dental survey Archives - The Wealthy Dentist

Dental Survey: Dentists Are Split On Doing Root Canals

May 21, 2013 By Jim Du Molin Leave a Comment

Endodontics In this dental survey, The Wealthy Dentist asked dentists how often they referred out root canal cases, and how they felt about doing root canal therapy (RCT) work.

Half of the dentists surveyed refer out from 50% to 100% of root canal cases.

Most of the dentists in this group also said they don’t like doing root canals (Ugh!).

“Of all the procedures I perform, RCT is the most tedious and unpredictable. My failure rate with this procedure is now zero since referring them to the specialists. My patients are happier, my staff are happier and I now focus on procedures that I am comfortable with,” said a Nevada dentist.

Do your refer out root canal work?

For other dentists who refer the work out, it’s a matter of having enough training.

“I need to take more courses to become more proficient then maybe I would enjoy them more. I do only the very easy ones now. I used to do most until it was discovered that most upper first molars have 4 canals and I had only ever found 3,” said a general dentist.

“Overtly unusual anatomy goes to the endodontist along with calcified canals,” said a Pennsylvania dentist.

For some, it’s a matter of economics, and the return on time spent doing them:

“I find them very stressful but challenging. They are not a real money maker for me,” said a Washingon dentist.

The other half of the dentists who responded to our survey do all RCT work in-house (26.5%) , or refer out only about a quarter or less (23.5%).

Overall, 44% of dentists said they enjoy performing root canal therapy.

“With modern rotary instrumentation techniques they are simple to perform,” said a North Dakota dentist.

Do you like doing root canals?

Only 9% of our dentists said they enjoy the money earned by doing root canals more than the work itself.

The rest either don’t like doing root canals at all (29%) or had mixed responses (18%).

“Those who do them well should do them all!” said a Texas dentist.

“Endodontists statitically get better outcomes than GPs,” said an Arizona prosthodontist.

Do you perform root canal therapy in-house or refer it out? What’s the reason for your decision?

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: dental survey, root canals

Dental Survey: Most Dentists Think Amalgam Is Safe Enough

May 14, 2013 By Jim Du Molin 2 Comments

Is dental amalgam safe?

This dentist survey asked if dental amalgam should be banned in the U.S.

Most dentists said amalgam is safe enough for continued use and should not be banned.

Close to half of our survey respondents (48%) think it’s a valuable restorative material.

“We are already adequately governed regarding amalgam use and disposal. We need to advise patients regarding BPA in composites and the drawbacks to composites so that patients are better able to decide on their poison. Or they can use gold.” New York dentist

“The latest from American Association of Dental Research and the International Association of Dental Research is that Amalgam is the most cost effective restorative material, and it has no adverse health effects.” Florida dentist

“Amalgam is still the best restorative material in many situations where it is impossible to keep the field of operation dry.” Illinois dentist

A quarter (25%) of the dentists in our survey think amalgam should not be banned, even though they don’t necessarily think it’s the best material.

“Since it hasn’t ever been proven to be unsafe, it should be left alone – very few people want amalgam in their teeth, and it will die a slow death of it’s own.” New Hampshire dentist

“It may have a place in certain situations, but I personally have not used it since 1999. I also do not think it has definite, dreaded effects on our patients’ health. After all, if it were the deadly material that some have described…why is it safe to bury deceased amalgam patients conventionally and not in toxic waste landfills?” General dentist

“What is leaching out of our composite restorations? I haven’t seen a conclusive study that absolutely proves amalgam is dangerous.” West Virginia dentist

However, 28% of our respondents are on the other side of the amalgam issue: 10% said they tend to think it should be banned. Another 18% think it should be banned, and no one should be using amalgam at all.

“The most toxic heavy metal on the planet! We can’t throw it away, but ok to put it in our teeth? Really??” Tennessee pediatric dentist

“The EPA deems it a bio hazard for the environment. Enough said. The retentive undercuts [required for amalgam] further weaken tooth structure which leads to fractures. With resins a dentist may do minimally invasive dentistry which results in better tooth strength and potentially fewer fractures. I have clinical pictures of an old, class II resin which was placed in 1985 that is still functionally intact with no signs of any marginal breakdown. That shoots down the knock that resins don’t last.” North Dakota dentist

“Anyone interested in the subject should check out the Compendium February 2013, volume 34, number 2. The article “Mercury from Dental Amalgam: Exposure and Risk Assessment”. It’s an eye-opener and reinforces what I have thought about for a long time. Clearly the ADA is avoiding the subject because it knows that all h**l will break loose liability-wise when it finally issue recommendations against it.” Florida dentist

What’s your opinion about using dental amalgam?

