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Short Commentary: "Collaboration" is Not a Dirty Word


"Collaboration" is Not a Dirty Word
by Roy Holexa, DDS, and Debbie Holexa, BS, RDH

Collaboration. When used in association involving the professional relationship between dentists and hygienists, this word can often bring chills to either or both parties. It has been known to provoke anger, frustration and territorial contempt and in some professional discussions that c-word can give rise to the use of just about every recognizable dirty word.

The word "collaboration" has many positive associations such as common goals, common good, common ground and creative approaches. So where does the dirty word reaction come from?

Fear.

Pure and simple, fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of loss and fear of self (ego)-preservation. Fear as an acronym is False Evidence Appearing Real. Think of every fear you have ever experienced. How many of them actually manifested? Our guess would be not many.

Collaboration in the dentist/dental hygiene relationship has become synonymous with collaborative agreements and collaborative practice models of California, Arizona, Minnesota and others. These models have created fear of livelihoods diminishing, fear of loss of control, quality and integrity, fear of who's going to do what, when and where and fear expressed as "what's in it for me?" How many of those fears are based on false evidence and how many have been real?

How do we soften these fears? As your mother always did when fear gripped you in the darkness — turn on the light. In the context of the dentist/dental hygiene relationship that light is made up of information and knowledge, creative discussions, active listening and above all respect. Dentists and dental hygienists are professionals each presenting unique treatment approaches that share a common ground: the patient, the people we serve. Sadly, the light of this matter is, there is an abundance of dental disease — more than enough to go around.
Author's Bios

Roy Holexa, DDS, is a 1976 graduate of Loyola Dental School. He has balanced his dental career between clinical and educational endeavors. He currently serves full time as a clinical care unit director at A.T. Still's Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health in Mesa, Arizona.

Debbie Holexa, BS, RDH, has been involved in various aspects of dentistry for 30 years. She graduated from Harper College, Palatine, Illinois, in 1992 and practiced clinical dental hygiene for 15 years. She currently holds a full-time faculty position in Mesa Community College's Dental Hygiene Program in Mesa, Arizona.

Roy and Debbie have maintained a personal and professional partnership for 30 years.		 The richness of our 30-year collaborative relationship has yielded a synergistic blending of gifts, talents and knowledge. Debbie is a better hygienist because of the knowledge of occlusion and restorative approaches Roy has shared with her over the years. Roy is a better dentist having observed the relationship development and oral health outcomes Debbie's dental hygiene approaches provide. Collaboration efforts are successful when all involved possess a clear sense of self, a clear vision of their intentions and ambitions and a desire to share and co-create with others.

The collaborative dynamics of respect, unconditional listening, shared knowledge and working together for the common good, create optimum restorative and health outcomes for the patient. There comes a time when working for, rather than in opposition to, something is the only way to satisfy the soul. Honoring the unique knowledge each professional arm of dentistry brings to patient care has the potential to provide a professional richness attainable by all. Collaboration, the sum of which is greater that each of its parts, is a very renewing word and a way to renew our relationships.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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