Blogs

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to invite you to the 6th CAD/CAM & Computerized Dentistry Int'l Conference, which will take place in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, DIFC, in Dubai, UAE!

Renowned high-end speakers from Germany, UK and The Netherlands in a combination with hands-on interactive workshops will definitely be an exciting experience for all industry professionals. After completion of the programme participants will receive certificates for upto 20 CME hours (Health Authority Abu Dhabi).

Detailed agenda

Speaker profiles

I am looking forward to seeing to there!

Best regards,

Dr. Mollova

Marketing is the discipline of communicating a business and its offerings to its target customers. This communication includes the facts of the product or service, how appealing its seems, how it's priced and were to find it. In dental office terms, the same parameters apply. It is necessary to communicate with the target audience exactly what is being offered. How zealous that communication is, is another matter all together, but one thing is for certain, neglect a loud and clear voice in any marketing campaign and face the consequence of being relegated to obscurity.

Dental office marketing needs to be conducted with the most professional communication. Dentists are a subset of the health care industry and as such, second rate promotions have no place in this campaign. For a person to even consider the dental service, the first impression must be that of sincerity wrapped in professionalism.

The marketing campaigns must include, additionally, print media and souvenirs to give existing patents. There must be an extensive data base of all customers where automatic email reminders are sent out to highlight check-up dates and cleaning schedules. All these efforts to bring back and existing customer are very much part of the marketing effort.

Existing Customer

An existing customer is more valuable than a new customer. This is so because, the cost to acquire that customer has already been spent and any change of heart of that customer who has already experienced the service, points to a deeper issue. Each customer, in monetary terms, is to be valued not just by the price of one visit. Each patient is the sum of all his visits over the course of one's life. That makes each customer very valuable. A rough estimate of the math that should be used in determining the value of a customer is the present value of every single visit between now and the last visit and includes the different services the person would need over that time.

New Customer

A new customer is valued in a slightly different manner. A new customer is someone who either is migrating from a competing service or from out of town. The conversion could be for various reasons and as such the focus should remain on keeping the customer. The value of a new customer is also the sum of all future visits with the exception that new customer and old customers have a deferent disengagement profile. Old customers are more likely to stay where as new customers have higher chances of leaving.

In any case, developing a dental office marketing campaign is a simple exercise is understanding its strength and weakness then deploying the right strategy to advance the strengths and bolster the weaknesses.

There exists a large array of choices dental practices may choose from when it comes to structuring the internet presence and brand message. The tools are plenty but they all fall subservient to superior plans and strategies. It is not necessary that the highest and most expensive technologies are employed, rather it is crucial that the landscape is efficiently assessed and the strategy keenly planned. The internet and its other technologies are merely tools of execution.

Websites

Websites are the basic part of the strategy. All other strategies need to be rooted in the site since it is the platform visitors will come to once they have heard the name or experienced any of the promotions that have been meted out. But it is crucial to note, that a great dental website alone will not pull traffic.

Blogs

Blogs are a personal touch to any business. It publishes musings and arguments for and against and is a very effective meter to understand the temperature of the market. It’s an opportunity to receive feedback and to provide explanations and create awareness and understanding.

Mobile Platforms

These platforms are the anchor when pursing the mobile market. Mobile computing has become a significant part of the main stream and this is beneficial to those who take advantage of this early. Think of it as the ability to call on a person to sell him your goods at any point in time without being obtrusive.

Direct Mail

Every dental marketing campaign must seriously consider including direct mailings. It is an opportunity to provide a tangible item the recent can touch and feel. It is a tried and trusted method of communication.

Emailer

In the wake of a successful email harvest campaign, a large email database, will serve to provide direct access to people who check their mails everyday and is an important part of staying in touch. It is a good way to ask people already connected to introduce another email. Emails are a good way to send out e-books about dental hygiene or invite them with a link to the website.

GPS Marketing

This targets people who are not customers. These are newbies who happen to be in the area and a message is sent to their phone. A free gift, wither a product or a service, can be given in exchange for a simple registration form where emails are harvested.

