Dental Pain Tolerance & Dentistry for Softies

Volunteer Dentistry in Huatulco Mexico – It

Beautiful place. Beautiful people. Bad teeth.

Most of the people I saw had never been to a dentist before. Looking into their mouths indicated years of suffering. These people didn’t seem the type to ever complain about such things.

In fact they were great patients. No drama in the dental chair. No flinching at injections. Nothing.

What made them so calm and stoic in their manner?  My guess is the day-to-day challenges and hardships they endure. They don’t live pampered lives free of pain and inconvenience.

I found Dental Pain Management to be less of a concern down in Mexico. Overall, expectations and standard of care were  much lower.

Back here in Toronto, Dental Pain Management is at the top of my priorities.

What’s it mean?

My belief is that here in North America, many of us live a comfortable, sheltered existence. We’re far less tolerant of pain and hardship than those in other parts of the world.

We’re softies here…

We live a cushy life and our pain tolerance is lower. Particularly for our children.

Apparently there’s no urgency to grow up these days.

I take one look at my own children and I know this is true.

Now I came from a family of 8 children and compared to my father’s depression-era childhood, I had it pretty soft.

My father would tell those “Back when I was young…” stories about harder times. I do the same to my children and they roll their eyes.

I look at my 5 grown children and they’re living the life of Riley. My four older boys are now in their 20's but still holding on to their teenage ways. Apparently there’s no urgency to grow up these days.

With a soft life, tolerance for pain is less.

Dental pain tolerance is practically zero and that’s understandable. Dental pain is nasty. Besides, people already hate dentists. They don’t need additional reasons on top of that.

Are you a Softie about Dental Care?

If you have grown children still living in your basement, I can’t help you with that. Heck, I could use a few pointers myself.

What I can do is help you and your loved ones with comfortable dental care. Dentistry for softies.

Nowadays, comfortable dental care is the norm. Children can grow up today without fear of going to the dentist. Without the anxiety of expecting things to be difficult and uncomfortable. Adults can finally relax and let go of that anxiety they’ve been feeling for so long.

We’ll pamper you at Royal York Dental. We’ll make things easy for you. Gentle, comfortable dental care with all the modern conveniences.

Spa Dentistry? Perhaps that goes too far. After all, people want FAST dentistry so they can get back to the things they would rather be doing.

If I wanted a full spa experience I would go to the spa. Still, a little pampering at the dentist is always appreciated.

Fast, convenient, comfortable dental care – Dentistry for Softies – that’s what people want.

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Dr. Joe

TNT Dental Congratulates Dr. Jeff Dalin on Article in Dental Economics Magazine

TNT Dental offered a great big “Well done!” to Dr. Jeff Dalin this week, congratulating him on his recently published article “My Web site makeover”. The story appeared in the September 2010 issue of Dental Economics magazine and has the dental community buzzing. Over the years, Dr. Jeffrey Dalin has published many great articles in DE magazine, but this particular piece struck a collective chord among dentists.

With much debate in dental circles on whether or not to Web 2.0, Dr. Dalin, a St. Louis dentist, said in his article that he strongly believed in walking the walk, not just talking the talk. And so, using his own website as a case study, Dr. Dalin dove right into a re-skin of his old, stagnant website, hiring TNT Dental to lead the SEO charge. He also gave the go ahead to optimize his new site into a mobile friendly format for display on smart phones, such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and Droid mobile devices.

Besides being more visually appealing, what is Dr. Dalin’s goal with the new website? According to his article, it’s to place higher in search engine rankings, drive new traffic to his site, generate leads that will become new patient conversions, as well as keep his existing patients consistently engaged. Dr. Dalin also plans a series of follow up articles to appear in DE magazine over the coming months chronicling his website’s success. We’re certainly eager to see the results!

Treating Dental Injuries

It can happen in an instant.  Your child is running around on the playground, field or basketball court, and suddenly - wham! - he collides with another child and breaks a tooth - or worse.

Dr. Jeffrey May, a Coast Dental dentist in Riverview, Florida, has treated all sorts of dental injuries.  "I have five kids myself and I know the kinds of injuries you can get from tripping over a toy or running into a wall or bumping heads.  I've seen kids on the playground catch a ball in the face or fall off a swing.  If they're playing sports, they can catch an elbow in the face or get hit with a racquet."

It's not just kids who injure their mouths.  A squirming toddler may knock mom's chin hard, causing her to chip a tooth.  An adult who trips or who hits a patch of sand while biking might dislodge a tooth or even knock it out.  And the number one cause of broken teeth in adults is decay.  What began as a small cavity can spread, weakening the tooth so much that it cracks when you bite into food.

So what should you do if you chip, loosen or knock out a tooth?

"Call your dentist immediately," said Dr. May.  "A dentist will be able to see if the tooth is fractured and may be able to stabilize the tooth through bonding so it will reintegrate with the bone.  The best thing you can do is come in and get it checked."

Timing is important.  Click here for a field guide to dental injuries that shows when you need to take immediate action, when you need urgent treatment within six hours, and less urgent situations where you should get checked out by a dentist within 12 hours.

