Dear DrBicuspid Member,
Spent three days at the California Dental Association (CDA) fall meeting here in San Francisco last week. Saw lots of interesting new products and sat in on several great CE courses. Here are some of the highlights:
3M ESPE is now offering an in-office milling solution that combines the company's True Definition intraoral scanner with IOS Technologies' TS150 milling unit. The complete open-architecture package sells for $69,000.
From vacation and sick time to office hours, holidays, cellphone use, and even tattoos, dental practices should develop detailed office policy manuals and make sure every employee is aware of them, according to Robyn Thomason, an employment practices specialist with the CDA.
Two presentations at the meeting highlighted trends in restorative materials, with one focusing on the application of newer restorative materials while the other urged dentists to rethink their use of older materials -- particularly amalgam. Read more.
Meanwhile, dentists have about an hour every six months to create and maintain a relationship of trust with each patient. Some dentists bond through sports, others through theater, still others through cooking and gardening. For Dr. Sheri Doniger, the key is to talk to your patients about something besides teeth.
