Compassion: The upholding pillar of a dental practice

Entering official clinical practice and starting to care for patients presents a whole new set of challenges. The level of stress can be overwhelming for students, faculty and patients alike. Students are concerned about their requirements to successfully graduate. Faculty are engulfed in academic and curriculum responsibilities. Patients are often concerned about finances, the anxiety-triggering dental procedures and much more. In such straining circumstances, it is easy to abandon each other and to only focus on your own needs instead. In the midst of our own concerns, we cannot forget to be selfless — compassion is the main upholding pillar of an excellent dental practice. 

During the behavioral dentistry course at University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Dr. Isabel Rambob often stressed the importance of one’s well-being in regard to showing compassion. She explained that when on a flight, the cabin crew advises passengers to, in the case of an emergency, place their own oxygen mask on first before helping others. Similarly, a dental provider cannot efficiently serve others if they don’t take care of themselves. That is why it is crucial to address your health needs while working in clinic.

Several dental students miss their lunch because they have to go from one clinical session to another. However, they should make sure to at least have a small snack and some water to recharge and be able to competently perform procedures. To balance the difficulties and challenges of daily life, it is important to have a hobby that is enjoyable. Whether it is talking to friends or listening to music, all such activities are an essential part of one’s well-being. 

Although it is easy to speak on the ideals of compassion and well-being, it can be rather difficult to effectively and genuinely put them into practice. It is helpful to constantly remind ourselves what really matters in the long-run and to continuously challenge ourselves to do what is best for yourself and others. 

As Mary Davis beautifully stated: “We can’t heal the world today, but we can begin with a voice of compassion, a heart of love, an act of kindness.” 

~Ashraf Oreizi, Maryland ‘23

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Every gesture helps: Discussing mental health with patients

Eaten up with guilt, shame and fear, I’ll never forget the young teenaged patient who nervously answered “yes” when, while filling out her medical history, I asked if she had any eating disorders. I had been nervously anticipating the day I’d encounter a patient who would respond affirmatively to this question because I’d been in her situation before. 

I paused for a second, debating whether I should disclose to her that I struggled with several bouts of anorexia, bulimia and laxative abuse before asking her for more details. I had gone through that ordeal on my own, not having any support from family or friends. I knew that if one person had reached out to me in my time of need, I could have saved myself from the grief of relapses, damage to my teeth and the countless hours of crying alone in my room, feeling a loneliness that physically overwhelmed me. 

When it comes to talking about mental health, there’s always an amount of uncertainty about how to broach the subject, whether it be with patients, colleagues or even family. When going through health history, few mental health issues make themselves known until there’s a tangible physical side effect from that mental illness. Alcohol abuse, tobacco smoking, drug abuse, eating disorders — these are just a few of the physically visible mental illnesses we are required to document in Axium, and there’s always a pause before anyone discusses these health conditions. What about anxiety? What do you say to the patient who presents with exaggerated linea alba or morsicatio buccarum and a sore TMJ every morning? Is that a subject to be broached with them, or are you being too presumptive and overstepping as the dentist? 

There is too much hesitancy when it comes to discussing mental wellness within the medical field. As the saying goes, you cannot pour from an empty glass. It’s so important for us as providers to look after ourselves before taking care of others. For me, I am always nervous to bring it up because it feels like I’m being too needy and selfish, but I think it would be game changing if professors were just more open in the small moments to offer some sympathy or encouragement. One of my patients walked out on me after I explained to him I could only extract two of the three teeth he wanted out because the other was out of my expertise. I was frazzled, and my anxiety was through the roof as I presented to the faculty, but hearing the amazing Dr. A. Patel say, “I’m sorry that happened to you,” did a lot to calm me down and reassure me that I did nothing wrong. 

“Hey girl, I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” I whispered to my patient as she deliberated how much to tell me about her eating disorder. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.” I watched her eyes well up with tears as she explained her history of bulimia to me. All it took was for me to be open to her, and when I later confided my own history of purging to her, I swear she looked less lonely. 

It’s these little moments that truly have the biggest impact on our mental health. Whether it’s offering a few words of encouragement, some empathy or just being willing to hear out someone’s grievances, a small action could be the catalyst to someone’s mental state improving. 