These are some of the basic tools that can be used in a multitude of combinations, priorities and variations. It is a good way to drive traffic to the website, blog and the store front.

Once upon a time, there was a Dental Hygienist named Goldi-Smart. One morning she went for a walk in her dental office. Pretty soon, she came upon a dental supply closet. She knocked and knocked, but no one answered, so she walked right in.

Goldi-Smart needed to find a pair of gloves to wear for her next appointment. She looked up high and down low; the closet was full of interesting dental supplies. She spied three boxes of gloves on a faraway shelf.

She tried on the gloves in the first box. She pulled and pulled as hard as she could, until they finally snapped onto her hands. "This glove is too stiff and uncomfortable,” she exclaimed.
She ripped the gloves off and moved on to the next box. Her hand slid into the next glove with no effort whatsoever. "This glove is loose and has too much material at my fingertips, it just doesn’t fit," she said sadly.

Finally, she tried on the gloves in the last box. It slipped perfectly over hand, like it was made just for her. It was not too tight, not too loose, and felt soft, stretchy and comfortable. Plus she could tell she’d be able to hold and use her instruments with ease. “Ahhh, this glove is just right," she said happily. Then she left the supply closet to begin her next oral hygiene appointment.

What can we learn from the tale of Goldi-Smart?

You might not think about it too often, but the issues that may arise from using the wrong gloves can be more detrimental than you think.

The first thing you want to determine is whether or not your gloves fit your hands properly. The wrong size glove can cause many problems, including hand fatigue and pain. Take a second and to learn how to measure your hand properly and become the office “glove expert.”

To get started, measure your hand using our Glove Solutions Chart. ‘Click Here’ for a direct link. Follow the instructions and find out which glove size is right for you.

Now that you have your size, let's talk about the difference between fitted and standard gloves. Look at the picture on the left. These are the forms used to make exam gloves. Which one looks right? Does your hand look like a mannequin? Put your arm at your side and notice the shape of your relaxed hand. It's more like the form on the left. This is the form used to make left-right fitted exam gloves at SmartPractice. It creates a more natural fit like the picture of the hand on the right, which

reduces stress, hand pain and fatigue. Remember, although it may not bother you after just a few hours of use, repeated stress and hand fatigue leads to more serious problems including: Compression Neuropathies, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOC), and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

Now let's talk about other glove solutions.

Do you have dry hands from washing them a lot? Does wearing gloves make your hands perspire? Do you have allergic reactions or irritated hands? SmartPractice carries the widest selection of gloves developed for those with sensitivities. Choose from a wide variety of latex free, accelerator free, carbamide free, powder free and more. We also carry Nitrile Decontamination Utility gloves for handling contaminated instruments or harsh chemicals. They are puncture- resistant and have a long 13” cuff for extra protection.

Finding the right exam glove is essential. That's why our customer care team is backed by the expertise of  Dr. Curt Hamann, CEO and Medical Director of SmartPractice. Considered an authority on latex and rubber-based allergies, as well as a pioneer in the creation and usage of left/right fitted gloves for dental procedures, Dr. Hamann is the driving force behind our continued commitment to provide comfortable, effective, affordable glove options for health care professionals in all disciplines.

Now that you’ve learned about how to fit gloves correctly and all the different glove options available, make sure everyone else in your office is as comfortable as you and Goldi-Smart!

To learn even more visit www.smartpractice.com/glovesolutions

Although Children’s Dental Health Month is nearly over, there are still many ways you can attract children and their families to your practice throughout the year. To start send children their own pediatric themed postcard orlaser card. These are a great way to encourage kids to look forward to their next office visit, they even help reminder mom and dad! Parents should also get dental recall cards of their own reminding them or instructing them of the benefits of proper care.

Once families begin coming to your practice make the process as easy as possible with easy to read sign-in and history forms, as well as staying organized. The reception waiting area is a particularly uneventful area. traditional magazines are great, but patient brochures and patient education materials, help to increase case acceptance and make the patient feel like the appointment is half over by the time they get taken back.

