AAO 2015: Sleep apnea treatment options multiply

There is a growing demand for therapies to treat sleep apnea, and dentists are well-positioned to help patients understand how oral appliances, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and surgery can help, lecturers told a well-attended session of the recent American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) meeting in San Francisco. “Obstructive sleep apnea is a life-killing, progressive disease that needs to be handled carefully, but with your knowledge and skills, directly

European committee recommends amalgam alternatives for certain patients

In a final opinion on dental amalgam, a European Commission scientific committee concluded that alternative materials to dental amalgam should be the first choice for certain restorations, such as those in pregnant patients and primary teeth. The updated opinion by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) updates the committee’s previous one published in 2008. It assessed the safety and effectiveness of dental amalgam and possible

AAPD inducts new officers and trustees

SEATTLE – The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) inducted Robert Delarosa, DDS, as its new president at its annual meeting. Other officers and new AAPD board of trustees members also were inducted. Dr. Delarosa runs a private practice in Baton Rouge, LA, and his agenda for this year includes creating a taskforce to investigate the growing debt burden of recent graduates and sustaining the value of AAPD membership. He graduated

5 tips for practice productivity; amalgam use; do you have a detailed operating budget?

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Have you thought about how your supply and exam rooms are organized? Is your practice wasting time looking for supplies? By keeping supply and exam rooms neatly organized, your staff will be more efficient. This is just one of five tips that Allen Crow of Easy Dental outlines that can help eliminate stress and help your practice become more productive. As the CEO of your practice, you

CDA calls for action after Western Dental’s Denti-Cal decision

The California Dental Association (CDA) is calling for immediate action from the state to reform the Denti-Cal dental Medicaid program after Western Dental announced it will stop accepting new patients enrolled in the program. Western Dental, one of California’s largest dental Medicaid providers, announced last week that it will stop accepting new Denti-Cal patients as of June 1 because of low reimbursement rates and increased demand. The CDA is calling

Preventing Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Can you imagine a life where you are unable to enjoy your favorite foods, not being able to smile or constantly having pain in your jaw joint? Without a doubt, no one would love to be in this situation; but people who suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Disorders are constantly at risk of suffering jaw pain, even when smiling. Recently, patient visiting ask us who is at risk of developing TMD?

Diet Tricks to a Healthy Body

Every so often we hear of diet tricks that will help you, but have you ever stop to think about these and if they are really beneficial for us? , know that summer is just around the corner and many are concern with the shape of their body. With this in mind, our dental clinic set-out to investigate a few diet tricks that will help you have a healthy body

Dental school grad modernizes denture design

Micah Weisenberg, DDS, graduated from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry on May 14, but unlike many of his colleagues, he will not just be practicing right after school. Instead, the newly minted Dr. Weisenberg will also focus on creating a device that could modernize how dentures are made. The device, which he is calling Air Scan, uses jets attached to an intraoral scanner that pulsate air into the narrow

AAPD 2015: Full-coverage restorations results in fewer caries relapses

SEATTLE – The current U.S. standard of care for treating early childhood caries results in inadequate clinical outcomes, according to a poster presentation on May 22 at this week’s American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) 2015 annual meeting. In a study from New York City, researchers reviewed records over a five-year period and found that even after aggressive surgical treatment under general anesthesia, more than 63% of pediatric patients with

AAPD 2015: Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children provides $1.1M in grants

SEATTLE – Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children (HSHC), the foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), announced on May 22 that it will partner with 22 organizations this year and provide $1.1 million in grants for underserved children to have a dental home. The announcement was made at this week’s AAPD 2015 annual meeting. In addition, HSHC has identified two organizations to be awarded multiyear HSHC grants of $375,000

OHA gets $50K grant to expand kids’ oral healthcare in SoCal

Oral Health America (OHA) will use a $50,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to expand oral healthcare and education to children in Southern California. The grant will allow a Smiles Across America (SSA) California Learning Lab to improve access to care, increase the number of children they reach, and increase knowledge in the field in Southern California, according to the organization. “We greatly appreciate this opportunity to increase our presence

AAO elects new president

SAN FRANCISCO – The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) elected Morris Poole, DDS, as president of the association at its annual session held this week. The board also elected other officers and installed two new members of the board of trustees. Dr. Poole has offices in Utah and Idaho and also serves on the board of directors of the AAO Foundation. “Orthodontics is constantly evolving, requiring research, continuous education and training,