Dental Marketing and Practice Management

Dentists prescribe dental guards for a variety of reasons, but bruxism (teeth grinding) is the top cause. In this survey by dental management resource The Wealthy Dentist, 92% of dentist respondents reported offering guards for bruxism; many others use them to treat TMJ disorder.

“They really work!” exclaimed a Georgia dentist.

TMD was cited by 76%, while 59% offer athletic mouthguards and 40% for sleep apnea. “I've had almost 2,000 hours of continuing dental education on TMJ, Bruxism and Sleep,” said an Illinois dentist. “Too many doctors try to treat these problems with inadequate knowledge.”

Dentists can prescribe a wide range of dental guards to treat various problems. Patients who grind their teeth (a condition known as bruxism) can protect their teeth at night with a nightguard. Dental splints are also a top treatment for TMJ pain. In addition, a dental guard can protect teeth in between restorative dentistry appointments.

Athletic mouthguards are important for kids and adults who play sports. Though sports supply stores sell inexpensive ones, dentists can provide mouthguards that are of higher quality, more comfortable, and more customized. In fact, evidence suggests that one brand – the Pure Power Mouthguard, or PPM – can actually improve athletic performance by making it easier for the athlete to breathe.

Not all athletes or parents are eager to spend the money to get a top-of-the-line sports mouthguard. “We make very few athletic mouthguards,” said a Maine dentist. “Parents in our area elect the over-the-counter 'Boil & Bite' guards over custom, laboratory-fabricated mouthguards.”

A dental splint can affect the shape of a patient's airway. This can make it a useful treatment for sleep apnea and snoring, which are characterized by difficulty breathing while sleeping.

Sometimes even dentists get confused about the various forms of dental guards available. “Is there is a difference in terminology between mouth guard and occlusal guard?” asked a California dentist. “Occlusal guards or occlusal splints are specifically for protecting the teeth from bruxing and in TMJ cases. Mouthguards, on the other hand, could be used to protect the gums, lips and cheeks during sport activities.”

“There are more types of dental guards and splints available than I can count,” said dental website guru Jim Du Molin. “No single dentist can offer every single one, but the dental profession as a whole can treat a range of problems people don't always associate with dentistry, from playing sports to treating jaw pain.

Last week I told you a little bit about Twitter and why I don't think it's an appropriate avenue for a dental marketing campaign. That article raised some interesting issues that I'd like to discuss further.

First of all, if you want to use Twitter for dental purposes, use it with your peers. Stay up-to-date with your study group. Ask other dentists if they've used a piece of equipment, encountered a pathology, ordered from a particular dental lab, etc.

This touches on an important issue: online identity management. The first people to really become aware of this issue were college students on Facebook whose professors started using the social networking site to stay in touch with their students. Kids quickly realized that though they might want to share the photos of last night's kegger with their friends, they didn't want their profs to see them.

As a dentist, you're in a similar position. Before you sign up for an account with Facebook, Twitter or any of their ilk, you should consider who your audience will be. Your patients? Your dental peers? Your personal friends and family? You have three different identities, and you won't do yourself any favors by muddling them.

I thought this dentist's comment was right on the money:

"Have you ever considered that our patients may actually rather not think of us on a daily basis? They have other concerns in their lives, and let’s not kid ourselves. We’re only their dentists.

"I agree with Jim. I don’t think Twitter has a future in promoting one’s practice in the traditional blast-marketing sense."

He goes on to explain that he uses Twitter for demanding answers from stingy administrators, blasting self-interested CEOs, and the like. He's using it to try to get his voice heard, not to appeal to potential new patients.

"Here’s what’s neat. My patients have no idea about my nasty alter ego. And should they find out, who cares? They’d probably join others in cheering me on as I do my part to clean up the community by sending PR types and dental consultants on down the road."

On the other hand, another commenter felt that Twitter was a natural choice for dental marketing:

"I think all of you are missing the point regarding social networking and dentistry. It is not about getting new patients per se; it about keeping a presence on the web without paying an arm and a leg.

"For example, Madow Bros. have a public profile on Facebook. Align Tech (Invisalign) has a pubic profile on Facebook. These companies and dentists would not be doing this if it did not work…

"In marketing a practice, this is the most cost-effective way to direct patients to your website. The internet is the New Yellow Pages."