Once kids have completed their appointment be sure and reward them with toys and games, candy, or even a supply bag of their own. Be sure patients also take home additional cosmetic procedure information and patient education materials to help them in evaluating the benefits of effective cosmetic procedures.

Creating a seamless, fun, fast and informative office visit makes patients feel more comfortable with your office, value proper dental care, and loyal patients for life.

For more information on effective dental marketing strategies visit SmartPractice.com

A novel bacterium, thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Its identification will allow scientists to work out how it causes disease and evaluate the risk that it poses.

The bacterium was identified by researchers at the Institute of Medical Microbiology of the University of Zurich and has been named Streptococcus tigurinus after the region of Zurich where it was first recognised. S. tigurinus was isolated from blood of patients suffering from endocarditis, meningitis and spondylodiscitis (inflammation of the spine). It bears a close resemblance to other Streptococcus strains that colonise the mouth. Bleeding gums represent a possible route of entry for oral bacteria into the bloodstream.

The similarity of S. tigurinus to other related bacteria has meant that it has existed up until now without being identified. Its recent identification is clinically important, explained Dr Andrea Zbinden who led the study. "Accurate identification of this bacterium is essential to be able to track its spread. Further research must now be done to understand the strategies S. tigurinus uses to successfully cause disease. This will allow infected patients to be treated quickly and with the right drug."

Dr Zbinden said that while the discovery of the bacterium is no cause for alarm, it is important that it is recognised and the risk is quantified. "This bacterium seems to have a natural potential to cause severe disease and so it's important that clinicians and microbiologists are aware of it," she said. "The next step is to work out exactly how common this bacterium is in the oral cavity and what risk it poses. Immunosuppression, abnormal heart valves, dental surgeries or chronic diseases are common predisposing factors for blood infections by this group of bacteria. However, the specific risk factors for S. tigurinus remain to be determined."

Source: Science Daily

Journal Reference:

1. A. Zbinden, N. J. Mueller, P. E. Tarr, C. Sproer, P. M. Keller, G. V. Bloemberg. Streptococcus tigurinus sp. nov., isolated from blood of patients with endocarditis, meningitis and spondylodiscitis. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2012; DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.038299-0

The possible advantage of improved appearance and function offered by partial dentures should be balanced against their long-term potential to cause harm to the remaining teeth and supporting soft tissues suggest by dentists in China dental lab. In broad terms this harm can be described as a risk of local damage to the remaining teeth resulting from an increased incidence of caries and periodontal disease and the continued resorption of those parts of the alveolar process supporting the partial denture.

In next serval texts I will introduce some long-term effects of using partial dentures patients. Main as following aspects:
1. Caries and periodontal disease.
2. Plaque and partial dentures.
3. Changes to the alveolar process.

Changes to the alveolar process
Resorption of the supporting alveolar process is a frequent clinical finding. Common consequences are reduced retention, instability, loss of occlusal contacts and fracture of denture components. Further, Trauma from the resulting ill-fitting dentures may well cause inflammation of the denture bearing mucosa. Such trauma and an overgrowth of the fugus Candida albicans are thought to be the most common causes of denture-induced stomatitis not infrequently seen under ill-fitting upper dentures.

The question as to whether there is a cause-effect relationship between this resorptive process and denture use has not been clearly answered. Although several studies strongly suggest this relationship, the small study populations and the large individual variations seen have case doubt on the validity of the results. There is no evidence for the concept of disuse atrophy in non-denture wearers.

Dr Vijayan Ravi Kumar, Director, Academy of Fixed Orthodontics has been conferred the “National Awards for Commercializable Patents” by TIFAC, an autonomous organization set up in 1988 under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. The Award was conferred on the 25^th founding day of TIFAC, 10^th February 2012 in New Delhi at Manekshaw Center by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Hon’ble former President of India. The Award function was presided over by Hon’ble Minister of State for S & T, Dr.Ashwini Kumar. Hon’ble Chairman TIFAC, Dr Anil Kakodkar was the guest of honor.