Why does the timing matter?

If you've knocked out a tooth, you have a small window of about 30 minutes to try to get it replanted.  The field guide shows the steps you should take as soon as the tooth comes out.

If the tooth is pushed out of alignment, your bite will be affected and the swelling and inflammation could worsen if it's not treated quickly.  "Most of the time, if you don't do anything, you'll end up losing the tooth," Dr. May said. "Definitely call your dentist's emergency number and get it checked.  The dentist can hopefully bond it or apply a stent to stabilize it and save the tooth."

The cost of stabilizing a tooth is less than the cost of a root canal.  If you wait so long that even a root canal can't save your tooth, then you'll need to have the tooth extracted and replaced with a bridge or dental implant – and that costs even more.

So take a minute to print out this field guide to dental injuries and put it into your car or hang it on your fridge - someplace where you can easily access it should you need it! 

Jeffrey May, DMD, provides general dentistry services to patients age 10 and up. Special services include bone grafting, laser crown lengthening, dental implant restorations, dental implants, extractions, gummy smile treatment, veneers, Lumineers, periodontal disease management, ridge augmentation, root canal therapy and retreatment, soft tissue graft, and laser therapy.  Dr. May has extensive training in cosmetic dentistry and in the advanced use of digital imaging, which enables patients to preview their smile prior to the start of treatment. He is also skilled in the use of digital x-ray and intra-oral imaging.  Dr. May is fluent in English and Spanish and has traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide free dental care on mission trips.  He practices at Coast Dental Riverview, 10625 Big Bend Road, Riverview, FL 33579.  The phone number is 813-549-0931.

Who Needs Premedications for Dental Treatment?

About 800,000 Americans have a hip or knee replacement each year, and more than half a million Americans have heart surgery each year, according to the National Institutes of Health. When you fill out your medical history form at the dentist's office, you'll notice it asks if you've had any of these procedures.

If you answer yes, you may need to take an antibiotic before certain types of dental treatment.

"Whenever a patient has an artificial heart valve or an artificial joint, there's a higher risk of infection," said Dr. Ajay Singh, a general dentist at Coast Dental Ocala South in Ocala, Florida. "When you perform a cleaning or an extraction where there may be bleeding, there's the potential for bacteria from the mouth to enter the bloodstream and travel to the valve or joint, triggering an infection. That's why we prescribe an antibiotic like amoxicillin. The patient takes one dose about a half-hour to one hour before the procedure, and that should be all he or she needs."

Either your dentist or your primary care physician will prescribe the dosage. If you forget to take it before your appointment, ask your dentist. You may be able to take it up to an hour after the procedure and have the same health benefits.

Joint Replacement Premedication Guidelines

The guidelines for when you need an antibiotic have changed in the past few years.  The recommendation used to be that patients take an antibiotic before dental cleanings, extractions or oral surgery for up to two years after a joint replacement surgery. Then the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommended all patients who have had joint replacement surgery continue to premedicate beyond two years. Now, the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons are studying the clinical data to come up with a joint set of recommendations.  Ask your dentist or your orthopedic surgeon for what is best for you.

Dental Premedication Guidelines for Patients with Heart Problems

In 2008, the American Heart Association updated its recommendations for dental premedications.  It now recommends premedication for patients with:

artificial heart valvesa history of infective endocarditis, which is an infection of the lining inside the heart or heart valvesa heart transplant that developed a heart valve problemcertain types of congenital heart conditions

The good news is the AMA says many patients with heart problems who used to take prophylactic antibiotics no longer need them, including patients with:

heart murmursrheumatic heart diseasebicuspid valve diseasecalcified aortic diseasecongenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

If you have any questions about whether you need to take an antibiotic before your dental appointment, just ask your dentist.

Ocala general dentist Ajay Singh, DDS, provides general, restorative and cosmetic dentistry services to patients age 16 and older.  He earned his dental degree at New York University College of Dentistry and his undergraduate degree at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.  Dr. Singh is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, Florida Dental Association and the American Dental Association.  He practices at Coast Dental Ocala South, 1110 Southeast 18th Place, Building 200, Ocala, FL 34471.  The phone number is (352) 351-3891.

PR: Dental Vibe 3-in-1 Anesthetic Injection

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CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – Dentists seeking to offer a more comfortable experience for their patients can see, study and order an innovative new tool by visiting DentalVibe.com, the newly expanded website for dentistry’s first 3-in-1 injection comfort system.

BING Innovations, LLC, the Illinois-based provider of DentalVibe™, launched the new site in June to better educate the dental community about the benefits and uses of the product and to simplify the ordering process. Visitors to the site can view newly produced video segments depicting DentalVibe applications as well as the real-time reactions of patients who experience DentalVibe injections. In addition, the DentalVibe system and accessories can be conveniently purchased with a credit card through a secure e-commerce portal.

To produce the videos, develop the new website and introduce the breakthrough product to dentistry, BING Innovations enlisted Walter F. Cameron Advertising, an established dental products marketing agency based in New York. An educational communications campaign is being launched concurrently.

