Onset™ is the name of a new buffering agent created by Onpharma™ Inc. that will be available as soon as the final FDA review is complete. If you can answer yes to these questions, read on:

Do you want to eliminate the sting that can be caused by the acidity of local anesthetic? Would you like to be able to give an injection and go to work immediately? Are you interested in a product that will help you get your patients profoundly numb, even when infection is present? What about tissue necrosis? Would you like to prevent it if possible?

The idea behind the pH buffering isn’t novel, but the patented device is. Onpharma™ has created a simple system that can be used with all anesthetics and also solves the problems of shelf life and proper dosing. Product previews aren’t yet available on the internet so all images and details will be withheld here at DentalBuzz until further notice (it’s so hard to hold a secret, though!).

If your curiosity is now piqued, make sure to click over to the Onpharma™ website and sign up so that the company can let you know when you can purchase Onset™.

Just don’t expect it to be rapid.  

⣿

]]> http://www.dentalbuzz.com/2010/07/15/onset/feed/ 3 http://www.dentalbuzz.com/2010/07/01/pedopapoose/ http://www.dentalbuzz.com/2010/07/01/pedopapoose/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:07:33 +0000 admin http://www.dentalbuzz.com/?p=346 No one likes the idea of seeing a child being restrained. Especially not at the dental office. But on the same hand, if a child is admitted to a hospital, has thousands of dollars spent to knock them out with potentially risky gas, and is in need of a procedure that takes only minutes to perform, which care is the right one?

Notorious press has given the papoose board a bad name. Granted, its utilization can be abused, especially as seen in the story that was profiled on ABC’s 20/20. General anesthesia isn’t without its opponents as well, especially when a child dies.

With that somber note hanging in the air, you may want to revisit David After Dentist and pick yourself up with a little sedation dentistry humor. Even if you don’t agree that his dad should have ever posted the video on YouTube, it’s still so freakin’ funny.

Children who can’t be cooperative still need a means of getting their dentistry done, so pedodontists must make choices that sometimes include the use of papoose boards or general anesthesia. For entertainment’s sake, let’s just call this polarizing dilemma by another name: Hugs vs. Drugs.

There have been accusations from both sides: allegations of “nest feathering” by morally outraged dental anesthesiologists, abuses of public funds to pay for unnecessary procedures, the ultimatums given that any child restraint is considered grounds for lawsuits, equating papoose boards with third-world dental care, or offering general anesthesia for simple extractions when a combination of restraint and other sedation would be less expensive and as effective.

As a dental professional, it is your responsibility to make well-informed choices about sedation and restraint methods. For instance, individuals with autism or cerebral palsy may find that restraints are not only necessary, but even welcomed when compared to the use of drugs that can do more harm than the good that the dentistry is trying to achieve. Restraints may not be a better choice for toddlers whose biggest problem is a helicopter parent or two who are freaked out about the psychological trauma of having an irreparable tooth pulled. If a parent freaks, most likely so will the child, so it may be your choice to pander to the whiny world of children who are more in charge than their parents. After all, it’s no big deal to go under GA for a five-minute ear tube procedure with the ENT, right? That’s expected.

No matter what you decide to do, as long as you’re doing it from a level of comfort with your ability, and most importantly, from a sense of compassion, you should be able to confidently make the call for each patient, no matter where it falls on this line.

But sometimes, you just want to throw up your hands and say “AHHHHH I QUIT!” because you don’t know how to manage a patient. That’s when it’s awesome to have someone in your contact list who you trust to make this call.

And then pass the buck to them, because referring out can be very, very gratifying at times.

Working in the dental industry, you can expect your fair share of stress, headaches and professional challenges, but it’s unlikely that your office has an atmosphere that could accurately be described as “sexually charged,” right? Dentists may be many things to many people, but few would call them “sexy” – until now. Word broke in Hollywood this week that none other than Jennifer Aniston is set to play a dentist in the upcoming film Horrible Bosses. That’s right: Brad Pitt’s ex-wife, the former Friend who launched a thousand copycat haircuts, is going to portray one of our own. And not just any dentist, mind you: Ms. Aniston will be playing a dentist whose aggressive sexuality toward her coworkers makes her one of the “horrible bosses” of the movie’s title.

