Dental practices are as different as people are different. The personality of the owner is probably the key to how that office “feels” when you walk in the door. Some practices may feel clinical and efficient, while others feel somewhat more home spun and laid back. The dentist’s personality is reflected in his or her treatment preferences as well. The fact that different dentists will suggest different plans to treat your condition does not necessarily mean that one plan is better than another.

As I ended last week, the most important thing any health care provider can give is their time. Listening to patient desires and expectations is the key to a long-lasting dentist or… (Read More)

I recently had the opportunity to do some dental hygiene appointments for a hygienist who was out for a family emergency. While at first I was not particularly excited about doing this because I have my own busy schedule, I have to say, it was both gratifying and eye-opening.

Typically, when I check a patient after a hygiene exam, I am examining clean teeth and will briefly discuss any concerns the patient or the hygienist has. But on this day, I got to spend much more time with patients who I normally only see for five minutes after they see the hygienist.

My first patient was a 20-year-old, very pleasant and bright young man, who… (Read More)

I recently attended a continuing education course entitled “Hit Man or Healer?” The course was given by a well-known leader in the dental profession. The basic premise of the course was the notion that we have a lot more science, studies and data available today to be able to make better decisions about the treatment that we dentists recommend to patients. The concept is called evidence-based dentistry.

The idea is that if a very structured examination and diagnosis is done, treatment recommendations can be made based on science. The problem is, often times the diagnosis leads to suggestions that without the proper dialogue can make the dentist look like a “hit man” (ie. patient perception… (Read More)

Did you know that researchers have found Neolithic remains from 6,500 years ago that include a tooth filled with beeswax? Clearly, dental materials have evolved a lot since then! And while dental work has been further improved over the last 100 years or so, there are new advances all the time that mean an even better dental experience for patients. One example of this is a new filling material that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have been studying that has huge implications for both dentists and patients. If you’d like to know more, a local dentist discusses how it might change the field of dentistry.

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I read somewhere recently – Insurance does not equal health. Health requires investment. The push in the dental insurance industry is to make “insurance” cheaper in an effort to have more people covered. However, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, providing people with dental insurance does not necessarily mean they will use it and seek dental care.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry analyzed nearly 13,000 people for their project. Those who had dental insurance and accessed dental care were more likely to be younger, college graduates, high-income workers, married, in very good health, and not missing all their permanent teeth. They were also more… (Read More)

Thanks again to the The Town Common for another great year. At the end of each of the past 12 years, I have used this space to publish these 21 Suggestions for Success authored by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. It is the perfect time to reflect on the year past and prepare for any changes we need to make for the year to come.

How was 2017 for you?  While reflecting on the past year is important, thinking forward to the year to come is even more important. The past is in the past.

I thought last year might be the final year for posting this list. However, knowing that readership continues to grow for… (Read More)

If you missed Part 1 and/or 2 of this series, you can find it at www.thetowncommon.com.

I have been talking the past couple weeks about the continual growing evidence that links oral and systemic disease and the need for more collaboration between dentists and physicians. All of this, of course, is in the best interest of the patient.

The discussion has been primarily about gum disease and its relationship with systemic disease. We know that the elbow bone is attached to the shoulder bone – everything is connected. In addition to the need for dentists and MD’s to collaborate more on the oral/systemic connection, we also need to collaborate better about our patient’s sleep problems.

Are you one of the countless people who’s always attempting to lose “those last 10 pounds?” If so, you’ve probably tried all the usual things: eating less and moving more, adding more protein to your diet and eating lots of veggies. So, what gives? It’s one thing if you can’t lose weight because you’re not doing the right things, but it’s especially frustrating when the scale won’t budge even after you’ve put the effort in. If you can relate to this, there may be one thing you haven’t thought of – sleep apnea. It’s estimated that 22 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, with 80% of them being undiagnosed! If you’d like to… (Read More)