Week in Review: U.S. elections and dentists | Mercury in fillings | Great customer service

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

This week we brought you coverage of the dental-related issues in the U.S. midterm elections that most impacted you and your practice.

Five dentists were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. We also covered local and state ballot measures ranging from community water fluoridation to the future of soda taxes. Read those results here.

Voters in three U.S. states elected to expand Medicaid benefits in the midterm election on November 6. The expansion will provide healthcare coverage to thousands of more people in Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah, but only beneficiaries in some states will gain access to dental benefits. Learn more here.

Also on DrBicuspid.com this week, Dr. Martin Gorman notes that there are issues with the continuing use of dental amalgam fillings containing mercury. In a Second Opinion column, he details the published data concerning the use of mercury in fillings and calls for organized dentistry to get behind composite alternatives. Read his thoughts here.

Your customer service is being judged not only against other dental and medical practices but also retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and other places patients visit. Go out of your way to increase patient satisfaction and patients will stay active and recommend your practice to others, advises Dr. Roger P. Levin in his latest Practice Success tip. Learn more here.

Monday is Veterans Day. Let's make every day Veterans Day by not just paying lip service to their sacrifices but by improving their access to oral and mental healthcare as a start.