On October 1, Canadians celebrated the older adults whose mentoring, leadership, and volunteerism have shaped the nation. National Seniors Day was also an occasion for dental hygienists to remind Canada’s seniors and their caregivers of the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene habits throughout the lifespan. “Thanks to healthier lifestyles and advances in oral and … Read more
Fluoridation is useless for low-income children, US federal data shows. Now please keep in mind the source, the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation (NYSCOF) Inc. Having said that, Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2011/2012 statistics reveal that low income children’s tooth decay rates are increasing substantially despite record numbers of children served fluoride … Read more
Abstract Today’s preventive practice provides the ability to intervene in the demineralization process and return the client to health often without the use of restorative techniques. Evidence-based research promotes the use of sodium fluoride varnish compared to other methods of delivery of professional topical fluorides. The overall goal of this article is to provide the … Read more
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
Sunstar Americas recently celebrated its fifteenth year of honoring North America’s outstanding dental hygienists. The oral health care leader and RDH magazine joined forces to create the Award of Distinction program in 2002. Since then, 113 dental hygienists have been recognized for their success and accomplishments in the field of dental hygiene. The four most … 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
The merger of DENTSPLY and Sirona at the beginning of the year created the largest manufacturer of technologies, equipment and consumables in the dental sector. The company is now working together as one combined force to develop solutions for the current challenges in dentistry, including products for enhanced hygienic safety in practices. The recently published … 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
Our success in life depends greatly on how well we communicate in our personal and professional lives. When we communicate positively and effectively we inspire connections and build happier, healthier and higher performing relationships. Our ceiling of success then becomes like the old expression, the sky’s the limit. Unless you live in some remote jungle, … Read more