Celebrating the team who sets the stage for care acceptance

Office Management Appreciation Month in September recognizes the dental professionals who help make patient care possible long before treatment begins.

Patient care may seem to begin in the operatory, but the patient experience starts much earlier—with the first phone call, scheduling conversation, insurance question, or reassuring interaction at the front desk.

That’s why Office Management Appreciation Month (OMAM), presented each September by CareCredit and the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM), recognizes the office management professionals who connect the business of the practice with the needs of patients and the dental team.

The 2026 OMAM theme, "Let's Bloom," celebrates both appreciation and growth. It reflects the vital role office managers play in strengthening communication, improving patient access, building efficient systems, and supporting resilient teams.

The work behind the work

Chavelle Galton-Rice, Director of Membership and Education at AADOM, has experienced dentistry from both the clinical and administrative sides. She says patient care begins well before treatment. "Care starts a lot earlier than that, when patients make the first call to schedule an appointment," she says.

From that first interaction, office management teams help remove barriers to care. They coordinate schedules, navigate insurance, discuss financing options, maintain patient communication, and oversee the systems that keep practices running smoothly.

Galton-Rice describes office managers as the bridge between patient care and business operations. "They serve as that bridge between exceptional patient care and the success of the business operations," she says. "Both are essential, and office managers make both possible."