026 nomination period is open through March 16.
• Student-to-dentist experience: The transition from dental student to dentist has its own bumps and curves that all early-career dentists are trying to navigate, and the ADA is here to help. The New Dentist Committee is working hard on improving that experience while also fostering leadership opportunities and nurturing relationships with dental students, faculty and new dentists.
• National leadership opportunities: Every ADA council has a new dentist member who helps elevate the new dentist perspective and experience. One responsibility the New Dentist Committee has always overseen is making recommendations to the ADA Board of Trustees for the new dentist member who sits on each council. Reach out to me or your district’s New Dentist Committee member if you’re interested in being considered for a new dentist member role. We’ve made intentional efforts to have more opportunities for collaboration with other councils, especially for work that deeply impacts the new dentist experience. This year, the New Dentist Committee will collaborate with other councils to discuss early-career membership pricing, leadership opportunities and member value.
Looking for ways to get more engaged with the ADA as a new dentist? Reach out to the New Dentist Committee at newdentist@ada.org to find out how. You can find your representative at ADA.org/newdentistcommittee.
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