Tampa Bay-based non-surgical cosmetic center Skinspirations details the dangers of receiving fillers from an unqualified provider. As Americans increasingly put importance on outer appearances, the lengths to which people go to retain their youth seem endless. Dermal fillers have seen a rise in complications—a reported 84% of people who suffered complications from permanent dermal fillers … Read more
The modern dental office continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Many dentists are building or upgrading their practices to achieve their goal of a paperless or chartless system. There are many components to this, which includes electronic chart notes, digital charting, intraoral camera images, digital x-rays, and digital camera photos. As practices move towards … Read more
Dental employers may think that hiring independent contractors is easier than hiring an employee and less expensive. Although it may seem like a good idea, the risks are very high and you can take a big hit if you do something wrong. Independent contractors don’t get benefit packages, vacation pay, maternity leave or statutory holidays. … Read more
This blog is about dental care, a not insignificant part of the economy. Dental care claims between 5% and 7% of total healthcare spending, and its major disease, dental decay, ranks amongst the most expensive diseases to treat. One can argue that America spends more on restoring diseased teeth than it spends on treating cancer. … Read more
Many dentists I speak with are eager to reach out to their community about new services and about their own specialness. This can be complicated and expensive because your community now learns differently. One illustration of how your community learns is shown in the opposite infographic. Blue is the old way while red is how … Read more
In the wake of the many violent events that occurred not only in Boston, but also consider the arrests of the terrorists in Toronto and Montreal, the violent robbery and shooting at a Toronto bank, and sexual assaults at a Toronto community college demonstrate that violent acts can occur anywhere. In any emergency or business … Read more
In this blog, we listen regularly to that roaring sound in America and the UK which stems from healthcare reform. Here are just a few of the most recent notes: This week we heard that the United Kingdom’s General Dental Council re-wrote the rules of access to dental professionals. British dental patients no longer have … Read more
In my community, the press has reported about a difficult situation for many dental practices. Seems there is an over-supply and an under-demand for these services. Of course, readers of this blog will know that this isn’t a phenomenon isolated to Toronto or Ontario. It is a trend evident in many communities and for many … Read more
Nowadays practically every dental office employee has a cell telephone and is adept at using it to stay in touch with friends and relatives through either live conversations or text messages. Telephone communications in a professional setting require more refined skills than those that are necessary for chatting with friends. I called a dental office … Read more
While at the IDS in Cologne, Oral Health’s Senior Publisher, Melissa Summerfield, attended a press conference put on by ADDE (Association of Dental Dealers in Europe) and FIDE (Federation of the European Dental Industry). At this event, they shared some highlights from the recent 2013 survey on market trends in the European Dental Trade. Here … Read more
In the last blog, I referred to a recent ADA review which showed a 10% decline in the number of visits by adult Americans in the last decade (2000 – 2010). This profound decline in demand got me wondering about the supply of American dental professionals. A good forecaster of the supply of professionals such … Read more
Each year the Toronto Academy of Dentistry takes pride in running Winter Clinic, but during the years runs other events , like Ski For Kids, and this year, on February 1st, the event took place at Alpine, in Collingwood. The purpose of the event is to promote commaraderie, but more importantly to raise funds for … Read more
There is no doubt that everyone in the dental community has heard the story of the dentist in Tulsa, Oklahoma who may have infected 7000 patients due to improper sterilization of instruments and having unlicensed workers performing duties that were out of their scope of practice. The coming week many dentists may face yet another … Read more
This blog spends a lot of time on the aging population and specifically the huge numbers of Boomers approaching retirement. It’s personal — it’s my generation and it fascinates me. Moreover, my generation is profoundly influential; typically we represent 1 out of 2 patients in the dentist’s waiting room and have the most need and … Read more
In previous articles, we have examined some of the technologies that are part of the digital office, specifically looking at data backup, virus protection, an overview of digital radiography, and monitors. There is no doubt that of all these technologies, digital radiography appears to be generating the most interest right now. While choosing digital sensors … Read more
Oral Health’s Senior Publisher, Melissa Summerfield, recently attended the 35th IDS in Cologne, Germany. Held from March 12th to 16th, 2013, this year’s show posted record-setting results. IDS attracted 125,000 trade visitors from 149 countries, an increase of 6% over IDS 2011. This year, 2,058 companies, from 56 countries, presented a wide variety of innovations, … Read more
Providing a safe working environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity is more than just posting a policy. It is necessary to have a continuous program in place that is reviewed annually. The Ministry of Labour takes this very seriously and the potential fines for non-compliance are extremely high and may … Read more
There is a great deal of buzz in the dental community about workplace inspections that are being conducted by the Ministry of Labour. The inspections are occurring and it’s important for all dental offices to prepare for what to expect. Over the next few weeks, these blogs will be addressing the issues surrounding workplace violence … Read more
There is no doubt that many dental offices have moved into the digital realm over the past few years. Systems that were primarily paper-based, such as insurance processing, scheduling, and charting are now being accomplished within the digital patient record. Many dentists use the term “paperless” to describe their ideal office. However, I don’t feel … Read more
The #1 Chronic Childhood Disease Pediatric dental disease, more commonly known as severe tooth decay, can lead to malnourishment, anemia, required emergency surgery and life-threatening secondary infections. Severe childhood tooth decay is a multi-faceted epidemic that stems from access-to-care issues, a growing number of families without dental insurance coverage, and individual contributing factors such as … Read more