My dentist office employes talk constantly very openly about patient's and procedures and they state first and last names! They've done this to me in front of a waitng room of people. One recent instance - I'm scheduled to have new crowns but am going through teeth whitening first. The procedure for home whitening was explained loudly at the front desk with about 6 people behind me waiting for their appointment. This to me should be a private matter.

No, sorry that doesn't violate HIPAA laws, but it is insensitive and should be told to the dentist or office manager. You can of course also just tell the person who is loud and who uses full names to shush, and even tell her that you want procedures explained in private.