Well… the Internet may be the new phone book, but a local dental practice isn't the same as Invisalign. The same marketing techniques that work for the big guys won't necessarily work for your practice. Lots of major companies have set up headquarters in the online universe of Second Life, but that doesn't mean your dental practice should too!

One dentist dental marketer who's an expert in dental SEO shared his experience with Twitter:

"From my own experience, after nearly a thousand posts (updates) and 1600+ followers, Twitter has resulted in only one client. The total time invested to achieve the above was several hundred hours, which means it was an absolute failure, a ROI disaster and a BIG waste of my time. Compared to search engine traffic, visitors referred by Twitter are not pre-qualified, highly targeted prospects interested in my offer, but only mindless curiosity seekers. At least 50% of the clicks originate from other countries too."

Like I said last week — it's all about the ROI. If you want to waste some time and have some fun, then Tweet away. But if you want to spend your energy where it will be most profitable to your practice, then you might look elsewhere.

A third of dentists expect the US to attempt national dental care by 2012; another third think it will never happen. But 74% agree it’s a terrible idea; in fact, only 2% think it’s a good idea.

“Do Americans want to have teeth like the English?” asked one dentist.

“We already have nationalized dental care. It is called dental insurance fee schedules,” deadpanned a Michigan dentist.

Here are some other comments from dentists:

• “National Dental Care would destroy what now is the best care in the world.” (Maryland dentist)
• “We need something. Leaning toward a two-tiered system, a la Great Britain, but am open to any and all ideas.” (Michigan dentist)
• "We have already had a government-run dental system for years — it's called Medicaid — and it doesn't work." (California dentist)
• “Centralized bureaucratic control of anything is always dehumanizing at best. Everyone becomes more or less a 1984 robot.” (New York dentist)
• “All children under 18 should have coverage (including ortho), and Medicare should cover periodontal treatment.” (Illinois dentist)
• “Is there a point when the ADA will quit championing nationalized dental care?" (Tennessee dentist)
• “Too many government handouts. People feel they have a right to get everything instead of working for it.” (California dentist)
• “When the government gets involved, everything gets worse!" (General dentist)
• “Where is the government going to get the money to fund Universal Healthcare? Mmm…How about being able to properly fund Social Security first?” (Ohio prosthodontist)
• “Communism, Marxism, and Stalinism are not American.” (Vermont prosthodontist)
• “Even Canada, with its government-ruled medical system, isn't foolish enough to try that with dental care.” (California dentist)
• "It would probably bump modern dentistry back into the 1950s.” (Pennsylvania dentist)

Read more: Dentists Not Excited by a National Dental Plan

Vintage posters are cutting-edge chic these days, and dentists can get in on the action too!

The British Dental Association just re-released a series of dental posters from the 1930's to the 1960's, also available as postcards.

The 12 iconic images came from the BDA's museum archives. Some feature illustrations, while others highlight black-and-white photos.

Many are focused on passing on the importance of good oral health to children, while others aim to help adults associate dental health with looking and feeling good.

The downside, of course, is that these British posters are sold in Britain by the British Dental Association. But they're available online, so if your American heart desperately wants one, you can make it happen.

Check out the posters online

These days, you can hardly turn on the news without hearing about Twitter… Hear what protesters in Tehran are saying! Read what such-and-such a senator just tweeted! Follow the news program on Twitter!

We'll tell you a few basic things about Twitter: what it is, what it's good for, and why it's NOT the next big thing in dental marketing.

1. What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking website where you can post short messages. The beauty and simplicity of Twitter is that it doesn't try to do much more than that.

First, you create a profile with some basic information about yourself. (See The Wealthy Dentist's profile) Then you start following other people's feeds, and they start following yours. Updates are limited to 140 characters, and you can even use your mobile phone to "tweet," as they call it.

2. What is it good for?

If you're into that sort of thing, Twitter can be a fun way to interact with friends and family. But if you hate Facebook and MySpace, then you probably won't care for Twitter either.

Twitter also lets fans follow celebrities; Ashton Kutcher is famously Twitter's most-followed member. As more and more politicians sign up, politicos are tuning into Twitter too. Newt Gingrich's tweet about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was much-repeated on cable news channels.

