Dear DrBicuspid Member,
Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 DrBicuspid Dental Excellence Awards! The response from our members this year was better than ever. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and hat's off to all the nominees. We look forward to seeing you all at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, where we will be handing out the product awards.
Meanwhile, in Restoratives Community news, we've asked this question before, and we'll ask it again: Are dental amalgam's days numbered?
To a certain extent, yes. A meeting held this month in Geneva, Switzerland, brought together key stakeholders -- including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, and FDI World Dental Federation -- that have been working for several years to reduce the amount of mercury used worldwide. That meeting yielded a draft treaty that outlines a phasedown program and includes a section specific to dental amalgam.
Click here to read more about the treaty, international efforts to encourage preventive dentistry, and the push to develop alternative restorative materials that could replace amalgam.
Over in the Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community, Providence Cancer Center in Portland, OR, is one of a growing number of medical institutions that is working to improve care for patients with oral cancer and head and neck cancers through a multidisciplinary program that brings together a spectrum of medical and dental care specialists. Read more about this program, which is getting rave reviews from patients and providers alike.
Finally, in his latest Beyond Practice Management column, Dr. Don Deems explores the road less traveled and how it could offer a whole new way of looking at your practice, your patients, and your role as a dental care provider.
