Original Source: 1 888 Press Release

Philadelphia, PA-NJ (1888PressRelease) March 08, 2010 – Dr. Glenn Schreiber has teamed up with Total Confidence Dentistry in West Chester, PA to provide our patients with tremendously important endodontic treatment. His proficiency in Root Canal therapy, clinically known as endodontics, can eliminate pain while preserving natural teeth.

Dr. Schreiber, a general dentist, has focused his extensive experience on developing an approach to root canal therapy that achieves a high level of quality very efficiently and more affordably. By limiting his practice to endodontics, he has been able to develop a proficient and methodical approach to care, which means patients are much less likely to have recurring infection and need another root canal.

His background and knowledge in endodontic treatment is thoroughly documented by the 800-1000 successful and comfortable root canal procedures he performs each year.

There are four key reasons Dr. Schreiber, a general dentist, is able to cost-effectively achieve a high level of quality.

1) Dental Care Diligence: Thoroughly cleaning out canal debris and sealing the tooth root is critical. This attention to detail has a positive tradeoff, which can be lifelong health rejuvenation rather than re-infection and costly and time consuming return visits. Saving the natural tooth with root canal therapy has an extended and expanded level of value.

2) Emphasis On Failure Avoidance: Many more root canal compromised teeth can be treated successfully with the proper approach. To avoid endodontic treatment failure, a focused awareness of the tooth anatomy and a more exacting level of care are required. The likelihood of saving teeth with a root canal is greatly increased when these methods are combined.

3) Ending Chronic Inconvenience: Dr. Schreiber knows getting it right the first time is vital. Poor treatment can cause chronic abscesses, requiring more expensive re-treatment. Another visit could create costly inconvenience for the patient (missing work, etc.). Too many times this means distressing tooth loss as well. Unfortunately, the more expensive, re-treated root canals are also known to be less successful, even with the best approach in the most skillful hands.

4) Scientific, Evidence-Based Treatment: After having treated thousands of teeth, Dr. Schreiber has found that about 80% of first upper molars (teeth #3 and #14) have 4 canals instead of the previously expected 3 canals. Four canals, is now the accepted number in endodontic literature and other journals for these teeth. It is important that dentists look for all four root canals and treat them when appropriate, otherwise, discomfort and re-infection of the tooth can occur.

BACKGROUND ON DOCTOR
Glenn F. Schreiber, DMD, is a University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine graduate (Class of 1978). He completed additional post-doctoral residency training at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in 1981.

Dr. Schreiber owned a family practice in Ambler, Pennsylvania for almost 18 years, beginning in 1981. He practiced general dental care during this time – from cosmetic dentistry to periodontics (gums) as well as his current focus of endodontics (root canal therapy).

Besides treating patients at our West Chester office in the Chester County Medical Building, he performs endodontic tooth-saving treatments for patients at four other offices in the Philadelphia area and South Jersey.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Total Confidence Dentistry
> Root Canal Therapy: Glenn F. Schreiber, DMD
> Dentist/Owner, Ronald Briglia, DMD
Chester Cty Medical Bldg
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
http://www.totalconfidencedentistry.com

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www.dentists.gr Mr Bean visits his dentist Find a dentist in Greece… (more) Added: December 28, 2007 Find a dentist in Greece and all the information you need on dentistry. Dentists.gr helps you to find a good cosmetic dentist in Greece for European cosmetic holiday, European greek dental holiday in Greece. There is also information on all the new procedures in dentistry to keep you as best informed as possible about dental veneers, crowns, implants, white fillings, root canal, cosmetic dentistry, tooth and teeth whitening or bleaching, tooth implants and more… Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding dental procedures including finding a good cosmetic dentist in Greece, dental tourism in Greece or get emergency dental care in Greece.