But the protests surrounding the controversial Iranian election really brought Twitter into the news spotlight. As the hard-line government tried to shut off phone and Internet access, Twitter (and to a lesser extent Facebook) became one of the only lines of communication, proving invaluable to both protesters and journalists. The US government even asked Twitter to postpone planned maintenance in order to keep the site online during this struggle in Iran.

3. So what about dental marketing?

There's a school of thought that says you should market yourself to patients through every available line of communication. And there are tech-minded "marketing gurus" who push the latest, most cutting edge technologies.

But I've always been an ROI-minded kind of guy. The return on your investment is the most important thing to consider. How much time and money will you spend, and what can you reasonably expect to get in return?

Twitter can give you access to potential new patients, but they're not there to find a dentist. Most people would do that on Google, not Twitter. Any hard-sell message on Twitter makes you look like a spammer, not a real person. Attracting followers requires quality content, which takes time, and converting followers to patients takes both time and finesse.

If you or someone in your office is enthusiastic about Twitter and wants to post daily tweets, then it might prove an effective marketing avenue. But unless you're on Twitter anyway, there are better places to spend your marketing energy.

Just under half of dentists responding to this survey say they treat sleep apnea.

Those who offer sleep apnea treatment say the average sleep apnea patient is worth about $2,400 in the first 9 months.

Specialists in this survey were far more likely than general dentists to treat snoring and sleep apnea.

Dentists were split right down the middle when it comes to screening dental patients for sleep problems. Half said they do, and half said they don’t.

"I wish everyone screened for this, and every course I teach emphasizes this," said one doc.

Here are some other comments:

• "I see a couple of hundred sleep patients yearly. Patient value averages $3000-3500 on sleep, but they also lead to many TMJ cases as well as full-mouth reconstructions." (Illinois dentist)
• "I include specific screening questions in my health history." (North Carolina dentist)
• "If you are treating sleep apnea you need to be well-versed and have networks with local physicians established." (Illinois dentist)
• "Sleep studies need to be done on moderate and severe cases." (Tennessee dentist)
• "Very hard to get insurance coverage. Very successful treatment." (California orthodontist)

Read more: Sleep Apnea Treatment from Dentists

Finding a dentist in rural Iowa can be tough; most of the state is underserved. So the Iowa Rural Dental Health Initiative has launched a website to match dentists with underserved communities.

The program lets participating dentists qualify for up to $100,000 in loan repayment if they move to one of the 55 counties with a shortage of dentists. (A similar program by Delta Dental offers up to $50,000 in loan repayment, covering fully 89 of the state's counties.)

Dentists accepted into this program commit to at least 3-5 years of service, and must dedicate one-third of their practice to underserved patients.

Visit the Iowa FIND website

Half of dentists refer out 80% or more of third molar (wisdom tooth) extractions, according to our poll.

Some dentists were grateful to be rid of most or all wisdom teeth cases, while other dentists prefer to refer only the most complicated cases.

Read more: How Dentists Refer Wisdom Tooth Extractions

We've beenpublishing excerpts from Melinda Spitek's new book, Dental Marketing: When a Shingle Isn’t Enough. A regular contributor to The Wealthy Dentist, Melinda is CEO of Hycomb Marketing and has 23 years of experience with dental practice management.

Here is another excerpt from her book:

Doctor, if you are proud of your skills, committed to the practice of quality dentistry, and participating in a practice you believe to be significantly beneficial to the community, doesn't it make sense to back this fine product with an investment in its success?

Many dentists are put off by the idea of practice marketing because they feel the quality of their work should speak for itself. It certainly should, but most of the time all that is heard is little more than a whisper. Most patients can’t evaluate the quality of their dental work the way they can tangible consumer items like cars, glassware or home furnishings. Frankly, superb dentistry isn't exactly Topic of Interest #1 in most casual cocktail conversations.

An investment in yourself can take many forms – anything from newspaper and radio ads to refrigerator magnets, from direct-mail letters to a quarterly newsletter to sponsorship of local events. Later we'll discuss which might be right for you. Many dentists balk at spending any money at all in this manner because they can't see how it lifts the practice. The fact is, you can determine, in many cases, the Return on Investment (ROI) for your expenditures, if you know where to look.

As Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot – just by looking."

Just click here to order Dental Marketing: When a Shingle Isn’t Enough. Plus, say The Wealthy Dentist sent you and you'll get free shipping!

