dentists

Best Super Bowl Commercial May Be ‘Matthew’s Day Off’ (video)

February 3, 2012 By Catherine Hughes Leave a Comment

Sometimes Super Bowl commercials can end up being more fun than than the actual game. Dentists, do you think this will be true of this year’s Super Bowl XLVI?

Mathew Broderick and Honda may be hoping so.

In 1986, director John Hughes debuted the American teen coming-of-age comedy film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

It quickly became one of the top movies of 1986 and has since enjoyed a cult following.

This year Honda has enlisted actor Mathew Broderick for their Super Bowl XLVI commercial to promote the Honda CR-V. The Super bowl ad pokes fun at Broderick’s Ferris Bueller character by showing him faking the flu to skip work and spend the day enjoying the sites around Los Angeles.

Several classic details from the “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” movie are included in the commercial, such as the use of the song “Oh Yeah,” a valet calling for “Broderick. Broderick,” and a parking attendant taking Broderick’s Honda for a joy-ride.

Today’s Friday random video is the Super Bowl commercial, “Matthew’s Day Off“ –

What is your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Filed Under: The Wealthy Dentist, Totally Irrelevant and Random Tagged With: dentist, dentists, friday random videos, Internet dental marketing, marketing, video marketing, viral videos

Science Friday: New Denture Ceramic for Dentistry

February 3, 2012 By Catherine Hughes Leave a Comment

Stronger, prettier dentures? New ceramic materials for dental bridges?

Chemists in Germany believe they have made a breakthrough in creating a better ceramic.

Glass chemist Prof. Dr. Christian Rüssel of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) and his colleagues of the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry were successful in producing a new nanocrystalline glass ceramic, which may be suitable for use in dentistry due to their strength and optical characteristics.

Science Daily News is reporting that the glass chemists of Jena University have recently published their ceramic research results in the online-edition of the science magazine Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.

Prof. Rüssel told SDN,”We achieve a strength five times higher than with comparable denture ceramics available today. In combination with new optical characteristics an additional field of application is opening up for these materials in dentistry. The enamel is partly translucent, which the ceramic is also supposed to be.”

The fundamental materials are melted at approximately 1.500 °C, then cooled before being finely cut up. The material is then melted and cooled a second time. Finally, the nanocrystals are produced by controlled heating to about 1,000 °C, which determines the crystallisation crucial for the strength of the product.

According to Rüssel, the ceramic ends up looking translucent, like a natural tooth.

This is good news for dentists, denture patients and those seeking dental implants who want the look and strength of regular teeth.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Science Friday, The Wealthy Dentist Tagged With: cosmetic dentistry, dental, Dental Care, dental implants, Dental News, dental science, dentist, dentistry, dentists, dentures, implantology, science friday

Dental Care: Dentist Uses Paper Clips for Root Canals

January 31, 2012 By Jim Du Molin Leave a Comment

Paper clips for dental patient root canals and Hydrocone for the dental staff — does this sound like a normal dental practice to you?

It doesn’t to Maryland Superior Court Judge Richard Moses, who is scheduled to sentence former dentist Michael Clair on one count of tampering with evidence, one count of witness intimidation, two counts of assault and battery, three counts of illegally prescribing controlled substances, three counts of larceny, and five counts of Medicaid fraud.

Sounds like the legal system is having a good time working Dr. Clair over. But was it deserved . . . absolutely!

Dr. Michael Clair fraudulently billed Medicaid for $130,000 between August 2003 and June 2005. At that time he was licensed to practice dentistry, but had been prohibited from doing work on Medicaid patients. Investigators allege Clair performed the work and then had other dentists in the practice submit bills to Medicaid.

The investigation also charged that Clair twice used paper clips rather than the more expensive stainless steel posts to strengthen teeth given a root canal. Investigators also charged Clair with prescribing Hydrocodone, Combunox and Percocet to staff members, who in turn gave some of the medicine back to him.

Clair has admitted guilty to all the charges.

Filed Under: Dental Care, Dental Editorials, Dental News Tagged With: Dental Care, dental fraud, Dental News, dentist, dentistry, dentists, Medicaid Fraud, root canal treatment, root canals

Is Lack of Dental Insurance Driving More Patients to the ER?

January 31, 2012 By Catherine Hughes 2 Comments

Do more people need access to dental insurance?

Uninsured Americans are turning to emergency rooms nationwide to manage the pain from dental problems, according to a 2010 Health Resources and Services Administration report.

The same report reveals that dental emergencies make up between 1.3 percent and 2.7 percent of all ER visits.

USAToday reports the reason is a lack of dental coverage for under-insured and uninsured patients as emergency rooms are treating toothaches, tooth abscesses and other dental care emergencies.

Although that number might seem like only a small percentage, Alan Sorkey, a Louisiana emergency physician, pointed out to USAToday that he treated 226 of the 6,336 patients for toothaches last year.

These dental care-related ER visits create higher costs for taxpayers because many of these dental patients return to the ER two or more times per dental problem to manage their symptoms, according to the ADA. And, while the Affordable Care Act addresses dental care for children on Medicaid, the requirement doesn’t exist for adults, ADA spokesman Robert Raible told USAToday.

The ADA is currently working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to devise an approach to get “broader and deeper numbers and look at key indicators for solutions,” ADA President William Calnon said.

What are your thoughts on this growing dental insurance issue?

For more: Lack of dental coverage sends patients to ER for pain

Filed Under: Dental Care, Dental Insurance Tagged With: ADA, Dental Care, dental insurance, dental marketing, dentist, dentistry, dentists, individual dental insurance

Dental Labs: Foreign Versus Domestic (video)

January 31, 2012 By Catherine Hughes Leave a Comment

In the past, it has been reported that some dental crowns and bridges may be tainted with lead.

People quickly assumed the problem was with foreign dental labs, particularly those in China.

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey asking dentists a number of questions about foreign dental labs.

One dentist said, “Patients have been systematically kept in the dark when it comes to dental procedures. Patients should be given informed consent when choosing materials.”

Another dentist complained, “Too many dentists are accommodating low insurance payment schedules by buying materials and fabrications that are too cheap. It doesn’t seem to matter that it compromises the health of the patient.”

Click on Play to hear more of what dentists have to say about foreign dental labs –