Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Feed back from our patients.


This patient did two wisdom teeth surgery with us early on  July 09 , we just found a post on her blog.

Photo below it's her OPG  x-ray before she did surgery.

 

From her blog:

Friday i was on leave to go hospital for my thyroid appointment.
Silly me mix up the timing... i suppose to reach at 945am but i reach at 845am.
I though my appointment is 9am.. stupid me.. go buy a newspaper and read slowly.
The doctor is very nice and really explain every single things to me.
She ask me not to worry as my wan is very small issue.
Just control my temper and relax myself.
re-schedule was done...
4months away from now for scanning and blood test.
That cost me about $200.
Went home to have a nap first...
Dental appointment at 2:30pm to extract two of my wisdom tooth.
Meet up with Gillian for lunch as she working at TANGS.
Have a great lunch.. yummy Pizza Hut with some add on.
2 persons order so much but can't finish it..
Extraction was done at
New Age Cosmetic Dentists
304 Orchard Road #05-42 Lucky Plaza
Tel: 6235 8316
I recommence this clinic, the staff and doctor are very nice..
I was so afraid of the pain, they keep talking to me in the
process and make sure i wont feel any pain.
The right tooth was really very fast but the left side is too
deep spend about 45mins to extract it.
Everything was fine... just the sewing part make me freak out..
I can feel the string going out and in again... faint
Lot of blood... but i don't feel any pain is still numb, the bleed stop about 1hour later.
I can start feeling the pain and swollen..
Only can take porridge or soup.. i cant chew anything.
I only can brush my front roll of my teeth's and
use the mouth wash to clean my other teeth's.
Finally i did the extraction after 1 year of nagging.
Total was $1,200.00 to extract both teeth's, all deductible by Medisave.


by Joanne

http://itsmylifejournal.blogspot.com/search/label/amanda

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Chrome Denture From S$500

Stronger & More Functional Dentures

 
 
Acrylic dentures are not the best type of prosthesis for anyone, dentist or patient.  Except for the rare, cynical grouch who is constantly in denial, no patient who has swapped his acrylic dentures for a set of shiny chrome dentures has ever regretted it. Chrome dentures are similar to acrylic dentures except in the base or framework of the prosthesis.
The teeth and "gums" used in a chrome denture are no different from those used in acrylic dentures. However, chrome, being much stronger than acrylic, allows a slimmer and sleeker design of the denture base. Not only can the base be thinner, it can also cover a smaller area of the mouth. Higher accuracy also provides a better fit. It's not surprising that in most cases, chrome dentures are superior to their acrylic equivalents. If function and durability are what you want in a denture, then go straight for chrome dentures.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Which dental implant brands is suitable for you?

When you have a missing  tooth , you wish to do a replacement by implant.  Do you know, what the dental implant brands are you prefer?


Many patients are very confuse about which the system implants is suitable for them, how much does is cost?


In Singapore , there are have more than 10 system  implants

Nobel Biocare


Nobel Biocare made in Sweden .
The cost about  $5000 - $8000.



to be continue...


.

Cost of Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)


 


Root Canal treatment available at my dental clinic.

Know more about root canal.



Our teeth are actually very tough and well-protected structures. The outermost layer is enamel - the hardest known organic substance. The next layer is bone-like dentine and further down, is the highly sensitive pulp which is made up of blood vessels and nerves. 

It is the pulp that is responsible for conveying symptoms of sensitivity when a tooth is decayed or worn down by abrasive forces or acidic foods. It was also cells in the pulp that laid down the enamel and dentine during the formation of the tooth when we were babies. Once the tooth has fully formed, the pulp shrinks down and serves the sole purpose of forming secondary dentine as the tooth wears down. The older the tooth, the thicker the dentine layer and the smaller the pulp becomes as it closes in on itself. Arguably, the pulp serves little function (except to warn us that our tooth has decayed) after the tooth is fully formed and "matured". The inside of the tooth does not need a blood supply anymore. The surrounding alveolar bone and periodontal ligaments are the structures that hold the tooth in its socket, not the pulp. In fact, in many cases, the pulp is a liability. 

Being the sensitive tissue that it is, the pulp sends out strong signals to the brain when it is irritated. If the source of irritation is removed quickly enough, the pulp will stop sending signals and the individual sleeps well again. But if the source of irritation is not removed or if it's removed too late, the pulp may suffer irreversible damage. The signal the pulp sends out becomes continuous and unbearable. We call this condition acute pulpitis. 



