Social network for dentists and dental professionals to share news and ideas.

August 2009 Blog Posts (13)

26% of Dentists Quit ADA

Okay, so I know I've been blogging a lot about survey data lately, but this one really piqued my interest and I wanted to hear what everyone hear thought of it.

The data comes from TheWealthyDentist.com and says that more than 1 in 4 dentists has quit the ADA for one reason or another.

What is your take on the ADA? Everyone… Continue

Added by Jamie Bull on August 27, 2009 at 3:00pm — 1 Comment

Problems with Dental Patients Texting In-Chair

A survey from the Chicago Dental Society has some pretty interesting stats on exactly how likely patients are to send text messages or take cell phone calls while in the dentists' chair.

The survey was taken from a sample of their Facebook fans. Not exactly a scientific sampling, but interesting nonetheless.

It found that 46 percent of dentists… Continue

Added by Jamie Bull on August 27, 2009 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments

Chart Auditing article printed in Dental Assisting Digest by Dr. Ron Arndt and Mary Beth Bajornas

CHART AUDITING

Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD, MCC

Mary Beth Bajornas, CMT,VA

How much dentistry is sitting on your wall? What financial opportunities are you missing with your patients of record? What are you willing to do to “harvest the diamonds in your own back yard?”

Chart auditing is the review of charts to determine the status of idle patients. Chart auditing is done by the front desk staff, and should be done minimally on an annual basis. Although this… Continue

Added by Mary Beth Bajornas on August 25, 2009 at 9:37pm — No Comments

Have Bad Breath? Here's some tips to share how to remedy it

Something that we are all afraid of as people is having bad breath and leaving a poor first impression on anyone, whether its a hot date or your boss. Some of the common symptoms of bad breath include; smoking, not brushing properly, and eating the wrong foods. We all think its as easy as chewing a piece of gum to remedy the situation, but it can be a little more complicated than that.

Some of the more common remedies to get rid of bad breath include:

1. Drinking plenty of… Continue

Added by Divij Bhatia on August 25, 2009 at 4:30pm — 1 Comment

Virtual Assisting for Dentists?

Virtual Assistants for Dentists?

Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD, MCC

www.drarndt.com

I know. I know. Most of you are probably asking yourself what is a virtual assistant? Is this another one of Dr. Ron’s “new age” ideas? And for those of you who know you are probably asking how on earth can virtual assistants support a dentist? I am here to tell you.

I myself have used a VA for over 9 years. She takes care of the things that I don’t want to take care of.… Continue

Added by Mary Beth Bajornas on August 25, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Gentle Dental Cedar Hills Welcomes New Periodontist

Gentle Dental announced today that Periodontist Dr. Thomas Eshraghi has joined the staff at their Cedar Hills Office, located in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Portland in Washington County, Oregon.

Dr. Eshraghi specializes in Periodontal gum disease and implants. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State University, and both his Doctor of Dental Medicine and Specialty Certificate in Periodontics from Oregon… Continue

Added by mark smith on August 24, 2009 at 5:26am — No Comments

Study: Redheads Twice As Likely To Avoid Dentist

I saw a news article this morning about redheads increased likelihood of having anxiety related to going to the dentist. Just from my own experience having dated a redhead for the past six years, I have to say that I am not too surprised. In the years since moving away from home after college, she has found a new primary care physician and eye doctor, but still insists on going to her childhood dentist, knowing… Continue

Added by Jamie Bull on August 21, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

And the Survey says...

Ok, I have been told by many that they are losing clients due to the economy. An I agree, it feels like there are fewer patients because fewer people are covered with basic Dental insurance, or for that matter any Dental plan, even very high deductible ones. So, my question is, are you in favor or opposed to government funded health care? And if so, is your support based… Continue

Added by Lincoln Builds on August 18, 2009 at 11:07pm — 3 Comments

Marketing in a down economy means that you essentially have to be creative in your approach...

I recently responded to the proverbial question which was how to market your dental practice in a down economy. What the dental professional was asking for was to get some feedback to generate new ideas that were user-friendly, practical and low cost. I had several pragmatic concepts that I shared & this was one of them.

Marketing in a down economy means that you essentially have to be creative in your approach to attracting new patients. One easy method to boost your internal… Continue

Added by Helen H Cohen on August 17, 2009 at 12:23am — 3 Comments

Forcing Flossing

Despite my best efforts in hiding my lack of flossing, I received some pretty heavy finger wagging from my hygienist this week. It must have been pretty clear. No amount of Listerine can cover up how hard it is for me to routinely pick up that package of floss before I brush.

I knew that I wasn't alone. Besides my friends in the industry or their immediate family, I never see anyone floss unless I point out that there is something stuck in their front teeth. I asked how many of her… Continue

Added by Jamie Bull on August 14, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

ADA Launches International Volunteer Web Site

The ADA recently launched a new international volunteer Web site as a resource for dental professionals looking to give back to others around the world.

http://internationalvolunteer.ada.org

The site is focused on sharing volunteer experiences, photos and connecting both seasoned and new international dental volunteers. It helps connect professionals… Continue

Added by Jamie Bull on August 13, 2009 at 2:41pm — No Comments

Academy of General Dentistry Supports FDA Ruling on Dental Amalgam

After years of scientific research on the safety of dental amalgam, on July 28th, 2009 the FDA has re-affirmed that dental amalgam is in fact a safe dental restorative material.

The FDA has created a classification system for the mercury based material. There are two classes; class I (low risk) and class II (moderate risk). This classification system places dental amalgam in the same category as gold fillings.

The AGD… Continue

Added by Divij Bhatia on August 13, 2009 at 12:06pm — No Comments

Adult Braces On The Rise

There has been a slow but steady rising trend of adult braces in the country.

As reported by the San Bernardino sun, there are over 1 million adults in the U.S with braces now.

Also according to the recent survey taken, there is a 37% increase in adult brace's from 1994 to 2004.

Most doctors are finding that the average customer is getting braces primarily for cosmetic purposes and for no other reason.… Continue

Added by Divij Bhatia on August 5, 2009 at 10:33am — No Comments