Hilarious Sketch from The Carol Burnett Show with harvey Korman and Tim Conway

lorraine goes to the dentist

This is a clip from the movie. Steve Martin is hillarious. I create these for my ipod for when I need a good laugh.

www.davidafterdentist.com This is a video of my then 7 year old son David in May 2008I had my Flip video camera with me. His mom wasnt able to go becasue of work. I taped some of the morning before the surgery to show her and was already planning to tape afterwards. He had just had a tooth removed due to Hyperdontia or extra tooth. This was taken in the parking lot of the dentist office. He was so out of it. The staff was even laughing. This lasted for a few hours and he was fine. He even …

Original Source: DentalCompare.com

“A sharp explorer should be used with some pressure and if a very slight pull is required to remove it, the pit should be marked for restoration even if there are no signs of decay.”

This is a quote from GV Black in 1924. Caries is not a simple to diagnose today as it was decades ago when there were large, bombed, out teeth. With the increase use of fluoride, the detection of caries is not as simple as it used to be. Yet in 2009, many of us are still diagnosing caries the same way GV Black did. The goal is now to be minimally invasive—catch caries at its earliest stages and attempt to remineralize incipient caries.

Decay is difficult to detect in radiographs unless larger than 2 to 3 mm deep into dentin, or 1/3 the bucco-lingual distance. Because an explorer has high specificity for caries but low sensitivity, a lot of incipient caries can be missed by relying on an explorer or radiographs alone.

There is a call in the literature to stop using the dental explorer for caries detection. Some dental schools are now teaching reduced reliance on the explorer. An explorer may actually cause more harm by breaking the enamel rods when forced in to an incipient carious lesion. At this early stage of caries, remineralization should be considered. The problem is detecting the initial stage of caries. So what improved ways exist for detecting caries?

There are a number of different modalities for detecting caries, the most popular of which use fluorescence. Normal healthy tooth structure produces little or no fluorescence. Carious tooth structure fluoresces proportionately to the degree of caries. The devices that use fluorescence have a high sensitivity to caries, but low specificity—the devices will measure the fluorescence of anything. Therefore, these systems are an adjunct tool to aid in the diagnosis of caries, and should be combined with conventional tools and good professional j judgment. The devices can be used to monitor caries progression and help the practitioner decide on treatment—prevention, remineralizaion, or restoration.

One system is KaVo’s DIAGNOdent, which uses a 655-nm laser to detect fluorescence of decay.

The DIAGNOdent provides a numeric value for caries progression.

A similar device, Dentsply Midwest’s Caries I.D., uses an LED instead of a laser to measure the caries reflection signature; instead of a numerical readout like the DIAGNOdent, the Caries I.D. offers red and green indicators (complicating the process of monitoring caries progression and remineralization).

Midwest Caries I.D. uses LEDs to measure the caries reflection signature.

Another device using fluorescence is Air Techniques’ Spectra that uses a 405-nm LED; caries fluoresce red and health tooth structure fluoresces green. The Spectra creates a graphic and a numeric display; the graphic can be saved to imaging software for monitoring caries over time.

In this Spectra scan, green is healthy enamel, blue is incipient caries, and red is enamel caries.

Scheduled for launch in 2010, Quantum Dental Technologies’ Canary system uses a low-power, pulsating laser light to scan teeth for the presence of caries. The laser light is absorbed by the tooth and two phenomena are observed: the laser light is converted into luminescence and there is a release of heat (less than 1 degree Celsius). This heat does not harm the tooth but provides information on the tooth up to a depth of 5 mm below the surface. Simultaneous measurement of the reflected heat and light determines the presence and extent of tooth decay below the tooth surface.

Another technology on the horizon for caries detection (and other diagnostic applications in dentistry) is optical coherence tomography (OCT). Capable of scanning both hard and soft tissues, Lantis Laser’s OCT Dental Imaging System features a hand-held scanner that captures tomographic slices up to 3-mm deep. The cross-sectional images are displayed individually in real-time and can be saved . this system can detect recurrent caries around restorations and can examine marginal integrity of restorations bonded to tooth structure.

An OCT image of a molar with a failing composite.

These and future methods are improving our ability to detect caries at its earliest stages. With this enhanced knowledge, we’ll be able to establish better protocols for caries intervention and treatment.

