Part 1 of this series looked at how teledentistry can be used in the public health sector. But the full potential for teledentistry lies far beyond the public health sector. This road-tested technology will gain much more critical mass when it becomes widely adopted in private practice, for-profit dentistry. Marty Jablow, DMD. When it comes to the adoption of teledentistry in the private sector, the future looks bright. In fact,
Research suggests links between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis, so might scaling and root planing reduce signs of both diseases in patients with both conditions? To find out, investigators compared the effects of this treatment on periodontitis patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis. They performed scaling and root planing in patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis, some of whom also had rheumatoid arthritis, and found that the rheumatoid arthritis
Is intravenous (IV) acetaminophen a viable pain management option after third-molar extraction? In a recent study, researchers tested intravenous acetaminophen against a placebo of IV saline in 72 patients to find out. The team measured patients’ postoperative pain scores at three points after surgery and found no statistically significant differences in these scores between the acetaminophen and placebo groups. The study was published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial
Geistlich Pharma North America has introduced two new resorbable collagen membranes. The Bio-Gide Compressed and the Bio-Gide Shape have the same biological properties as the company’s Bio-Gide and offer a slower absorption time for accurate positioning into defects. The Compressed collagen membrane has a smoother surface and is easier to cut, according to Geistlich. The Shape collagen membrane is precut and designed for the treatment of nonintact extraction sockets. The
What’s the best way to manage pain in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD)? Authors of a recent review propose a conservative approach that includes multiple kinds of treatments, including dental, psychological, medical, and physical therapies. Researchers examined studies on the effectiveness of various treatments for patients with craniofacial pain and TMD. Based on their findings, they developed a model that incorporates conservative multidisciplinary treatment. “A conservative approach appears to be
Exocad has released new CAD/CAM software designed to create restorations in a single visit. ChairsideCAD features a step-by-step guide for creating same-day restorations, including inlays, onlays, crowns, veneers, and bridges. It also contains dentalshare, an online tool for dental professionals and labs to collaborate and share data. The program is an open-architecture platform, so it works with other open scanners, milling machines, printers, and materials. It is available in the
General dentists are once again the most common type of dentists, according to newly published data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The data break down dentist statistics by gender, specialty, and state. The Kaiser Family Foundation maintains a database of national and state information on healthcare providers, health coverage, and access to care. The latest data from October 2017 show that there are 188,970 professionally active dentists in the U.S,
Dear DrBicuspid Member, Which dental service/support organization (DSO) is the largest in the U.S.? Is it Heartland, Aspen, or another company? Our updated list of the 10 largest DSOs features revised practice counts and a prominent organization adding more than 100 offices in the past six months. Learn more here. Also this week on HuangshanDental.com, we recruited an expert in working with patients with dental anxiety, Dr. Scott Shamblott, to
New research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found a link between a patient’s diabetes status and dental visits. People with diabetes and prediabetes visit the dentist less frequently than those without diabetes, the study found. Bei Wu, PhD. The researchers were particularly surprised that those with diabetes visited the dentist less often, since diabetes has been repeatedly linked to periodontal disease. The pattern is concerning because
My practice focuses on an underappreciated and underserved segment of the dental population: those with dental anxiety and dental phobia. For most dentists, these aren’t the easiest patients. I occasionally ask my peers to send me their most difficult patients, the ones they dread seeing. Most happily refer them. Dental fear knows no boundaries. It affects all ages, cultures, genders, socioeconomic groups, and ethnicities. 4 fears I encounter patients daily
The dental industry has gotten caught up in the trade showdown between the U.S. and China, with a number of key dental products showing up on a list of products and materials that will have tariffs slapped on them. On April 3, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released a proposed list of 1,300 products and materials that could have tariffs imposed on their import from China.
Keeping our mouth clean is essential to maintain good oral health. Regular brushing, proper flossing, and mouth rinsing contribute significantly to keeping our mouth clean. However, food debris could still get stuck in the teeth especially in hard to reach areas and cause plaque that can develop into decay, tooth pain, infection, and other inflammations. When a tooth has damaged roots, you will need a root canal treatment to save