The term “discount” makes me extremely uncomfortable especially when it is used in dentistry. Many dentists will explain that they give discounts to patients who pay in advance or to senior citizens. Giving senior citizens a “professional courtesy” is a nice thing to do, especially when seniors are, in many cases, living on fixed incomes … Read more
National Oral Health Campaign from the American Dental association and PopCap Games Secures Support from CSPI Director of Nutrition Policy The American Dental Association® (ADA) and PopCap Games today announced a new tendril of their recently launched “Stop Zombie Mouth” campaign: beginning today, a limited run of one million packs of trading cards featuring characters … Read more
Dental insurance is changing and within the next few years dental offices will not be allowed to accept assignment, even if they want to. Insurance companies want to deal with the subscriber only and will reimburse the patient regardless of whether or not you accept assignment. Looking even further into the future, dental insurance could … Read more
Standardized daily operating policies and procedures help your dental team to align production goals with the daily activities that support the goals. They provide structure and support for the day to day activities as well as training guidelines for new staff. When you construct internal policies and procedures, and share a ‘big picture’ view of … Read more
Do you dread staff meetings or avoid them altogether? The reason that staff meetings can be doomed to fail is because they are not focused, there is no accountability and they rarely achieve results. Most importantly, the meeting isn’t followed with a time bound action plan that makes attendees accountable for producing results. Regularly scheduled … Read more
The modern dental practice continues to evolve at a very rapid pace. Many systems that were paper and film based for close to a century are being replaced by digital counterparts. There are now computers in almost every office, and large percentage of offices are using digital radiography, intraoral cameras, digital cameras, practice and image … Read more
Chasing a defiant toddler around with a toothbrush is more likely to end in smears of toothpaste on the furniture and a tiny mouth that refuses to open than an effective lesson in oral hygiene. For parents that have attempted to plead, bargain, and even threaten their way into their child’s mouth with a toothbrush, … Read more
Do implants play an important role in the growth of your general practice? Do you have an action plan to reach your objectives? How many of your patients are completely or partially edentulous? These are the first questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not you have the business support systems in place to … Read more
As many dentists are well aware, there are numerous integrated technology systems that are part of the modern dental practice. Few will argue that the Practice Management Software (PMS) is the most important component, as it ties many of these different systems together. PMS systems continue to improve themselves, but as most dentists know, those … Read more
In the dental profession, it is generally understood that dental benefits are merely a subsidy intended to defray the costs of treatment. Yet the terms and parameters of a benefits plan can have a strong influence on a patient’s treatment decisions. How often do you hear the question, “Is this going to be covered … Read more
Labour Pains What can you do now that will increase the value of your practice? Implement a fair but firm Human Resources Management System that includes job descriptions, performance reviews, and employment contracts.. As you know, your human resource is your most valuable resource, and that is why it is most fitting on Labour Day … Read more
The Canadian Chapter of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain(AACP) is the voice, training vehicle and credentialing organization for all Canadian dentists to learn about TMD chronic orofacial pain, headaches and sleep disorders. We have held Annual International Symposia on these subjects in Toronto each Fall since 2007. This will become an important matter for … Read more
There is no doubt that sensors are still the most dominant type of digital radiography system on the market in terms of units sold. However, over the past few years, another form of digital radiography, phosphor plates, has become increasingly popular. While Denoptix was the first player in this field, there are now systems from … Read more
Why Do Patients Complain? Studies suggest that only 4% of patients will complain, and 96% of patients may never tell you if there is a problem. Research suggests that unhappy patients don’t bother to complain if they are unhappy, they just don’t come back. It takes courage to complain, especially to your dentist. … Read more
You may not think it is happening at your office, and hopefully it’s not, but based on the calls that I receive from doctors , as well as analysis of my current and past client base, I have discovered that approximately 50% of dentists who have contacted me have experienced, or are currently experiencing, some … Read more
Over the past few columns of this blog, we have examined many of the factors that go into upgrading the practice towards a chartless system. While many of these concepts are important in the planning stages, it is apparent that the push towards digital radiography is the driving force at this time. While surveys show … Read more
How is embezzlement normally uncovered? The answer to this question might surprise you. The American Dental Association recently published the results of an extensive study on embezzlement. Among other things, the study considered how victims uncovered the embezzlement taking place in their offices. Here’s where it gets interesting — only 19% of discovery was prompted by … Read more
The hi-tech dental office has undergone a number of changes in the recent past. While it used to be considered cutting-edge to have a computer in the practice, this is no longer the case. The development of intraoral cameras, digital radiographs, patient education systems, and cosmetic imaging has expanded the scope of services that the … Read more
Do you need a Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) in your dental office? The answer is that it depends on the number of employees that are in your office. If you have 4 employees or less, you do not require a Health and Safety Representative or a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). When … Read more
Oral Care Leader Teams Up to Support On-site Care for World-class Athletes CINCINNATI – (BUSINESS WIRE) The Procter & Gamble Company is pleased to announce that Crest + Oral-B have teamed up to help dentists ensure the best oral health for the athletes of the London 2012 Olympic Games. As part of this dedicated partnership, … Read more