~Unnati Soni, Temple ‘23, ASDA District 3 Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

Via Dental http://www.rssmix.com/

Artificial Intelligence and Teledentistry: Breaking Barriers to Dental Care

When it comes to oral care, there have always been a number of areas and communities in the United States that don’t get the access to care that they deserve. Now, add in the pandemic to this equation. Things only got worse!

One survey report published last year under the title ‘Oral Health in Rural Communities’ states that nearly 60% of America’s dental health professional shortage areas are in the rural landscapes of the country. 

This clearly points out that access to dental care is still a challenge there.

In order to prevent adverse risks from developing right at the beginning of the disease life cycle and to promote systemic oral healthcare, the underlying barriers must be addressed in an effective manner first. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Teledentistry are two innovations that can greatly help oral care providers in ameliorating outcomes and improving access to care as a whole. To know how, read on.

1) Giving Individuals a First Look into their Oral Health Status

Oral wellbeing is one of the key measures of how healthy a person is. Research continues to show the impact of oral health on the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic oral pain, etc. Therefore, seeking good quality oral care continues to be critical to good overall health.

Factors such as poor access to dental care providers or having to travel long distances just to be able to see one should definitely not be getting in the way of seeking dental care. So then, what measures can oral health professionals implement to improve accessibility in remote regions?  

It’s pretty straightforward: give patients the ability to track their initial oral health status by themselves, under proper guidance of course. 

Artificial Intelligence and teledentistry can be of great help here.

Progressive AI-based solutions have surfaced on the healthcare front in the form of ‘self-monitoring’ mobile applications. Also, telehealth integration is advancing oral care in affordable, effective and highly efficient ways to overcome problems related to care access. 

An AI-enabled mobile app that embeds telemedicine can assist patients at a distance through self-monitoring by creating what’s called an ‘oral health rating’ which can then be shared with the concerned oral care provider.

A patient can, for instance, take pictures of their gums or teeth, and upload those directly on the app. These images are then scanned and examined by the app’s AI program for gum disease or any form of dental decay. The AI program furnishes ratings of that particular patient’s oral health accordingly, further allowing patients to take a first look at their overall oral health. 

Such integrated software solutions can also enable early detection of oral disparities in patients, so that dentists can start treating such individuals right away with less invasive methods. 

These two tech solutions, when combined, give dental care providers the ability to increase both case acceptance and oral health awareness at the highest level. Also, such software solutions can greatly improve patient experience and communication by manifolds.

2) Mitigating the Costs of Care for Providers and Patients alike

Telemedicine and AI can aid oral care providers get past the iron triangle of healthcare (triple constraints on Quality, Access and Cost) and deliver effective treatment plans in a way that appeals to their patients and makes the care delivery experience a seamless one for them. 

For example, when used in conjunction with a teledentistry platform, AI-triage consultations and medications can help expand providers’ access to patients residing in rural areas, that too at an affordable cost and with quality similar to that of an in-person visit to the dentist’s office.  

The data accumulated through such virtual consultations can easily be stored on the facility’s cloud server and accessed remotely at a later time by authorized individuals. Similarly, patients’ electronic health records (EHR) can also be integrated with the teledentistry platform to check their medical history and suggest better treatment options. This boosts data interoperability and speeds up the entire care delivery process.

This results in a win-win situation for both patients as well as their oral care providers!

Patients don’t have to kill time in waiting areas of a dental facility or travel long distances unless there is an emergency. 

On the other hand, oral care providers can furnish topnotch care experiences right from the comfort of their own homes or from a remote location of their choice. This can not only reduce feelings of burnout among them, but also increase professional satisfaction.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the adoption of AI-enabled tech and telehealth in dentistry can considerably mitigate added expenses for dentists and patients alike. 

3) Helping Make the Shift to Value-Based Care a Seamless One

As dental care providers, we all know that those with the least access to dental treatment and preventive services have a greater likelihood of developing oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease and even oral cancer in the worst cases. 

Bringing high-quality preventive oral care to the populations in need of it can make seeking help more convenient for patients. This further enhances patient experience and improves outcomes at a macro scale. Value-based care must integrate oral health to improve patients’ total health.

AI-enabled systems can make sense of the vast troves of data available for dental care providers and help them harness it in a better way to enhance outcomes among patient populations exhibiting similar symptoms. 

This is especially true since a sophisticated, data-enriched environment allows better clinical decision-making, streamlining the industry’s transition toward a value-based and patient-centric model of care delivery.