Melinda Spitek is CEO of Hycomb Marketing Inc. Hycomb is an authority in marketing for dentists. Melinda has had plenty of hands-on experience as well, having worked 23 years in dental offices. For help with marketing, just call Hycomb at (800) 523-6961 or visit www.hycomb.com.

The average dentist reports being displeased with expensive dental equipment purchases.

Eighty-three percent of dentists in this poll felt that many tools do not live up to advertised promises. The remaining 17% said that every piece of equipment has a learning curve, and equipment purchases had met expectations.

Read more: What Dentists Think of High-Tech Dental Equipment

Last week we started talking about whether the chemical BPA (bisphenol-A) will prove to be the next dental amalgam.

There's more than just a passing similarity between the issues. Both mercury and BPA are known to be harmful in certain quantities. Both can be found in some dental restorations. And in both cases, the scientific evidence is inconclusive about how much BPA or mercury these restorations release into the human body.

Let's also note that there are significant differences. Mercury is a metallic element that is poisonous in its raw form. Bisphenol-A is a plastic additive that appears to have an estrogen-like effect on cells.

When it comes to possible toxic effects of BPA, here's what the ADA says:

The ADA believes any concern about potential BPA exposure from dental sealants or composites is unwarranted at this time. When compared with other sources of BPA, these dental materials pose significantly lower exposure concerns.

Published in the ADA Journal in 2006, the research study Exposure to bisphenol A from bis-glycidyl dimethacrylate–based dental sealants found measurable amounts of BPA in patients' saliva after the application of dental sealants. Though the study concluded, "Sealants should remain a useful part of routine preventive dental practice, especially those that leach negligible amounts of BPA," it also recommended further research:

Clinical Implications. Dental sealants may be a point source for low-level BPA exposure at levels that show health effects in rodents. Further research is required to determine whether human exposure to BPA at these levels causes adverse effects.

In a November 2008 statement, the ADA acknowledged that BPA can be found in some dental products:

BPA may become part of dental sealants or composite resin filling materials in three ways: as a direct ingredient, as a by-product of some ingredients in dental composites or sealants that may have degraded, or as a trace material left-over from the manufacture of some ingredients used in making dental composites or sealants.

But an ADA newsletter from April 2007 seems to contradict that:

BPA is a chemical found in many hard plastics and used in resins that line food and beverage cans. Although some believe BPA is an ingredient in dental sealants and composites, it isn't, although there's some evidence that some dental sealants and to a lesser extent composites may contribute to low-level BPA exposure, probably through the action of salivary enzymes on a minor ingredient. We see no cause for concern at this time but do look forward to the results of a review of a draft report on BPA safety by an independent NIH panel of endocrinologists, statisticians and biologists.

While the possible estrogen-like effects of BPA are news to most consumers, the ADA and concerned dentists have been aware of this issue for many years. In a 1996 letter to the Journal of the American Dental Association, two dental professors from Tufts wrote:

"An article appeared in the March 1996 issue of Environmental Health Prospectives entitled 'Estrogenicity of resin based composites and sealants in dentistry' that raises some familiar concerns that critics of the profession have espoused. The thesis elaborated in this article states that the bisphenol-A and bisphenol-A dimethacrylaic components of sealant and resins are estrogenic and probably contribute to xenoestrogen exposure in humans.

"As dental professionals who have seen dentistry criticized for the use of mercury in restoratives and the lack of appropriate disinfection procedures for our instruments and equipment, we feel that this issue should be resolved through competent scientific investigation. Hopefully, this issue will be addressed in a more intellectual and scientific manner than the emotion and hysteria that have been the center of some issues in dentistry in the recent past."

Some 13 years later, we still don't have conclusive scientific results about BPA's safety. Consumers and dental professionals alike need a clearer scientific picture. But at the same time, no one needs mass hysteria that keeps patients from getting the dental restorations they need. While the health risks of BPA exposure might not be clear, the risks of tooth decay and abscessed teeth certainly are.

Green dentistry now has a formal association: the Eco-Dentistry Association. Based in Berkeley, CA (where else?), it's founded by a husband-and-wife team who launched an eco-friendly dental practice six years ago, and are now spreading their gospel.

Visit the Eco-Dentistry Association website

The World Health Organization has made it official: H1-N1 influenza (a.k.a. swine flu) is now a global pandemic – otherwise known as Phase 6, the highest alert level.

