Candy Velez is an active professional member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) and serves as the Highlands County Representative for the Atlantic Coast Dental Hygienists' Association (ACDHA).
In addition, she maintains membership with The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH).
In addition to practicing clinically, Candy currently serves on the Florida Board of Dentistry's Council on Dental Hygiene, and she was the recipient of the Swann D. Knowles Award in 2020.
The Swan D. Knowles Award honors one hygienist from the state of Florida for their grassroots efforts in service and dedication to the dental hygiene profession.
Everyone Is a Human Being: Choosing to Create Better Workplace Culture
We All Have the Superpower of CHOICE By: Candy Velez, CRDH, BSDH, IGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach When…
Silence Fuels Negativity, Leadership Requires Communication
Learning to Communicate Is Learning to Lead By: Candy Velez, CRDH, BSDH, IGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach In…
Stop Choosing Sides: The Secret Ingredient for Next-Gen Dentistry Is Fusion
By: Candy Velez, CRDH, BSDH, IGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach For a long time, dentistry has lived in…
Want Better Results? Make It Easier
Remove Friction – Unlock Consistency By: Candy Velez, CRDH, BSDH, IGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach The Question That…
Are You Unknowingly Rewarding the Wrong Thing?
The Hidden Messages Behind Our Praise (a Reflection for Dental Leaders) By: Candy Velez, CRDH, BSDH, IGNITEDDS…
The Freedom Framework Week Three: The Power of Flow
Creating Freedom Through Structure, Alignment, and Leadership By: Candy Velez, CRDHIGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach Missed Week One…
The Freedom Framework Week Two: Releasing Money Blocks & Embracing Stewardship
By: Candy Velez, CRDH IGNITEDDS Dental Hygiene Coach Let’s talk about a topic that can make even…
The Freedom Framework Week One: Breaking the Invisible Handcuffs
Awareness: Seeing What Restricts Your Growth and Steals Your Energy By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH Welcome…
Your License, Your Reputation, Your Responsibility: Lessons from Dr. A.R.
Closing the Series & Applying These Insights to Your Practice By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH When…
Ghosted by Your Dentist: When Poor Communication Becomes Patient Abandonment
Understanding Patient Abandonment – Lessons from Dr. A.R. By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH Imagine calling your…
Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for The Dental Professional
By: Lucas Shapiro Tired of giving the same old gift or chocolate and flowers to the people that matter most in your life for Valentine’s Day? Everyone does enjoy chocolate and that’s totally fine as long as it’s in moderation and you brush and floss afterward. IGNITEDDS has created a Valentine’s Dental Gift Guide to…
Dentistry as Public Health
By: Mohammed Hammoud I’m Mohammed Hammoud, a third-year student at the LECOM School of Dentistry with a passion for dentistry as an issue of public health and social well-being. Before Dental School Before dental school, I worked with a public health organization and shadowed a dentist running a clinic in South Africa. It was a…
Geographic Success and the Transition to the Real World of Dentistry
By: Cory Ball You just got your final faculty check for a restorative appointment in the clinic. Your patient is thrilled to finally leave the dental school after a three-hour appointment to fix a cavity. Yes, that’s right. One filling. 4DO. You’re an early D3 dental student and this is among the first dozen or…
Communicating in Difficult Situations: Part 1
By: Savanah Craig If you work in the dental profession long enough, you’ll encounter patients who might get labeled as difficult for some of their requests in a dental chair. These annoyances range from refusing to swallow their own saliva, questioning the need for radiographs, or refusing fluoride treatment. Many dentists, hygienist, and dental assistants…
General Dentist vs. Dental Specialist
By: Dr. Cory Ball 12 years of grade school, 4 years of undergraduate studies, maybe a master’s program, and 4 years of dental school. Now you are debating on doing more school? Do you want to be a general dentist or go on to do a specialty in orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatrics, endodontics, periodontics, etc?…
New Dentist: Your First Paycheck Arrives, Now What?
By: Dr. Cory Ball Dental school is a busy time for most aspiring clinicians. Between studying for courses, practicing in preclinic, then managing the patient pool in the final years, most students have a tough time finding additional hours in a day to have a part-time job to make money. And those students who do have…
Don’t Look Back, Look Forward to Paying Off Dental School Student Loans
By: Dr. Cory Ball The average student loan debt for a graduating dental student in 2020 was over $300,000. During school, students can easily fall into a mindset of forgetting about the loans and focusing on other things. The problem with that is when the time comes to start making payments, it can be overwhelming…
The Transition to a Dental Faculty Position
By: Tanya Sue Maestas Hi, I’m Tanya Sue Maestas. I’ve recently taken up a faculty position at the new dental school in El Paso, Texas – Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine. Alongside being a clinician in a public health setting, I have found being a faculty member to be incredibly rewarding — so…
Choice of Operating Entity: Which is Best for You?
By: Bruce Bryen What is the choice of operating entity for the dentist ready to go out on his or her own to acquire or start up his or her own practice? There are many different types of organizational structures for young dentists to consider when they are ready to go out and acquire or…
You Dreamed of Being Where You Are Now
By: Savanah Craig I was inspired by the latest Instagram trend showing a thought or doubt you have about yourself, followed by a photo of your younger self who could only dream of being in your shoes today. I think this trend is really powerful because it is so easy to look ahead and keep…