“You can’t really understand the ‘wow’ factor of DentalVibe until you see it in action with real patients,” said DentalVibe Co-developer Steven G. Goldberg, DDS, who demonstrates the product on the new videos. “On our website, you can see the expression of both surprise and delight on patients’ faces when they receive a dental injection without any pain whatsoever.”

DentalVibe takes unique advantage of cutting-edge research on the Gate Control Theory of Pain to enable the delivery of anesthetic injections without discomfort. Patented, microprocessor-controlled VibraPulse™ technology delivers a pulsed, percussive vibration to the mucosa ­– the ideal counter-stimulation to block the painful stimuli of injections.

Tags: Clinical · News · Press Release

Dental Emergency Scheduling Made Easier with Crumb’s Cranium

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You have a full day scheduled and as soon as the phones are off of forward, the emergency calls start; a patient with a severe tooth ache who waited a week to see if it would “go away”, another whose crown has broken loose, and a pediatric patient who knocked out a baby tooth when he fell rushing into kindergarten. Your team is doing their best to juggle the calls, calm and comfort your patients, and glean the right information in order to fit them all into a heavily booked day. However, between a hysterical mother, a busy executive inconvenienced by another office visit, a difficult patient in terrible pain, and the front offices’ lack of clinical experience, the important facts needed to schedule and treat your emergency patients fall short. Each of these urgent appointments winds up incorrectly prioritized and placed into inappropriate time slots, which sets back the entire day frustrating you, your team, and your other patients.

Does this scenario sound like something that’s happened at your practice? You’re probably nodding your head, “Yes”. Anyone who has handled a dental emergency call knows that patients are not consistent in describing their symptoms, their pain, and can often be uncooperative wondering why they are being peppered with questions when they are in such acute discomfort. Dentists listening to an emergency patient’s symptoms chairside have the benefit of diagnostic tools, as well as years of clinical experience and education, to help determine the condition that’s causing the problem. However, your front office team, who has limited, or no clinical training, relies on asking the emergency call a set of pre-selected questions to determine when they should be scheduled into the day. No matter how well you have trained your team, it’s just not an accurate system.

Now there is a better way to repair the disconnect that so often arises between patient, team, dentist, and schedule during dental emergencies: a new dental software program called Crumb’s Cranium. Developed by New York Dentist, Dr. Donald Crumb, Crumb’s Cranium is a simple scheduling tool that “thinks” like a dentist. Easily downloaded and installed on any PC in less than 30 minutes, Crumb’s Cranium works alongside your existing dental software and helps your front office team by:

Recognizing the most common reasons for dental patients to call your office with an emergencyProviding simplified, logical sequencing of diagnostic information questions for effective triage and prioritizing of emergenciesProviding scheduling recommendations, clinical impressions, and a printout system to prepare the dentist and clinical team for the emergency appointment

Crumb’s Cranium streamlines your dental emergency management, smoothes over the scheduling conflicts dental emergencies tend to create, reduces stress, and allows you to spend the time with your patients that they need and deserve. Best of all, it requires virtually no dental knowledge, minimal computer skills, and becomes a great training tool for the team members who handle dental emergency calls. To learn more about Crumb’s Cranium, how it can improve the day-to-day operations of your practice, and receive a free, 30-day trial, visit www.crumbscranium.com .

About Dr. Crumb: Since 1976, Dr. Crumb has practiced quality dentistry for patients in and around Syracuse, New York. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1971, achieved his DDS at New York University College of Dentistry in 1975, and completed a post-doctoral residency at Northwestern University in 1976. He believes strongly in giving back to his community for all that it has given him and has been an attending dentist on the clinical staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center since 1977.

Dentists are Tooth Carpenters, Dental Hygienists are Gum Gardeners

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Do dentists belong on a pedestal? Be prepared for some Dental Philosophy today.

Do dentists belong on a pedestal?

I’m going to be totally frank with you. Strip away any pretense – the doctor-prestige and professional posturing – and you’ll discover Dentists are basically tooth carpenters and Dental Hygienists are gum gardeners.

Some Dentists will HATE me for saying that. They’re caught up in the whole white-coat-doctor thing and enjoy their lofty position up on that pedestal.

I call that Dental Elitism. That’s where a Dentist begins thinking they’re pretty darned special. They’ve forgotten that they’re just a fellow human beings with a specific set of skills to help you.

Here I come along to pull back the curtain and reveal that the Great Oz is just an old man with a microphone… That us dental folk are just tooth carpenters and gum gardeners.

Secrets of the Great Oz revealed... from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

By the way, dentists can be Smile Artists as well as tooth carpenters if they have that certain knack for Smile Artistry. That’s a story for another day.

Now I promote my office as prestige, because it’s a beautiful place. But really I’m just a regular guy with some dental skills. The only thing that really matters is whether I can help you or not.

In my last post on Dental Sins, I talked about the sin of doing too little. Today I’ll be revealing how lack of emphasis on prevention can be devastating for you.