 Keep your teeth before will too late,  root canal treatment starts from $250 - $750 . (The price included  PA X-ray, No GST, No consumables fee)  

Friday, September 25, 2009

Whiten you teeth with out laser

 


Fast-acting take home kit: S$400 (with amorphous calcium phosphate)
(includes customised trays & 3 tubes of 9.5% hydrogen peroxide gel with ACP)

 Ready in 45 minutes; not 1 week
 
Gel refills: S$150 per set for fast acting, low sensitivity gel.
Chairside bleaching (no laser) + maintenance kit S$800
(includes 2x 1-hr sessions) + maintenance trays and gel

 
Touch up/maintenance refills S$150
(includes 4 tubes of 9.5% hydrogen peroxide gel)

 
Tray replacement S$50 each, S$90 per set (for patients on record only)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Mini Implants

I recently received a question on mini implants and let me take this opportunity to highlight one of the many differences between mini and standard implants.
The patient had mini implants placed in his front lower jaw recently. A bridge was constructed and the patient felt uncomfortable because the bridge seemed to be pushing against his tongue. What could be the cause for this problem?
I have not seen the patient, but I would guess that the implants were placed quite far back on the ridge of his lower jaw due to the lack of bone. Of course, with standard implants, the dentist would need to do the same. However, most standard implants come in 2 pieces - the implant/fixture and the abutment while mini implants always come in one piece. The abutment is part of the fixture.


When a standard implant is not placed in ideal position - for instance it’s placed close to the tongue, an angled or slanted abutment can be connected to correct the inclination. With most mini implant systems, this is not possible as the abutment is always in line with the fixture.
Patients who opt for mini implants in situations where ideal implant placement is difficult or impossible are putting themselves at risk of an uncomfortable, non-functioning or unaesthetic restoration.
Having said that, I do use some “mini implants” myself. However, these implants are not that mini. The smallest I would use is a 2.5mm diameter implant. Normally, I would go for the 3.1mm which is hardly a mini implant. The advantage of the system I’m using is that the abutment can be bent into position if the fixture is not in an ideal alignment.

This simulates the use of an angled or slanted abutment to correct any alignment issues. Do bear in mind that all mini implants and standard implants that come in one fixture/abutment unit cannot have their alignment corrected after placement.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Cost of Titanium Denture





This is Full Titanium Denture  (front view)






Many people who use titanium spectacle frames will be familiar with the lightness of this very strong metal. Considerably more expensive than chrome, titanium is much lighter and hence more suitable for the construction of full upper plates. The above denture, made with a titanium base, has the strength of a chrome denture and the weight of an acrylic denture. Titanium dentures are suitable for patients who want a strong metal-based denture that feels as light as plastic.  So if you are thinking to change or make a new denture , you can consider Titanium Denture.


Cost Estimation
Titanium Denture From S$1000.

What is cosmetic dentistry?





Q. What is cosmetic dentistry?
A. Cosmetic dentistry is the art and science of altering a person's existing tooth colour, form or alignment to achieve a condition that best matches an aesthetic norm.
 
Q. Is cosmetic dentistry a dental specialty?
A. No. There is no such dental specialty. Nevertheless, there is plenty of scope for the practice of cosmetic dentistry in the various dental specialties like prosthodontics and periodontology. However, cosmetic dentistry is very much an art. How good a cosmetic dentist one is depends a lot on his eye for aesthetics and his ability to improvise or think out of the box. Many tricks of the trade are not taught in dental school.
 
Q. What is intravenous sedation?
A. This is not a dental procedure and we will call in an anaesthetist to administer a drug through a vein in the patient's hand. The patient then goes into a deep sleep while the dental procedure is carried out. The patient recovers in minutes after the drug is stopped.
 
Q. What is your most common cosmetic procedure?
A. Our most common cosmetic procedure is bleaching or tooth whitening followed by crown repositioning or "instant orthodontics".
 
Q. What is your most common gum surgery procedure?
A. We often do gingivectomy to recontour red and puffy gums which almost cover up the teeth. We also do some crown lengthening procedures to expose teeth and eliminate gummy smiles. For more complex procedures, we call in our periodonic colleagues.
 
