Week in Review: U.S. seniors lack dental coverage; implant surfaces; and pulp biomarkers

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Season's greetings from all of us at DrBicuspid.com.

A new study analyzed access to dental care for Medicare beneficiaries, and the findings don't look good. Only about 10% of older U.S. adults have dental insurance, and, of those who do, they still pay half of all their dental costs out of pocket. Read more and see our infographic here.

Also this week on DrBicuspid.com, what makes an implant successful? New research suggests that differences between implant surfaces at the nanoscale level appear to at least partially determine implants which have a higher chance of success. The research may lead to implants that better adhere to bone and soft tissue. Read more here.

Pulpitis is a growing concern, but clinicians may soon have new tools in the fight against the condition. Researchers have found that biomarkers found in pulp have the potential to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis and treatment, according to a new study. This may be a step toward development of a chairside test for pulpitis. Read more here.

As Dr. Roger P. Levin writes, all management systems, including the most efficient, eventually suffer from bottlenecks. These breakdowns and stumbling blocks show up when there are changes in paperwork requirements, communication options, practice software, staff capability, and dozens of other factors that affect day-to-day operations. Learn how to handle these in his latest column here.

We aren't posting any new content on Monday, December 26, but we'll be back on Tuesday, December 27.

I hope your holidays are peaceful and safe.