I am a retired dentist who has a passion for preventative dentistry and preventive medicine. I recently became painfully aware of the ramifications of acid reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) on the oral cavity. I developed severe GERD late last year. Unfortunately, complete understanding of the difficulties experienced by patients comes best through direct … Read more
One of the critical choices made before treating each and every patient is choosing your protective face mask. While the mask construct is straight forward with layers of tissue and filtering materials suspended by elastic loops … the question of protection goes far beyond a simple physical barrier. Considerations of the treatment being delivered in … Read more
Purchasing a new practice management software for a dental office is not a trivial task. There are a lot of different choices and packages offered by software vendors that confuse the buyer rather than help her/him. Each package has its own strengths and weaknesses. But what are the fundamental elements a dentist should look for … Read more
Dentsply Sirona, The Dental Solutions Company ™, concluded 2016’s SIROWORLD: The Ultimate Dental Meeting on Saturday, Aug 13. The event closed after three days of countless networking opportunities, comprehensive and educational clinical content, a wide-ranging trade show floor and exceptional entertainment. SIROWORLD commenced on Thursday, Aug. 11, with more than 4,000 dental professionals eagerly arriving … Read more
Introduction For some of our patients, esthetics is not a chief concern as lip posture accommodation has enabled them to hide their smile. A precipitating event, such as an accident resulting in dental trauma or critical comment from a stranger or spouse, often motivates a patient to seek esthetic dental treatment to address their esthetic … Read more
Abstract Diode lasers have become more widely used in dental clinical practice and have demonstrated a safe effective method for treatment in and around implants that require soft tissue modification to either expose the implant for the restorative phase or reshape the gingival margins for esthetics. The article will discuss the methods that have been … Read more
Digital dentistry has been embraced in our daily practice from the use of digital radiography to the fabrication of CAD/CAM restorations. The transformation in office economics, treatment philosophy, staff productivity and case presentation which accompany this shift in practice are issues worthy of serious attention, but space does not permit further exploration here. Orthodontics has … Read more
This year, the most prestigious award for dental industry companies, will transition sponsorship from the Pride Institute to the newly launched Cellerant Consulting Group, founded by Dr. Lou Shuman. The Cellerant “Best of Class” Technology Award, formerly known as The Pride “Best of Class” Technology Award, recognizes innovative game changing technology offerings, services and devices. … Read more
Responding to an exponentially increasing number of online tutorials and websites, that claim to teach consumers how to straighten their own teeth, the American Association of Orthodontics has issued a series of television and radio public service announcements warning about the risks associated with do-it-yourself orthodontics. Most homemade braces consist of a combination of paper … Read more
My husband Steve, teases me about living in an orange bubble. Those of you who know me know that the color orange plays a big part in my life and how I brand myself. In fact, I often receive orange gifts from friends and colleagues…which BTW I love! Radiate O.R.A.N.G.E.! So what is the Power … Read more
Nowadays, dentists are forced to balance between providing the best patient care and staying profitable and efficient. Recent changes in the dental industry and patient expectations have created a competitive market and introduced new challenges dentists never had to deal with in the past. Let’s face it. What was acceptable ten years ago is no … Read more
Dental demographics are changing almost faster than we can keep up: The Baby Boomers are retiring, the Affordable Care Act is scrambling the marketplace and the archaic system of employer-provided benefits is looking more long in the tooth than ever. As such, smart dentists are reconfiguring their practices around a choice-based, consumerist mentality. Think of … Read more
Abstract Over the past several decades, a political movement has evolved whose agenda is to end community water fluoridation. Despite decades of data demonstrating safe and effective reductions in dental caries, anti-fluoridation activists continue their efforts globally. Under the banner of concerned citizens, the activists lead with emotionally charged fears (e.g fluoride causes cancer, fluoride … Read more
Consider the type of patient you would like in your practice. Stop spending time putting out fires that consume valuable time and energy, with problem patients. Spend more time with your preferred patients and their friends. Birds of a feather really do flock together. Patient surveys show that the majority of patients find out about … Read more
Why would a dental practice require an eye wash station? Is it required by law? And if so, what type of equipment is needed? Although the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario recommends the installation of eye wash stations in dental offices (Infection Prevention and Control in the Dental Office, 2010), there is still … Read more
Providing clean, safe dental water is critical to implementing and maintaining effective infection control protocols. Exposure to poor water quality can pose a health risk for people and conflicts with universally accepted infection prevention protocols. Noted most recently, in 2011 was the fatal case of an 82-year-old otherwise healthy woman who developed Legionnaire’s disease after … Read more
Dentistry is part art, part science, but all about people. In dental school, the people part of the equation was overlooked, and it takes a number of years in practice to realize its importance. Dentistry is a service business, and communication is paramount to success. Communication, by definition, is “the exchange of ideas, messages, or … Read more
Every dentist has experienced it: a choppy hygiene report that creates chaos, patient confusion and a ripple effect of schedule delays. When it becomes chronic, it has a deleterious effect on your entire operation. How to fix this common but potentially dire problem? As with just about every aspect of practice development, consistent process is … Read more
The success of a modern dental practice is entirely dependent on how effective it is at influencing its patients to say yes to optimal dental health. It’s simple consumer economics: no matter how exceptional the practice, if the patient rejects the recommended treatment and won’t (or can’t) pay us more than it costs us to … Read more
Imagine the impact increasing your patient treatment acceptance rate by 10 to 15 percent would have on practice productivity. Now imagine getting paid for those services in an efficient manner! These components of your practice have significant influence on practice growth and are critical to ongoing practice success. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS In order to track … Read more