Q. Are implants the best way to replace missing teeth?
A. Like all treatment modalities, implants have their advantages and disadvantages. Unless your bone condition is ideal, implant supported crowns and bridges will not give a superior cosmetic result without extensive preconditioning surgery. If function is your main concern, implants will probably satisfy you better than other restorations. Restoring flattened jaw bones cosmetically with implant bridges can be a major challenge. The success rate for implants in the upper jaw is considerably lower than that for the lower jaw. The time taken for implant restoration is also relatively long. Of course, the costs are significantly higher than other forms of tooth replacement. Do remember that implants do not necessarily need to go with fixed restorations like crowns and bridges. Implant stabilised dentures may be a better option in some of the non-ideal cases.
 
Q. Can general practitioners do implants?
A. Implants are composed of the fixture (surgical) and the restoration (crown/bridge/denture). Traditionally, the fixture was done by the oral surgeon while the restoration was done by the prosthodontist. Nowadays, implant courses are available to all GPs. Our colleagues who are OMS (oral maxillofacial surgery) specialists agree that most dental implants can be placed by experienced GPs. At New Age Cosmetic Dentists, we have successfully handled simple to challenging surgical cases.
 
Q. Is implant dentistry part of cosmetic dentistry?
A. Unfortunately, many implant restoration cases are often not as ideally asesthetic as we want them to be. Aesthetic implant restorations often require a very lucky patient or very complex gum and bone grafting procedures.
 
Q. How safe am I from getting AIDS from the clinic ?
A. Contrary to what many people may think, HIV is not a hardy organism at all. Strong detergents are known to destroy it. However, we're not taking any chances, especially with spore-forming viruses like hepatitis B. We autoclave all our metal instruments at 132oC under steam pressure for 5 minutes. Instruments for invasive procedures are sealed in plastic envelopes during sterilisation. We cut them open when they are needed. Needles, gloves and other plastic instruments are used only once.
 
Q. Do you do braces?
A. Braces form an important component in cosmetic dentistry. Unfortunately, our centre is basically a one-man practice and Dr Chan does not have time to master orthodontics. However, we have teamed up with our orthodontic colleagues to be able to recommend practitioners who will suit our patients' budget or style.
 
Q. Do you treat children?
A. Our clinic does not specilaise in paedodontics. We are only able to treat co-operative children.
 
Q. Do you treat wheelchair bound patients?
A. We can handle most wheelchair bound patients who are able to co-operate. We do not charge extra fees.
 
Q. Do you follow special protocols for amalgam removal?
A. Even though we are a 100% amalgam free clinic, we do not believe in the amalgam toxicity to the same extent as some practices in the US. We simply remove our amalgams with high speed water spray and high vacuum suction. Some revolutionary practitioners in the US have insisted that the patient be "spacesuited" and given a separate air supply, followed by megadoses of "patented" detoxifying nutrients before and after treatment. We do not go to such extents.
 

Q. Why are my emails not replied?
A. There may be a lot of information on this site, but please note that we are a serious, hands-on, bricks and mortar business. This website is meant only to provide basic information and to serve communication purposes. We welcome serious enquiries pertaining to any specific problem that any patient or potential patient may have. We look forward to meeting the enquirer in person for examination and treatment planning. Please note that we are not just a free information centre. Our clinical duties take top priority and in the process of replying numerous emails, we may not have time to entertain enquirers who have no intention of visiting us. If you need much more general information than what you managed to find here, please check out the American Dental Association website, buy some dental books from Amazon.com or check out your local library.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Complete Implant Restoration, Osstem implant starts from $300/-


Why wait if you can afford it? We are a one-stop implant restoration centre, performing each step from surgery to final restoration under one roof and the same pair of hands. 



A stock of OsstemTM GS II dental implants ready for placement anytime. This is the most popular implant system at our centre at this moment. It is an affordable Korean system that works well even under difficult situations.



A stock of OsstemTM MS "mini" dental implants ready for placement anytime. This is the lowest priced system we have. We have successfully restored many lower front teeth with them.

 


We have our very own OsstemTM GS II implant surgical kit.



We have our very own OsstemTM MS implant surgical kit.


OUR OSSTEM PATIENT




There is adequate bone width on the mandible, thanks to the torus mandibularis.
We managed to place 3 implants.



1 month after surgery.  The lower implants have been loaded with temporary crowns.



2 months post op. We did a screw-retained bridge for his lower.

to be continue.....