Some people may be confused by this, having heard that this flu is relatively mild. While it's a great relief that this virus does not seem particularly deadly, that's actually unrelated to the WHO declaring it a pandemic.

It's a new illness that has spread to many people across the entire globe — that's what makes it a pandemic. The fact that it's less likely to kill you than the plague, tuberculosis or HIV — that's what makes us lucky this time around.

So what does this mean for your dental practice? Frankly, not that much, as long as you already practice Universal Precautions.

In light of reports of dental crowns manufactured in Chinese dental labs that may be contaminated with lead, we conducted a survey of dentists on the topic of foreign dental laboratories.

Two out of three dentists think that the current publicity is just a tempest in a teapot, while the remainder expect it to be the next big health scandal.

Read more: Dental Lab Safety Concerns

This survey found dentists averaging 70 hours of clinical CE and 15 hours of practice management CE each year.

"The minimum requirements are ridiculously low," said one.

Doctors’ top priorities for clinical dental continuing education are implants, and cosmetics.

Orthodontics and sedation dentistry were doctors’ lowest clinical priorities.

Somewhere in the middle we find periodontics, oral surgery, and endodontics.

The top dental management continuing education priority was team training, followed by leadership and office systems.

Dentists appear less interested in education on technology and new patient marketing.

“Unfortunately, in New York, CE credit is not obtained for practice management courses,” mentioned one dentist from that state.

Read more: Continuing Dental Education Topics

We asked dentists if they have been disappointed by dental peer review. Respondents were split on the issue; 47% reported having problems, while the remaining 53% had no issues with dental boards.

“I think it is a fair process to both the patient and the dentist,” commented one dentist. Another disagreed, saying, “The dentist is assumed guilty; it’s a witch hunt even if you are innocent.”

Read more: Dental Boards & Peer Review Frustrations

The chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) made headlines last year as a possible health risk – and now it's back in the news. BPA is added to many plastics and can be found in lots of products, including food containers, baby bottles, and dental sealants and composite.

Will this call the safety of modern dental products into question?

Unfortunately, evidence indicates that BPA can leach from plastics and be absorbed by the human body. It mimics the effects of the female hormone estrogen, and animal studies have linked high levels of BPA with all sorts of unpleasant health problems.

Baby bottles seem to be the most worrisome product, releasing even higher levels of BPA when heated or filled with hot liquid. [Note: Not all baby bottles contain bisphenol-A.] And BPA's hormone-like effects are likely to be even more harmful to a developing baby than a full-grown adult.

Last year, the FDA declared that the amount of BPA released by consumer products is too low to cause health problems. In a June 2008 statement to the US House of Representatives, the FDA's Associate Commissioner for Science, Dr. Norris Alderson, said:

At this time, FDA is not recommending that consumers discontinue using food contact materials that contain BPA. Although our review of the NTP reports is continuing, a large body of available evidence indicates that food contact materials containing BPA currently on the market are safe, and that exposure levels to BPA from these materials, including exposure to infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects…

FDA's reassessment of possible "low-dose" effects of BPA concluded that the current level of exposure to adults and infants is safe as defined in 21 CFR §170.3(i).

However, the FDA is now reviewing that decision. In fact, a recent Harvard University study found elevated levels of BPA in students' urine after only one week of drinking from plastic containers.

Many cities and states are considering banning the additive in some products, particularly baby bottles.

• Canada banned the import and sale of baby bottles containing BPA
• New York's Suffolk County passed a BPA ban
• Minnesota has banned BPA-containing plastic beverage containers for children under 3 (effective for manufacturers January 2010; for retailers January 2011)
• Chicago just passed a city-wide ban on selling baby bottles and children's sippy cups that contain BPA (effective January 2011)
• Connecticut's House will ban BPA from plastic containers used by babies and children (effective October 2011)
• California's Senate narrowly approved a bill banning BPA that still needs to be approved by the state Assembly
• There's more and more talk of a nationwide ban

A number of companies are voluntarily removing or limiting BPA. Water-bottle manufacturer Nalgene has announced it will remove BPA from its products. Both Walmart and Kids-R-Us will stop selling baby bottles that contain BPA. The six largest baby bottle manufacturers will remove the ingredient. Even Sunoco has said that it will not supply manufacturers with BPA if the resulting products are intended for children under 3.

Next week we'll take a look at how this may apply to dental composites and sealants.

