Week in Review: Syndrome leads to unneeded procedures | High-paying dental jobs | New video series

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Phantom bite syndrome is a psychosomatic condition in which patients are preoccupied with dental occlusion. Our top story of the week detailed the real-life cases of three women with the syndrome who underwent unnecessary dental procedures and, in some cases, experienced new or worse dental problems. The authors advised dentists to be cautious before providing treatment for patients with a long psychotic history or young onset of

Dental Dose: Carbocaine’s greatest strength is also its biggest weakness

Dental Dose is a twice-monthly video series featuring pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh. In each episode, Viola shares bite-sized pieces of dental pharmacology news, facts, and myths. Mepivacaine, better known by the brand name Carbocaine, has a reputation as the “safe” anesthetic in dentistry, according to pharmacologist Tom Viola. In the latest episode of Dental Dose, Viola shared why the anesthetic earned this reputation and explored the truth behind the sentiment.

Want to Quit Smoking? Your Mouth, Gums, & Teeth Will Thank You

If you smoke, you likely know how bad it is for you. You don’t need a dentist to tell you that. But do you know how good quitting smoking can be for your teeth and overall dental health? As dentists, we’ve seen benefits of quitting smoking first hand — years of tooth decay and gum disease slowly but steadily reverse themselves just because a patient gives up the ashtray. It’s

Are you using throat packs? It may be time to reconsider

Throat packs may not effectively prevent patients from ingesting blood during oral surgery or improve postprocedure nausea and vomiting, according to results from a randomized controlled trial published on August 6 in the International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. The use of oropharyngeal packs does not appear to benefit patients and evidence has indicated they can cause patients harm and contribute to poor outcomes; therefore, clinicians may want to

Biolase reports revenue growth for Q2

Biolase has reported revenue growth for its second quarter of the fiscal year (end-June 30, 2021). The company said its net revenue was $9.1 million, a 211% increase over net revenue of $2.9 million in the same period of 2020. Net revenue was 6% higher than prepandemic revenue during the second quarter of 2019. Company leaders credited the growth in part to rising demand for dental lasers as a result of the

Desktop Health launches 3D printing program

Desktop Health announced the launch of a turnkey metal 3D printing program for dentistry along with the launch of chrome cobalt for use in dental applications. The Shop System eliminates labor costs associated with machine programming required for computer numeric controlled (CNC) milling, typically a common manufacturing process for producing metal dental components. The system can print up to 32 partials in less than four hours compared with the nearest

Dry mouth, altered taste, and lesions point to COVID-19

More than 40% of patients with COVID-19 experienced dry mouth, according to a review published in the Journal of Dental Research that looked at the prevalence of oral symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Taste disorders and oral lesions were also common in infected patients. The review was a six-month update to previously published research on the prevalence of oral symptoms in COVID-19 cases. In the analysis of roughly 65,000 patients

Case report: Split wedge overcomes restoration challenges

A 70-year-old man presented with a failing direct composite on tooth #20 with recurrent caries on the gingival margin. This tooth also presented as a “food trap” issue for the patient. Upon clinical and radiographic examination, it became apparent that the gingival margin was not restored properly on the existing distal-occlusal lingual (DOL), which led largely to the failure of the composite. Disclaimer: Dr. Matthew Burton is the creator of VursaWedge

Philips launches new at-home whitening kit

Philips has launched Philips Zoom, a new at-home whitening product that includes custom-made trays. The system works by dentists taking intraoral scans of patients’ mouths, then sending the scan data to a Philips-affiliated lab. Then, customized whitening trays ship directly to patients’ homes. The tray is handmade with a durable, clear finish, Philips said. The whitening formula includes calcium phosphate, potassium nitrate, and sodium fluoride, which aim to protect enamel,

U.S. Oral Surgery Management lands new partner in La.

Management services firm U.S. Oral Surgery Management has partnered with Oral and Facial Surgery Center, which has locations in two Louisiana cities, Opelousas and Lafayette. This is the firm’s second partner in the state. U.S. Oral Surgery Management provides operational, marketing, and administrative services to partners in more than a dozen other states, including California and Arizona.

Don’t let ‘fuzzy thinking’ put dental patients at risk

Are you practicing while under the influence of “fuzzy thinking” — basing dental treatment decisions on opinions rather than facts? Clinicians who do so may be putting patients at risk, according to a perspective published August 8 in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Whether it is unintentional or laziness, basing dental treatment decisions on uncorroborated opinions instead of facts can lead to poor clinical judgment, producing unwanted consequences

Psychosomatic syndrome can lead to unneeded dental procedures

Phantom bite syndrome — a psychosomatic condition in which patients are preoccupied with dental occlusion — can result in unnecessary dental procedures and even lead to new or worse dental problems. Researchers published details of three women with this syndrome in a recent case report in Frontiers in Psychiatry. The women were strongly convinced that correcting their bite was the only way to resolve their symptoms, including symptoms in other