Team Meeting: Chronic Periodontitis Treatment Approach
Here is the biggest truth about periodontal disease: Unless the patients become their own primary therapists everything we do will fail.
How to Succeed in Periodontal Therapy Part 5
Frankly, I have no illusion that I can single handedly change the quality and nature of periodontal therapy in every dental office in the world – at least not over night. There will come a day when dentists and dental hygienists train patients in ways very similar to how they perform clinical procedures today, because […]
The Therapeutic Importance of Hope
Hope propels therapy forward. Despair stops it cold. Dentists rob patients of hope when they want to project an inflated level of certainty. When dentists “know” ahead of time how everything is going to turn out, whether good or bad, the candle of hope is snuffed out. Yes, even assuring patients that everything will be […]
Two Competing Business Models in Dentistry
I had an interesting experience yesterday. A former patient from years ago came to see me. As sometimes happens she did not stay the course and slipped on making sure she was seeing dentists regularly. Now over five years later she returns with one of her upper central incisors slowly avulsing. She knows it needs […]
How to Succeed in Periodontal Therapy Part 4
Where Are We? It should be obvious by now that this presentation is not a “best practices” consensus on the subject of periodontal therapy. Rather it is my personal, but experienced advice on what I consider the best way for dentists to treat and manage chronic periodontitis. I also believe that reading and implementing some […]
How to Succeed in Periodontal Therapy Part 3
The Power of Story There are successful dental practices alongside unsuccessful dental practices. Each one of them provides similar services and has similar patients, yet some succeed and others do not. So what’s the difference? It’s really very simple. It’s explained in a story. Would you like to hear it? It’s every dentist’s story and […]
How To Succeed in Periodontal Therapy Part 2
Honestly, what I really wanted to know was what would be on the test. I relate to the statement that dental students really have only two goals in life. The first is to get into dental school, and the second is to get out.
Trust
Years ago a friend of mine, who is not a dentist, was visiting his brother in another city over a weekend, so they had some free time to kill. His brother, also is not a dentist, is sort of nerdy and loves gadgets. His idea of a fun outing for the two of them was […]