Friday, September 18, 2009

Gengi Gel with Hyaluronan


What's Gengigel ?
Gengigel is an innovative product providing long acting biotechnologically manufactured hyaluronan of High Molecular Weight. 

When you need Gengigel?
Gengigel is for localised oral in flammation help heal and maintain naturally like bleeding gums, sore or damaged tissue, tooth extraction sites, wisdom tooth surgery, crown lengthening and dental implant.

Cost of sleeping Implants.

When you lose a tooth, you don't just lose a tooth. Bone surrounding the tooth will shrivel away as it becomes redundant.  And bone is everything in dental implantology. The longer you delay implant treatment, the more your bone will shrink, complicating implant surgery and restoration in the future. It's a pity that many patients have been unable to have implants placed soon after they had their teeth extracted due to various personal reasons and economic conditions.




When these people are finally ready to restore their lost teeth, these teeth may have been missing for many years. Bone deficiency may result in painful, complicated surgery and a high risk of implant failure which advanced practitioners are so familiar with.
What is the best way to prevent your precious bone from melting away like an ice cube? You place an implant into that spot within 2 months after extraction. In some cases, we can even insert the implant on the day of the extraction. That implant can stay sleeping underneath your gums until you are ready to restore it. 

How much does that cost you? Just $300 in cold cash. 

No, we're not kidding. For implant surgery, you can pay up to $900 from your Medisave account. We take a total of $1200, so you only pay $300 in cash. When you are ready to restore the implant (after graduation, landing a job etc), we can restore it for you for $1800. Or if you want another dentist to restore it, we wouldn't mind either. We just don't want people to lose their precious bone simply because they can't afford implants at a certain time in their lives. 



Please note that if you choose to have another dentist restore your implants, we will take no responsibility for the outcome of the restoration.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Eat safety today

Once  time I read the health magazine  and they talking about what are we eating?
It's look very simple but not simple ....(Why?)


Did you know that French fries and potato chips may be doing more than just clogging your arteries and adding useless calories?

A peer-reviewed study of acrylamide levels in these foods suggests that it is present in dangerous levels.  Acrylamide is a know carcinogen and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures.  The tests conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) on some popular brands of french fries and chips found that the acrylamide in fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency(ERA) in a glass of water.

In addition, this food contained trans fats (artery-clogging fat that's been linked to raising bad cholesterol and lowering the good kind) that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.



"I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in americans,"  said Clark University  research Professor Dale Hattis, in response to this study.

by ezyhealth&beauty
to be continue......

Monday, September 14, 2009

Secret in Hollywood smile.



Have you ever wondered why almost every hunk or babe in the TV series Baywatch had such glistening white teeth? Well, of course no one would have paid too much attention to Pamela Anderson’s teeth, but the worst kept secret in Hollywood is, they all had their teeth bleached. That pearly white, “starry” smile used to be called the Hollywood smile. And it used to cost thousands of US$. Not anymore. The Hollywood smile has descended to the realm of mere mortals. Not only is tooth whitening readily available in dental practices all over the developed world, the cost for the procedure, like the US$, had come tumbling down.


