Observation and Commentary On the Dental Industry

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Greg Oden Wants to Be a Dentist

One of the refreshing things about Greg Oden, who will almost certainly be the first pick in the NBA draft no matter who wins the lottery, is that he doesn't seem particularly impressed with himself. He seems to view his basketball skills as just an accident of genetics, not a trait that makes him a superior human being.

And that is most evident when he talks about his NBA future, as he did in an ESPN interview this morning. Without fail, when he's asked whether being a professional basketball player is a lifelong dream, Oden explains that his actual dream is to become a dentist. That's what he wanted to be as a child, and his physical size is actually a hindrance toward that dream: His hands are so big that he'd have a hard time getting them in a patient's mouth.

Oden's devotion to fighting tooth decay has been on display for as long as he's been a public figure. "I like dentistry," Oden said at the Final Four. "I just went to the dentist. It was nice." "I wanted to be a dentist back in the day," he told Men's Fitness. "I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said a dentist," his agent Mike Conley Sr. says.

I hope Oden plays 15 years or so in the NBA, until he's 60 35. And then I hope he goes back to school, gets the undergrad degree, and moves on to dental school. Yeah, his hands are bigger than most, but a man as devoted to teeth as Oden is shouldn't miss his true calling in life.

And that's the tooth

The Western Star

I have an enviable record with dentists.

Rather let us say I had an enviable record with dentists. Up until last week I had been to see a dentist once in 23 years. Last week made it twice.

In 1999 I went to see a dentist in Toronto, at OH's prodding, the first time I had seen a member of that lofty profession in 15 years. Despite the dire warnings of doctors, nurses and family members at the time, I didn't so much as have a cavity.

For some reason known only to angels and archangels I saw no reason dental history shouldn't repeat itself.

If my teeth were as hard as my skull and the rest of my bones (vertebrae would be an exception) for more than half my life, why couldn't they continue to render stellar service for the next half-century or so?

Consequently I allowed another eight years to go by before allowing myself the dubious pleasure of making another appointment with a medical professional dedicated to pursuing the tooth and nothing but the tooth.

I think I was hoping that even if one or more of my teeth had suffered slow decay, the art and science of dentistry would have reached new heights by now. Or is that depths? Whatever, I was foreseeing sitting in a dentist's chair - make that my chair - in leisurely comfort while he worked away somewhere on the periphery of my consciousness.

By this time, I reasoned, pain has been banished completely from the dental experience, if you don't include the bill. I could see myself halfway through a magazine article when the doctor announces that his work here is done and I have to go, and no, I can't take the magazine with me because I mightn't be back for another 10 years.

Consequently I approached the appointed hour without undue apprehension.

This fellow was also OH's dentist and I hadn't heard her make any complaints. Couldn't be too much wrong with him. But I couldn't shake the dread entirely.

As I made my way along a corridor of other dental offices, I almost relaxed completely. The door to each office was open and sounds of laughter and light banter emanated from them all.

I thought for a moment OH must have made a wrong turn and ended up at one of those houses. You know, where the welcoming red light burns brightly at all hours of the day and night. Then I realized Grand Falls/Windsor would never tolerate that kind of enterprise, unless the mill closed completely, of course. Even then, the doors to each room wouldn't have all been open.

Wouldn't take a lot of work to convert the building, though. Thought I might mention that to the dentist in case teeth went out of style, or all dropped out of our mouths due to global warming or something.

The doctor himself was a friendly young fellow with a friendly female assistant. I was half-expecting him to ask me to open my mouth so when he did I was all ready. He poked around a bit and decided to take some X-rays. I was used to the results of X-rays having been through that process already, some eight years ago. No cavities, piece of cake.

I was about to learn that 'no cavities' and 'piece of cake' didn't necessarily belong together as phrases. In fact, the terms were mutually exclusive. My 23-year honeymoon period with the dentistry profession was about to come to a crashing end.

The assistant sat down and took out a notebook and pen. How bad must it be if a dentist couldn't remember a couple of fillings? My morale began rapidly picking up speed as it plunged toward the bottom of wherever morals go when they're headed in the wrong direction.

My friend the dentist - I began to suspect we'd be together long enough to become at least strong acquaintances - started rhyming off instructions to the young woman with the pen. Very little of it meant anything to me except when he'd say, "Small cavity in @$% & #", or "Cavity in & #%@$."

Actually I wasn't too upset with that. Lord, a man had to have a few cavities scattered over a quarter century, right? I came to my taps when he nonchalantly tossed out in the same tone of voice, "Root canal."

