Two, Four, Six, Eight! Maximize and Appreciate! This article is the second in a three-part series that reviews some of the major considerations in preparing for practice ownership transition and comprehensive retirement planning. In the previous article, we discussed the two most common ways in which a dental practice is sold and four ways to … Read more
The new Liberal-NDP agreement suggests implementing a national dental care program for low-income Canadians. Such a program could result in the most considerable augmentation of the nation’s public healthcare system in decades. The new “supply-and-confidence” agreement between the Liberals and NDP incorporates a commitment to implementing a sustainable dentistry program. Instead of acting solely on … Read more
Practice overhead is one of the most critical metrics to track. What is your net profit? Where should it be? How you get this number is what truly matters. General practices should be at a net profit of 40% (higher is possible), yet reports show dentists are lucky to see 30% net profit these days. … Read more
THE WHY: Owner’s Story Dr. Elena Kalmantis is the proud owner and principal dentist of Loft 32 Dentistry. Her practice is strategically situated in the quaint nature-inspired town of LaSalle, a beautiful bedroom community next to the City of Windsor, Ontario. Upon graduating from Western University in 2012, she practiced as an associate for 9 … Read more
When I speak about preservation planning, I often hear, “Paul, tell me what can go wrong. What could possibly be my critical event? I am financially secure, in good health and insured for negligent acts. Preservation planning is not on my radar.” That’s a tough question to answer; we do not have a crystal ball … Read more
Because of the special relationship that exists between a healthcare provider and a patient, dental practices must be dedicated to the well-being of their patients. The duty of healthcare providers obligates the entire dental office team to treat patients with dignity. Unlike the transactional relationships that may exist in non-healthcare retail sectors, clinicians and team … Read more
A few months ago, a patient of mine sat down and proudly informed me she had “swimmer’s mouth.” It was the first time I had ever heard that term, but having only been practicing dental hygiene for 3 years, I assumed it was something I had perhaps missed while in school. Upon further inquiry, I … Read more
Wikipedia defines neurodiversity, neurodivergence, or neurovariance as “Variations in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.”1 The term was first coined in the 1990’s by sociologist Judy Singer and tended to be used when discussing autism spectrum disorder and attention hyperactivity disorder within the self-advocacy movement. … Read more
Q: Our hygiene team gathers for monthly chart audit meetings to align on patient treatment, but we are debating the correct diagnosis of our last case. Perhaps you can help us settle the debate. A: Great to hear you have monthly chart audit meetings. They are a great way to align and learn. So, let’s … Read more
During the last two-and-a-half years, we have lived a huge sociological experiment that will be studied for decades to come. The impact of the COVID measures will be discussed and dissected ad nauseum, with no clear consensus likely as the outcome. What we do know is what we missed the most – the joy of … Read more
Attracting New Staff to Your Practice Acquiring new staff has been a challenge this year but there have been a few options available for practice owners. Hiring a newer graduate may require more work in the onboarding and training process but allows you to mold and mentor the employee. Dental temp services have also greatly … Read more
Introduction: Old Job, New Tool Since the 1950s, when x-ray photography came into widespread use in dentistry, the radiograph has been a dentist’s primary diagnostic tool.1 It is easy to see why: Only a tiny fraction of what a radiograph shows can be seen by the unaided eye. In other branches of medicine, radiology is … Read more
Introduction When thinking about managing dental caries as a disease, and not just the outcomes, one might look to a health network, to see how they characterize the management of that disease, as they would with other health conditions. If you were to look at the Mayo Clinic as a source, you would find this … Read more
Amazing Technology The medical management of gangrene during the American Civil War was to amputate a limb above the infection site to prevent ongoing bacterial proliferation into the surrounding tissues. (Fig. 1) Fig. 1 During a lecture in 2000, Dr Graham Mount, a pioneer in the clinical use of glass ionomer cement, described dentistry as … Read more
When we complete a resin restoration, we hope that it will last, be attractive, wear well, retain its polish, maintain shade, reject extrinsic stain, and not fracture (Figs. 2 & 3) Resins today number in the hundreds. While most are clearly superior to the handful available at the beginning of the adhesive era, we remain … Read more
Introduction Dental implant placement and implant-supported rehabilitations are highly successful treatment options, and more implants are being placed recently by general dental practitioners and specialists than ever before.1 For dental implant treatment to be successful, it is imperative to have a firm and stable osseointegration. Where, osseointegration is defined as the direct structural and functional … Read more
Host-associated bacteria exist on a continuum, from commensals with low virulence and beneficial properties to disease-causing pathogens whose colonization can be deadly.1 As microbiomes evolve, their metabolites, interspecies interactions, and the host immune compartment can cause changes to the bacterial niche that facilitate the outgrowth of microorganisms associated with a dysbiotic state; this, in turn, … Read more
Introduction These are unprecedented times. The opioid crises strain our communities. The challenge for dental practitioners mirrors the need for new pathways. Being successful with patient treatment is imperative for all practicing dentists. Treatment success is determined by the outcome for the patient. Patients care primarily for levels of morbidity and only then for esthetics, … Read more
Aerospace. Aeronautics. Automotive. World-class precision engineering is vital for manufacturing legends such as Ferrari, Jaguar, Tesla, Maserati, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and NASA. Ditron makes critical components for those companies, and the same high quality that sets those icons apart now is the driving force behind Ditron Dental USA implants. Dr. Matteo Danza provided the implant … Read more
Nowadays, we are providing more than dental appointments, we are providing patient experiences. The patient experience is more than a buzzword. It has been proven that positive patient experiences increase health outcomes and decrease patient complaints.1 What is the patient experience? Although there is no established definition, the patient experience is more than providing care; … Read more