"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him."
Galileo

Never too late to learn

As someone who has been practicing dentistry with his father for almost 17 years, I am always happy to see an article like this! And MY dad has "only" been practicing for 50 years!



Retire? Are you kidding?? I'm just getting started.

All you lovers of sports drinks and "energy drinks" should beware:  They all contain a high amount of acid--enough to seriously erode teeth.

Our teeth are wearing away at a faster rate than ever before, and one culprit is all that acid we're consuming. Dental erosion is the loss of the protective enamel on teeth and occurs when the enamel is worn away from acids in the mouth. When this happens, our teeth become sensitive, cracked and even discolored.

In addition to sugar and acid, the following contribute to dental erosion:

Savoring a drink by holding it in your mouth to enjoy the fizz and flavor
Aspirin
Acid reflux disease
Eating disorders associated with chronic vomiting

What can you do to protect and strengthen the enamel on your teeth?
Make sure you get enough fluoride. The best way to do that is by drinking tap water from public water sources instead of bottled water. Also, use a fluoridated toothpaste and fluoridated mouth rinse.

High Tech? or just High Blech

Now that we've upgraded our office with digital radiography (X-rays) and computerized operatories, I have been noticing other doctors offices and the ways they use some of these capabilities. I have come to a few decisions.
1)     I do NOT wish to place flat screen TV's blasting CNN (or whatever) in my reception area. We're bombarded with media intrusions nearly every moment of our waking lives. Believe it or not, when I go to the gas station to fill up, there is now a TV showing ads right above the pump.
     I prefer offering my patients some nice music (jazz, folk or classical.. I detest "doctor office music").
2)     I also do NOT put pictures of teeth and smiles all over my office. Many practices have big 'before and after' smiles on all the walls, as well as not-so-subtle advertisements for teeth whitening services and products.
      My patients are pretty bright, so they already know they're in a dentist's office. I don't have to remind them with cheesy self promotion. We love doing esthetic enhancements and improving peoples' smiles, but it is not for everyone. I have plenty of excellent before and after photographs on my computer to show the people who ask to see them. For everyone else, beautiful, artistic, non-dental paintings and lithographs (many done by my patients) are a better demonstration of my commitment to providing a pleasant environment for my patients.

     Medical offices which ooze media/TV/promotional material are a big turn off for me. Especially when you still get a clipboard shoved in your face so you can "Sign In".
     High tech advances are a wonderful thing, but they do nothing for our patients unless we add a dose of humanity as well.

Remote Area Medical

Now here is an organization we should be able to respect. I have been a member for a few months, although I have not gone on a mission yet, I hope to do so this coming spring. They have a website  ( Remote Area Medical)),   and they accept even the smallest donations gratefully.