Most dentists, particularly those who identify as "aesthetic dentists," consider themselves artists. And it turns out that some museum curators might not disagree…

Baltimore's National Museum of Dentistry has just introduced a new exhibition called "The Smile Experience," offering historical information about how people have altered their smiles.

It also examines the work of cosmetic dentist Dr. Irwin Smigel. Dr. Smigel's advancements in tooth bonding are often credited with launching cosmetic dentistry into the modern mainstream.

Read more about the museum

We asked, “Does your dental practice place amalgam fillings?” Two years ago, 48% of dentists said they placed amalgams, and 52% did not. The numbers have changed very little since 2007. Today, 47% place amalgams and 53% do not. No survey topic we have ever run collects as many responses and passionate comments as the question of amalgam.

The Wealthy Dentist is a dental marketing information resource. We’re not scientists, and we don’t pretend to have answers for dentistry’s big scientific questions.

We don’t have a stance on amalgam. So far, the ADA and FDA say it’s safe, but no scientific study has conclusively demonstrated if amalgam is safe or not. It’s one of the most divisive issues in dentistry today, and we wanted to see what dentists think.

But we were accused of bias merely by asking the question. However, some accused us of being blatantly pro-amalgam, while others declared us obviously biased against amalgam. With an equal number of complaints on each side, hopefully that means we average out to neutrality.

We received well over 100 comments on this survey (you can read them all here), but some themes were common.

Top reasons dentists like amalgam:

• Been around for over a century
• Better than composite in some cases
• Composite and resins may not be safe
• Last longer and have less redecay
• Affordable and paid for by insurance

Top reasons dentists avoid amalgam:

• Mercury is bad for patients, dentists and the environment
• An old dental technology
• Today’s composites are superior
• Silver fillings are ugly
• Amalgam can crack teeth

Reviewing dentists’ comments on the subject, it’s clear that a doctor’s personal opinions about amalgam do not always line up with the policies of their dental practices. A number of dentists who don’t place amalgams think it’s a valid restorative material, and some dentists who do place silver fillings would prefer not to. Whether or not a dental practice offers amalgam fillings is often related to two things: (1) is the practice focused on cosmetic dentistry, and (2) does the practice serve lower-income patients.

Many dentists scoffed at the idea of there being a scientific controversy over the safety of amalgam. “There is no controversy — it is a safe material with the longest history of use, declared a Vermont dentist. On the other hand, a Virginia dentist stated, “There is no real controversy in the scientific arena. Mercury release from amalgam is the primary contributor of human body burden and causes pathophysiology. It should be banned.”

With so many comments, many doctors chose the same words to describe their feelings about the amalgam issue. Here’s how many times different dentists used the same phrases in their comments:

• 6: “Overblown”
• 5: “BS”
• 5: “Much ado about nothing”
• 4: “What controversy?”
• 3: “Crap”

Interestingly, doctors on both sides of the issue dismissed the controversy as “crap” or “BS.”

In addition, each side accuses the other of being motivated by money. “The controversy is fueled by greed. Posterior amalgams are easier to place and last longer than composite,” said a general dentist. A dental machinist & engineer disagreed, saying, “It’s difficult to get a true picture; there’s a great deal of money on the pro-amalgam side that has a potential to bias the data.”

In a sea of loud, zealous voices, one dentist’s calm neutrality stood out.

“If you stop and listen to the people that are arguing about this point, you will get two skewed views. If you present the science in an unbiased way to your patients many will choose amalgam and many will choose composite. You need to be honest about all the treatments you present.”
- Colorado dentist)

Read more: Dentists Still Arguing about the Safety of Silver Fillings

When we asked dentists about their average fee for one quadrant of deep perio cleaning, the answer was about $225. Full-mouth debridement costs, on average, about $175.

"There is some abuse of this code, making it harder for our office to get reimbursement from third party providers," said a periodontist.

Not surprisingly, a periodontal cleaning costs somewhat more from a periodontist than a general dentist.