With old-style dentistry all the focus was on carpentry and the gardening was neglected.

Dentistry is carpentry in miniature Art by Dr. Ian Davis of London England

By gardening I’m referring to Hygiene Services. I like this analogy because it comes down to removing the noxious weeds before they can take over the garden.

With the old-style approach, dental care was reduced to reacting to Dental Emergencies and outbreaks of disease.

Way back in 1985 I took over the practice of Dr. Don Anderson. He had started up from scratch back in 1950.

Like most dentists back then, Don was a tooth carpenter. He didn’t have  a hygienist so he would clean everyone’s teeth himself. He saw patients every 30 minutes for a checkup and would often squeeze in a filling as well in that time.

Don was a good man, he provided decent dentistry, charged ridiculously low fees, and never did anything unnecessary. Don’s only Dental Sin was doing too little. In this case, neglecting the preventive aspects of dentistry. How good of a job could he squeeze in during 30 minutes?

He wasn’t alone. Most dentists of that era took a similar approach. Also, back in those days people weren’t very good at home care. Dental Caries (cavities) ran rampant and severe Gum Disease amongst adults was the norm.

People were losing their teeth left right and center. You would be considered lucky if you kept your teeth long enough to lose them all to Gum Disease.

The lesson from that? When prevention is neglected, dentistry becomes a game of chasing the inevitable onslaught of disease. A game where you the patient are the inevitable loser.

Pay attention to the gardening so you can AVOID more of the carpentry.

Here’s the thing. Old-style reactionary dentistry is STILL the default path today. If all you take is a reactionary approach, losing teeth can be expected in the future.

A key part of a Dentist’s role is to raise the bar on level of care.

Leave the Standard of Care up to a patient and most will set the bar far too low. They’ll sink to the old style where they neglect the gum gardening and end up struggling along the Path of Pain as disease gains the upper hand.

With the Dental Sin of doing too little, a dentist can sit back idly and allow patients to self-destruct. That way they can step in and profit from the tooth carpentry work to be done. I talked about that in Dental Pain Exploiters – dentists who take advantage of pain.

The emphasis should be reversed. Pay attention to the gum gardening so you can AVOID more of the tooth carpentry. The less dentistry you have, the better off you are.

The focus of new-style dentistry is on optimal health and care.

It means we spend a lot of time and effort helping people stay healthy, and it’s working.

To achieve that, dentists need to break out of tooth-carpentry-mode. They need to set the bar higher on Standard of Care and change the emphasis over to Prevention Services.

None of that happens on its own. Dentists and hygienists have to become LEADERS to make good things happen.

Gum Gardening - hug your dental hygienist!

Believe it or not, the total production from our hygienists exceeds that of our doctors almost every day.

That’s unheard of.

What’s the big deal? It means our hygienists are doing a great job.

We spend a lot of time and effort helping people stay healthy, and it’s working. We pay attention to the gum gardening so you can avoid the tooth carpentry.

Every day I get to tell people, “Everything looks great. Keep up the good work!”

Wouldn’t you rather be hearing good news like that?

What dental news are you getting lately?

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Dr. Joe

About the Author: Dr. Joe Bulger is a West Toronto dentist. He’s also the owner-founder of Royal York Dental – a respected dental clinic serving Etobicoke since 1950.

If you would like to learn more about your dental options, fill out our contact form or CALL 416 231-0550 for a FREE & Easy No-Obligation First Visit.

What To Expect During a Cosmetic Dental Consult

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Editor’s Note: In this two-part series, we want to be certain that you, our patient, understand that your overall health comes first AND you are comfortable with the procedures we employ to discover what it is that we can do to make your smile as bright as possible. Our first part discusses what we cover during your first visit for a cosmetic dental consult.

When you come see us for a smile evaluation, we like to sit down and discuss your general dental health and hear your thoughts on the future of your mouth. Obtaining — and maintaining — a beautiful smile is important to your overall health, and a good set of teeth instills confidence and a sense of wellbeing, which means our goal here at Spektor Dental is to make sure we’re all on the same page from the onset.

First, we look at your overall smile. Are your teeth aligned in a pleasing manner? Is your bite function correct? Do you have trouble eating? How about crooked teeth? Do they bother you? Would you benefit from orthodontics (either traditional appliances or Invisalign-see through braces)?

Since we work with orthodontists, a referral to a good orthodontist might be a good place to begin. These are specialists in tooth position. You can discuss options and possibilities with the orthodontist and decide if braces are a viable treatment option for you. A lot of times, braces are the least expensive investment because you can correct what you don’t like, get them whitened, and you’re set for life!

If you decide that braces are not the way to go, you may have other options. Just keep in mind that undergoing cosmetic dental procedures come with the risk that your treatment may not last forever. For many reasons — broken teeth, broken fillings or recurrent cavities — nothing is permanent with restorative dentistry, so there is a risk involved. Many times you don’t have a choice but you must know all the pitfalls that can occur.

In our next part, we’ll discuss the best way to whiten and brighten your smile.