Immediate placement of a dental implant right after a tooth is extracted, along with attachment of the temporary tooth, is a predictable treatment option for patients who must lose a tooth.  My partner and I have been placing dental implants in our private periodontal practice in Newton and Framingham, MA for over 25 years.  We have personally witnessed the evolution of implant dentistry to this point.  Patients are thrilled with the results of "same day" dental implants and restoration.  And, the esthetic results are typically outstanding; usually better than the outcomes that are achieved in delayed, staged-out treatment protocols.

Critical factors for success include using an implant that provides superior stability in the bone of the extraction socket, right after the damaged tooth has been removed.  We also prefer using an implant that has a "platform shift" design to avoid loss of crestal bone during healing.  An internal connection is also desirable to provide maximum stability for the abutment which supports the crown (tooth).  The NobelBiocare NobelActive implant fixture has been the perfect solution for us. 

Comments are welcome.

Cary Feuerman, DMD

Periodontal Associates

Gum disease affects millions of people around the work.  And, gum recession ( the loss of gum tissue and supporting bone around a natural tooth) makes up a big part of the problem.  Unfortunately, loss of gum and bone can eventually lead to tooth loss.

But there is a cure!  Dentists and periodontists (dentists who specialize in the treatment of gum disease) can repair the damage caused by gum recession.  With a traditional treatment approach, a small amount of gum can be removed from another part of the mouth and used to repair the tooth that has lost gum.  The exposed root can oftentimes be covered to improve the cosmetic appearance of the tooth.  This is generally considered to be the "gold standard" of treatment because the patient's own gum is used.  The downside is that the area that the gum is borrowed from (it grows back) can be sore during the healing phase after treatment.

Over the years, various materials have been developed to be used as a substitute for using the patient's own gum as the donor.  These include donor grafts from cadavers......Yes, it sounds unappealing, but it is perfectly acceptable and has been used for decades.  Newer materials are now available that are made from collagen (the building block of all skin)!  The general benefits include avoiding a second surgical site to borrow the gum, so there is less soreness.  And the results appear to be quite promising.

We, at Periodontal Associates, have been using Mucograft collagen matrix for awhile now with much success in treating gum recession (and, no, we do not have any affiliation with the company).  Our patients are very happy with the outcomes which include improved cosmetic appearance, improved gum health, and their improved quality of life.

Comments are appreciated!

Cary Feuerman, DMD

Periodontal Associates

My partner, Giovanni Castellucci, and I have been placing dental implants in our periodontal practice for over 27 years. Every day, we see an ever increasing amount of requests from our restorative colleagues and patients from Boston, Newton, Framingham, and the surrounding metrowest communities for extraction of a compromised tooth, followed by immediate dental implant placement and restoration (Teeth in a Day). Years ago, this was a very challenging proposition for a variety of reasons, and we oftentimes had to decline these requests and follow a more traditional treatment protocol. However, with the current advances in dental implant design (including surface technology, thread pattern, and restorative connection), we can confidently and predictably deliver immediate dental restorations in one dental appointment. One of our favorite dental implants for "teeth in one day" is the NobelActive fixture from NobelBiocare. We have been impressed by the tremendous stability at insertion (70 Ncm), platform switch - bone preservation design, surface technology to maximize bone-implant contact and osseointegration, and ease of restoration.

Case selection is paramount to assure a successful outcome, and not every patient is truly a candidate for these procedures. Every case has to be thoroughly evaluated on its own merits. And, there is no substitute for clinical experience and surgical expertise. In the end, our mission is to have a happy and healthy patient with normal function and a beautiful smile.



Have any of you had similar experiences? Please share them with the community.

Cary Feuerman, DMD
PERIODONTAL ASSOCIATES

photo credits:

Dental Implant #9 - Cary Feuerman, DMD

NobelActive Graphic:

Taking a five-year-old to the dentist can be tricky – even for a SmartPractice employee.

