Congratulations to Norbert Duepner, 2010 CDT of the Year

2010 Certified Dental Technician of the Year

National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC)

February 5, 2010 - The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology is pleased to announce Mr.Norbert Duepner, Master CDT as the 2010 CDT of the year. The CDT award recognizes an individual Certified Dental Technician who has made contributions to his/her peers and the dental laboratory profession and has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Mr. Duepner has served 50 years in the dental laboratory profession and 23 years as the Technical Director at Argen Corporation. His career began at the age of 13 while working in a dental laboratory before school in St. Louis , Missouri . He has owned and operated his own Laboratory in Mexico City for 11 years, worked for Keller Laboratory and Frein Laboratory in St. Louis , Missouri .

“I am very proud of my life in dentistry,” said Duepner. “During this time I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many labs and technicians around the world and have found many good friends through the industry.”

The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) recognized Mr. Duepner’s contributions by presenting him with an award at the Vision 21 meeting, on January 21, 2010 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas , Nevada .

The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC) was formed in 1955 as an independent certification organization dedicated to improving the quality of dental laboratory technology through voluntary testing and certification of dental laboratories and technicians.

For more information on NBC’s CDT of the Year Award, please contact the NBC office (800) 684-5310, cert@nbccert.org, or visit www.nbccert.org.

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SoundBite: Using Teeth To Help You Hear

Technology keeps improving, doesn’t it? This hearing aide uses the conductivity of the bone  to allow sound to travel from the teeth to the ear. It’s non-surgical and as you can see – easy to insert and remove. Visit their site for more information:

Click here to visit Sonitus Medical

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Lares Laser Cleared For Subgingival Calculus

Chico, CA:  January 27, 2010—Lares® Research and Fotona announced today that they have received FDA 510(k) clearance to market the PowerLase® AT Er:YAG laser for the removal of subgingival calculus in periodontal pockets with periodontitis.  The new indication for use is an important element of the Lares Research laser treatment protocol for periodontal disease: Wavelength-optimized Periodontal Therapy™ or WPT™.    WPT™ optimizes the use of both Er:YAG and Nd:YAG laser wavelengths from the dual-wavelength PowerLase AT to treat both the hard and soft tissue sides of the diseased pocket.

WPT™ is a minimally invasive procedure to treat periodontal disease without scalpels or sutures in a general or specialty practice.  Lares Research provides a full two-day advanced training course dedicated to laser treatment of periodontal disease using WPT™.  Live patient video of WPT™ and subgingival calculus removal can be viewed on the Lares Research website at www.laresdental.com.

Lares is a recognized leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of oral cutting technology, supplying dentists with precision handpieces and high performance lasers worldwide.  The company has been an innovator in the field of dental lasers since it began offering lasers to dental clinicians in 1997.  For more information, call 888-333-8440, ext. 2050, or go to www.laresdental.com.

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Mother’s Oral Bacteria Linked to Her Baby’s Death

A woman contacted Case Western University for answers to her infant’s death. The baby was stillborn and the mother suspected that her oral condition may be connected. She reported heavy gingival bleeding during her pregnancy (very common). The doctors tested bacteria from the baby’s organs and they matched bacteria found in the mother’s plaque sample. That strain is not normally found in the vaginal area.

Dental offices have known about the oral-systemic condition for years and this is one more point for discussion with your patients. Talk to your pregnant and trying-to-conceive patients about the importance of oral health. This is also a good topic for your office newsletter.

Click here for source article

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IGI Image Guided Implant Dentistry System

Imagine placing an implant using a real-time imaging guidance system – no surgical guides needed. The IGI – Image Guided Implant Dentistry System debuted at the Greater New York meeting and has been discussed on Dentaltown This new system is pretty impressive – it uses a combination of CT scanning and live imaging to place implants or perform sinus lifts.

If you’re in the New York city area on February 3rd, a seminar will be given on the topic. Contact info@image-navigation.com for more information.

Click here to visit the thread on Dentaltown regarding IGI – many more pics there

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Saylors Dental Lab Presents Dr. Bob Lamb

My friend Jeff at Saylors Dental Lab sent me an announcement for an upcoming course. If you’re in the northern Virginia area on April 16th, check it out! Dr. Bob Lamb will present “An Interdisciplinary Approach to Implant Treatment Planning, Surgery and Restoration.” Head over to Saylors site for more information: Saylors Dental Lab.

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Running a Dental Business in Rural Brazil with an iPhone and Bento3

I received this via email today and thought it was pretty interesting:

Dental tools in her bag and all the patient records in the palm of her hand

Dentist Bia Kunze had a simple idea: If you can’t make it to the dentist, the dentist will come to you. Kunze is a mobile dentist in Brazil, treating house or hospital-bound patients in and around the city of Curitiba. To manage her practice on the go, she uses Bento for iPhone.

“I have a Bento database on my phone where I keep all of my patients’ records, including appointments, medical history, and dental diagrams,” she says. “It’s the easiest, most flexible solution for keeping records on the go. With Bento on the iPhone, I have everything I need to run my practice in my pocket.”

Leaving the Drill Behind

Like almost all dentists, Kunze started in a traditional dentist office, complete with motorized chairs and bone-chilling drills. At one point, she started visiting patients in hospitals, convalescent centers, and homes. “It’s not a very well known way to practice,” she says. “But there are many people who can’t go to the dentist. They could be in pain, or they could have trouble chewing food. I wanted to help them, make life easier for them.”