If all of this sounds a little far-fetched to you, take a look at this news story about a dentist from Little Falls, New Jersey who is being sued for sexual harassment by three different members of his staff. The women claim that Dr. David Ulanet made numerous inappropriate comments and unwanted physical advances toward them between 2007 and 2010; in fact, attorney Robert J. Stack sums up the situation rather tidily by claiming that Dr. Ulanet “converted his dental practice into his own sexual playground.” Naturally, the victims deserve justice, and my intentions are not to minimize their plight. Yet the fact that a gorgeous movie star is slated to play a sexually voracious dentist – in a story not far removed from recent headlines – makes one wonder if the entire dental industry isn’t about to undergo a major image change.

Next stop: Desperate Dentists, starring Teri Hatcher? I smell a pilot in the works…

SOURCES:

Jennifer Aniston story (from Entertainment Weekly):
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/15/jennifer-aniston-horrible-bosses-aggressive-sexually/

Sexual harassment case involving NJ dentist:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/96632594_Dentist_office_called_sexual_playground_.html

Melissa is a musician and writer from Los Angeles.  She has contributed dental articles to several dental blogs and websites around the web, including Millennium Dental, a cosmetic dentistry practice in Los Angeles famous for its celebrity clients.

A free, volunteer-staffed program offered at a West Virginia high school found that three patients and two clinicians came down with Hepatitis B viruses that were tested and matched at a molecular level, indicating that the infections came from a common source.

All people involved at the Mission of Mercy clinic last summer were mailed letters last week encouraging that they be tested for the virus. The testing is being paid for by the state of West Virginia. (Insert your best West Virginia joke here. And then be ashamed of yourself for doing it).

If you have any response to this news, it should be to check your own infection control systems, to be sure that your high speed evacuation is up to par, that you aren’t just wiping down handpieces, and that every patient is treated with those universal precautions that were so important in dental school.

After all, you wouldn’t want this happening in an elite state, like Washington. 

This company knows better than to show what a person looks like wearing cheek retractors. But the bald dude in the tradeshow booth just couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and so has inadvertently revealed the eerie side of DIY whitening treatments.

If the silly little LED lights aren’t bad enough, the company has solved the apparent problem of “what to do” for the hour-long treatment process: built-in music headphones for your MP3 player.

Ahh, the fringes of the ZOOM-persuaded target audience make one smile and wince at the same time.  Thanks to Engadget for the help with next year’s Halloween costume.

The familiarity with Priceline’s marketing is a good place to start, though. Mix in a few thousand medical and dental professionals who are willing to try a similar technique to improve their new patient flow and you’ve got a website called PriceDoc.

For an average of about $50 per month for a spot on the PriceDoc website, you can give percentage discounts, allow patients to negotiate for prices, or simply state your fee for specific procedures. Like a porcelain crown. Can you imagine someone on the internet seeing that your crown fee is less than the other dentist down the street, and then coming to you instead, and paying cash?

Or if you put the shoe on the other foot, have you tried shopping for that gall bladder surgery that you’ve been needing for a while?

PriceDoc went national about six months ago, and has yet to post any impressive procedure price wars between healthcare providers. There’s also no way to know if a dentist is as good as they say they are on their advertisement, so it’s difficult to predict whether or not this type of marketing will appeal to those dentists who value quality care over production quotas. Currently the only requirement for setting up a provider account is a credit card.

It’s a great idea in concept, especially for patients without insurance and dentists that prefer consumer-driven care instead of insurance-dictated treatment. If enough healers are ready to take a leap of faith, PriceDoc may become a force that changes healthcare forever.

