Weighting over 400 kilograms, the Galápagos tortoise1 lumbers slowly above the lush grass, grabs the Azolla (mosquito, duckweed, water-fern and fairy moss) with its fully edentulous jaws (yes that’s right – no teeth for these creatures), squishes out the moisture and swallows the bolus to be slowly digested. Although Charles Darwin had a more-detailed explanation … Read more
In 1984, Oral Health, our monthly clinical journal, was 73-years-old and Dental Practice Management was born. DPM was meant to be the source for all things not clinical. Employer concerns, staffing, legal matters, marketing, finance, transitioning, office design were all topics for discussion in DPM. Not long ago, the magazine morphed into Oral Health Office. … Read more
The first “rules” that I can remember learning in dental school were G.V. Black’s rules for cavity preparation. My classmates and I carefully memorized those rules along with hundreds of others that our professors and clinical instructors taught us. But now, after many years in practice, I realized that the REAL “rules” for practicing dentistry … Read more
Dr. Carl Misch was a friend of our family whom I would best describe as a passionate man – both in his personal and professional life. And professionally, his passion was for dental implants. As a child, Carl always said he wanted to be a dentist. Later during his dental schooling, when asked why he … 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
“Old school mentalities – like dentistry is a profession, not a business OR doing good dentistry is your best marketing – still permeate. There hasn’t been much in terms of teaching proper marketing for the new millennium.” Michael Carabash, managing partner of DMC LLP. Why in the world do you, Dr. Dentist, have to know … 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
Sixteen years ago, Titley and Farkouh (2001) published a paper in this journal entitled “The Stainless Steel Crown – An Underused Restoration in Paediatric Dentistry.” A review of the current literature indicates that stainless steel crowns (SSC’s) continue to be the restoration of choice by paediatric dentists for heavily decayed primary molar teeth. On the … Read more
‘Best Practices‘ is a weekly editorial video series exploring clinical dentistry and practice management. Look for advice and expertise on industry developments, office communication, digital marketing and more. Melissa Summerfield, Oral Health Group’s managing director, guides you through this series and what to expect each week from ‘Best Practices.’
Every day we come to the rescue of our patients by taking them out of pain, combating the results of an accident, reversing the ravages of time or simply getting them ready for a special day in their lives. We become heroes to our patients. We can do this simply and easily because of the … Read more
As a long time devout Christian, I have listened to many inspiring sermons by numerous Pastors over the years. One particular Pastor’s sermon style stands out in my mind with a transferrable concept that is very practical and relative to the practice of clinical dentistry. He titled his Sunday morning presentations as The 3 Point … Read more
If you’ve ever seen vintage photography, you’ll notice an absence of toothy grins. Somber, tight-lipped portraits ruled the day well into the early 20th century. This was probably for the best, since most smiles were not photogenic. Before the 1920s, dentists were hard to find. Cosmetic dentistry was nonexistent. Extraction – today’s treatment of last … Read more
For my first editorial with the Oral Health Group, my blatant opinion to start this piece off might not be the smartest idea. But I feel that I owe it to our dedicated readers, and to my two feline children at home, Eleanor and Lou, to be honest and open. With that being said, I … Read more
Well, it’s more accurate to say that an investigative journalist from Associated Press (AP) looked at the evidence about the effectiveness of flossing, and came to the conclusion that flossing does not help humanity. Since then, every patient and their grandmother is asking if they should floss at all. Then, the hordes of less-than-fully-employed or … Read more