The Bleaching Conspiracy?
The moment tooth whitening became a mass market thing, something unfortunate happened. Marketing efforts by various manufacturers of dentrifices churned out an array of relatively cheap whitening gels, pastes and liquids which gave consistently poor results. One TV ad even said that with their product, nobody would ever need to pay their dentist hundreds of dollars for whiter teeth. Hardly any one of those products is still being sold in Singapore. Why were these products ineffective? Because the strength of peroxide (the active ingredient in bleaching gels) in them is too low. Meanwhile, at the dentist’s office, fanciful “laser whitening” procedures were performed. These procedures seemed to work very well, but within days, the teeth started yellowing again. In the end, they only worked marginally better than the OTC products but cost many times more.
Back in the good old days (20 years ago) dentists were taught that only non-vital, root canal treated teeth could be bleached. In those days, we would open up the pulp chambers of non-vital teeth, place hydrogen peroxide into the chamber and then, heat up the potent solution with a hot instrument. The whitening effect came fast and was very effective. Every science student can tell you that heating up hydrogen peroxide will cause it to decompose into oxygen and water. It’s the heat that speeds up the process and release whitening oxygen into the microscopic pores in the inside of the teeth.
Then, vital bleaching hit the market not long after I first started practising. Suppliers started telling us that even vital teeth which have not been root canal treated can be bleached with peroxide gel applied on the outer, non-porous surface of the tooth. It didn’t sound probable, but the “magic light” suspended our disbelief.
Fanciful light equipment like plasma arc lights, LED lamps, lasers etc burned holes through many a dentist’s pocket. It turned out that many dentists have either forgotten their basic sciences or somehow decided to go along with the suppliers’ marketing strategy. Light does not activate peroxide decomposition. Not plasma arc light and definitely not LED light which is cool. It’s heat that does it, so perhaps laser does work, but we can’t use heat on vital teeth or we’ll kill them. As far as bleaching is concerned, a safe, non-heat-generating light is a useless light.
Not only were some of these equipment bulky and expensive to rent, the hype generated by aggressive marketing tactics resulted in unrealistic expectations on the part of both dentists and their trusting patients who have paid about S$900 to S$1200 for mediocre results.
Tooth whitening with carbamide peroxide has been around for almost as long as I’ve been practising dentistry. However, very few dentists had their bleaching products flying off the shelves. I was curious enough to have tried out a wide range of products, encountered almost every kind of tooth discolouration and after countless complaints and praises, I more or less figured out some of the realities of tooth whitening. It’s not magic. It works for the majority of people but the degree of whitening varies from individual to individual. It doesn’t work for just anybody. Maybe that’s why not every lifeguard you see below is smiling. And the expensive, fanciful equipment are a big rip-off.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Frequently Asked Questions


Q. What is cosmetic dentistry? 

A. Cosmetic dentistry is the art and science of altering a person's existing tooth colour, form or alignment to achieve a condition that best matches an aesthetic norm. 

Q. Is cosmetic dentistry a dental specialty? 

A. No. There is no such dental specialty. Nevertheless, there is plenty of scope for the practice of cosmetic dentistry in the various dental specialties like prosthodontics and periodontology. However, cosmetic dentistry is very much an art. How good a cosmetic dentist one is depends a lot on his eye for aesthetics and his ability to improvise or think out of the box. Many tricks of the trade are not taught in dental school.

Ask about Dental Implant

 
hannah  ask :
There are basically two types of implants. Those that are placed on the jaw bone, but under the gums, and those that fit into the jawbone similar to the root of a natural tooth. Each type offers solid, non–mobile support for replacement teeth which act and feel like natural teeth. Since both types are attached to your jawbone they can provide distinct advantages over traditional methods of replacing missing teeth.

• Implants restore proper chewing function and so you can enjoy foods previously too “Difficult” to eat.
• You feel confident that your replacement teeth won’t move or loosen.
• You regain the closest thing to the look, feel and function of your natural teeth.
• Throw away those sticky adhesives.
• Forget about unsightly partial denture clasps which place damaging pressure on remaining natural teeth.
• Eliminate irritated and painful gums.
• Improve your speech by eliminating or reducing the “Fullness” of full or partial dentures.
• Replace missing teeth with the look and feel of natural teeth without having to “Cut down” healthy teeth.
• Dental implants help stop the progressive bone loss and shrinkage of your jawbone by “Mimicking” the    roots of natural teeth.
• Dental implants are clinically proven with a success rate in excess of 90%.

Admin reply :
 
Dentists must be careful that “commercials” like the one above will set patient expectations very high. When things don’t turn out right, the dentist involved will have a lot of questions to answer.
Implants are indeed the ultimate way to replace missing teeth - provided conditions are favourable. Many patients who wish to have their missing teeth restored with implants are not ideal implant candidates.

If you have any required e-mail to us at  poohfa@hotmail.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The young actress decieded to do treatment @ My clinic.

This young actress chipped her front tooth.  Even though there was no nerve exposure, she decided to do root canal treatment followed by an emax crown.

We explained the options to her. Both bonding and veneers will increase the bulk of the tooth and ma...ke it look even more protruding.

By doing root canal, cutting back the tooth and then rebuilding it, we can effectively reposition the tooth and make it look straight.

 
The right central incisor looks short because it is protruding. it is also chipped at the corner.

 
The lateral incisor was a little instanding. As the patient has budget constraints. We did a little bonding to bring out the lateral incisor. Root canal is done on the protruding incisor.

 
Another view. The left central incisor was also bondedso that all 3 teeth will look harmonised when the protruding tooth is crowned.