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: Dental Amalgam, dental survey

Pediatric Sedation Dentistry (Survey Video)

April 16, 2013 By Jim Du Molin Leave a Comment

Pediatric sedation dentistry can be a valuable part of children’s dentistry.

In this survey of dentists, 68% say they are in favor of children’s sedation dentistry. Note that when we asked the same question in 2010, only 52% were in favor.

“It requires extensive training and case selection is very important,” warned a pediatric dentist.

Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey discuss what dentists think about pediatric sedation dentistry:

“At our office, an MD anesthesiologist provides sedation while I perform the dentistry,” said a Missouri dentist.

“I have been doing all forms of sedation for over 30 years,” said a Texas periodontist. “Young children are very brittle and administration requires advanced training for the safest outcomes.”

“It’s the only way to treat some kids,” sighed a Georgia dentist. “I sure am thankful that I can refer to someone who does it as I would not want the liability and stress myself!”

It’s important to remember that kids are dental patients too! And sedation dentistry is a real boon to many dental patients.

Do you have any further thoughts on pediatric sedation dentistry?

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: children's dentist, Children's Dentistry, children's sedation, dental survey, dental videos, dentist survey, pediatric dentist, pediatric dentistry, pediatric dentists, pediatric sedation, pediatric sedation dentist, pediatric sedation dentistry, pediatric sedation dentists, sedation dentistry, sedation dentists, survey, survey video, video

Dentist Work Week: Dental Management Survey Video

March 5, 2013 By Jim Du Molin Leave a Comment

The typical dentist work week includes a lot of hours, with doctors working both as dental care practitioners and in dental practice management.

According to the American Dental Association, most dentists work a four day work week. While half of the dentists in this survey said they work four days a week at their dental practice, one in three works five or more days a week.

Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey discuss the typical dentist work week in this video.

“I now find it necessary to work on Fridays at another clinic,” said a Texas dentist. “My own practice has slowly declined in production since 2008.”

A North Carolina oral surgeon said, “I try to be more flexible with my office hours to accommodate patients’ work schedules.”

“I’ve been working more hours, partly because of economy, and partly due to decreases in contractual reimbursements from Delta Dental,” complained a Washington dentist. “We have had no fee increases from Delta in past three years, and they reduced our dental insurance reimbursements 15%. If you consider that overhead is probably around 70%, this 15% decrease represents about a 35% decrease in my net income from my practice.”

What is your standard dentist work week? Has the economy changed how much you work?

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: Dental Management, dental practice, dental survey, dental video, dentist, dentist hours, dentist survey, dentist work week, dentists, hours per week, survey, survey video, video, weekly hours, work hours, work week, working

Choosing a Dental Career (video)

February 19, 2013 By Jim Du Molin 1 Comment

A dental career can be richly rewarding… or a source of near-constant frustration.

When The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey asking dentists if they would still want to be a dentist if they could do it all over again, two out of three said they would still choose dentistry. One in three said that, knowing what they know now, they would change professions.

“I love being a dentist. I have been practicing over 40 years, and I look forward to going to work every day,” said an Oklahoma dentist.

Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey discuss dentists’ thoughts on choosing a dental career in this video.

“I make a nice living, but I would not do this again. I would rather be a plumber!” declared a Minnesota dentist.

Said an Arizona dentist, “I enjoy cosmetic dentistry, and my practice has evolved into a boutique-type office with a connection to overall health. I love it!”

“Being a dentist has been a true disappointment to a lifelong dream. I acquired an extreme amount of debt, I’m disillusioned and exhausted, and, frankly, it doesn’t pay enough for the abuse,” complained an Alabama dentist. “I just do not enjoy it!”

What would you advise a young person considering a career in dentistry?