Life-changing Dentistry

Posted on September 28, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

To say dentists don’t get much glory in the popular media is a massive understatement.  Rather, we get the opposite of glory.  There have been dozens of TV shows and movies glamorizing the medical profession.  In the off-chance a dentist is portrayed at all in pop culture, it’s usually as a bumbling fool who is socially awkward and lacks any semblance of self-esteem.  There’s even a persistent urban legend that we have the highest suicide rate.

Plastic surgeons get a lot of credit for changing lives.  Dentists?  Not so much.  The funny thing is that a smile makeover can have a far more dramatic impact on appearance than rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, or even full face lifts – all of which are VERY invasive and involve significant risks.  A smile makeover or full mouth rehab is not nearly as invasive or risky.  But, the results can be stunning.

I’ve done many cosmetic / rehab cases over the years.  And, in this current economy, they’ve been more scarce.  But, when I do get to do them, I still find them so professionally rewarding.  The ability to have such a deep impact on the quality of someone’s life… as a dentist… Well, that’s just COOL!

Dad’s teeth are in trouble.

Over the course of the past several years, my dad and I have talked about fixing his teeth.  He has a history of gastric reflux (now medicated) along with a dash of bruxism.  Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation, Editorial | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

Pulling Fellow Dentists Out From Under the Bus

Posted on September 22, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

This week’s schedule was literally cleared for my dad’s long overdue full mouth reconstruction.  I’ll eventually post a case presentation, as it’s a “doozie!”  I spent four full days treating only my dad.  But, I did squeeze in some emergencies with existing patients.

Another local dentist, who is also a friend, contacted me about seeing one of his patients for a second opinion.  Here is the story:

The patient has been seeing a dentist on his plan for some time.  Dentist #1 retreats a root canal on an upper lateral, and it fails.  It needs to be extracted.  Patient loses confidence in dentist #1 and seeks out a cosmetically-oriented dentist on the web.  He finds dentist #2 (my friend).  Dentist #2 treats with a 3-unit bridge.

The patient then decided to go back to dentist #1 for his next prophy, since that dentist is on his plan.  Dentist #1 sees new bridge and tells patient the lingual margins are “wide open.”  Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Editor's Favorites, Editorial, Practice Management | Tagged | 22 Comments

A Seat-belt for the Real World

Posted on September 7, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

This guy puts out some thought-provoking videos about the 2nd Amendment and self-defense.  He put this one out a few weeks ago, but I just came across it.

This is a succinct and well-reasoned testimonial for concealed carry.

 

What do you think?  Comment below!

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Personal Security & Safety | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Confidence. Swagger. Success!

Posted on September 2, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

No doubt confidence breeds trust.  Those who are confident usually go further in life.  Things go their way.  They make things happen.

Dentists, as a group, seem to lack confidence.  It’s not true of every dentist, of course.  However, it’s hard to argue against the stereotyping of dentists as meek wannabe doctors who go through each day hoping not to hear the dreaded, “I hate dentists.”  We’re reportedly so ashamed of our own work and profession, that having the highest suicide rate persists as urban legend.

 

Watch it get worse?

I’ve not heard a physician ever say, “Let’s put a watch on that,” when referring to any diagnosis including, hypertension, glaucoma, high cholesterol, diabetes, a tumor, etc. Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Editor's Favorites, Editorial, Practice Management | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

No such thing as bad publicity? Really?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

I’m not so sure!

Consider getting some feedback from folks who aren’t afraid to tell you the truth before publishing videos or photos that may not look as good as you think!

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Marketing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

When a Toothache Isn’t a Toothache – Being a “Real” Doctor

Posted on August 27, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

My friend and fellow dental blogger, Dr. Alan Mead just posted a great article, Don’t just do something, sit there!.  In it, he discusses a particular emergency patient he saw recently with whom he couldn’t yet identify a dental issue.

Dentists are trained diagnosticians and surgeons.  Our prime directive is to find a problem and solve it!  Sometimes, when we can’t find the cause of a problem, we STILL want to solve it and do SOMETHING.  Alan’s article wisely suggests that sometimes it’s better to do nothing.  And, it inspired me to write.

In the day-to-day world of dentistry, most toothaches are successfully eliminated with either root canal treatment or extraction of the offending tooth.  And, most times, this is the correct course of action.  However, I think some dentists may be predisposed to jumping to that conclusion even in the absence of definitive proof. Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Clinical Technique | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Optragate – So Many Uses

Posted on August 22, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

I’ve written about the Optragate before:  Optragate for Full Arch Prep & Impression

Optragate retractionThe Optragate (by Ivoclar) is a nifty disposable item that effectively retracts lips and cheeks exposing both dental arches for easy access.

I use it mostly when performing restorative treatment on multiple anterior teeth.  With the Optragate in place, I have unfettered access and visibility of the teeth.  It also helps the patient relax, as it holds the mouth open without any effort.

Surgery

Today I had a patient in for eight upper extractions and an immediate denture.  Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Clinical Technique, Dental Product Reviews, Tips & Tricks | Tagged | 6 Comments

Dental Product Review: Brasseler ET Flex Strips

Posted on August 9, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

Brassler ET Flex Interproximal Finishing and Contouring Strips

Brasseler ET Flex

Every once in a while, a dental company creates a perfect product.  The ET Flex finishing and contouring strips are one of them, in my opinion.

Oftentimes, I find using traditional finishing strips a bit cumbersome in the mouth.  Gripping the strip with wet gloves is made harder when it’s slippery along with a tight contact resisting any attempt at movement.  Furthermore, the long ends of the traditional strips often poke at the patient’s tongue or cheeks.  Sometimes the sharp edge of the strips will cut a lip or cheek.  I’m always trying to be careful about watching where the long ends of the strips are, which makes focusing on the task at hand all the more difficult.

Traditional finishing strips.

I have seen other products that mount short strips in a holder.  One issue with that is that the strip is thick and / or rigid, so there’s no flexibility in the strip.  Sometimes we want the finishing strip to be taut.  Sometimes we want a finishing strip to be flexible.  With traditional long strips or even the short ones on a handle by other companies, you really can’t have both.  With Brasseler’s ET Flex strips, you can.  Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Dental Product Reviews | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Case Presentation: Six Month Smiles Short Term Ortho

Posted on August 1, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

I haven’t presented a case in a while.  So here goes!

This young man didn’t like his smile.  Basically, he didn’t like his crooked teeth and wanted them straight in a reasonable amount of time.  He turned down traditional orthodontics on the basis of the extended time it might take.

Six-ish Months…

The case ended up taking 8 months.  While it’s not a “perfect” result, the goal of Six Month Smiles short term orthodontics is to achieve a significant improvement in a reasonable amount of time.

To say Kevin was thrilled is an understatement.  We could hardly get him to put the mirror down!  He kept looking at his smile over and over and saying, “I can’t believe it.”  His girlfriend was in attendance for his debracketing appointment, and she was very pleased, as well.

Without further ado, here are some photos.  Side-by-side images are before & after. Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Evil in Aurora

Posted on July 21, 2012 by The Dental Warrior

It’s been a while since I’ve written.  Life is busy!  And, that’s a good thing.  But, gosh… so much going on currently that I could write about…

  • Obama’s delusional indictment of business owners.  (“You didn’t build that.”)
  • Sage Stallone’s death being blamed on dental surgery.
  • The massacre at the Aurora movie theater.   I’m starting with this one. Continue reading →
Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Current Events, Personal Security & Safety | Tagged , , | 4 Comments