The success of implants has been tremendous. Never before have we had a treatment option to replace missing teeth or stabilize dentures that performs so well. But just how successful are dental implants? In the May 2018 edition of Oral Health, Dr. Gary Glassman wrote an editorial discussing the hierarchy of implants compared to endodontic … Read more
Today’s health standards mandate the retention of functional teeth (or their substitutes) throughout adult life. This is a colossal change of expectations in just less than half a century. In the mid-20th century, partial and complete edentulousness were common in people approaching their forties and beyond, even in the industrialized world. Science, research, materials and … Read more
The best way to grab your attention for this editorial is to simply begin with the facts. One in three Canadians will experience a mental illness or substance abuse disorder in their lifetime. By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, one in two have—or have had—a mental illness. Over 4,000 Canadians per year … Read more
In 1993, we wrote an editorial for Oral Health entitled “Wisdom Teeth: To Extract or Not?” and our accompanying two-part review on the current concepts and controversies involving third molar surgery. The articles provided a discussion of the indications for third molar removal and the influences of a variety of factors upon the surgical outcome. … Read more
“Leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others”. For the past few years our company has attended MagNet, which is Canada’s premier professional development and networking conference for magazine media professionals. MagNet was developed to meet the industry’s growing need for targeted, thought-provoking information through insightful, accessible … Read more
One of the most controversially debated topics of modern dentistry has been whether to retain a tooth with endodontic treatment or to extract it and replace it with an implant. In the 1980s, implant dentistry became the mainstream treatment modality, with the purported promise of a maintenance free, definitive and long term solution for a … Read more
Spring is in the air! Especially after attending the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver with all the beautiful weather. The benefit of the esthetic issue coming out in April every year is that it allows me the ability to look outside as I write this editorial, as things start to bloom, and reflect. What a … Read more
What is functional dentistry and why is it worth talking about? I am curious if this is a movement or new direction in dentistry. Here are my thoughts. Functional medicine and dentistry are using your detective skills and sleuthing out underlying root causes and abnormalities that have lead to a patient’s complaints or symptoms and … Read more
As I sit at my desk writing this month’s editorial, I can’t help but be slightly distracted by the 2018 Winter Olympics and keeping an eye on where Team Canada sits in the standings. I’m willing to admit that I’ve been glued to my TV this past week watching my favourite figure skaters climb (or … Read more
Honesty is such a lonely word – Billy Joel Bias and integrity are strange bedfellows. They are two qualities that we speak of in absolute terms although there is no absolute measure for them. Both qualities force us to look at ourselves critically, an exercise often avoided because all too often we end up not … Read more
Paediatric dentistry has always been a challenge, especially in the area of patient management. Typically in the past, it was recommended that a child be seen by a dentist between the ages of two and half and three years. Unfortunately, by that time many children presented with advanced dental decay and parents with a host … Read more
The world is changing rapidly and shows no sign of slowing down. It often feels like we are completely surrounded by gloom and doom – businesses closing, people being laid off, the nature of so many industries losing their focus and their way… But not so dentistry! In a world that has been turned upside … Read more
As I gathered the submissions to this month’s Oral Surgery issue, I could not help but notice that most of the papers submitted dealt with complications following extractions or a related procedure. I did a search of the world literature in PubMed on “complications and dental extractions” and to my surprise, there were more than … Read more
Cone-beam computed tomography…rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Well, if not now, it soon will. At the recent IDS in Cologne, Germany, CBCT was prominent. CBCT is one of the latest advancements in global dental imaging systems and is considered a prominent product-type segment in the global market for dental imaging equipment. The use of … Read more
Have we gone too far with rating our health care providers? I am an otherwise lovely middle-aged woman, who is going through menopause. What that means is that on good days I wake up merely hating most people. Bad days are at least one log scale worse. Let’s just say I have been heard … Read more
Boy time flies! A year ago I was given the privilege of becoming the editor of the April Aesthetic issue of Oral Health. Taking over for Dr. Elliot Mechanic is not an easy task and one that I have not taken lightly. Every April, Dr. Mechanic had successfully assembled articles from some of the best … Read more
Jordan Soll If you look up the word experience in the dictionary it says “see Mistakes.” Janice Goodman My dad gave me the best advice I’ve ever received the day I graduated in Dentistry. The most valuable asset you will ever have is your reputation. He was right of course. Les Rykiss … Read more
The FDIC has a new definition of the term “oral health”; it “includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence and without pain, discomfort and disease of the craniofacial complex”. Oh my. How do we interpret this? The FDIC has subtly … Read more
US-based The Pew Research Group has a special unit following oral healthcare. Recently, it released a blog on three issues facing Americans (yes, it translates to us) oral healthcare: affordability, affordability, affordability. Dental care is one of the most unmet healthcare needs in the United States. Lack of insurance coverage and access to providers, even … Read more
