A wonderful series of pictures of dental plaque has been published in the UK’s Daily Telegraph. Two pictures are excerpted below. They show the infectious nature of dental disease. Both caries and periodontal disease are biological in origin and in progression. That is why we encourage brushing and flossing but also why we need to … Read more
Imagine if you were an influential on the physical fitness of your patients. You can be. A new Brazilian study shows that younger men with gum disease (indicated by bleeding gums amongst other symptoms) were in much poorer shape than those with healthy gums. This finding adjusted for age, weight and regular exercise. Gum disease … Read more
Imagine if your dental practice could make the following claim: A visit to your hygienist can significantly reduce your blood sugars. So says a new Indian study which found that one hour of scaling below the gum line not only significantly improved the health of gums for those with gum problems, but also reduced blood … Read more
In a recent story on National Public Radio titled “For Better Treatment, Doctors And Patients Share The Decisions”, the case was made that the patient should be told about the chances for success of a possible treatment or a side effect. In doing so, the story argued that there would be more informed decision-making and … Read more
Prophylaxis. Root canal. Periodic evaluation, or porcelain/ceramic crowns. While these are basically part of a second language to dental professionals, consumers want to know more about what procedures are available to them, and how much these services are going to cost them. Compiling that information in one central location is FAIR Health, a data company … Read more
It is not too early to start planning for the last quarter of your Annual Plan, which truly feels like the last several miles of a marathon race. You have to make sure your long distance runners (aka, your team) have a workable strategy to cross the finish line at record pace, with an eye … Read more
Back to school for kids is always a nervous and exciting time for children and parents alike. What teacher will they get? Will their friends be in the in class with them? One often overlooked item is school lunch and their associated snacks. Most schools these days have certain policies of trying to be more … Read more
How do you rank? After decades of coaching thousands of dental practices in North America to be their best, via patient retention, new patient growth and case acceptance, I have created the following list of characteristics that patients value most, in order of importance, about their dental experience. These characteristics are essential for patient loyalty, … Read more
This past week I met with several dental teams and asked them about the “3 Ds” which now characterize their patient caseloads: Do you have diabetic patients? Do you have patients on diuretics? Do you have patients with a dry mouth? In all meetings, there was instant agreement that many patients have one or more … Read more
1 in 5 low-income kids go without needed dental care; Pennsylvania receives a “D” for how it’s addressing this need (worse than 41 other states) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMYXaTZOkTo&list=UUsyy8lzxdKTUwK_CMs3dN7g Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Gentle Dental offices and their tooth mascot, Sir Floss A Lot, hit the streets to raise awareness about children’s dental health risks and the importance of … Read more
A recent article in the NY Times talked about weaning older patients off of nightly regimens of sleeping pills. Why “de-prescribe” these medications (benzodiazepines) such as Ativan, Ambien, Halcion, Lunesta and Valium? There are many good reasons but one which pertains to oral health, is the side effect on salivary flow. In 2008, a study … Read more
MADISON, Wis. – Improve your own health while restoring the smile of someone in need: Join the Virtual Race for Smiles, which benefits the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation’s (AACDCF) Give Back a Smile (GBAS) program. GBAS restores the smiles and lives of those who have suffered dental injuries from intimate partner, family, … Read more
Recently, National Public Radio featured a story on stress felt by American adults. It featured a survey by the Harvard School of Public Health which found that 1 in 4 had a great deal of stress in the previous month, and 1 in 2 in the past year. How is this stress manifest? Look at … Read more
Spectacular dental procedure on a big cat in Denmark: The CEREC CAD/CAM technology was actually developed for humans but was successfully used for the first time on a lioness in a Danish zoo. Bensheim/Salzburg – After Danish zoos received negative headlines in the press over the past few months, one Danish zoo is now attracting … Read more
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have recently discovered a way to predict the aggressiveness of oral cancer tumors in mice which is an important step towards doing the same with cancer tumors in humans to guide treatment. “All patients with advanced head and neck cancer get similar treatments,” according … Read more
Scientists examining dental plaques from prehistoric Sudanese skeletons say that purple nutsedge, today considered one of world’s worst weed, was not always a pest. By:Kate AllenScience and Technology reporter, Published on Wed Jul 16 2014. Donatella Usai / Centro Studi Sudanesi and Sub-Sahariani Scientists uncover a skeleton at a prehistoric gravesite in Sudan. Researchers say … Read more
Technology around the world has grown exponentially over the past century. From the invention of the automobile, to ATMs, and the World Wide Web, technology has made our lives more efficient and has made the information we need extremely accessible. In the dental industry, we’ve seen our own technology grow by leaps and bounds. Instead … Read more
Patients suffering from osteoporosis or bone fractures might benefit from a new discovery of a protein that plays an important role in bone regeneration made by bioengineers at Queen Mary University of London. Normally found in the formation of enamel, which is an important component of teeth, the scientists discovered that a partial segment of … Read more
The Canadian Lung Association reports that 10% of Canadians have lung disease or COPD. Half of these 3 million Canadians have a formal diagnosis, the others simply struggle on with difficulty breathing. A growing number of studies have connected oral health to lung function. But only recently has there been a prospective controlled study to … Read more
A recent article in the New York Times cautioned about the sugar content in those nutritional drinks taken by older Canadians. These drinks have the brands such as Boost and Ensure and are called by some geriatricians “liquid candy with vitamins.” As reported, one version of Boost contains 28 grams of sugar in an 8 … Read more