Dental Pain Exploiters – Dentists Who Take Advantage of Pain

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota Got a toothache? Be careful of who you turn to for help.

Dental pain makes you vulnerable.

This is a continuation with the Dental Pain Management theme. In Part III we talked about Pain People and the Pain Trap.

This time I’m going to put the heat on Dentists and reveal how some take advantage of people in pain.

To begin, here’s a dirty little secret from the Dental Industry… Root Canals are highly profitable.

That’s not such a bad thing in itself. What’s troublesome is when a dentist begin slanting treatment plans for maximum profitability instead of patient benefit. It becomes a slippery slope of patient manipulation once treatment integrity has been breached.

What am I talking about? Overdoing it with the Root Canals and other invasive forms of dentistry.

What’s really disturbing is when dentists become Pain Exploiters. They start taking advantage of people in pain.

There are Root Canal Pushers, Implant Pushers, Cosmetic Pushers…

“I knew it!” you’re saying to yourself.

Wait… Before you run off on a Dentist-Hater rant, let me clarify that these Pain Exploiters are the exception, not the rule. Most dentists that I’ve met work at a level of high integrity and would do their best to help alleviate your discomfort.

How do you spot a Pain Exploiter? They’re always pushing for more invasive/expensive treatment plans. There are Root Canal Pushers, Implant Pushers, Cosmetic Pushers, you name it.

Root Canal Pushers are the Pain Exploiters. That’s where Root Canals become almost mandatory treatment for anyone with a toothache.

I first learned of the Pain Exploiter trend a few years back when one of my patients traveled down to Florida for a trip. When she came back I discovered a dentist had slam-dunked a Root Canal and Crown onto one of her teeth.

Once she got on that conveyor belt their was no turning back.

She had been out for dinner and bit into something hard. She got an immediate jolt of pain. Her tooth was cold sensitive and she was concerned it might get worse.

That’s a classic Cracked-Tooth situation. A newly cracked tooth will feel cold sensitive like that.

I’m not arguing whether something needed to be done. I take exception to how the dentist she saw immediately rushed her into extensive treatment. Personally, I wouldn’t take such liberties with another dentist’s patient. Most other dentists probably wouldn’t either.

Root Canal and Crown are the treatment of choice for the severe forms of Cracked Tooth Syndrome. With milder forms you can avoid the Root Canal and have a more conservative restoration instead of the full enamel-amputation that a Crown requires.

My patient’s cracked tooth was a milder version, and that meant there was no urgency to the situation. All she just needed to do was chew on the other side to avoid additional stress and have it reevaluated for appropriate care when she got back into town. No big deal.

Pain Exploiters are quick to take advantage of these situations.

I seriously doubt a Root Canal was necessary. The crown was also questionable. Too late now.

Florida can be like the Wild West in some ways, and my patient happened to find a cowboy dentist who had his fast-food systematized approach down pat for delivering a slam-bam Root Canal – Crown combo.

My patient’s situation made her an easy target and once she got on that conveyor belt there was no turning back.

Pain is a great motivator. When you’re deep in the throes of it, there’s a sense of desperation and you’ll do whatever it takes to get out of it.

Pain Exploiters take advantage of your situation and push more expensive (and profitable) treatment solutions.

That makes you vulnerable for exploitation.

When you’re not in dental pain, Dentists have a harder time convincing you of spending anything on dental care. Wouldn’t you agree? Nobody really wants to have dentistry done in the first place.

When you have a toothache, it’s a different story. You’re a pushover for extensive treatment. You can almost here them in the background saying “We got a live one!” with the ka-ching sound of the cash register.

Pain Exploiters take advantage of your situation and push more expensive (and profitable) treatment solutions. Root Canal Treatment is often followed by a Core buildup and a Crown.

All legitimate treatment options, but more more invasive to your tooth and pocketbook.

In short order your expenses for one tooth can easily run over $2k.

Hands down the best dentistry is NO dentistry. Pristine, untouched teeth are living sculptures of beauty.

That’s when dentists cross the line and becomes Pain Exploiters.

The second best is the least amount possible to get the job done properly. Excessive dentistry weakens your teeth. Maxing out the dental treatment options on a tooth can leave it over-engineered and vulnerable.

Don’t get me wrong, if you have a tooth in trouble, extensive treatment to save it can definitely be appropriate. When teeth are in desperate shape, heroic measures are  required to have any chance of keeping them.

What I’m talking about is a disturbing trend where dentists take advantage by leveraging your dental pain to maximize treatment and profitability. Doing more dentistry when less would be more beneficial. That’s when dentists cross the line and become Pain Exploiters.

In Pain Exploiters Part II, you’ll discover the 3 Dental Sins and which specific types of dentists to avoid – the Bullies and Charmers.

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Dr. Joe

 

About the Author: Dr. Joe Bulger is a West Toronto dentist. He’s also the owner-founder of Royal York Dental – a respected dental clinic serving Etobicoke since 1950.

If you would like to learn more about your dental options, fill out our contact form or CALL 416 231-0550 for a FREE & Easy No-Obligation First Visit.

