Ruminating on Thanksgiving and the many things I am thankful for had me thinking about a list of things that continue to make dental appointments great experiences... On behalf of my patients I am thankful for: local anesthesia so I can take care of patients pain free The high speed drill so I can treat … Continue reading A Dentist’s Thanksgiving List
Consider this analogy: If a pilot knows the altitude of his plane relative to sea level, but not the altitude of the terrain he’s actually flying over, he’s in trouble. Yes, he might be flying at five thousand feet, but what if he is in Colorado?! What does this have to do with periodontal charting? … Continue reading Planes, Terrains and Perio-Charting Skills
I heard a story once of a dentist that got a phone call from a colleague telling him about a patient he was referring. It was a heads up call to let the dentist know that the patient was elderly and could be a challenge Not long after that the patient appointed, the dentist happened … Continue reading Population Trends and the Modern Dentist
In this series we have been considering different types of cases a new dentist might see on her very first day of practice and how the clinical software used ought to enable her care in these situations. The other three profiles can be found here, here and here. Getting started in your career as a practitioner … Continue reading Your First Day In Practice: Patient #4
Here is some interesting data gathered by the Pew Research Center: (Source: Pew Research Center) This means that first, a super-majority of people 50 years and older live with at least one significant health condition that impacts their lives. Second, another super-majority (and growing) of just about everyone use the internet in their day-to-day life. What implications could these two … Continue reading Chronic Disease, the Internet, and Your Patients
There is no doubt that being a dentist brings you into contact with new people and experiences each day. Mrs. Gump would have appreciated the variety ("life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get..."). For the child tasting her first few chocolates, as for the new dentist and her first few patients, … Continue reading Your First Day in Practice: Patient #3
When you hear about “online forms” what do you normally think of? If you’re like most dentists today you say to yourself “I have those on my website”. But unfortunately, the truth is you most likely only have downloadable PDF forms. What’s the difference? As the Internet became a major tool in communication between dentist … Continue reading Faux Online Forms
In this series, we are looking at a number of different patients that any new dentist could encounter on their very first day in practice. As there is another class of recent graduates in 2015, it's always exciting to think about beginning to practice in the real world. The first patient had a number of … Continue reading Your First Day In Practice: Patient #2
All parents know that summertime for kids often means upended daily routines. Weekend trips pop up, sleep-overs happen, and vacations to the beach become top priorities. Schedules crafted and followed during the school year, including those for oral health, are quickly abandoned because of the spontaneity that summer brings. Come August and September, re-establishing these important routines can be a challenge. … Continue reading 8 Tips For Back-To-School Brushing Habits!
Why we need modern dental software and interoperability It has always been troubling to me that patients spend years under the care of a dentist and then when moving to another practice there is loss of continuity. The patient’s record does not follow the patient.This was not as big of a problem when paper records … Continue reading Why we need modern dental software and interoperability
