Probe targets some CareCredit providers; dentists can help screen for HIV

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

The potential pitfalls of getting involved with a patient's personal finances became clear this month when New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched an investigation of 10 healthcare providers -- six of them dental offices -- that helped patients sign up for CareCredit.

The probe calls into question a financing option that has become increasingly popular during the economic recession. Are there better alternatives? Read more by clicking here or visiting the Practice Management Community.

In other practice management news, with the range of opportunistic infections in the mouth more common among HIV-positive patients than the general population, dentists are being encouraged to familiarize themselves with warning signs that can occur in the oral cavity and to begin screening for the virus regularly. The goal, HIV and AIDS experts say, is to identify the disease earlier, making treatment more effective. Read more.

Meanwhile, over in the Restoratives Community, Dr. Ludwig Hermeler outlines the advantages of using nontraumatic bone condensing when placing implants in patients with spongy bone structures. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to use what he calls a "gentler option."