Introducing Dr. Tony Cucalon;
CAO President, 2010

A message from Dr. Cucalon.......

 Dear CAO Members,

As we remove the last particles of Hawaiian sand
from our shoes, the PCSO annual session is
completed and our new CAO leadership team is
installed and ready to serve.

We are grateful for the successful year CAO just
completed which was led by our dedicated
President, Tom Chin. The CAO Executive
Committee would like to thank Dr. Chin for an
outstanding and very productive year. We would
also like to welcome our newest Director, Dr. Andrew Harner from Huntington
Beach.  Dr. Harner promises to be another great addition to our Board and
a loyal member of CAO.

What can we expect this year?  First off, GREAT NEWS!!  The
Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) Training Program has been
officially approved by the California Dental Board. CAO is gearing up
to offer the training program in an online format that will be convenient
for all offices.  

The training program will be competitively priced and offered to CAO members
at a deeply discounted price.  Stay tuned as we complete all necessary steps
towards our release date and to getting the program into your orthodontic
office. This new permit will provide a new category of dental assistant, known as
"Registered Orthodontic Assistant" and will have a valuable impact to all our
practices.  Our CAO sponsored Program promises to be a very easy and
more important, cost effective way of allowing our assistants to receive their
permit without leaving your office.  The cost of the training program will be a
valuable membership benefit. Again, thank you to Dr. Michael Payne who
has worked tirelessly on behalf of CAO to get the training program drafted,
finalized and through the approval process with the CDB.   Before you start
spending thousands of dollars into completing the permit for your assistant,
please take a minute to look at our program.  It is well worth the wait!

As all our members should know the "You and Your Orthodontist" Informed
Consent brochure has been updated and this latest revision is the best one
yet. Truly all of us should consider this newly copyrighted pamphlet as an
integral part of your orthodontic practice. You and Your Orthodontist has
been and continues to be the primary source of revenue for our Organization. 
We are now marketing YYO in English and Spanish throughout the United
States, South America, and in Spanish speaking European countries.  The
revenue generated from the sales of You and Your Orthodontist has allowed
our dues to remain unchanged for several years. Please support the CAO and
at the same time protect your practice. It is especially critical through these
difficult economic years.

As we start this new Board year, keep an eye out for our Website
improvements. We are now in the process of improving our website to
make it more user-friendly. Our Website Editor, Dr. Joel Brodsky, with
assistance from our Executive Director, Ann Sebaugh, are working to
improve our website to the status and level which will easily provide
current information that will keep our members informed on all current
issues. Check the website often!

Finally, I would be remiss if I do not ask our membership to please
consider helpingthe CAO, either by volunteering to serve on the board or
on a committee of interest.  CAO would love to have you.  Please do not
hesitate to contact either Ann Sebaugh at CAO (asebaugh@aaortho.org)
or myself (tonycuc3@aol.com).  Our orthodontic profession is a wonderful
career and with our world as it is will require as much support from our
membership as possible so we can continue to practice our chosen
profession in a manner that allows us to be a leading organization in
today’s orthodontic environment.  

Sincerely,
Tony
Antonio Cucalon, III, DDS., MS 

Newly Revised Informed
Consent Brochues are
Available in English and

Spanish....

Order yours today!

Read more about the Orthodontic Assistant Permit initiative  <Click Here>

Read Dr. Payne's account of  the Orthodontic Assistant Permit initiative and how it may expand the scope of 
duties performed by orthodontic assistants.  <Click Here>

Dr. Joel Brodsky
CAO Website Editor
Contact Dr. Brodsky at drjbrodsky@aol.com with any website questions or concerns.