When the time came for my daughter’s last checkup, I wasn’t sure how things would go. It’s hard to get her to sit still in any situation, let alone a dental office waiting room. But when we arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see it was filled with plenty of happy kids enjoying kid friendly activities and books.  We were off to a great start.

I was really proud of how well my daughter behaved. She waited quietly while alternating playing with toys and cutting pictures out of a stack of old health magazines. When I wasn’t checking on her, I caught bits of the TV show playing in the background. TV in the waiting room is a great distraction for anxious parents (who probably don’t get to watch much at home).

After about 30 minutes the hygienist came out and called her name, which made her feel very grown up. She jumped up eagerly but I wasn’t sure if I should go with her and stay in the room during her checkup. Or maybe walk her back and then return to the waiting room? Or just let her go on her own? I finally decided to walk back with her and see what happened once we got to the exam room. I think I was more nervous than she was!

We reached the brightly decorated treatment room and the pediatric hygienist was so friendly and dressed in some really cool printed scrubs. I could see my daughter’s face light up as she took in the surroundings, so I decided to stay in the hallway where I could hear her, but she couldn’t see me.

The hygienist talked to my daughter and explained what she was going to do and showed her the tools she was going to use. I recognized the fun packaging and bright colors of the Sqwiggly Prophy Angles and heard my daughter giggle when she saw the colorful exam gloves.

She made it through the appointment with flying colors and no cavities. The hygienist let her choose her own sticker – she was torn between a classic smiley face or a fun cartoon whale (the whale won). But that was just the beginning of the goodies. When we reached the front desk the receptionist congratulated her on a job well done and handed her a supply bag containing a dental activity book, crayons and a personalized Sqwiggly toothbrush.

We both left the appointment feeling great! I could tell she was very proud of her perfect checkup and the way everyone treated her like a big girl. Thanks to the kid-friendly environment, products and staff, she’s not afraid of the dentist and will look forward to future checkups.

Rachel

Online Marketing,

SmartPractice

Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice -- used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine -- that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease. 

Stefan Gafner and colleagues explain that the dried root of the licorice plant is a common treatment in Chinese traditional medicine, especially as a way to enhance the activity of other herbal ingredients or as a flavoring. Despite the popularity of licorice candy in the U.S., licorice root has been replaced in domestic candy with anise oil, which has a similar flavor. Traditional medical practitioners use dried licorice root to treat various ailments, such as respiratory and digestive problems, but few modern scientific studies address whether licorice really works. (Consumers should check with their health care provider before taking licorice root because it can have undesirable effects and interactions with prescription drugs.) To test whether the sweet root could combat the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities, the researchers took a closer look at various substances in licorice.

They found that two of the licorice compounds, licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, were the most effective antibacterial substances. These substances killed two of the major bacteria responsible for dental cavities and two of the bacteria that promote gum disease. One of the compounds -- licoricidin -- also killed a third gum disease bacterium. The researchers say that these substances could treat or even prevent oral infections.

Source:  Science Daily

Journal Reference:

1. Stefan Gafner, Chantal Bergeron, Jacquelyn R. Villinski, Markus Godejohann, Pavel Kessler, John H. Cardellina, Daneel Ferreira, Karine Feghali, Daniel Grenier. Isoflavonoids and Coumarins fromGlycyrrhiza uralensis: Antibacterial Activity against Oral Pathogens and Conversion of Isoflavans into Isoflavan-Quinones during Purification. Journal of Natural Products, 2011; 74 (12): 2514 DOI: 10.1021/np2004775

Dr. Andreas Kurbad, Germany

Keynote Speaker

 An extensive treatment planning is the key for success in esthetic reconstructions. The planning should start with diagnostics. An evaluation of the esthetics is necessary. It can be based on the direct investigation of the patient, but more important is the work with photos and in the last time also videos are used. A lot of analysis can be done with simple methods, for instance using common PC programs like PowerPoint.

