Dentalcompare
Clinical Director
My wife recently found a clipping from a page of an old magazine. The advertisement was for Gibbs fluoride toothpaste. An All-American freckled boy reminiscent of Ron Howard’s Opie cautiously places toothpaste on brush. Never mind the fact that the brush is way too big for him, or that he is layering on a weeks’ supply of the stuff. This stuff has Stannous Fluoride, and is therefore the best chemistry and technology has for your child.
It truly is amazing to see where dentistry has gone in the last 30 years in terms of equipment and philosophies. While I think topical fluoride has a positive effect on teeth, I have more and more parents who are completely against the substance. Instead, our focus has turned to being advocates of overall oral health. We encourage good hygiene, perform oral cancer screening checks, and educate on the links between systemic disease and the health of our patient’s mouths, and we even council people on foods that will not only be healthy for their teeth, but for their entire system.
We have the ability to see more with high resolution digital x-rays, and impart less radiation to the patient in the process. We can precisely place an implant via guided surgery protocols with complete predictability and safety for the patient. Digital impressions are allowing for greater accuracy, faster workflows, and a better final product. Plus, digital records allow us to communicate with specialists and patients in a real time manner to maximize treatment goals. Daily we post new products and techniques on Dentalcompare, showcasing our ever evolving profession.
I am thankful to be a practicing dentist with all that we have at our disposal in 2013. The truly exciting part is that the trends are not slowing down, and the learning never stops.
It makes doing this every day that much more exciting.