TeethRemoval.com

An interesting article ran in the MyView Section of the American Dental Association titled “A time to be thankful for all that we have,” written by Richard A. Mufson, D.D.S., and published November 7, 2011. http://www.ada.org/6541.aspx

In the article Dr. Mufson discusses how he will typically ask other dentists the standard question of “how are you?”

This typically goes into discussions of the dental practice and whether or not financially the practice is doing well or not.

Dr. Mufson then says he had no real desire to talk about the dental practice but about how the person really is.

Dr. Mufson goes on to say

“When caught up in our daily routines and the trials and tribulations of everyday life, many of us may not always be closely in touch with, nor take the time to be grateful for, aspects in our lives of highest importance to us, and those which make us most happy and whole. Some of these, of course, would include our health, well-being and happiness of our families, our friends, our colleagues, others in the world we respect and care about, and the positive and intimate relationships we share with one another. Many of these relationships have involved the mutual sharing of great experiences, in great places, with unforgettable and fond memories, all of which are truly irreplaceable.”

Dr. Mufson says that one needs to remember to be thankful for each day because you could very well have taken away from you what you have such as your health and loved ones. Therefore you need to remember to be appreciative for all that you have.

The tone of the article boils down to

“Don’t confuse your career with your life.”

People are often caught up in being motivated by money and also desire to maintain that for which they have worked years for to achieve. This is understandable given the society of today but remember what is most important in life and be sure to be grateful and appreciate of it.

Continue Reading

Here is an interesting infographic on headaches from the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

The infographic offers statistics on those who suffer from headaches and also offers some remedies to help cure your headache and ease the pain.

Continue Reading

I am surprised I had not heard of this before, but Mark Zuckerberg yes the guy who is a co-founder and runs Facebook and who has an estimated wealth of many billions, has a dad named Edward Zuckerberg who is a practicing dentist.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recently discussed Edward Zuckerberg in their article Websites a “no-brainer’ for dental practices written by Kelly Soderlund appearing September 8, 2011, and located at http://www.ada.org/news/6200.aspx

Yes Dr. Zuckerberg has his own dental practice in New York and his website is located at http://painlessdrz.com/

Yes of course Dr. Zuckerberg also has his own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/painlessdrz

I am a bit surprised that Mark Zuckerberg’s dad is still practicing dentistry and still works a full schedule since he is over 56 years old and his son is pretty well off financially. I suppose he must love being a dentist and likes the prestige with the profession.

Image of Mark Zuckerberg from http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewfeinberg/2325658400/sizes/m/in/photostream/ and has a Creative Commons License.

In another article in the Los Angeles Times titled Meet Edward Zuckerberg, tech-savvy dentist (and Mark’s father) written by Nathaniel Popper appearing March 30, 2011, and located at http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/30/business/la-fi-zuckerberg-father-20110330

Dr. Zuckerberg says

“If I wanted to put a poster of my son on the cover of Time magazine somewhere in the waiting room, I guess I could, but I just choose not to….I guess I’ve lost some of my identity. I’ve always been the dentist, and now I’m the father of the Facebook guy…You know, I’m still the dentist.”

It seems like having a very famous son has some challenges for running a dental practice. The biggest change of course is having all your patients want to talk about Mark and Facebook. Of course the movie The Social Network all about Facebook came out last year and Edward Zuckerberg says the portrayal of Mark was ” “inaccurate” and “disturbing.”

Continue Reading

An article in The Journal of the American Dental Association titled “Are Advertisements That Offer ‘Free Second Opinions’ Ethical by Rod B. Wentworth (October 1, 2011, vol. 142, no. 10, pages 1199-1200) talks about the ethics involved with dentists advertising “free second opinions.”

In the article it says

“So simply offering free second opinions is not in and of itself unethical. It is perfectly acceptable for a patient to seek a second opinion. In fact, dentists should consider suggesting that their patients obtain second opinions, especially when they have questions or concerns about the appropriateness of the recommended treatment.”

