Week in Review: War of words in Wash. state | When is ideal care inappropriate? | Medicare fraud in Mass.

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Wow, did social media ever take center stage this week with some of our biggest stories.

First, a dental practice in Washington state is under siege on Yelp and Facebook. Former patients and employees of a Washington dentist have lit up online review sites and social media with scathing reviews and allegations of unprofessionalism, misconduct, discrimination, questionable ethics, and mental abuse. The dentist is fighting back against the charges in what should be an interesting battle to watch unfold.

Halfway across the country, a dental assistant posted something political on her personal Facebook page and says that's the reason she was fired from a Wisconsin dental practice. With politics in the news constantly and our country strongly divided, it will be fascinating to see what happens next in this back-and-forth over politics and a dental practice's employee termination allegedly because of them.

Also making headlines were two dentists and an office manager from Massachusetts who were arrested and indicted for allegedly running a scheme to defraud MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program. It's a story of tax evasion, identity theft, and much more.

OK, let's focus on some of the good that happened this week as well. Our clinical director, Dr. David Rice of IgniteDDS, wrote a thought-provoking article that I think every dentist should read. If you're looking at all your patients through the same lens, I urge you to read this article and think deeper and bigger.

Finally, you may think you know the real price of smoking, but do you? For your patients who still smoke, here are some eye-popping statistics on how much it's really costing them (and your state).

Oh, one last thing. With it being a new year and a new decade, I hope you're always keeping your options for learning in the front of your mind. If you haven't checked out DrBicuspid.com's Dental Exam feature yet, you might enjoy the challenge of solving some interesting questions and cases. And it's all completely free.

Here's to a tremendous weekend ahead!