Tagged as: Dental Pain, Pain Management

Team from Aspen Dental Giving Free Dental Care in Haiti: Day 1

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This week, three dentists and two hygienists from Aspen Dental offices are volunteering in Haiti to provide free dental care to Haitians in the town of Jacmel.

Moved by the devastation in Haiti in the aftermath of the island’s January 2010 earthquake, the team is offering their time to help address the fact that there is just one dentist per 100,000 people.

Leading the team is Dr. Chedly Schatzie Vincent, owner of two Aspen Dental practices in Fairfield and Norwalk, Connecticut.

Here’s an update from Dr. Vincent on Day 1 of her experience of bringing Smiles for Haiti:

We knew that we would be working with the underserved when we decided to volunteer our time to give free oral care to the communities here in Jacmel, Haiti. In fact, 80% of Haiti is considered poor, with a majority of the population living below the poverty line. It is very difficult for Haitians to have access to the proper health care. 

The five of us made the long trek from the northeastern U.S. to Port au Prince, Haiti, with thousands of units in supplies, packed tightly in over a dozen large boxes. We have everything we need for general hygiene care and preventative dentistry, including kits for tooth extractions and fillings, portable X-Ray machines, gauze, needles, sutures, and antibiotics, thanks to the support we’ve received from Henry Schein, the world’s largest provider of products and services to dental practitioners.

After arriving at Port au Prince, we made the 3-hour drive to Jacmel. Through Restore Haiti, we are set up at a neighborhood clinic to administer full dental and oral treatment to Haitians living in the surrounding small towns. Restore Haiti helped us get connected with local lodging and transportation. Once settled, we began preparing for the morning’s travel and work. This included transporting  the boxes of supplies from the hotel to the clinic.

These towns generally don’t have power or the stable water systems that we are used to in the U.S. but we are making the most with what we are given in order to provide the proper dental care.

The island is vibrant and beautiful, but Haitians do not have access to the same resources that people may have in other developing countries. In addition to the oral treatments, extractions and fillings we expect to administer, we are prepared to also provide plenty of oral care education.

What we might take for granted, Haitians are hungry to learn about. And we are delighted to be able to provide our services.

We’ll be posting more updates from the Aspen Dental volunteer team in the coming days. Check back for more blog posts and photos!

© 2012, Kasey P.. All rights reserved.

Day 2 in Haiti: The Dental Clinic Opens

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This week, a team of five professionals from Aspen Dental — three dentists and two hygienists — are travelling Haiti on a one week health care mission. In the town of Jacmel, Haiti, the Aspen team has set up in a cinder block clinic and is providing vital oral care amidst a shortage of water and an unstable power supply.

Here is a post from Dr. Jennifer Check, who serves as the lead dentist at Aspen Dental in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, about her experience.

Outside of Jacmel, Haiti is a small suburb called Morne Oje. Our team is set up in a health clinic that Restore Haiti had previously opened. Lawn chairs, tables and an office chair serve as our examining areas.

As we began to unpack, the team created stations in rooms within the cinder block clinic. Haitians began lining up before the 9AM opening. We knew we would have a full clinic all day.

As the first patients walked in, the generator finally turned on. Purified water from five-gallon jugs were set up for procedures and to help sterilize instruments. Patient after patient, we began seeing a trend in multiple teeth and gum infections – the majority of which were cases of extreme decay and abscess. In the most extreme cases, when a patient’s teeth were examined we would notice such extreme decay that the tooth has already begun falling apart in their mouth.

All stations ran smoothly as we saw more and more patients during the day. A patient would come in and check in with a local Haitian nurse who worked for the Restore Haiti and Restoration Ministries clinic. From there, we would assess their chart based on the issues or toothaches they tell us they face, and decide if they need a cleaning, an X-Ray, or in cases where their teeth were extremely decayed, an immediate extraction. All extractions were closed up with sutures.

At one point, the power went out. Our team improvised and switched into manual mode, and were not able to use any of the electrical instruments for the rest of the day.

Through local interpreters, patients kept telling us how much pain they were in. They were beyond grateful we were there to help with their pain. What struck me most was that as we continued to see patients (we saw over 100 patients yesterday), not a single person complained with the wait or seemed ungrateful for the work we were doing.

Our hope is to see hundreds more patients during our time here. We know dental problems can be the cause of some of the worst pains. My hope is to be able to do anything possible to help Haitians in need of proper dental care.

Stay tuned for more updates from the Aspen team throughout the week.

© 2012, Amanda H.. All rights reserved.

Sports Drinks Dental Care

Recently we shared the message of the importance of wearing a mouth guard to protect your teeth.

This post is all about sports drinks to our brief. We want to stress, which is important. We will focus on some important steps to improve your child's dental care.

Sports drinks are popular among young athletes-bombarded with marketing messages and popular professional athletes, which is driving higher levels of consumption. However, sports drinks are sweet and sour, so "safe and healthy" liquids can really wreak havoc on teeth.