One issue raised in the article is that in a second opinion, if a patient has any x-rays they should be sent along with the patient for the second opinion to avoid unnecessary radiation.

The other issue raised is giving second opinions without making disparaging remarks about the patient’s dentist from the first opinion also known as jousting. Doing so can result in possible disciplinary action against the dentist and may have potential legal implications but as a patient if it was warranted I would like to hear the truth.

The purpose of a free second opinion would of course be to help dentists take patients away from each other.

I think second opinions from different dentists is a good idea in some cases but as addressed in this post http://blog.teethremoval.com/are-dentists-ethical-or-scam-artists/ knowing whether a dentist is being too conservative, too aggressive, or somewhere in the middle is difficult often for patients to know. I tend to think more dentists at least in the U.S. lean towards the aggressive side but certainly some are more conservative in their treatment approaches.

The author ends by saying

“Second opinions are not cut-and-dried in an ethical sense. Advertising them certainly is not unethical, and patients are free to select the dentist of their choice, which they may do on the basis of the information received in a second opinion. However, certain actions, such as criticizing a dentist unjustly, administering unnecessary tests or treatment, or misrepresenting fees, skills or experience may be unethical. Only the dentists involved know their motivation and whether it leads to unethical conduct. One hopes that dentists will take the high road to ensure that the oral health of the public and the welfare of patients are of primary importance”

Continue Reading

Recently the American Dental Association (ADA)  has released a Patient Education DVD series called Toothflix. It contains 23 different video segments which explore different topics designed to educate patients on their oral health and prevention and treatment strategies.

The complete series including all 23 segments currently is available for $699. Each segment is around 3 to 6 minutes long. It is intended to be played on a TV and DVD player in the reception or waiting area of a dental office. It could also be used in actual treatment rooms perhaps to help explain more clearly certain topics to patients. In addition another use would be for when a dentist goes out into the community to give a presentation or some other event.

The ADA has 7 of the segments partially available on their website for demonstration purposes. I reviewed the segment on Preventing Periodontal Disease and felt it was informative. The viewer learns about how periodontal disease is caused by plaque which is caused by not cleaning regularly enough and properly after eating.

The viewer learns about the warning signs of periodontal disease

• Gums that bleed easily are red, swollen, or tender
• Gums pull away from teeth
• Constant bad breath
• Pus between teeth and gums
• Loose or separating teeth
• Change in your bite
• Change in how dentures fit

In addition the factors that increase the risk of periodontal disease are discussed

1. Smoking or chewing tobacco
2. Systemic diseases
3. Medications
4. Hormonal changes
5. Bridges or partial dentures that no longer fit properly

Of course the possibility of inflammation and periodontal disease and it’s role in your overall health is mentioned.

As is commonly recommend, the video informs the viewer to brush at least twice daily and floss once a day. It says how it is possible to have periodontal disease without having any warning signs and symptoms.

In addition it talks about how a dentist will measure the space between your teeth and gum with a periodontal probe and that this probing depth should be 3 mm or less for you to be considered healthy.

As a side note, the risk of Periodontal disease is a commonly cited reason to have wisdom teeth removed in young adults. Therefore I go into many more details about periodontal disease and their relation to wisdom teeth under the risks of keeping your wisdom teeth page.

The ADA tends to stay out of the wisdom teeth debate so this is not even mentioned in the video. However I was impressed by the video and thought it did a great job providing an introduction and knowledge needed by dental patients.

Additional information about the ADA Toothflix series is available on the ADA website at http://www.ada.org/2334.aspx.  There is no segment on wisdom teeth, but other segments include Tooth Extraction, Root Canal, Cracked Tooth, and Early Childhood Caries.

There are other Toothflix options available besides the complete series. I feel owning this DVD series may make a nice addition for dental offices and aid their patients in understanding and knowledge of their oral health.

Continue Reading