I want to give a tip every now and then about what makes my job easier. I have found that a couple of extra instruments added to your daily maintenance kits and your SRP kits can make all the difference.
Files are a necessary part to any routine, even if you are a big time ultrasonic user. There are a couple of different names or brands, but I like Hirschfeld Files. They can fit into tight spaces very nicely without extra damage. The can be used to access deep areas without having to completely numb an area. They give you added tactile sensitivity when used with a light touch.
Give yourself or your hygienists a Christmas present and add these or similar files and your patients will like things better.
Showing posts with label hygienists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hygienists. Show all posts
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Doing What is Right
I apologize for being absent from commentary, but been really busy. Today I want to be a bit philosophical so bear with me. I've noticed a lot of things coming up over and over again, not just in dentistry, but in overall life. You see is all on the news about the government issues, politics, war, other countries, oil crisis, personal finance, and everday life.
What I'm talking about is doing the right thing. Now I'm definitely no prince or angel, but I think that it's important to think that we can do better. Think about our lives for a second. We all have strife and we all live in times of trouble and concern. We have worries and needs and wants. But during all of that, can we do what is right.
I've made comments before about keeping it simple. Everything we do should be simple and kept simple. Treating dental disease should be simple. It is really an easy and basic disease to control and treat. If you control the bacteria, you control the disease. If there are no bacteria present, then you will not have periodontal disease or caries. The trick is having others do that on their daily lives.
The financial crisis that we've gotten ourselves into is the same. People got greedy and they wanted more and more. Bankers wanted more things, consumers (us) wanted more things. We overspend on getting the things so we create another problem of credit card debt. It became a complicated mess. Now it's affecting the entire world, because although we live in this country, everything we do matters to the rest of the world.
We've got to get back to basics. We need to take care of our obligations that we've created. We need to fix the problems and not just cover them up with another fancy band-aid. We've got to take care of ourselves first and then take care of those who are less fortunate. The less fortunate list is much bigger than anyone can imagine. We've got to make life simple again.
When I started this dialogue, I wanted to be able to talk about dentistry and life. We need to talk about life and how dentistry can help that life. I'm going to go through tips and observations, but I'm also going to talk about life, because that is the place where everything that we do starts from. Take care!
What I'm talking about is doing the right thing. Now I'm definitely no prince or angel, but I think that it's important to think that we can do better. Think about our lives for a second. We all have strife and we all live in times of trouble and concern. We have worries and needs and wants. But during all of that, can we do what is right.
I've made comments before about keeping it simple. Everything we do should be simple and kept simple. Treating dental disease should be simple. It is really an easy and basic disease to control and treat. If you control the bacteria, you control the disease. If there are no bacteria present, then you will not have periodontal disease or caries. The trick is having others do that on their daily lives.
The financial crisis that we've gotten ourselves into is the same. People got greedy and they wanted more and more. Bankers wanted more things, consumers (us) wanted more things. We overspend on getting the things so we create another problem of credit card debt. It became a complicated mess. Now it's affecting the entire world, because although we live in this country, everything we do matters to the rest of the world.
We've got to get back to basics. We need to take care of our obligations that we've created. We need to fix the problems and not just cover them up with another fancy band-aid. We've got to take care of ourselves first and then take care of those who are less fortunate. The less fortunate list is much bigger than anyone can imagine. We've got to make life simple again.
When I started this dialogue, I wanted to be able to talk about dentistry and life. We need to talk about life and how dentistry can help that life. I'm going to go through tips and observations, but I'm also going to talk about life, because that is the place where everything that we do starts from. Take care!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Be Aggressive!
I think that the majority of people in the world tend to be conservative. No we are not talking about political views, but in everyday life. We are afraid to put it out there or tell the truth when it comes to tough situations. I think dentistry is no different. I know that I tend to shy away from things and go with the easy way for most things.
I think that this does our patients only harm and no good. Think about things from the periodontal perspective. If you have a deep pocket, over 6 mm, and you know from your daily study of the dental literature that you can't get that area clean, but you don't want to hurt the patient or charge them more, you gloss over the area.
Now think about what you've done. You've left a nidus for infection, because the bacteria and the 400 layers of biofilm that exist in that area are still present. But now you've sealed up the top half of the pocket. Now it takes a few days to fester but you've created a periodontal abscess.
Now the patient will be in pain, need antibiotics, and have to see the periodontist, hopefully me. This could have been avoided if you noticed the area, gave a bit of local and scaled out the area with an antibiotic placed, we prefer Arestin.
In this case, being a bit more aggressive would have been the right thing to do and the healthy thing. First do no harm! This is easier for experienced hygienists than newbees, but they'll learn.
I think that this does our patients only harm and no good. Think about things from the periodontal perspective. If you have a deep pocket, over 6 mm, and you know from your daily study of the dental literature that you can't get that area clean, but you don't want to hurt the patient or charge them more, you gloss over the area.
Now think about what you've done. You've left a nidus for infection, because the bacteria and the 400 layers of biofilm that exist in that area are still present. But now you've sealed up the top half of the pocket. Now it takes a few days to fester but you've created a periodontal abscess.
Now the patient will be in pain, need antibiotics, and have to see the periodontist, hopefully me. This could have been avoided if you noticed the area, gave a bit of local and scaled out the area with an antibiotic placed, we prefer Arestin.
In this case, being a bit more aggressive would have been the right thing to do and the healthy thing. First do no harm! This is easier for experienced hygienists than newbees, but they'll learn.
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