Also, such initiatives act as gateways for care providers to furnish better access to preventive care, enable closer integration of infrastructure, enhance patient education and enable risk stratification improvements to target interventions.

What the Future Holds

All in all, addressing barriers of access to care primarily lies within two realms: patients’ ability to access oral health care associated with socioeconomic factors, and the persisting shortage of dental care providers across the nation.Artificial intelligence and teledentistry definitely hold the potential to help the oral health fraternity address both these challenges heads on!

Via Dental http://www.rssmix.com/

World Patient Safety Day and increasing awareness about dental quacking

While visiting the dentist can be uncomfortable, it is important that our patients are well-informed when choosing a provider. Ahead of World Patient Safety Day on Sept.17, we want to raise awareness about an issue that many may not have heard of: dental quacking.

Medical quackery is defined as the act of practicing medicine based on false facts. Quackery in multiple medical fields has been practiced starting from the Middle Ages, peaking in the Renaissance. Charlatans — individuals taking an interest in science and spewing medical terminology to gain popularity — were booming. During this time period, individuals who participated in quackery were not arrested, despite the poor treatment of their patients due to a 1645 physician law, according to an article in the Journal of the California Dental Association. 

Today, quackery is usually present in rural areas of countries or places where there is lack of access to effective treatments, as well as a lack of awareness and financial means among patients. According to a January 2015 study, many patients who visit the dentist cannot afford it because they do not have insurance or the income to support it. In many parts of rural India, for example, a large part of the population falls below the poverty line, so citizens tend to look for cheaper options when seeking medical and dental treatment, a 2017 study reports. 

Lack of awareness and illiteracy also play a significant role in why quackery in dentistry is still happening today. The 2017 study says that quacks prey on individuals who lack the knowledge and caution of what quackery is and how dangerous it potentially can be to the public. These “providers” draw people to their practices with the help of the inaccurate knowledge they spew to their unsuspecting patients, promising to solve their needs.

However, there is a solution to prevent such things from happening to our patients, and that is education. We need to raise awareness of what dental quacking is, how big a danger it can be to our patients and how to look for signs to identify one. The News Minute reports that the first thing all patients should do is check the qualifications of their dental providers and look for red flags, such as the “provider” insisting on pushing medications instead of running tests. 

We need to teach the public to not be afraid to ask medical professionals about their treatment plan because, at the end of the day, if they know what to do, they shouldn’t have a problem explaining it to you. Knowing when and where dental quacks can pop up and how to avoid them is crucial to the safety of our patients. 

~Keerthana Vella, University of South Florida ‘23

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Starting a writing club during the pandemic

Ever since my undergraduate years at NYU, writing has always been a passion of mine. I wrote for news site Odyssey Online and had the opportunity to interview NYU students, singer Luke Wade and even ask a question to Sarah Jessica Parker. I loved the concept of journalism and writing because of how often I got to meet new people and write about their stories. 

In a recent leadership seminar, I heard a phrase that stuck with me: Writing can be scary because there is no place to hide, but that is what makes it so powerful. I felt that phrase completely and knew I wanted to take away that fear and turn writing into something hopeful and safe. I never thought about creating a student club that graciously combined writing with dentistry until the pandemic gave us all more time. Personally, the pandemic gave me more time to self-reflect and hold on to what is most important: family, health, friends, aspirations, intentions, and our well-being.

As a third-year dental student in the middle of quarantine, I wanted to start a club that could unite dental students, faculty and alumni. In a time where we could not meet up with each other for months, I wanted to encourage students to stay connected. In a school as large as NYU College of Dentistry, it felt crucial to create a common place and a sense of belonging, especially during a time such as this. 

Since my first year at NYU College of Dentistry, every individual I have gotten to know on a more personal level has been warm and welcoming, and I wanted to embody those feelings in our online publications. I remember contacting numerous professors and students for weeks, and after a few months, I finally got the approval from student government to start this club. I wrote a constitution, created a Wix website and founded my executive team. Together, we edited and published monthly articles written by our peers. Unexpectedly, from our executive team to our editors to our webmaster, our first year as a student club was built on the foundation of strong and inspiring women.

Each piece published begins with an idea and a poll. Every month, our executive team asks for topics from our club members. Thus far, we have published content on wellness, growing from failure, precision medicine and more. We have also interviewed NYU College of Dentistry faculty who were once in our shoes. 