__________

In the meantime, consumers already have the ability to price out the average cost of many common dental procedures without having to compare dentists’ fees directly. The website Healthcare Blue Book offers suggestions based on a patient’s zip code, and even recommends taking a printout of the “fair cash price” to your office when an estimate is presented for anticipated dental work. Blue Book prices are generally above standard insurance contract rates, and considered fair compensation for cash-paying patients.

Patients should probably be glad, though, that dentists can’t use the Blue Book in reverse to judge the condition of a person’s mouth beforehand.

But that’s not the case today.

The economy has since tanked and the price of gold is higher than ever (currently over $1,100 per ounce). The only one glinting a smile of 14 karats these days is Lady Gaga, and she safely skirts the hip-hop genre by going all Team Edward with vampire fangs.

So when dental gold is out (literally), you can impress your patients with a small token of your appreciation. Take out their gold crowns, inlays, bridges, and then give it to the patient along with a postage-paid envelope.

What’s cool about this deal is where the envelope goes. Not to some shady “Cash4Gold” operation. It goes to a reputable company that will pay your patients back a fair price.

And here comes the best part: Garfield Refining Company is so generous, they’ll give you ten percent for the referral. Don’t be afraid to let your patients know that you’re getting a kickback. They’ll just be happy that you’re not keeping all the dental gold for yourself.

So click this Garfield box on the left to enroll in the Patient Bling Program and get a few envelopes for your office. Nevermind that they still call it the Scrap Program; they just haven’t seen this review yet.

You also might want to look through Dental Products Report’s list of gold refining companies. And in case you were wondering, this is not a paid advertisement. Garfield Refining simply has a great idea that spreads goodwill and makes money for everyone.

Until yesterday. Instead of getting your soup in a bowl at the counter,  you complainers will be able to get it in a to-go container, from the “Concession Stand”:

Align Technology Eliminates Annual Case Requirement for Invisalign(R) Providers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Apr 22, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) — Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALGN) today announced a strategic change to the Invisalign proficiency program the Company launched last June to help ensure Invisalign providers build a baseline of Invisalign product experience and knowledge through minimum annual case and continuing education (CE) goals. Effective immediately, doctors will no longer be required to start a minimum of ten shipped cases per year to maintain their active provider status. Doctors are still required to complete a minimum of ten Invisalign continuing education (CE) hours per year.

“Despite continued strong efforts by our customers to meet the annual proficiency requirements, many customers remain frustrated with the program, particularly the case requirement,” said Dan S. Ellis, vice president, North American Sales. “While we remain deeply committed to ensuring great treatment results for Invisalign doctors and patients, we are equally committed to listening to our customers and responding to their needs.”

Align will continue to emphasize the importance of Invisalign professional education in treatment success by maintaining the annual ten Invisalign CE hour requirements. In addition, Align will focus on continued product innovation and performance improvements and customer loyalty and rewards programs to help drive great treatment experiences and results. As part of this focus, Align will continue to promote the benefits of Invisalign Preferred Provider status for doctors who start ten or more cases each year.

Doctors who do not complete a minimum of ten Invisalign CE hours in a calendar year will have their Invisalign accounts temporarily suspended until they complete the minimum CE hours. With more than 200 hours of lecture-based and online learning opportunities, Align’s robust educational curriculum makes it convenient for doctors of every Invisalign experience level to stay current with product and clinical advancements.

Doctors whose customer accounts were deactivated or changed to limited status for failing to meet the 2009 proficiency requirements can reactivate their account and start using Invisalign again at any time by completing a Clear Essentials I or Clear Principles training course and thereafter meeting the annual ten CE hour requirement. More information on the proficiency program and related changes are available at http://vip.invisalign.com/proficiency.

_________________

Also worthy of reading are the frustrations aired at Jim DuMolin’s great website: http://www.thewealthydentist.com/SurveyResults/162-Invisalign-Dentists.htm.