In a recent article from Dr. Rhonda R. Savage, DDS (at DentistryIQ), we learn that dental assistant careers include a role in developing trust.  Does the typical dental assistant salary correlate with this important  responsibility?  Dental assistant training and schools have lead to an increase in available manpower.  It is important that we make the correct decisions when hiring an assistant or hygienist, and, that we find a candidate who has been though a reputable dental assistant program.  Read more, on the ever evolving status of dental assistant duties.

New patients come to you with varying degrees of trust. A patient referred by another patient will come with a much higher level of trust. A patient generated by way of outside marketing will be a bit more skeptical and hesitant. Regardless of how you obtain a new patient, you’ll need to “hit it out of the park” with her new-patient experience to get her to come back. You not only want her to come back, you want her to refer friends, family, and co-workers.

Why the female reference? Worldwide, women tend to make the health-care decisions for the family. According to the Boston Consulting Group, women control $12 trillion of the world’s $18.4 trillion in annual consumer spending, and they tend to spend more on things linked to a person’s well being, such as health and education.

Whether male or female, new patients come to your office expecting that you have the skills and training to take care of their dental needs. For new patients to believe and trust in your office, skill development for every team member is crucial, especially for the dental assistant.

Dental assistants are highly capable and quite talented at engendering trust with new patients. Research has shown that case acceptance is higher when the new patient is scheduled first in the doctor’s chair, with the dental assistant, rather than in the hygiene chair. This is due to five reasons:

• First, the doctor tends to spend more time with new patients if they are scheduled in the doctor’s chair prior to hygiene.
• Second, the dental assistant can spend quality time with the patient, freeing up the hygienist to use his or her talents in providing hygiene care and education about periodontal disease.
• Third, the appropriate amount of hygiene time can be determined in advance; fee estimates can be given accurately and the proper treatment can be scheduled.
• Fourth, if a new patient were to fail the initial appointment, the impact on the valuable hygiene time is minimized.
• Fifth, it makes sense financially to use the talents of an assistant with regard to data gathering, taking initial X-rays, and utilizing the intraoral camera.

A question for your dental office: “Legally, what can a dental assistant do in your state?” One thing is true: regardless of state law, dental assistants can talk and write. With proper training, dental assistants are true assets to the team and patient care. The more the dental assistant can speak for the doctor, the more time the doctor can have a drill in his or her hands.

Let’s begin by connecting with the patient. A connection is more than “Hi, how are you? I’m Amy, Dr. King’s assistant.” A connection is common ground. It could be about school, children, family, sports, art, or music … anything that helps you connect. New patients need three connections prior to you tipping them back for X-rays. As an aside, the returning recall patient needs two connections by the hygienist. The patient who comes in frequently needs one connection. Here’s another secret: the dentist also needs to take the time to make a connection.

The great thing is that the dental assistant can begin the process and make the dentist’s job easier. Let’s review the ways the dental assistant can help with the new-patient exam.

He or she can …

• Connect with the patient
• Review the health history
• Ask about the patient’s chief concern
• Take the necessary X-rays
• Chart existing restorations
• Note missing, crowded, rotated, or yellow teeth
• Take an initial blood pressure screening
• Set the stage for case acceptance by asking questions like:

1. “It looks like you’re packing food between these two old fillings. Has that been a problem for you?”
2. “Have you ever considered whitening your teeth?”
3. “If there was one thing you’d change about your smile, what would it be?”
4. “Has anyone talked with you about the importance of replacing this missing tooth?”
5. “Your gums look puffy and irritated. Do they bleed when you brush?”

In addition to this, the assistant can do an intraoral camera tour of the mouth. Have four to five pictures up prior to the doctor stepping into the operatory.

Do you have intraoral cameras in your office? On a scale of 1 to10, what is the use? Most offices rank their use as 2 to 3. On a scale of 1 to 10, you should be using the intraoral camera on a level of 7 to 9. The intraoral camera is one of the best educational tools available to the dental team.

How does the dental assistant receive training in these areas? First, consider the assistant’s speaking ability. Is he or she shy or quiet? Is speaking to the patient difficult? The assistant might consider some speaking classes. Truly, the ability of the assistant to speak well and write legibly will determine his or her income level. Those who can write better and speak well will earn more money.