Here are some comments from dentists and periodontists:

• “Doing this in conjunction with a Laser gets better results.” (California dentist)

• “It's easy money done in conjunction with quadrant dentistry.” (District of Columbia dentist)
• “There is room for adjusting that default fee – number of teeth, difficulty of patient compliance, etc.” (Oklahoma dentist)
• “Full moth debridement is only rarely used the way the code is written and is (ab)used by dentists as a code for a ‘difficult prophy.’ It is a code that should be changed or deleted.” (Indiana periodontist)
• “We need a code or severity grading of the 'prophy'… There has to be some indication of conditions somewhat between relative health and full-blown disease.” (Maryland dentist)
• "This may not be definitive care for a periodontal inflammatory periodontal response (acute or chronic) and is only of value in an overall treatment plan of reevaluation.” (Ohio periodontist)
• "With completion of 4 quads of scaling and root planing we give a Sonicare toothbrush.” (Texas dentist)

Read more: Cost of Periodontal Cleaning for Gum Disease

Dentists are deeply divided over the issue of mercury in amalgam fillings. In this survey, 52% of dentists reported they are no longer using amalgam. The other 48% are still placing amalgam fillings.

Some dentists criticized amalgam for its possible toxicity and tendency to fracture teeth; other dentists defended amalgam’s long history and superiority to more modern composite fillings.

Read more: Dentists’ Thoughts on Amalgam Fillings

Approximately half of general dentists are placing dental implants. Fifty-three percent of the general dentists in the poll indicated that they do dental implant placement themselves.

The remaining 47% of general dentists refer patients to a specialist.

Read more: Dentists Who Place Dental Implants

No one is perfect – not even the head of California's Dental Board. Before taking the position in 2006, Dr. Suzanne McCormick agreed to pay out nearly $100,000 in a malpractice case.

Though she was supposed to remove two wisdom teeth from the 13-year-old's mouth, she instead extracted two healthy molars.

As the settlement included a gag order that prevented the boy's family from publicizing the case, this information has only recently become public.

Read more

You’ve probably heard about podcasting… but it might still feel like a mystery. Maybe you have wondered just what it is, how to enjoy it, and how to take advantage of it.

Maybe you’ve even wondered if The Wealthy Dentist has any
dental podcasts to which you can subscribe… Well, if that’s the case, today’s your lucky day!

Podcasting is the publishing of an audio or video program that is distributed over the Internet. People can watch or listen to it whenever they want.

Watch a video that explains what podcasting is

Podcasting allows users to subscribe to a regularly updated feed of new files. Podcasting is unlike most other online media because of its subscription model. Podcasting usually uses a feed (such as RSS) to deliver a file, either audio or video.

While named for the iPod, you don’t need an iPod to enjoy podcasts. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. The easiest way to subscribe to podcasts is by installing iTunes on your computer. Don’t worry; it’s free!

Podcasting enables independent producers to make syndicated “radio shows.” It gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution method. But podcasting isn’t just Radio 2.0 – it also offers much more. While the majority of podcasts are audio, video podcasts are becoming increasing popular.

Here at The Wealthy Dentist, we have created podcast channels to help you keep up to date with the latest developments in dentistry.

We post regular videos on nine different podcasts, so you can sign up for the subject areas that interest you most. We’ve got the following channels:

1. Dental Practice Management
2. Dental Continuing Education
3. Dental Care Issues
4. Dental Implants
5. Braces, Dentures & More
6. Dentists’ Opinions
7. Cosmetic Dentistry
8. Dental Marketing
9. Sedation Dentistry

See all The Wealthy Dentists’ podcasts

Once iTunes is installed on your computer, you can click the icon above to see our “Dental Marketing” podcast. (Or visit our podcast page to sign up for different channels.) Once iTunes opens, you can click the “Subscribe” button to automatically receive new videos as soon as they are released.

–

Peter Moore is a technology consultant for The Wealthy Dentist.

We asked dentists about mouthguards, and found that fully 92% of dentist respondent offer them for bruxism. TMD was cited by 76%, while 59% offer athletic mouthguards and 40% for sleep apnea.

"We make very few athletic mouthguards," said a Maine dentist. "Parents in our area elect the over-the-counter 'Boil & Bite' guards over custom, laboratory-fabricated mouthguards."

"They really work!" exclaimed a Georgia dentist who offers splints for bruxing and TMD.

"I've had almost 2,000 hours of C.E. on TMJ, Bruxism and Sleep," offered an Illinois dentist. "Too many doctors try to treat these problems with inadequate knowledge."

Declared a California periodontist, "I like the hard/soft splint/guard."

Read more: Why dentists prescribe mouthguards