Week in Review: Tooth migrates into chin | Answering AR questions | Our virtual dental trade show

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Much has changed in our industry since COVID-19 began to dominate the headlines. Part of that change includes how dentists and team members are gathering their continuing education (CE) credits.

With so much being done online and in-person trade shows halted for the time being, DrBicuspid.com has put together a free virtual dental trade show being held this Thursday and Friday (May 14-15). Attendees will have the chance to hear from 10 dynamic speakers and earn up to 15 CE credits for participating in the trade show, which runs online from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT each day.

Yes, registration is free for this inaugural event. I hope to "see you" there!

One of the speakers at this spring's virtual trade show is dental infection control expert Mary Govoni, who joined me for a podcast this week about the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance and how it affects the dental practice. It's just under 20 minutes and well worth your time, I believe.

Just like Mary Govoni is revered in the industry for her years of experience, so is Lois Banta. Using her wealth of knowledge in practice management, Banta broke down what dentists and team members need to know about collections and lowering accounts receivable (AR) during these tough economic times. Yes, it's a hard conversation to have right now, but it's a necessary one for your business.

Speaking of business, some tough news was reported recently on how COVID-19 will affect our industry. Around $100 billion is projected to be lost year over year in terms of dental spending. The statistics and quotes are sobering. However, they may also help you adjust your goals and plan for what could take place in the second half of the year.

One dentist who has already reopened his practice is Dr. Andrew Bagley of Greeley, CO. I was grateful for our heartfelt interview in which he talked exclusively with DrBicuspid.com about what the past few weeks have been like for him and his practice, as well as what it took to finally unlock his doors and welcome back patients.

On the clinical side, one of our most popular articles of the week was a case study detailing a tooth that migrated into a man's chin. Researchers concluded that a panoramic radiograph "should be part of every [emergency room] dealing with dental and maxillofacial trauma supplementary to the basic CT scan."

Again, I hope to see you online this coming Thursday and Friday. Thank you, as always, for reading DrBicuspid.com.