Just so we have this straight: lasers are okay, but needles? Not so much. Texas is a bit behind the times regarding local anesthesia. But the great news is that their state board just recently issued a statement that affirms the legality of laser use by formally trained hygienists for treating periodontal disease that is not responding to traditional therapy.  Here it is in the Board’s own words:

Texas State Board of Dental Examiners’ Position Statement on the Use of Lasers by Dental Hygienists

The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is aware that lasers can be used to replace or supplement traditional dental instruments such as handpieces, scalpels, curing lights, and the explorer.

It is the position of the Board that licensed dental hygienists may use lasers that are not capable of cutting or removing hard tissue, soft tissue, or tooth structure to perform clinical tasks that are otherwise within the hygienist’s scope of practice. Dental hygienists must perform intraoral procedures involving a laser under the general supervision of a licensed dentist.**

Whenever a new treatment modality is brought forward, it is the Board’s policy that the licensee must have proficiency and training in the use of the technology for the procedure performed. Licensees utilizing new technology must maintain documentation of the satisfactory completion of formal continuing education or training using the technology for the procedures performed. The particular technology utilized performing any particular clinical task does not alter the requirement that a dentist is ultimately responsible for any procedure delegated to an auxiliary and the auxiliary performing the procedure remains responsible for performing the task within the standard of care.

** “General supervision” means that the dentist employs or is in charge of the dental hygienist and is responsible for supervising the services performed by the dental hygienist. The dentist may or may not be present on the premises when the dental hygienist performs the procedures.

For those not clear with the term, this 30 second video is a great example of a controlled gleek:

Fortunately for dental professionals, gleek saliva is essentially sterile when it sprays straight out of the submandibular gland. That doesn’t mean you should shoot back at your patients though – heavens no! we would never suggest such a thing – when they gleek onto your loupes while you’re fighting their tongue with a mouth mirror.

But what about after hours when you don’t have to act professionally? As a wise resource for all things oral, you should be knowledgeable about proper gleeking form. And if you practice these techniques, you’ll soon be able to impress just about everyone under the age of fifteen.

Step One: Concentrating the Saliva

Yawn a couple of times to stimulate saliva production under your tongue. Another way to try and build pressure is to rub the tip or side of your tongue along the sharp cusp tips of your lower teeth. Or you can always try a little something sour in your mouth as a last resort.

Step Two: Visualization

Don’t imagine yourself gleeking, silly! Just get in front of a mirror to see if you’re having any luck.

Step Three: Gleek Technique

Since everyone’s made differently, you’ll need to experiment with these methods to see which one elicits the best response from your little squirt machine.

1. Stick out your mandible as far as you can and press your tongue HARD on the roof of your mouth just behind your central incisors.

2. As you’re flexing your tongue, push your lower jaw out, bring it back and down, breathe in slightly, and bring it hard against the palate. A thin stream will probably come out.

3. Try sucking air under your tongue first before flexing and pressing the roof of your mouth.

It may take you a while to train your submandibular gland to fire at will, so don’t give up. But if you do give up, remember the adage that says: those who cannot do, teach.

And then share your gleekology with the world!   

Head over to dell.com and click on Support to download the latest drivers and bios update for your machine.

Here is a little of the back story

Now is a good time to look at some computer upgrades and prepare yourself for Windows 7. A good way to start this process is to look at refurbished equipment. While many of the top manufactures offer refurbished equipment none do it better than Dell. To help you get started we are including a few links and couple of newly minted coupon codes, but you better hurry the deals and codes won’t last forever.

www.delloutlet.com

15% off coupon on all refurbished Precision Workstations
(expires 10/14) ?MWG3ZLB4ST2T6

10% off coupon on all refurbished PowerEdge Servers
(expires 10/14) K10HLL96J1M$WZ

15% off coupon on all refurbished Laser Printers
(expires 10/14) 8XWXWHZHSKW522

15% off coupon on all refurbished Latitude and Tablet laptops
(expires 10/14) 8DVFH307$J?WWD

Just enter these codes in your cart to save your practice some money, and don’t forget that all refurbished equipment comes with the same warranty and support as new equipment. You can also follow them on Twitter.