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Should dental hygienists give shots?

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healthyteeth212

When people talk about what they hate most about going to the dentist, they’re usually talking about the needle. I mean, who in their right mind would ever consent to allowing another person to give a shot in a place that has as many nerve endings as our tongues, lips and cheeks? Shots in the mouth are pretty dang scary. And when you’re trying to calm down and prepare yourself for an injection, it’s almost worse than trying to relax for the air-burst thingy they do at the optometrist’s office when you’re getting your eye pressure checked.

cottonrollssyringe

And yet, anyone who has had significant dental treatment performed has allowed someone to inject their mouth with a needle, right? We’ve all accepted the fact that shots are so much better than the actual thing that we hate about going to the dentist.

Pain. Pain is what we really hate.

And shots? They make pain go bye-bye. No shot? You’re all-knowing (in a very bad way) about every little thing that is getting fixed in your mouth.

But you already realize this unpleasant truth. What you might not know is that there’s a stink in Texas right now about who can give shots at the dentist’s office and who can’t. Here’s a little backstory: Dentists go to college for 6-8 years to learn all the things they need to do in order to be dentists. Dental hygienists are in college for 2-4 years to learn everything they need to learn in order to be dental hygienists. In states that allow dental hygienists to give shots, their anesthesia education follows the same curriculum as dentists. These states also test dentists and hygienists to make sure that they are qualified to give shots before granting their licenses.

In Texas and five other states, this is not true. A dental hygienist’s education in regards to anesthetic delivery is considered inferior, and therefore, allowing hygienists to stick a needle in a patient’s mouth allegedly places the public in unnecessary danger.

On this map, you’ll see red states, with years next to their abbreviations. These are the states that allow hygienists to give shots, along with the dates when administration and licensing first became available.

redstates

 

Do I think that Texas should allow dental hygienists to give shots just because “everyone else is doing it?” No. We tried being our own country once, and if we still were our own country we wouldn’t care one tiddly bit what was going on in the US.

The reason that Texas should allow dental hygienists to give shots is simple:

We are tired of hurting people.

The alternative is to ask the dentists we work with to leave a hole in their schedule so they can come give a shot for us. And come anesthetize again if the first time didn’t work. And again if our patient is still in pain.

Here in Texas, hygienists learn to say “I’m Sorry” a lot to our patients, instead of continuing to interrupt our dentists.

Thankfully, most of our patients don’t need shots. Those who come regularly have healthy mouths and their visits with the dental hygienist are preventive in nature, comfortable, maybe even relaxing. But take a person who has been scared to go to the dentist for a while and they’ve noticed that their gums bleed when they brush. There are sores in their gums, and guess what? The treatment it takes to heal up those sores can hurt! Hygienists in all states are highly trained to provide this deeper therapy – it’s what we “really” do. And if there are obstacles to providing this treatment painlessly, well, it’s either not going to be painless, or else the treatment won’t be as thorough as it would have been if it would have been if the patient had gotten completely numb.

Last week’s hearing of the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human services highlighted the stances of those both in favor and against granting dental hygienists the permission to deliver local anesthesia, in other words “give shots.” The original video was 2 1/2 hours – I’ve shortened it down to a little under 40 minutes of testimony only about this bill, edited out all the procedural or repetitive bits, and left the juiciest parts behind.

Full video of the archived meeting: http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=42&clip_id=11813

Here are my bullet points, yes… •Bullet •Points for this committee meeting:

• The map handed out in the chamber is the same one you see in this article (feel free to scroll up and follow along).

• The bill is permissive, not mandatory. If a dentist does not want to allow a hygienist in their office to give shots, they can’t. Furthermore, dentists must be present in the office for hygienists to administer anesthetics.

• No evidence of harm is presented in any testimony. Scroll to 18:45 where you’ll see Dr. Scott Dowell testifying for the Texas Society of Periodontists against this bill. His admission of the relative danger of local anesthesia is…interesting.

• The Texas Dental Association states that they opposed to this bill due to patient safety because they feel that it lowers the education standard and it’s only about expanding dental hygienist’s scope of practice, possibly to open the door to independent practice by hygienists.

• Dr. Matthew Roberts, who represented the Texas Dental Association, seemed surprised to learn that physicians are legally allowed to delegate the duty of administering anesthesia shots to even medical assistants in their practice when this is brought up in the meeting.

• There are 9000 members of the Texas Dental Association, but in a poll, 53% of the members were actually in favor of hygienists giving shots.

• The amount of training dentists receive to legally put patients “to sleep” is less than the training hygienists receive in order to be legal to give shots.

If you’re not convinced by this video, then you didn’t actually watch it (my opinion, sheesh!). But if you did watch it and still feel like hygienists are unqualified to give shots, your voice is very important to us right now. Maybe there are more problems with hygienists using needles, maybe there are negative reports that haven’t been correlated properly. Do you have concerns? Post them here in the comments below. I’m serious – if there is a compelling reason that is being hidden from the public and even from hygienists, we all deserve to know the truth.

At this point, though, if the day ever comes when I’ll be able to give my patients shots, it will be like someone trusted me with the most delicate equipment available in the Compassion Toolbox. It is a precious gift to be able to deliver painless dental care, and for those in the caring business (which most of medicine is, if you think about it) sometimes it’s the best gift we can give to others.

Yuck, ick, too late, the mush landed. Bottom line? Please don’t hate me if I ever get to stick you with a needle.

 

 

Trish Walraven RDH, BSDH is a dental hygienist who lives in the suburbs of Dallas/Fort Worth. She longs for the day when she can drop a couple grand of her own money and leave her family to take a week-long college course, just so she can sit for an anxiety-provoking board exam that will grant her the license to poke a shot in places that no one wants poked. Goals, man. Goals.

UPDATE 4/5/2017:   The April newsletter from the TSBDE states that SB 430, which would authorize dental hygienists to administer local anesthetic was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on March 8, 2017.  The committee considered testimony both for and against the legislation.  The bill was voted out of the Health and Human Services Committee on April 5, 2017 with some changes.  The change is that only infiltration administration would be permitted.  The bill is now waiting to be scheduled to be heard by the full Senate.

How does Ebola change dental infection control?

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PPEAt first I wasn’t worried. I was probably like you, thinking this was halfway around the world, and that it was their problem.

And then… it wasn’t just their problem. It became mine, too.

Now, I’m no infectious disease expert. I’m simply a dental hygienist who lives in the Dallas area, the center of the recent Ebola panic. And we should be terrified of what Ebola does to its victims. It’s scary, it’s creepy, and it’s lethal, in a super-speedy, no-time-to-say-goodbye-to-your-loved-ones zombie apocalypse way that you have probably freaked yourself out about enough already.

Magnifiedbig

Instead, let’s look at how this affects us in dentistry. The question that is coming up most often between dental healthcare providers right now is “what are we supposed to do?”

The CDC offered the following Q&A reply to an American Dental Association inquiry this past September:

“Can I provide dental services to someone who has recently been in West Africa?

“CDC works with partners at ports of entry into the United States to help prevent infectious diseases, like Ebola, from being introduced and spread in the United States.

“A person infected with Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear. Signs and symptoms of Ebola include fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F) and severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

“The virus is spread through direct contact [CDC emphasis] (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with blood and body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, vomit and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, or with objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the virus. Ebola is not spread through the air or by water or, in general, by food.

“Dental providers should continue to follow standard infection control procedures.”

And from the ADA website:

There is no risk of transmission of Ebola from asymptomatic infected patients. According to the ADA Division of Science and Professional Affairs, dental professionals are advised to take a medical history, including a travel history from any person with symptoms in which a viral infection is suspected. If Ebola is suspected, dental professionals may need to protect themselves with physical barriers (gowns, masks, face protection, and gloves), and contact their state or local health department.

According to the CDC, “Providers should consider Ebola in patients who develop a fever greater than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, severe headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding 21 days after traveling from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, or Sierra Leone.” Standard precautions should be used on all patients as a matter of routine.

So, did you actually READ any of the statements above? Basically, it’s saying to all dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants, move along, nothing here to see, business as usual as long as no one has been to Africa. Okay, so that used to be true.

The problem is that even though proper protocols are in place, that mean one of two things is happening to cause Ebola to infect people in the US:

1) We are not following Universal Precautions properly, or

2) Universal Precautions as we know them are inadequate.

Case in point. Today a health care worker was accused of breaching the PPE protocol because she has been now diagnosed with Ebola. The second one in our country. It could have been the other guy; you know, the deputy who went into the Ebola apartment without a Hazmat suit that ended up getting quarantined at an urgent care center up in Frisco?

Yeah, it got pretty crazy in our town last week, because he lives here. In fact, his daughter goes to school with our son. Thankfully our town responded very amazingly to him and his family at the time of crisis and we were all very relieved that it ended up being a false alarm.

So, if the problem is that we’re not following Universal Precautions, maybe then, we all need a little more muscle memory in our procedures so that we’re already doing our best if this stuff ever does become epidemic.

I know that I’m not always faithful about taking my loupes, mask, and gloves off the perfect way, every time, but you better believe that I’m going to be practicing this with chocolate syrup on my gloves the next time I’m in the office.hsyrup

Seriously, maybe it’s time for your team to refresh themselves on how to properly remove their personal protective equipment.

Come on, who wouldn’t want to be in a room full of women (as is the case with most dental teams), passing around a bottle of Hershey’s, adding a little drizzle onto each person’s gloved hands, watching the syrup slick between their latex or nitriled-up fingers, then having them do a striptease routine in front of each other to see if they contaminate themselves?

Believe it or not, this is something that the OSHA recommends. If you’d prefer the CDC’s boring version to practice, though, you can print this PDF out instead:

Click to access the full poster from the CDC

As far as the other scenario? The one where the infectiousness of Ebola is far, far worse than what our sacred Universal Precautions can handle? What DO you say about that? Hey, nice knowing you, I’m changing professions now, love ya, see ya around but not here, bye?

Let’s hope then – for everyone’s sake –  that we have all just been sucking at taking our gloves and masks off.

 

 

 
A blogger since 1997, Trish Walraven, RDH, BSDH is a practicing dental hygienist and marketing manager for an indie dental software development company. She’s now concerned about the effectiveness of the mask she’s currently using in her office but continues to put it on the list of low priorities until the zombies actually come crashing into her operatory.

 

UPDATE – October 16, 2014:


(Now THIS is more like it!)
ADA American Dental Association
Guidance to Dental Professionals on the Ebola Virus

A person infected with Ebola is not considered contagious until symptoms appear. Due to the virulent nature of the disease, it is highly unlikely that someone with Ebola symptoms will seek dental care when they are severely ill. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ADA Division of Science, dental professionals are advised to take a medical history, including a travel history from their patients with symptoms in which a viral infection is suspected.

Any person within 21 days of returning from the West African countries Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea may be at risk of having contacted persons infected with Ebola and may not exhibit symptoms. If this is the case, dental professionals are advised to delay routine dental care of the patient until 21 days have elapsed from their trip. Palliative care for serious oral health conditions, dental infections and pain can be provided if necessary after consulting with the patient’s physician and conforming to standard precautions and physical barriers.

You are advised not to treat dental patients if they have the signs and symptoms for Ebola. If a patient is feeling feverish and their travel history indicates they may be at risk of Ebola, dental professionals and staff in contact with the patient should:

• protect themselves by using standard precautions with physical barriers (gowns, masks, face protection, and gloves)
• immediately call 911 on behalf of the patient
• notify the appropriate state or local health department authorities
• ask the health department to provide you and your staff with the most up-to-date guidance on removing and disposing of potentially contaminated materials and equipment, including the physical barriers.

The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with blood and body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, vomit and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, or with objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the virus. Ebola is not spread through the air or by water or, in general, by food. Again, there is no reported risk of transmission of Ebola from asymptomatic infected patients.

“We heart hygienists. NOT!” says P&G

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this is not actually Dr. Smiley McHappypants

Don’t you love it when corporations pretend to listen to criticism, act like they care about the concerns of consumers, make empty promises? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

In light of all the flak that Procter & Gamble has received in response to our previous entry about plastic in Crest toothpaste that has seen a GINORMOUS readership (thank you to all the hygienists who have been alarmed and continue to share the story!) I thought it might be fun to imagine what the company REALLY would like to say to all of us who are creating a nuisance for them.

 

 From the desk of Dr. Smiley McHappypants, DDS
 VP Global, Professional and Scientific Relations
 Procter & Gamble
 8700 S Mason Montgomery Rd
 Mason, OH 45040

To every primadonna dental hygienist,

Here you go again, making a big deal out of nothing. We’re not ignoring the fact that you exist this time, and apparently in our marketing efforts we should have. As an example, here’s the latest Crest TV ad that you’re complaining about:

What is your F*&#ing problem? The actress says her hygienist is awesome, right? Look, we’re agreeing with so many of you who think your dentist is an idiot because they can’t tell whether or not patients have even had their teeth cleaned yet. What’s so insulting about that? Yet over and over, we get requests to take this off the air. Not gonna happen. We have too much money invested in this product line and these advertising spots to worry about what a bunch of worthless tooth-scrapers think.

Yes, I called you a tooth scraper. That’s what we think of you. Your purpose in life is to nag and torment patients. And you whine and complain when we try to OUT YOU for who you really are! We spent more than your lifetime earnings warning consumers about your evil ways with magazine ads like this one:


Escapescrape
So what if we get constant complaints that the ingredients in the Pro-Health products actually contribute to stain and require MORE scraping?


prohealthstain
Since we’re big and organized, and you are small and diffuse, you can share photos like this one all you want, but it won’t matter. You don’t have the resources to keep Procter & Gamble from increasing the bottom line for our stakeholders. Maybe it’s just all one sick joke that we’re pulling over on patients and hygienists alike. Naw, that would be over the top. The truth is that we really don’t give a $h!† what you think.

Which brings us to this latest overreaction of yours. Hello? There’s plastic in EVERYTHING! What’s the problem with pretty polyethylene confetti in toothpaste? After all, if your patients swallow it, just tell them to poop. It’ll go away, like fiber. That’s our official line. Plastic is the same as dietary fiber!

When we tested our latest toothpastes, you know, the ones with the new, vibrant names? Be Adventurous? Be Inspired? Be Dynamic? We had many focus groups try the products and they loved them. No one even questioned the plastic. Granted, we didn’t actually tell the users what it was, but since none of them were crunchy granola tree-huggers we didn’t figure they would care. The brown, green, and yellow specks are an important part of the “total product experience.” We want our stakeholders to be happy, and they like the way the unique colors give the toothpaste an exciting aura. It’s all about the feeling, you know.

BEcolorexamples

And those specks getting stuck under the gums? Well, honey, it’s your word against ours. We have study after study that proves that plastic doesn’t harm us. Even though the FDA doesn’t specifically approve plastic in toothpaste, it doesn’t ban it either. So there. Just deal with it until we re-tool the plastic-speck-making machine. We’re planning on replacing the plastic with a suitable alternative, that’s what we’ve told you, but it’s on our own timetable. Bottom line, you can push and push, but there is NO WAY IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL THAT WE WILL BE REMOVING ANY TOOTHPASTE FROM RETAIL SHELVES.

Now back the F*#% off. You have no idea who you are dealing with.

Sincerely,
Dr. Smiley McHappypants, DDS

In reality, Procter and Gamble has not yet released an official statement about the plastic, but they have been quietly assuaging fears on an individual basis and have informed Crest representatives to state that their products are safe. As for me? I still can’t find a compelling reason to ignore polyethylene when I am still finding it in patient’s gumlines, and have now seen reports from HUNDREDS of dental hygienists who are just now “connecting the dots.”

And sometimes, well sometimes you just have to connect all the dots by melting them down into masses of brown stuff that smell like scorched Wal-Mart bags:

beadventurous7
Poop, indeed.

Crest toothpaste embeds plastic in our gums

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This is polyethylene:

bottlesandbags

Did you know that polyethylene is the most common plastic in the world? It is used primarily for containers and packaging, such as these bottles and plastic grocery bags, and has been a concern for the environment because polyethylene lasts practically forever and isn’t biodegradable. It only breaks down into smaller and smaller particles until you can’t see it anymore. That’s why a couple of states are trying to ban it in body scrubs and dental products.

This is also polyethylene:
PeasizedTPaste

Well, not all of it. Most of it is toothpaste. But do you see those blue specks? That’s plastic. This is the suggested pea-sized amount that you should use when you brush your teeth. Yes, there is plastic in this toothpaste.

Want to see how many pieces of plastic are in this exact sample?

PasteSmear

Not that I’m counting the bits but that seriously looks like A LOT of plastic… err…high density polyethylene. That’s what plastic trash cans are made from! If you throw away the box like most people do, the ingredients aren’t actually listed on the tube (sneaky, sneaky, Procter & Gamble!) However, I was able to track down the box here at this link. We’re not talking about polyethylene glycol, which is soluble in water. This stuff won’t dissolve in water, or even acetone or alcohol for that matter. How do I know it won’t dissolve? Because I put on my little scientist hat and tested it.

Like many of you, we often let our daughter pick out her own toothpaste at the store. She liked the tween vibe of this particular product so much that she chose it twice, but eventually the squeezed-out tubes ended up in the back of her toothpaste drawer.

Crestforme

When I first got wind that plastic was in some toothpastes, it was kind of exciting to realize that we had some on hand! And a bit concerning, because, after all, this is in my own home, used by my own child. Able to confirm that, sure enough, there was polyethylene in this toothpaste, I squirted out a pea-sized sample, mixed it up with some water, strained out the undissolved particles and let them dry on a paper towel. Oh, and I used a hair dryer to speed things up because I’m impatient. Then I shook approximately half of the sample into each of two pyrex bowls and added some household solvents:

acetonealcohol

They didn’t dissolve in the acetone, (nail polish remover) or in the alcohol either. I even left the samples in the solutions overnight, then re-hydrated them. No change in the particles.

specks1polyethylenefinger

So it has been established here that polyethylene will not dissolve in the mouth, or even in household products. It is an inert substance, which means that it doesn’t change at all. You know, that’s pretty good in some ways, because at least it’s probably not morphing into big blobs of plastic evil cancer bait.

Here’s where the story gets scary, though.

You see, I’m not just a concerned mom. I’m also a dental hygienist. And I’m seeing these same bits of blue plastic stuck in my patients’ mouths almost every day.

Around our teeth we have these little channels in our gums, sort of like the cuticles around our fingernails. The gum channel is called a sulcus, and it’s where diseases like gingivitis get their start. A healthy sulcus is no deeper than about 3 millimeters, so when you have hundreds of pieces of plastic being scrubbed into your gums each day that are even smaller than a millimeter, many of them are getting trapped:

plasticingums

The thing about a sulcus is that it’s vulnerable. Your dental hygienist spends most of their time cleaning every sulcus in your mouth, because if the band of tissue around your tooth isn’t healthy, then you’re not healthy. You can start to see why having bits of plastic in your sulcus may be a real problem, sort of like when popcorn hulls find their way into these same areas. Ouch, right?

Like I said, I’ve been seeing these blue particles flush out of patients’ gums for several months now. So has the co-hygienist in our office. So have many dental hygienists throughout the United States and Canada who have consulted with each other and realized that we have a major concern on our hands.

This is what an actual polyethylene speck looks like when it’s embedded within the sulcus, under the gumline:

gingival specks

I am not saying that polyethylene is causing gum problems. I’d be jumping too soon to that conclusion without scientific proof.  But what I am saying definitively is that plastic is in your toothpaste, and that some of it is left behind even after you’re finished brushing and rinsing with it.

Do you want plastic in your toothpaste? So far the only mention of polyethylene on the Official Crest website at this link is that it is added to your paste for color, not as an aid in helping to clean your teeth or to disperse important anti-plaque or anti-cavity ingredients. [Note: as of 9/3/14 Crest took down the link about polyethylene, but I saved a copy of it here in case this ever happened.]

In other words, according to Crest:

Polyethylene plastic is in your toothpaste for decorative purposes only.

This is unacceptable not only to me, but to many, many hygienists nationwide. We are informing our patients. We are doing research separately and comparing notes. And until Procter & Gamble gives us a better reason as to why there is plastic in your toothpaste, we would like you to consider discontinuing the use of these products.

Here are some of the brands (click each to see their ingredient list and labeling) that we currently are aware of which contain polyethylene:

What you can do

At this point, it’s probably best if you leave your flaming torches back in the barn. We’re not going after witches or Frankenstein here; you’re using your power as a consumer to send a message that you do NOT want plastic in your toothpaste. Heck, you might even be worrying about what may happen if you or your children swallow some of it.

1. If you’ve already purchased one of these toothpastes you can take it back to the retailer where you bought it, make sure that the manufacturer knows why you’re returning it, and ask for a refund.

2. Lodge a Crest consumer complaint at (800) 959-6586 and report an adverse health effect, namely, that you’re concerned that plastic pieces may be getting trapped in your mouth.

3. Click here to send an email to Procter & Gamble, the makers of Crest.

4. Share this! Let your friends and family know that you are also concerned about the plastic in their toothpaste by clicking on your favorite social media link below and getting the word out.

Response to criticism

Procter & Gamble’s current party line? “We will discontinue our use of PE micro plastic beads in skin exfoliating personal care products and toothpastes as soon as alternatives are qualified.”

And your response then may be, “I will discontinue MY use of Crest toothpaste until there are no more decorative microplastics entering my mouth.”

 

Trish Walraven RDH, BS is a mom and practicing dental hygienist in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. She is also the co-creator of BlueNote Communicator, the top selling intra-office computer messaging system for dental and medical offices.

 

References and acknowledgements

Plastic Trades Industry: http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics
US National Library of Medicine: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/crest
HygieneTown: http://www.hygienetown.com/blue-dots-in-patients-mouths

And a HUGE thank you goes out to my friend and colleague Erika B. Feltham, RDH for bringing this problem to our attention and for her extensive research. Erika is dedicated to providing the best possible care for her patients. She has been active in the dental profession for over 30 years, is a recipient of the 2008 American Dental Hygiene Association/Johnson and Johnson Hygiene Hero Award, the 2010 RDH Sunstar Americas (GUM Dental)Award of Distinction, lectures extensively about the harmful effects of sour candies, energy and sports drinks, and along with her San Diego component, she is responsible for presenting the resolution on sour candy labeling at the 2009 CDHA House of Delegates.

Update on 9/10/14:

As requested, here’s a quick video I made today that demonstrates polyethylene microbeads becoming embedded after brushing. This is for real; I didn’t poke the plastic in my gums (although I may have brushed a little more rough than normal!).

Update on 9/20/14:

This story got picked up nationally over the past week, with these notable entries:

The American Dental Association issued this press release regarding the safety of plastic in toothpaste and whether or not to remove the ADA Seal of Approval on Crest products.

FDA says that plastic is not approved as a food additive: NBC National News – Today Show

Interview in Phoenix, AZ  mentioning the influence of DentalBuzz on Procter & Gamble:

 

Trish’s interview on Good Morning America:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=25560562

 

Brian Williams on NBC:

http://player.theplatform.com/p/2E2eJC/nbcNewsOffsite?guid=nn_09_bwi_toothpaste_140917

 

A concise writeup at the Washington Post

 

And a final word on why we shouldn’t even be so preoccupied with toothpaste in the first place:

http://www.dentalbuzz.com/2014/12/30/toothpaste-can-do-more-harm-than-good/

 

DIY dentistry kit for preppers

By 11 Comments

dentidrillList

It’s getting closer to 2014 and you can pretty much guess what that means: the Obamacarepocalypse is almost upon us. Yee Haw. Preppers convinced that TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) is imminent will be pleased that they will no longer need to add a dentist to their list of People We Would Like To Have With Us when it all hits the fan.

What can you add to your hoard instead of another mouth to feed? A home dental kit, of course! The DentiDrill comes complete with a handpiece, a curing light, a wee bit of composite, a vial of topical lidocaine, a lithium-ion battery charger, 1 tungsten steel drill head,  a silicon polisher, a stainless steel dentist mirror, and the DVD tutorial.

dentadrillsmallYou’d better pre-order soon, though. As soon as the FDA and other authorities get wind of this there will be an immediate shutdown of all shipments. You know how good our government is at shutdowns. Product is supposed to begin its journey to the US tomorrow if it all goes as planned, however.

Currently the DentiDrill is being marketed to moms who feel that their options are otherwise limited when it comes to taking care of their children’s teeth. Does a mother have the legal right to practice dentistry on her kids without a license? After the apocalypse comes, who cares about licenses? See, the marketers have got it ALL WRONG! You’re not scaring people away from managed healthcare, you’re inviting chaos and STUPID FEAR! I say bring it, if that’s what you want. This is only clever and useful if you’re desperate, and in the United States, trust me, we are not. At least not yet.

Curious to learn more?  You’ll just have to see this video to believe it.

 

 

Still don’t believe it’s real? Just look! There’s More! DentiDrill has a Facebook page here that details design and production going back a year or so. It certainly doesn’t seem too fishy.

If you’re ready to drop $275 for one or are just trying to figure this thing out, visit DentiDrill.com and get one step closer to feeling like you’re doing the right thing for yourself and your family.

As far as me and how far I’ll go to prep for the end of civilization? I’ll probably just learn how to take out teeth. Much more practical skill, no batteries needed, just a strong stomach and hey, maybe a couple of swigs from that bottle that you were counting on your drinking buddy to bring.

 

 
Interesting Note: The DentiDrill website domain owner shares the same address as the Kentucky Dental Association. Thanks to Dr. Shad Lewis at DentalTown for this wonderful bit of sleuthing.The American Dental Association says that the KDA denies the address connection in this announcement published October 25.

THE FINAL WORD? (updated October 28, 2013) The DentiDrill isn’t real. It’s a hoax. The Dutch dental insurance company responsible for the publicity stunt probably didn’t realize that it would just make their business model seem like a joke as well.

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