Kunze began seeing patients outside her office, carting a kit of dentistry equipment and a smartphone to keep track of things while she was away. She started blogging about her experiences, and how she used her mobile device to log patient data. Soon she had a following and began exploring all forms of mobile computing. She wrote prolifically and even appeared on radio and TV shows as a mobile technology maven.

The dentist’s data kit grew and changed over time. She started using the Mac and Bento in 2008. “I was told that things would be easier to manage with the Mac and Bento,” she says. “I decided to give it a try and found that it’s much easier to use than any other system I’ve encountered. In an afternoon I created a custom database that had everything I needed to keep track of.” At first, Kunze carried her MacBook wherever she went. When Bento for iPhone was released, she left her notebook at home. “I have a lot to carry, so having everything I need in the iPhone is fantastic,” she says.

ADIA Webinar: Successful Medical Insurance Coding for Implants

Date/Time: January 19th @ 7pm EST

This webinar will help attendees understand medical treatment codes. Rose will explain how to file medical codes for implant procedures and review diagnostic and treatment codes relating to implant treatment.

Registration link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/542814802

About our Speaker:

Rose Nierman is the Creator of DentalWriter™, CrossCode™ and MedClaims Express™ Software. Software which received “best product” in the leading product review lab and newsletter! She is the author of numerous bestselling manuals and many peer reviewed articles. Rose has vver 30 years of practical experience as a RDH and dental office manager. SHe is a featured speaker for the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain, American Association of Orofacial Pain, American Association of Implant Dentistry, International Congress of Oral Implantologists, American Equilibration Society, American Academy for Dental Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Functional Orthodontics and many more dental organizations.

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Insurance & Fraud/Embezzlement Courses at Yankee Dental

The 35th Yankee Dental Congress will take place in Boston from January 27-31st. I am presenting on Friday and Saturday and would love to see you there!

Friday AM course: The Agony of the Code: Insurance Made Easy

Friday PM course: Unraveling the Mystery of Periodontal and Implant Coding

Saturday morning: What Happened to My Cash Flow? Fraud and Embezzlement in Dentistry

Register at the Yankee site here

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Another Embezzlement Results in Jail For Dental Office Worker

Melissa Kay Grawey pleaded guilty to a charge of over $20,000 theft and was sentenced to 11 months in jail with another five years of probation. She was originally charged with stealing over 100,000 plus various charges including forgery. Both former employer dentists spoke at her sentencing hearing. Kudos to them for doing so – unless the victims come forward and press charges embezzlers will bounce from office to office looking for new sources of income.

Read source article here

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Reading Your Patient

I recently wrote an article for Dental Assisting Digest and Dentistry IQ on this topic. If you have any patient contact it could help you with your case presentations and financial consultations.

Click here to read it

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Coming Soon: Vaccine To Treat Gum Disease

A vaccine that targets P gingivalis (a bacteria associated with periodontal disease) is currently in development by CSL Limited – an Australian pharmaceutical company. Click here to read more (also contains link to press release).

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Save The Date: "Successful Hygienists’ Instrument of Choice: The Internet" Webinar

Join me and Sesame Communications for a webinar on 12/3 @ 9pm EST.

Whether you’re a doctor, office manager, hygienist or treatment coordinator, there are sure-fire ways to fill your hygiene schedule and KEEP it full.  We’ll talk about the things that effective teams do (and don’t do!) to keep patients committed to keeping their appointments, being on time, and happily referring their friends and family.

Click here to register for the free webinar

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday weekend! I’m thankful that you have continued to read the blog and for all the story ideas and emails I receive. I’m thankful for all the friends that I’ve made within the dental industry. And I’m thankful for my family and their support through all my late nights and hectic schedules. Now – enjoy your family and turkey time!

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OralDNA Labs Introduces Two Salivary DNA Tests to Support Dentists’ Fight Against Periodontal Disease

Molecular DNA Tests Positioning Dental Professionals at the Forefront of Oral Medicine – Company Planning the Launch of HPV/Oral Cancer DNA Test in 2010

Nashville, TN – November 16, 2009 – OralDNA Labs™ Inc. (www.OralDNA.com), a specialty diagnostics subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics^® Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) focused on bringing advanced laboratory testing to the dental community, today announced the availability of two revolutionary molecular tests to help periodontists and general dentists identify patients with and at risk for periodontal disease. MyPerioPath^sm detects the presence and quantity of specific bacteria associated with periodontal disease, while MyPerioID^sm PST^®, which the company licenses from Interleukin Genetics, provides a means of quickly and accurately¹ assessing an individual’s genetic risk for periodontal disease.

Used together, the new salivary DNA diagnostic tests can help dental professionals reduce patient incidence of periodontal disease. MyPerioPath^sm provides early and accurate¹ diagnosis of existing periodontal disease by identifying and measuring specific types of bacteria, while MyPerioID^sm PST^® assesses a patient’s genetic predisposition to developing periodontal disease well before physical symptoms occur. The company has launched a national dental industry awareness and training program to support the profession’s understanding and effective use of the new tools.

According to OralDNA Inc. senior vice president and general manager Robert Walker, the company has been introducing the tests to leading dental industry practitioners during the past year. “Leading periodontists and general dentists are already relying
on the MyPerioPath^sm and MyPerioID^sm PST^® salivary diagnostic tests to provide valuable insights for enhanced patient care, and as important tools in the fight against periodontal disease. We believe these tests will not only help put dental professionals at the forefront of oral medicine, but also enable them to provide more comprehensive and accurate treatment plans for their patients.”