I Didn’t Know You Could Buy a Dentist!

Why Your Dentist Costs So Much

The latest edition of moronic articles on Yahoo.com… This one is titled, “Why Your Dentist Costs So Much.”

Gosh, I didn’t know one could purchase a dentist. I guess I can rest easy knowing that we still fetch a handsome price!  🙂  We’re worth every penny!

While we can forgive the syntactically awkward title, I think the intent of the article is to be informative.  However, it fails on many levels Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Current Events, Editorial | 6 Comments

“Work, work, work… Hello Boys…”

OK… now back to our regularly programmed dental talk…

Work, work, work…

Any fans of “Blazing Saddles” by Mel Brooks?  It’s probably one of the most quotable movies ever made.  It’s also likely the most politically-incorrect movie.  But, I enjoy using a Blazing Saddles quote in conversation when the opportunity arises.  Some get it.  Some don’t.  If I offend with this… well… it’s my party.  🙂

While the first part of this year has been quite slow, recently the pace has picked up at my practice.  I’ve been working at a pitch while not unprecedented… it has been a while since I’ve worked this hard.  Work, work, work. It reminded me of this Mel Brooks line in Blazing Saddles. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation, Practice Management, What Happened Today | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Mrs. Smith… This is why we take x-rays.”

“X-rays are like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re going to get.”

X-rays are a perennial battle we wage with a certain segment of our patients.  Can I get an “amen?” It’s really quite odd when you dissect the issue.  I don’t believe physicians get the same resistance we get when they ORDER x-rays.  But, it seems the consensus out there is that x-rays are some sort of scam perpetrated by dentists to make extra money.  Of course, that’s simply preposterous.  If we wanted to make money surreptitiously, we wouldn’t waste time on penny-ante stuff like x-rays.  A dishonest dentist would pursue bigger ticket items, eh?  Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation, Practice Management, What Happened Today | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Dentistry Is Never “Simple.”

Moments ago I was reminded of this seemingly trivial matter in a thread on Dentaltown.com.  I’ve brought it up over the years here and there on Dentaltown.  So, I thought I would write up a quick post about it on my blog.

Many dentists often use the term “simple” to describe a dental procedure.  “Simple extraction” is the most common example to distinguish an extraction as non-surgical.  Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Editor's Favorites, Practice Management | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Don’t Throw Your Colleagues Under the Bus!

Yesterday I spent close to an hour with a new patient consultation.  She was referred to me by my family’s pediatrician.  This patient is in the midst of extensive dental treatment by another dentist.  She is very nervous about dental treatment and had it done under IV sedation.   At this point, 10 teeth have provisional / temp crowns.  All of them are posterior teeth, some in each quadrant. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation, Practice Management, What Happened Today | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Dentaltown Pilgrimage to 3M ESPE!

This weekend, I was among a special group of seven dentists from DentalTown.com that was invited up to St. Paul, Minnesota for a meeting with the folks at 3M  ESPE (dental division).  3M ESPE was interested in interfacing with real world dentists to evaluate some of their products and provide feedback. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Dental Product Reviews, What Happened Today | 7 Comments

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

I’m watching the news on TV about an Indiana college student that has gone missing.  A 20 year old woman was last seen walking to her apartment at 4:30 am.  FOUR-THIRTY A.M.!  By herself!  Lauren Spierer was “out with friends” at a sports bar.  Then they went to a friend’s apartment before she decided to walk home.  Was there not a single “friend” willing to either drive or walk her home??  If there were any men among her friends that let her walk home by herself, they should turn in their vestigial testicles.  Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Personal Security & Safety | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

All Dentists: Be Careful Out There!

We make our living with our hands and our eyes.   And, in most practices, we’re the only real “producer.”  If we are benched by an injury, the practice will be in trouble in short order.

Of course, I’m hardly one to suggest you eliminate all risks and live in a bubble.  Heck, I have raced cars.  But, we should be mindful of avoiding risks that can put us out of commission on a temporary or permanent basis. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Personal Security & Safety, Practice Management | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rapture Is Over… Stand By for the Zombie Apocalypse!

Last night at around 6 pm, I experienced “Rapturus Interuptus.”  For a minute, I felt myself levitating, but then realized that it was just Criss Angel playing a joke on me. 😉  So, I guess I’ll have to go to work tomorrow.

If nothing else, the predictions of the “Rapture” provided a bevy of comedy opportunities.  Almost everyone got in on the act on Facebook and every online forum I frequent.  We all got to flex our comedic muscle!  🙂

On many online forums, disaster preparedness is at least an occasional topic.  And, the “Zombie Apocalypse” is a oft-used metaphor, as is “SHTF” (shit hits the fan), or even TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it).  Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Personal Security & Safety | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Shit Happens. Then Shit Happens Again.

Shit Happens

Last September a new patient came to my office via my website.  She was dancing and shit happened.  She broke half of tooth #8 off.  I had recently bought Ultradent’s “big crayon” Vit-L-Essence composite kit but had not really tried it out.  I figured this was as good a time as any.  Let’s take it for a spin and see how this stuff handles!  Some of you have seen this composite case before, as I published it on a number of dental forums.

But, this story goes beyond this particular restoration… read on. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2013 The Dental Warrior®
Posted in Case Presentation, Clinical Technique, What Happened Today | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments