dentapress: news of dentistry » Blogs

7 Tips for the Best Teeth Whitening Experience, Ever

JG — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:09:20 +0000

You want a smile that dazzles. That entices. A smile that gleams, that lights up your face and the room. And you can get it. Teeth whitening may be the only thing standing between you and that bright, white smile you desire. Luckily, there are plenty of options available today.

60 Percent Search For Local Businesses Online

JG — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:35:49 +0000

When you’re operating a business which is based on a specific locality, you do not necessarily have to dominate the search engines in order for you to reach your target market. This is because although your website tops the organic search results pages, people from China are not interested in availing of your services if your dental practice is based in Detroit, Michigan. This is where the entire concept of local searches came to be. Local searches connect individuals who are looking for goods and services within a certain city or town with service and product providers. According to the latest study by PEW Internet, 60 percent of their 1087 respondents search for information regarding local businesses except bars and restaurants. 47 percent of these respondents say that they depend on the internet to retrieve information; specifically 36 percent make use of search engines, 16 percent on specialty websites and 1 percent on social networking sites.

Internal bleaching makes us smile!

JG — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:15:41 +0000

This 13 yr old young lady had some trauma to #8 during a softball game. As you can imagine, the discoloration is of significant concern to the patient. At the time of the exam, tooth #8 is non-responsive to thermal testing, normal to probing and mildly percussion sensitive. DX: Necrotic w/ SAP. RCT recommended with internal bleaching for esthetic purposes.

Periodontally Questionable Teeth: Retention vs. Extraction and Implants

JG — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:28:28 +0000

Yes we have leaned too far in that direction and extracted too many periodontally questionable or marginal teeth when we could have maintained them. We now have LANAP that can reverse periodontal disease. Even though it has been in the literature over 14 years and has FDA clearence to reverse the # 1 cause of tooth loss less than 1% of dentists in the USA offer this service. Unfortunately, it is easier and more profitable to screw patients with titanium.

10 Steps to Create a Dentist’s Newsletter

JG — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:57:51 +0000

You can’t send an e-newsletter campaign without email addresses! If you subscribe to Demandforce, Smile Reminder, or another patient communication tool, you probably have a list of patient email addresses. Dental offices without a patient email list should start asking for email addresses today. Some patients may not want to provide you with their email address, and that’s fine. Don’t let those few discourage you. Most of your patients will be happy to give you an email address, especially if you explain the purpose: to deliver your dental health newsletter.

Relocating for a Job?

JG — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:54:30 +0000

The dental industry is as beholden to this premise as any other consumer service. As a recruiter, I see this in action as I counsel dentists considering their job options. Oftentimes, the supply of doctors in an area is too great and the best decision is to relocate to an area with more demand. For every underworked dentist in downtown Raleigh there is a haggard practice owner in Fayetteville, Greensboro or any other “boro” or “berg” that is 30+ miles away form a major city. For those considering relocating to take advantage of a better opportunity, there are many factors to consider. Here are a few key points to ponder as you make your plans.

Being Thankful For What We Have A Dentist Perspective

JG — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:50:38 +0000

An interesting article ran in the MyView Section of the American Dental Association titled “A time to be thankful for all that we have,” written by Richard A. Mufson, D.D.S., and published November 7, 2011. http://www.ada.org/6541.aspx In the article Dr. Mufson discusses how he will typically ask other dentists the standard question of “how are you?” This typically goes into discussions of the dental practice and whether or not financially the practice is doing well or not.

Dream Patient of the Week

JG — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:25:42 +0000

Remember that oath we took at graduation? I remember that oath. I swore, along with my classmates, that I would carry out the very best dental care to any and all patients who sat in my operatory chair; regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, I promised to give everyone the best treatment I could. I also remember wanting to hurl myself into the bathroom. The speech I had to give moments before gave me nervous diarrhea really bad. We have our clinical side. Then we have our human side. The clinical side is a given: do what we were trained to do. My human side? A bit more personal. I tend to muse about extra-special people that I would give anything to have in my chair. Anything. Just once. And it’s because of their gender, race, SES, political ideology, etc., that I must perform my titillating hygiene duties on them.

Dental Marketing Chatter: Online Ads & Advertising

JG — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:20:20 +0000

Just this morning, I read three articles about online ads. They seem to be a popular subject right now, and for good reasons. Have you visited a website with so many advertisements that you can’t find the text that drew you to the site? Sometimes the text is broken up into one or two paragraphs per page, so you have to scroll through 6 pages of advertisement onslaught just to read the article. Well, Google has heard these complaints en masse, and the company is doing something about it. Google announced last week that websites with too many ads above the fold (that is, on the top portion of the page before you have to scroll down) will be penalized in search results. Dentist websites and blogs don’t usually have many advertisements above the fold, so you probably won’t be affected from a business perspective. You will, however, find that those pesky ad-riddled websites become easier to read.

Life Is Short. Smile More.

JG — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:05:51 +0000

It’s an often-forgotten fact that the mouth is connected to the rest of the body. When this simple little truth is forgotten, it skips your attention that it’s part of the whole I-need-to-breathe airway system, this is where each and every bite of your food enters. You use it to smile, to laugh, to speak and communicate with someone else. It’s a place to put on your lipstick. To kiss your lover, or blow out the candles on your child’s birthday cake.