Chairside Emergencies Happen - Is Your Dentist Prepared?

It isn't a common occurrence, necessarily.  But it does happen.  Medical emergencies in the dental chair can't always be prevented but the risks can be drastically reduced if the patient and the doctor are completely transparent and open with each other about illnesses, medication and health history. All dentists have at least some training for medical emergency treatment, however in addition he/she should have at least one staff member trained in CPR, and have an emergency plan in place which includes emergency phone numbers, a defibrillator, medications on hand and procedures to stop bleeding, etc. He should take your blood pressure reading and heart rate prior to treatment, and again after treatment. If administering general anesthesia, he should be anesthesia certified. Some states issue separate licenses for anesthesia. Always make sure he is certified, or that he has a certified anesthesiologist on staff!
 
That said, here are some helpful suggestions for the patient to remember when having a procedure done:

• Disclose all medications that you take daily, even if it is just an aspirin or something over the counter. 
• If you have ever had high blood pressure, let the dentist know!
• If you suffer from acute anxiety, say so!  Many dentists cater to the anxious patient. Things can be done to help you with that. 
• If you are pregnant, let him know!
• If you have allergies to medications, let him know! 
• If you have taken anything prior to your visit for relaxation....a sedative, an alcoholic beverage, marijuana....seriously, he needs this information. Many people will do this before a visit and not disclose it thinking it won't pose a problem. The dentist isn't going to judge you, but he is going to treat you and there is a serious liability factor involved, especially when it comes to anesthesia, so don't hold anything back!  

The medical history of the patient is the single most helpful thing for a dentist to have before treatment begins.  Your honesty is imperative.  He cannot effectively manage your treatment plan without this knowledge!

Keep Smiling!

Is There An Appropriate Retirement Age For Dentists?

"I just realized my dentist is older than dirt! Shouldn't he retire?"  "Is it safe to see a dentist that is well past retirement age?'  

These are some of the questions I have been asked recently.  The answers are complicated.      

The average age in the U.S for a dentist to retire is 68 years, according to a study done in 2017.  That said, I have known dentists who have continued to work into their seventies.  

Following the recession in 2008, many dentists were actually forced out of retirement.  With the continued volatility of todays market in 2022, many have no choice but to work. However, many dentists simply love the work....and the income!  

There is no guideline for when a dentist should retire.  If he is able to practice at age 74, then bravo!  Many will continue to practice but at a diminished capacity, sticking to the simpler procedures.  

If you have doubts or are skeptical about getting treatment by an elderly dentist, you can always contact your local Board of Dental Examiners to see if there are any recent complaints or if his/her license is restricted.  Most often, though, they are able to perform just as well as they ever did.  Chalk that up to experience! 

Keep Smiling!

Soft Bristle vs Medium Bristle Toothbrush

When you go to store to buy a new toothbrush, the dilemma begins. What kind of brush do you buy? Soft bristle, Medium Bristle, Extra Soft? So many choices!! Well, the answer is quite simple. First off, just know that the hard bristle brushes that could almost double as bbq grill cleaner are few and far between and harder to find anymore. For most people, the soft brush is good fit, but let's compare them so you can decide for yourself.

Soft Bristle: This is what the majority of people will use. The bristles are firm enough to effectively clean your teeth and loosen anything that is stuck in your teeth as well. The soft bristles are designed to be easy on your gum line and will reduce the chance of getting cuts.

Medium Bristle: The need for a medium brush is rare. First, if you have sensitivity in your gum you will want to stay away for it so you can avoid irritation. This is a good fit for someone who is a "soft brusher". Which means if the pressure you put on your brush is really light, then the medium bristles will counteract that.

Extra-Soft: This brush is key for people that has sensitive teeth and gums. The bristles are soft enough to avoid irritation.

Make sure that you consult with your dentist on which brush they recommended for you!

Don't just go to specialist, wait to get a referral.

While talking to customers on the phone I have noticed an interesting trend. Patients are going to a specialist to get work done without seeking a referral from their general dentist first. There is an assumption our there that if a root canal is needed that you need to go to an endodontist to get it done. Some are going to a periodontist to get routine style cleanings and others are automatically setting appointments with oral surgeons to get an extraction done.

I admire their proactiveness, but if you are doing this than you may be paying more that you may need to. A general dentist is capable of doing a lot more that people think. If you need dental work done, your first stop should be your general dentist. Let them examine you, advise you and plan your treatment with. If they feel that a specialist is necessary or the best course of action for your dental health, then let them tell you that make the referral. Then you can go the specialist to get it done.

Give the general dentist the first look. If they can do the treatment themselves then you will save a lot more money.

Are Dentist Online Reviews Really Accurate?

Tonight, while monitoring the 24 phone line, I received a call from a member who wanted to inform me that he was not going to renew his plan. I assume, by the annoyance in his voice, that he was just hoping to voice his concern to the voicemail system instead of me. So I asked him why he was choosing to not continue with our plan and the response I got seem to set me back a little. He said "ALL of the dentist on your plan suck, I looked all of them up online and everyone of them had nothing but bad reviews" and then proceeded to tell me how we should take the time to check out our dentists before we just put them on the plan. Trying to avoid sounding defensive, I explained our credentialing procedures to him and how we visit our dentists every 4-6 weeks, but he didn't care. In fact, I was informed that I should "Actually do some research online and look them up, because that's what everyone else does" and the hung up on me. Now, I am not writing this blog to complain about an annoyed customer who bothered me at 1:00am. I am writing this blog address the issue of online reviews. Now, I am nowhere near naive to believe that this particular person actually went and looked up all  300+ dentists on the plan and checked for online reviews, but apparently the few that he did look at had nothing but bad reviews and that was enough for him to classify that all dentist on our plan..."suck". (Side note.. the dentist on our plan are the same ones that take all of the major insurances too).