I found a solution to shyness. I grew up quite shy. I started in dentistry as an assistant, and trained “on the job” as an assistant in the little town of Ketchikan, Alaska. I know personally that through hard work and dedication, one can make dentistry a career! I joined Toastmasters, an internationally known organization that helped me become a better speaker. I don’t necessarily mean that everyone has to give speeches. Toastmasters simply helped me become a better speaker one-on-one with my patients. It’s a very affordable organization. You can Google Toastmasters International to find clubs in your area. It’s important to visit several clubs before deciding on one. I also took English classes at my community college. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone.

If you’re learning and growing, you should feel somewhat uncomfortable. If you’re comfortable with what you’re doing, you’re not challenging yourself. The beauty of dentistry is that there’s always more to learn and do, and you should never feel comfortable! Dentistry is truly a career, and you can make of it what you put into it.

Another way for you to learn these skills is verbal cue cards. These are where you write down every question patients ask you for one week. At the end of the week, summarize the list. Then ask your dentist to write down his or her answers in only two to three sentences. Put the questions on one side of a 5×7 card and the answers on the other. Then — practice! Ask a friend to help by quizzing you. Soon you’ll be saying what the doctor wants you to say. Don’t memorize the cards; internalize them in your own words.

Do this same exercise for the most common procedures in your practice. Ask your doctor to write down the two benefits for every procedure and two consequences if the work isn’t done.

Practice writing up charts. Ask your doctor to review the chart entries every night and give you feedback on what needs to be changed. The secret is that you must make the chart changes. If the doctor makes the changes, you won’t learn what he or she wants you to write.

You’ll need training by your doctor to be able to accurately write down the existing restoration. You’ll also need training to use the intraoral camera. I would recommend you ask your doctor to set aside time each month for training and also to use down time for training.

As a dental assistant, you are an amazing person with tremendous potential. Don’t ever sell yourself short on the incredible difference you can make every day in your patient’s life! Stretch to the point of discomfort; continually learn and challenge yourself. Dental assisting is not “just a job” … it is truly a career!

Take a moment to count how many teeth you have.  Did you know that people with less teeth run a higher risk of putting on weight, and even becoming obese?  Someone with 21 teeth left out of their original 32 has a risk that is approximately 3 times higher, in fact.

The size of our waist, and our dental health, hold a closer relationship than we ever thought possible.  The more teeth you are missing, the worse it could potentially become.  Missing a number of teeth typically means poor distribution of masticatory forces, and if something isn’t done to remedy this problem, people with missing teeth will continue to gain weight.  The reason for this is chewing, as missing teeth causes one to chew improperly and eat softer foods such as fats and starches (many times for comfort reasons).  These foods are more likely to be eaten than healthier choices, such as apples, which are much harder in texture and more difficult to chew (when compared to something high in fat like potato chips).

Many studies have also shown that not just missing teeth, but tooth decay, might also be a major problem.  These studies have demonstrated a correlation between the presence of tooth decay and adult obesity (not to mention that it causes tooth pain).  People with dental decay, it seems, tend to eat more sweets and snack foods.  Both of these “junk food” types are known to put on the pounds, and, cause tooth decay.

Taking it a step further, Dr Isabelle Bailleul-Forestier, a hospital physician in Paris, says that obesity can in fact cause inflammatory phenomena in the gums.  This will eventually lead to gum disease and affect your teeth, causing them to become more and more lose over time.  So, be alert – if your dentist asks for your body mass index or measures your waist, there is a valid reason for it.

What can you do to prevent this from happening to you?  First, it is important to eat healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables (hey, the apple is “nature’s toothbrush,” after all).  Another step to take would be to check your teeth and gums on a regular basis.  Are their signs of tooth decay or gum disease?  If so, get to your dentist right away and get treated!  Failing to act on these conditions can cause major mouth issues, and can ultimately leads to missing teeth and worse.  Another, more reactive strategy, might include tooth implants or teeth replacement procedures; consult your local dentist to learn more.  Missing teeth, as stated before, correlate with obesity and an overweight America.  Keeping your teeth in check might do more for your waste than you ever thought possible.