 
An emax crown has been fitted. Check the alignment.

 
She'll look even better if the 2 adjacent teeth are laminated with Empress veneers. bonding has its limitations.

 
As the finishing for the emax and bonding can be quite different, the patient is advised to have veneers on her other 2 teeth.

 

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Cost of Full Ceramic Crowns.

Everyone who has had an angry member of the family thrown a porcelain plate at him will raise an eyebrow when told that his crown is going to be made with porceelain. In the past, porcelain had to be backed with a metal core if the crown is to last more than a couple of years in function. These crowns were known as porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns. While they were strong and lasted for many years, PFM crowns posed aesthetic challenges. This is because metal will impart an ugly greyish colour to porcelain. To mask this greyish colour, an opaque layer must be painted on the metal. This is why many PFM crowns look flat. Light does not penetrate it like it does a natural tooth. A black line also appears at the gum margin after a while as wear and tear sets in.
Of course, there were patients who insisted on having metal-free crowns. Full porcelain jacket crowns (PJC) were done, but these crowns never lasted for than a few years as unreinforced porcelain just isn’t strong enough to withstand chewing forces.
Some years back, a new material called Empress came into the market. Like glass, Empress can be made to mimic the translucency of natural teeth. Like glass which can be made bullet proof, Empress can be made stronger than conventional porcelain. The fracture strength is about 200MPa. In spite of the increased strength, many Empress crowns and bridges fractured within a few years.
About 4 years ago, the same manufacturer that gave us Empress brought in a new, improved material called emax. Just as aesthetic as Empress, emax is even stronger, with a strength of 400MPa. With emax around, there is now no reason to make PJCs or PFMs for front teeth.
The patient wants to straighten his lateral incisors
The teeth to be rearranged were trimmed down
Completed emax crowns fitted. Teeth look straighter now.
 

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Asian Beauty

Some eye candy to sweeten things up a bit.


My way.

Somebody said that it isn’t fair for me to just reject people suffering from information overload. I’ve got to show people how I handle information overload.  The information overload coming from the mailbox is easy to take care off. There is a nice row of recycling bins lying between Tangs and Lucky Plaza. Sometimes, a look at the envelope can help me decide whether it’s better off in the recycling bin.
As for information overload from the internet, that’s even easier to switch off. I sometimes do a “negative search”. What’s that? When a salesperson comes to me with a new product … let’s call it Bestooth. I’ll listen to what the salesman has to say, then I go online and enter “Bestooth sucks”. I’ll see all the negative reviews. Of course, some of these negative reviews are written by idiots who have axes to grind. But not that many idiots have the time to grind them. What if I miss out on an opportunity to try an excellent product? My experience in dental practice tells me that exisiting materials and instruments are quite adequate for almost all procedures that are performed in any regular dental practice like mine. New is not always good. Just take a look at the new nano composites. Expensive and no big deal at all. Give me good old microhybrid any day.
A few years back, I attended a continuing education course where the speaker compared several brands of of adhesives in the lab. The conclusion, a certain brand (the one his company is selling) came up top in all the tests. But what is the significance? I have used the worst performing adhesive (according to his tests) and it has worked well in most cases. I have used his brand of adhesive (proven to be the best) and a few cases didn’t turn out well. So which is the best one of them all? I have no answer. But that does not mean that I don’t know which ahesive to use. They all work well with the proper technique! The trouble is, when a patient asks me which adhesive is best, he/she may be expecting the answer that will show that I know what I’m doing?
We dentists are all bound by the system. We have no choice but to get involved in continuing education. This puts us at great risk of information overload. The way to prevent this overload is simple. Just switch off. It takes a little practice to know when to sign in for points and then just switch off, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.
The patient who has overdone his/her research and listened to 100 opinions too many should understand that it’s more than sufficient to read up on some basics, enough to choose a good dentist. Once a dentist has been chosen, one should probably stop asking others for their opinions. I get rather cross when someone under another dentist’s care wants me to comment on a colleague’s management of the case halfway through the treatment. Interestingly, some patients get rather cross when they get different treatment plans from different dentists. They expect all dentists to handle a case in exactly the same way. The truth of the matter is, there is no single “best” way to treat a patient. By seeking different opinions, these patients are generating their own information overload. Shop by all means, but if you drop, then it’s your own fault.
Life is short and I think we can all do with a little more sleep.