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An article by Dr. Rajen M. in Current News tells us that in 1900, a dentist named Dr. Weston Price saw a decline in the health of his young patients and came to believe that the downward spiral had a direct correlation with process foods. After studying 14 tribes who ate primitive (unprocessed) foods over […]

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Palm announced today the launch of the Treo 755p for the Verizon network. The device is available immediately via Verizon’s site and will be available for purchase in the carrier’s brick-and-mortar locations on January 7th. The blue-green Treo 755p features a sleeker design than its predecessor, an internal antennae, a higher-resolution color touchscreen, and a full QWERTY keyboard. The device also has a 1.3-megapixel camera, Microsoft Word and Excel editing capabilities, and the ability to view PDF and PowerPoint files.
Gearlog – Gadget Guide by Geeks for Geeks [1].

[1] http://www.gearlog.com/

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This is not just about technology but has important implications for dentistry.

A new buzzword entered the medical lexicon in 1992 when the Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group published one of the first articles on the phenomenon in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In the years since, the role that evidence-based medicine (EBM) plays in medical care has increased exponentially. Some now question whether it should play such a prominent role.
TCS Daily – Evidence-Based Medicine vs. Patients [1].

[1] http://tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=120407A

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A recent study in Norway found that patients tend to think more highly of their smiles than dentists do. The project took 78 patients in the 50-year-old range and asked them to rate their smiles on a visual analog scale (VAS). The patients were not seeking cosmetic dental care at the time. After the patients […]

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D-Link Slashing Prices of 802.11n Routers to under $50? 
According to DigiTimes, D-Link is in the process of slicing the price of its entry-level 802.11n routers to under $50. Those sort of price cuts may be hard to believe, but a quick search of Google turned up an indication that prices are indeed heading south: the DIR-615 Wireless-N router can be purchased from PC Connection for $59.95, and at TigerDirect for $59.99. (Both are fairly well-regarded shopping sites, but be sure and check ResellerRatings to help determine if a cheap price is too good to be true.) I don’t believe PC Magazine has reviewed the DIR-615, but the DIR-625 is being sold for about $75 on TigerDirect, where it has received some nice reviews. Stepping up to the DIR-655 will cost you about $130 at NewEgg, but it will also buy you a router that won a PC Magazine Editors’ Choice award. Keep in mind that any router labeled with a “draft-N” moniker is probably going to be cleared from inventory for marketing purposes before the final standard is ratified next year.
Gearlog – Gadget Guide for Geeks by Geeks – View More [1].

[1] http://www.gearlog.com/default.php?p=15

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John Naisbitt the author of the famous book Megatrends coined the phrase “High Tech-High Touch”. Naisbitt noted that people really do like High Tech. That is they like the excitement, the change, the novelty, the speed and rapid access to information, they like new and innovative ways of doing things. But they don’t like being turned in to a number or “digitized”. If they perceive that technology is taking over, if the technology is more important than they are, then high tech back lash results.
The challenge, according to Naisbitt, is to provide the high tech innovation people want and businesses need and at the same time to provide the personal high touch relationships people demand.
Dentistry is a perfect example of a High Tech-High Touch profession. Dental patients really do want their dentist to be up to date, using the latest and best methods. They want and even expect their dentist to be state of the art, cutting edge techno perfect. And yet at the same time what most of them want even more is a personal one on one relationship with their dentist. They crave high touch.
The computer knows when all the appointments are scheduled but it doesn’t know not to schedule the current wife, the ex-wife and the girlfriend all at the same time. The computer knows the balance due but it doesn’t know to ask about the when the next grandchild is due.
The point is technology for its own sake has no value. Technology only has value when it solves a human problem, when it enhances the practice. Always start by examining the human system, what are we doing now? Then look at how technology can make it better.

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To get an understanding of what makes cone beam ct (Also known as CBVT; Cone Beam Volumetric Tomography) different imagine that you are Superman. Superman of course has x-ray vision. As Superman you could stand beside Lois Lane and focus your x-ray vision on her lower 1st molar and view an image of the tooth that is similar to a traditional radiograph. Now imagine that as Superman you can fly around Lois and view her molar from any angle; from the lingual from the mesial even straight up from the root tips. That (and more) is what cone Beam CT allows us to do.

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The article "I Want to Do the Big Cases!" by Gary M. DeWood, DDS, an Ohio Dentist, in Dental Economics (Nov 2007) is a wonderful self-evaluation piece in which a dentist with big aspirations finds a golden nugget among life’s stony stream: "It’s not about me!" And while this is an important life lesson kin […]

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In our office, we have SmileVision in the waiting room playing on a loop, and we also use CAESY sometimes. I’ve heard from some of my peers that CAESY’s new version is great. Knowledgeable employees are invaluable, too, for patient ed. I prefer to use digital photography for the bulk of patient education in my […]

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Are you buying any new equipment in the new year? You may want to review the DPR article and stats on what tools dentists own and what they’re buying. Also, it’s a good idea to consider a five key factors before investing in new equipment: ROI – Return on Investment… Does your practice do enough […]

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