Acidic components, sugars and additives will weaken the tooth surface, combined with sports drinks erode tooth enamel, which protects your teeth bacteria. Enamel erosion eventually makes the teeth more susceptible to bacterial and which causes hypersensitivity, staining, and tooth decay. It is crucial to limit sports drinks, that a child or young teenager consume during sports.

Is not a student-athlete to brush his teeth immediately after graduating from a sports drink. Acidic drinks consumption causes the enamel to soften, making teeth more susceptible to more wear on abrasive toothpaste. Wait 45 minutes to an hour before brushing. During that time, the saliva will start work with re-mineralize Dental tissue and to neutralize the damage. Saliva, does not remove the residual sugar, so you will need to brush.

Most children should see a dentist for regular cleaning and check every six months. Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease that is five times more common than asthma. It is preventable with proper care. Dr Spektor Wendy to help identify early signs of erosion, the reasons and solutions on how to prevent damage and more serious problems in the future.

Dental Sins and Dentists to Avoid – Pain Exploiters II

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You put your trust in a dentist’s hands.

Putting all your trust in a Dentist’s hands

Are they taking care of you appropriately? Do you ever worry that the dentist might be taking advantage of your trust?

This is a continuation on the subject of Pain Exploiters. In Part I the concept of Pain Exploiters was introduced.

Now I’ll explain the 3 Sins in Dentistry and warn you about some Dentists you should avoid – the Bullies and Charmers.

There are three dental sins any dentist can be guilty of. The dentist may not gain from committing these sins, but you as a patient would certainly suffer the consequences.

Too much dentistry?

If you don’t receive enough care, you’ll gradually run into more problems.

Sometimes it’s the patient that chooses a minimalist approach to dental care. If a patient is left to set their own treatment standards they will usually set the bar too low.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” is a common approach, and that probably won’t be good enough if you want to stay healthy and keep your teeth.

Ar you one of those that refuse to go to a dentist unless you’re in agony? I call those people Dental Avoiders and the path they’re on the Path of Pain.

Sometimes it’s the dentist that under-serves your needs. The term for this is Supervised Neglect. You think everything’s fine because you’ve been going regularly, but you’ve been lulled by a false sense of security.

At one time, Preventive Dentistry and Hygiene Services were commonly neglected by dentists. Whenever that happened, patients would gradually develop gum disease that would destroy the bone supporting their teeth.

Nowadays, these less profitable dental services are often delegated to hygienists and that can improve the quality of your care. The key is to find a hygienist that can deliver excellent hygiene services. A great hygienist will help ensure you stay healthy and keep your teeth.

This is where a dentist over-treats a tooth or your entire mouth.

Remember from my last post, the best dentistry is NO dentistry. The second best dentistry is the least amount possible to get the job done properly.

Dental Exploiters are all about  excessive treatment. They’re drawn to more lucrative services such as Implants, Smile Makeovers and the like. Providing Root Canals and Crowns on people in pain are slam dunks for Dental Pain Exploiters.

Like any profession, there are skilled providers and there are ones you should steer well clear of.

My advise? Choose your dentist carefully.

The hard part is knowing who to trust because how can you judge quality of work? Only once  things start falling apart do you discover the truth.

Look for compelling evidence of success and a great reputation.

The key qualities you’re looking for are CHARACTER and COMPETENCE. You want a dentist with rock-solid integrity and impeccable skills.

If you want to learn more, I made a Special Report about the Insider Secrets of Choosing Your Healthcare Team.

My advise? Choose your dentist carefully. Where any one Dental Sin is found, you’re likely to encounter all three. Ethical breaches and lower quality go hand-in-hand.

The corrupting force in dentistry is profitability. When a dentist puts profit before a patient’s needs, optimum care becomes all about funneling people towards extensive care such as Implants and Extreme Makeovers. Less profitable services will be neglected and the profitable ones promoted heavily.

A heavily-engineered tooth becomes more vulnerable to future problems.

That’s the Double Dental Sin – pushing too much fancy stuff while neglecting the basic services that would keep you out of trouble in the first place.

If the work is poorly done, then you’ve got a perfect storm of all three Dental Sins happening at once.

Here’s the problem with over-treatment. A tooth only has so many chances, and over-engineering tends to shorten a tooth’s lifespan.

Here’s the good news. Patients are always suspicious of over-treatment and I would say 90% of the time it’s not the case. If anything, insufficient care is more prevalent.

Most dentists are very conscientious and want to always do the right thing for you. Most new patients I see have been receiving appropriate care from their previous dentists – not too much and not too little.

However, these are leaner times and that puts financial pressure on dentists. Some might slip over the integrity line and commit one or more of the Dental Sins.

Be careful. There’s always that small percentage of dentists out there that have an agenda primarily driven by profit. Combine that with a moral flexibility that allows them to bend all rules in their favor, including shortchanging you on quality.

These Dental Exploiters wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of your vulnerability.

I’ve encountered a few dentists over the years who were masters of exploitation. These Bullies and Charmers don’t need you to be in pain to initiate exploitation. They’ll be on you as soon as you walk in their door.