Now I've heard of root canals. To me they carry the same connotations as "body dismemberment" and "gum replacement." In my tormented imagination, a sign immediately appears over the office door, Little Shop of Horrors. "Root canal" is synonymous with pain and nightmares.

Then I remember OH talking about root canals she's had.

"Nothing to them," she says. "I fell asleep during the last root canal I had."

I am immediately cheered, until I remember back to our college days when for fun we used to see who could stand the most pain. We had a strange idea of fun back then and that's not the half of it. Whatever, OH invariably won. She would let someone hold a lighted cigarette so close to her skin that the flesh would turn red. She seemed totally immune to pain.

OH isn't the person to recommend an absence of pain.

So I have to see my friend the dentist again, and again and probably again. What I'll probably wind up doing is asking for a copy of the bill in advance and holding it in front of me during the procedure. Perhaps consciousness of one pain will cancel out the other.

Remember that Johnny Horton song, "Every doggie has his day, every puppy has to pay, everybody has to meet his Waterloo?"

Ride on, Napoleon, I'm coming right behind you.

Readers can contact Ed Smith by e-mail at edsmith@persona.ca or by mail at 4 Brinex Ave., Springdale, NL, AOJ ITO.

10 uses for today’s digital cameras

When digital cameras first came out in the early 1990s, they had an immediate impact on dentistry. The dental industry was already increasing its use of photography for diagnosing, treatment-planning, and lab communication prior to the digital revolution. This involved the use of both slide and print film. But the early digital cameras had as many advantages as disadvantages. The biggest advantage of digital cameras over slide and print film cameras was the abandonment of just that - film. Film was expensive and very inefficient because it came in roles of 24, 36, etc., exposures.

If the dentist needed only a few photos - such as a photo of a shade tab against a tooth for laboratory communication - most of the film was not used. There was also the revolving cost of buying and developing film. Individual roles of film could be used by the dentist or team member until all exposures were made, but this was time consuming and film still had to be continually purchased.

http://de.pennnet.com/display_article/292890/54/ARTCL/none/none/10-uses-for-today%E2%80%99s-digital-cameras/

Dental patients left out of pocket

DENTAL patients in Peterborough were left with a hole in their pockets when their private dentist disappeared.
Peterborough City Council's trading standards and licensing section has received complaints regarding one non-NHS dental practice that has ceased trading leaving consumers out of pocket and with unfinished treatment.

One customer had paid £1,700 for a programme of treatment that has not been completed.

Residents are now being warned to check the credentials of non-NHS dentists when they sign up for treatment.

Senior adviser and education officer Jane Day said: "Our enquiries indicate that the dentists at this particular private practice were not registered with the British Dental Council a legal requirement to practice in this country. This is especially frightening for patients who registered at the practice."

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news?articleid=2896605

Filling you in on military dentistry

Career to sink your teeth in to

Filling you in on military dentistry

Kenn Oliver
The Labradorian

Early 17th century newspaper editor and journalist George D. Prentice once said, “A dentist at work in his vocation always looks down in the mouth.”

That might be true of some private dentists, but for the members of the Canadian Forces Dental Services (CFDS), there’s not much to be down about.

“In the military, we have no worries,” says Sergeant Roger Denault, a dental technician with 5 Wing’s CFDS.

“On civi-street, it’s very stressful. If you open up a clinic with two chairs and one hygienist, you’re looking at half a million dollars to get started, then you have got to get your patient load. Now 70 to 75 per cent of your income coming in is to run your clinic. So guess what, the stress is that you’re there to make money.”

In the military, the chief concern is dentistry.

While the life of a dental assistant may not be looked upon as the most glamorous or exciting trade in the Forces, fellow dental assistant Corporal Krista Blizzard says the job has its own unique appeal.

“I’m always going somewhere, I’m never here,” she says jokingly.

“I’m always moving around and being sent on courses, I love my job and I love having somebody in the chair, for me it’s social time. The poor thing, he’s stuck in the chair and can’t say anything and I’m doing all the talking.”

The unit’s official commander for instance, who was not available to speak with the Labradorian last week, is set to depart on a five-week humanitarian mission to the Philippines. On the voyage – a co-operative program with their American counterparts – Capt. Doucette will make stops at a number of little islands and perform basic dentistry for the inhabitants.

“It’s a once in a lifetime trip,” says Cpl. Blizzard, “I’m very jealous.”

Soldier first

All jokes aside, the role of the CFDS is crucial in Canada’s military.

http://www.thelabradorian.ca/index.cfm?iid=2530&sid=21622