The Dental Warrior® – A Blog for Dentists | Dental Product Reviews, Marketing, Personal Security, & Much More!

Angry Teeth & Angry Birds

Posted on September 6, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

DDS GP ipad I’ve always been a contrarian. If everyone is zigging (buying iPads), I’m zagging. And, I’ve long said that I had no use for an iPad. I’m a “power user” of computers (PCs). The iPad simply isn’t capable of fulfilling my needs. And, I’m not an Apple fan, anyway. I’ve been using PCs since they were invented. No need to change. And, I stand by that today. Of course, the Apple and iPad fanbois will debate me to no end about how the iPad can replace a laptop. It’s just not true (for me).

However, I did buy an iPad for my dental practice, specifically so I could use the DDS GP app. It is a fantastic patient education / demonstration tool. DDS GP was my first, and still most popular product review on this blog. I’ve also found the iPad very useful for immediate download Continue reading →

Posted in Case Presentation, Editorial | Tagged angry birds, angry teeth, dds gp, ipad | 15 Comments

How to get 2,300 website visitors in a single day!

Posted on August 29, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

Damn, damn, this traffic jam…

This weekend, I was snooping around my Google Analytics to see how traffic to my websites was doing. In the early days, I checked quite frequently. But, most of my sites are on “auto-pilot” at this point, as they are fairly well optimized. I average about 100 visitors a day to my primary website. The first graph (see below) is a typical pattern. Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, What Happened Today | Tagged dentist website, internet, links, marketing, website marketing | 2 Comments

An Appendectomy – How much is it REALLY?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

Six weeks ago I had an emergency appendectomy. And, the bills are coming in. I have a catastrophic medical plan with a large deductible. And, even with this medical adventure, the amount saved in premiums over the past few years far exceeds what I had to pay out in a deductible.

I spent four days / three nights at the hospital. And, the bill JUST for my hospital stay was $76,713.03. That’s not a typo or a misplaced comma or decimal point. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Editorial | Tagged hospital bills, medical insurance | 12 Comments

Dilbert is prepared for SHTF, but what about (uninvited guests)?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

I’ve written a couple of times about being prepared for disasters, SHTF (shit hits the fan), asteroids, and the Zombie Apocalypse. In light of the current financial crisis and another possible hurricane bearing down on southeast Florida, I thought this Dilbert cartoon was apropos.

Dilbert and SHTF

Posted in Current Events, Personal Security & Safety | Leave a comment

3M ESPE’s Disposable Intra-oral Impression Syringe – Product Review

Posted on August 20, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

I’m Back in Black…

“I’ve been too long I’m glad to be back”…. back to the business of being a Dental Warrior! (Pardon the AC/DC reference.) I’ve been busy catching up on a variety of things after a week off for an emergency appendectomy and then another week of vacation in Maine. And, I’ve been covering the practice of the dentist next door (who was hit by a car while riding his bike). Busy… and tired. Somehow I also want to fit in blogging, writing, lecturing, and… oh yeah… my family!

Back in June, I was among six dentists invited to St. Paul, Minnesota to visit the 3M ESPE facility. We got to play with a lot of new products. Then they sent some samples to our practices for evaluation. This is one product that I have purchased since evaluating the sample. And, it will be a permanent addition to my Dental Warrior arsenal.

Most of us take crown and bridge impressions on nearly a daily basis. And, I think most of us would agree that it is the most critical step in the process. Continue reading →

Posted in Dental Product Reviews | Tagged 3M, dental impressions, Impregum, impression, impression syringes, Pentamix | 3 Comments

Do not adjust your set – I’m still here.

Posted on August 16, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

Yikes… two weeks without a post. Well, between missing a week of work courtesy of my appendix and a planned week’s vacation after that, I had some catching up to do. Still do!

My belly’s feeling better. Almost back to normal, 5 weeks post-op.

Lots of product reviews in the line-up. I’ve just got to get around to them. Sorry for the interruption. 🙂

Posted in Dental Warrior Announcements | Leave a comment

Sorry… I went to Maine for a week.

Posted on July 28, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

Back in Steve Martin’s stand-up heyday, if he spaced out momentarily, he would say, “Sorry… I went to the Bahamas for a moment.” So, I borrowed from Martin to explain my brief absence on my blog. Tonight is the last night in my family’s week-long vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine. I’ll be home tomorrow.

While I didn’t go entirely “off the grid,” I’d say I was 98% “unconnected.” And, I survived! Continue reading →

Posted in Dental Warrior Announcements, Editorial, What Happened Today | 4 Comments

Vestigial Organs – by I.P. Freely

Posted on July 15, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

Strap in… going to be a long one. If you’re sensitive to coarse language or graphic descriptions of medical procedures, you may want to stick to my dental articles. This story will make you cringe, at least. 🙂 But, it does get interesting, I promise.

I’m nearly 48 years old, and until now I had never spent time in a hospital (not counting ER visits for minor trauma). I’ve never been seriously ill. I’ve never had a scalpel applied to my body. Continue reading →

Posted in Editor's Favorites, Editorial, What Happened Today | 28 Comments

We’re From the Government. We’re Here to Help.

Posted on July 5, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

The state of Florida has a problem. So-called “pain clinics” have sprouted up like weeds around here. Apparently, they are little more than drug dealers with an M.D. behind their names. Anyone can go in and say, “I’m in pain” and walk out with a prescription or… better yet… a bunch of pills dispensed right there. Turns out that those same pills can be resold on the street for a handsome profit. And, from what I’ve heard, the docs do VERY well… to the tune of $50k a month! Well… we can’t have THAT, now can we? So, our fearless leaders are gonna do something about it! But, who’s going to bear the brunt of these “common sense laws?” Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, What Happened Today | 2 Comments

Proud to be Independent on Independence Day!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by The Dental Warrior

I’m watching TV after lighting off some fireworks with my kids. My neighbors all around put on a heck of a show! Professional grade stuff. Looked like Baghdad at the start of Desert Storm! 🙂 Tonight there are two “specials,” one on NBC, the other on CBS. The shows are listed as follows:

NBC – “July Fireworks”

CBS –“Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular”

My ship! (in the Persian Gulf)

Not “4th of July.” Not “Independence Day.” They’ve neutered the NAME of the holiday. I don’t think it’s an accident or meaningless coincidence. And, as a veteran, I find it particularly objectionable. And perhaps not coincidentally, I served on the aircraft carrier USS Independence. Hmmm…. 🙂 Continue reading →