They wiggle out of everything and leave a trail of bad karma and broken relationships behind them.

Bullies have driven-style personalities and tend to dominate people into submission. Their treatment plans tend to be extensive and they use pressure tactics to push people into treatment. Putting people into tears over treatment decisions is routine for them.

Dental Bullies are loud and proud. These dentists are ruthless competitors. They see every interaction in Win-Lose terms. Bullies love winning and hate losing.

These dentists will intimidate, manipulate and use every tool at their disposal to push their agenda down your throat. They’ll badmouth every other dentist and tell you all your dental work needs to be redone.

People mistake Bullies as leaders because of their loud, over-bearing nature.

Expect to be heavily sedated as Dental Bullies lack a delicate touch. Empathy and compassion are not in their repertoire. The only way your visit will be pleasant is if you’re totally out of it.

Charmers are sociopaths. They’re effective salespeople because they use their silver tongues to build quick rapport and convert it to instant sales. Their charm makes them very likable and they have tremendous confidence. People see them as natural leaders. Unfortunately these charmers are showman, not leaders. They’ll burn you.

Once you can recognize true leaders, you hopefully won’t be fooled by any false ones.

Dental Charmers are fast-buck artists. Everything they do is a big con, including their sham emotions. They’re masters of deceit and will exploit your trust for personal gain.

Charmers will act like your best friend, but don’t be fooled. They lack empathy, have no remorse for their actions and don’t keep any of their elaborate promises.

Dental Charmers seem friendly on the surface, but they’re ruthless in nature and fast on their feet. They wiggle out of everything and leave a trail of bad karma and broken relationships behind them. They look for angles to work and opportunities to exploit with everyone they meet.

How do I know all this? I’ve met a few of these Dental Bullies and Charmers over the years. I’m sorry to say I had a Charmer working for me for 6 months. I got a hard lesson in sociopath behavior. What a disaster!

The key to recognizing and avoiding Dental Exploiters is understanding leadership and people. Once you can recognize true leaders, you hopefully won’t be fooled by any false ones.

I wrote a Special Report on 25 Leadership Gifts to help people understand leadership and become better leaders.

Here are some suggestions on how to prevent dentists from taking advantage of you…

Arm yourself with knowledge. The more you know, the less vulnerable you become to Pain Exploiters. The hard part is finding this kind of information in a world full of self-serving marketing. This blog for example, is all about helping you understand more about dentistry so you can enjoy a healthy beautiful smile.Maintain healthy skepticism. Trust your instincts. Be wary, even a little suspicious. Your trust must be earned. If something doesn’t feel right, you need to step away.Smell the intent. Are these people trying to guide you in the right direction or take advantage of you?Slow down. Don’t be rushed into things. Dental situations aren’t life and death. If you’re in pain, treatment should be focused on getting you out of pain.Get a second opinion. Weigh your options and don’t let any Bully Dentist railroad you into extensive treatment.

My next post will be about Dental Drama – the emotional fallout from dentistry.

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Dr. Joe

About the Author: Dr. Joe Bulger is a West Toronto dentist. He’s also the owner-founder of Royal York Dental – a respected dental clinic serving Etobicoke since 1950.

If you would like to learn more about your dental options, fill out our contact form or CALL 416 231-0550 for a FREE & Easy No-Obligation First Visit.

Tagged as: Dental Pain, Hate Dentist, Pain Management

Aspen Dental Team Provides Free Care to Dozens During Dentists Who Care for ME Day in Maine

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Recently, dental professionals from three Aspen Dental offices in Maine provided free dental care to 70 patients as part of the fourth annual Dentists Who Care for ME day.

This year, 31 dentists from throughout the state, along with a large group of hygienists, dental assistants, and office staff, provided free care in 13 different locations.

The Aspen Dental practice in South Portland provided care on a first-come, first-served basis as patients lined up for hours before the office opened to ensure they would have a chance to be seen.

As Dentists Who Care for ME organizer Dr. Barry Saltz told the Portland Free Press, “None of these people have insurance, and these are people who have fallen on tough economic times and we’re here to help them. It’s a wonderful feeling for us to be able to carry out that service.”

By day’s end, the Aspen Dental team had donated more than $10,000 in free care that included services ranging from exams and cleanings to fillings and extractions.

Led by Dr. Justin Griffee (practice owner of Aspen Dental in South Portland, Portland, and Biddeford), the Aspen Dental team included:

Dr. Jeff Bellanti (South Portland), Dr. Sepand Gahnouni (Portland), Dr. Kristian Richardson (Biddeford), Amanda Benn, RDH (Portland), Lynn Jurczak, RDH (Biddeford), Sabrina Alaimo (Portland), Courtney Clark (South Portland), Ginger Flament (South Portland), Lindsey Jacobsen (Biddeford), Ruth Obrion (Biddeford), Crystal Coombs (Portland Area), Mason Barker (South Portland), Amy Payeur (South Portland), and Deb Huddy (Portland)

© 2012, Amanda H.. All rights reserved.