An excellent design and, in the second place, the predictability of results are very important when restoring teeth in the esthetic zone. In most esthetic dentistry cases, a re-design of the shape and contour of the respective teeth is required. In conventional treatment procedures, this is accomplished by means of a wax up. This also can be done digitally today. Once approved by the patient, the wax-up represents the basis for all the working steps that are carried out in the course of the treatment.

Very frequently, the wax-up is used to fabricate splints for so-called mock-ups or provisional restorations. Those temporary restorations play a more and more important role within the treatment concepts. Moreover, silicone matrices are made to ensure control of the amount of tooth structure removed during preparation. These matrices enable the mandatory minimum layer thickness to be observed and the shape and contour of the final restoration previously defined by means of the wax-up to be reproduced. To provide patients with a restoration whose appearance is very close to that originally defined in the treatment plan is crucial to treatment success.

Following tooth preparation, the new situation will be scanned again and matched with the data of the case already stored in the computer. The digital wax-up can then be used for the design of the final restoration. The modern, highly esthetic all-ceramic materials available today even allow full-contour restorations to be milled, which only need to be stained and glazed. In challenging cases, a slight cut-back can be performed to optimize the result.

Cementation is the last and a very important part of this complex. The thinner the ceramic thickness, the more important is to pay attention to the underground color and the type of cement. All in all, this is a completely new way of achieving highly esthetic outcomes in the management of restoration cases. It allows the predictability of results to be increased in a very cost-effective way.

Download Early Bird Registration >>
 

For more information:

www.cappmea.com/cadcam6

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great honor and pleasure we welcome you to the 2nd Iraqi Dental Reunion/IDA Annual Conference March 30th – 31st, 2012 Saad Palace, Erbil Iraq.

The 1st Iraqi Dental Reunion 2011 was a great success, achieving record attendance and further establishing a reputation as the dental industry's leading regional event. The event welcomed more than 1200 and 400 visitors including dentists and dental technicians from the government and private sector and students coming from all provinces of Iraq. Participants accumulate the latest opinions, trends and insights from industry thought leaders, shared experiences with colleagues, made new contacts and bound exciting relationships and exchange their ideas and knowledge.

Exhibitors & Sponsorship

Please contact:

Dr. D. Mollova at info@cappmea.com

Mob.: +971 50 4243072

For more information:

www.cappmea.com/idr2012

The saliva of people with pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis varies from that of healthy people, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in Gut.

Researchers at University of California Los Angeles—led by James J. Farrell, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Digestive Diseases at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA—conducted a three-phase study to measure the variations in salivary microbiota and evaluate their potential associations with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

They found that the levels of 31 types of bacterial species were increased in the saliva of patients with pancreatic cancer, compared with that of healthy control participants, and that the levels of 25 types of bacteria were reduced. For example, the levels of Granulicatella adiacens, which is associated with systemic inflammation, were elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer. The levels of Streptococcus mitis, which may play a protective role against inflammation, were lower in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Researchers say their findings add to growing evidence that saliva may be a credible biomarker source to track and diagnose nonoral diseases. They add that the results of their study also offer new research directions for focusing on inflammation as a contributor to pancreatic diseases.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Source:  JADA

Reference:  http://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2011/09/23/gutjnl-2011-300784.abstract

Thank you for taking time to read this letter. As the problem of food safety has been becoming worse and worse nowadays, I am obliged to write to you.

Several days ago, one of my classmates came back from supermarket with a large bag of food. Because of having found a new style of tinned?ish in the food store, she was very glad. Several other roommates were invited to enjoy the “mouth?atering chicken”. Unfortunately, after finishing the food, all of my three friends had stomachaches and vomited, their faces having become paler and paler. Due to sensitivity to that kind of tinned food, I escaped that suffer. At that time, my mind went blank. I dialed the emergency number with my trembling hand, therefore they were quickly sent to hospital. The doctor said they were lucky to be out of danger because they did not eat too much of that rotten fish and were hospitalized on time.

This is the matter that happened around me which made me realize the seriousness of the food safety problem. I sincerely hope that the whole society could attach much importance to this issue