So this leads me to the question.. Are dentist online reviews really accurate? I have no doubt that the legitimate reviews whether negative or positive is a true indication of how that a customer feels. However, the majority of the reviews out there on all of the major sites are very one sided, mostly negative and most likely posted at the time that their emotions are running high. Furthermore, if/when the situation is resolved, the review is rarely removed or updated to reflect the positive outcome.

Let me give you an example. I read this review on Yelp! that was posted by a patient, for a dentist that is in our network. The patient is not a member of our plan. The review, verbatim, went something like this:

(1 STAR) "I went to Dr _____ today. I waited 20 minutes to be seen. Then they wanted to shoot all of these xrays. I just had xrays taken a year ago. Then the dentist looked in my mouth for less then 5 minutes and told me I have 4 cavities. I brush my teeth 3x per day. I don't have cavities. Don't go to this guy, he is just trying to rip you off".

Now, if I judged by just reading this review I would probably never step foot in this dentist's office. However, I happen to know this dentist personally and I know a few things about dentistry. So my interpretation of this review goes like this:

A 15-20 minute wait in a dental office is pretty standard. If the xrays are a year old, then yes they are going to want to shoot more. A lot can happen to your mouth in 1 year. The dentist really doesn't need to take more that 5 minutes to examine your mouth because with the advancement in xray technology, he can see more on the screen and plus he knows what he is looking for. Lastly, I don't care if you brush your teeth 6x per day, cavities happen. Furthermore, there is not a lot of money in fillings, so I doubt he was trying to rip you off.

Online reviews are not always what they seem. The power of the internet and the ability to post any inane thought about a business for any reason with no recourse from the company is an unfair advantage to consumer and one that can hurt a business. Restaurants have closed because of reviews that were posted by people who couldn't correctly boil an egg, yet they are expert enough to review about the lack of seasoning in their spaghetti. At Savon, we once had daughter a former member tag us in a tweet saying "Don't get this plan, they are very rude and unprofessional". Now the actual story goes, that this young lady called the office, yelled, screamed and cursed at one of our team members and was not given the refund that she wanted for a plan that wasn't even hers. In return, we get the negative review for this young lady's rudeness. Was it fair to us? No it wasn't. In the interest of professionalism we declined to respond to her tweet.

My point is this. There is a saying in life that goes like this: "You can't please everyone". Unfortunately, it is the ones that you can't please that will go write a review and bash you for it. That is the main reason why you see reviews that are generally negative. Even more so when it comes to a dentist office. I have never read a review that says "She cleaned my teeth really good". The majority of them are negative and more so if the dentist recommended work because then that patient is being told something that they do not want to hear.

Ladies and Gentleman, I STRONGLY advise everyone to check out the dental center that you want to go to. I am in no way trying to deter you from doing so. However, if your method for doing so is by looking at the 2 or 3 reviews that they have on yelp, then you are not getting enough information to make an educated decision. There are so many more places that you can check. The Arizona Board Of Dental Examiners, The Better Business Bureau, Health Grades and the American Dental Association just to name a few. Wherever you go to check them out, just make sure that you are giving them a fair chance.

Dental Patients: Don't Be Afraid To Ask Questions

Just about everyday I get a call from one of our members that has questions about the work that dentist recommended. It is not that they are necessarily questioning the work that has been advised, more times than not it is a case where the patient is confused as to what the dentist wants to do. More times that not my response is "Have you asked your dentist about this?". Surprisingly, the majority of the time the answer is "no". After a while, it started to make me wonder what the apprehension is to ask to the dentist, so I started to ask about it. Here are some of the reason that I have been given.

1. I don't want to offend the dentist.
2. I don't want to make the think I am questioning his ability.
3. I don't want to waste the dentist's time.
4. I was too embarrassed

These are just a few of the ones that I have heard. Whatever your reason is for not asking questions it is something that I would strongly advise that you overcome and just ask the questions. It is no different than when you are talking to your general doctor. When you are discussing whatever treatment that they want to do, I am willing to bet that the majority of you ask questions and explore options. It no different with dental work. The work that is being done to your mouth is important to your health and at times can be a rather large investment. Ultimately the decision of what treatment is performed is up to you and there is no better decision than and informed decision.

I am confident that I can speak for the dentist when I say that they prefer that you ask the questions. I have never heard of a dentist getting offended by it, nor have I heard of a dentist complaining that it is a waste of their time. You can ask for questions without questioning their ability and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Dentists do not expect you to know every term and everything thing involved in your treatment plan. Also, I have learned over the years that dentists themselves are more comfortable working on a patient that has a clear understanding of what is being done.

So again, don't be afraid to ask your dentists questions. They know better than anyone else what the actual condition of your dental health is.