The process for a student writer involves a lot of teamwork. First, the executive team will edit the writer’s piece, and then send it over to our faculty mentors. If the article is approved, from there, the writer will implement the changes and send the revised edition back to me for publication. Our webmaster then uploads all approved articles. With our monthly publications, our goal is to publish only respectful and authentic pieces, and we want to always hold true to that value.

This student club has given us all a place to freely express our thoughts and get to know our student writers beyond dentistry. As we start our second year as a club this year, I hope it continuously serves as a platform for student writers to express their own voice. If given the opportunity, we’d love to help other programs adapt this same format, as it’s been such a gratifying experience for us all. I’m forever thankful for the mentors who believed in us from the beginning. Dentistry is a profession that is so versatile, and there is so much that can be combined with it. Writing happens to be one of my many passions that seems to flow well with my passion for dentistry: to have the ability to help people in the clinic and to also help others by publishing relatable, helpful pieces, demonstrating how grateful I am to be in this profession. 

~Yunah Caroline Chun, New York ‘22

Via Dental http://www.rssmix.com/

Achieve better overall wellness

With grant funding from Crest + Oral-B, the ADA has spent the last year developing a suite of wellness programs for dentists and their teams. Explore these programs and more that support your financial wellness, your day-to-day clinic work and your overall self-care.

Financial wellness

• A special issue of Dental Practice Success offers Financial Foundations for the New Dentist to support navigating the financial journey from dental school to career.
• Plan Your Financial Journey includes experts from across the ADA’s financial partners offering tips for navigating debt and early career financial concerns. It’s free, and you can earn one CE credit.
• ADA.org/Money is the new home to resources and materials to support dental students and early career dentists in finding answers to financial questions and concerns.
• Read the New Dentist Now blog for peer-to-peer advice for managing student debt.

Physical wellness

• Get moving with Class Pass, a new program that provides free on-demand fitness classes and workouts as well as discounted passes to gyms and in-person classes. Visit ADA.org/ClassPass and enter code ADA2021.
• Read tips and tricks for managing PPE, and view this webinar to learn some workarounds for managing discomfort.

Mental wellness

• Watch “Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty,” by best-selling author, MTV star and mental health advocate Ben Nemtin. This free, on-demand webinar will advise how you can increase your wellbeing in times of stress, anxiety and burnout.
• Watch and share this short video that reminds us to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Top it off with a supported breathing exercise to help you take a breather from life’s chatter.
• Learn how to recognize when a colleague is struggling and identify ways to be supportive through the webinar Mental Health, Dentistry & You, from the ADA and NAMI Chicago, available for free to ASDA/ADA student members.

Check out ADA.org/wellness for additional resources, and be well!

This blog post was sponsored by the American Dental Association.

Via Dental http://www.rssmix.com/

New Dental Technologies You Can Use Now to Transform Smiles

We are living in an age when rapid advances in science and technology are revolutionizing dental care. What seemed like science fiction just a couple of decades ago is now a reality. Dental technologies are transforming smiles—but they are also improving the experience for both dentists and patients.

Self-repairing teeth and the end of plaque bacteria may still be “out there” a bit. However, the technologies available today are paving the way for a new era in dentistry.

Teledentistry

The use of teledentistry has seen huge growth. Its benefits in preventing the spread of disease by minimizing contact during the pandemic are clear. But, as face-to-face consultations come back, will the role of teledentistry still play a part?

Talk of a post-pandemic world might seem premature. Local lockdowns or social distancing measures are still very much part of our lives. With the aim to avoid physical clinical interactions, all indications show that teledentistry will remain important in the future. Additionally, it confers benefits to dentists and patients that complement existing services.

For example, patients can be triaged and offered the appropriate medical advice through a virtual emergency dentist appointment. Consequently, this avoids unnecessary visits to the dental office and improves accessibility, efficiency and waiting times.

Pain-free Injections

Pain-free dentistry is a commonly used term, but it does nothing to alleviate the initial pain associated with an injection. This is caused by the pressure of the liquid being injected, not the needle. However, many patients associate the pain with the needle. Regrettably, just one negative experience with an injection can have an emotional impact on patients for the rest of their lives.

Fortunately, emerging new technologies, such as The Wand^® offer a solution. A small, computerized device that looks like a pen delivers the anesthesia slowly, providing a dental injection that is completely pain-free.

Traditional anesthesia can leave the entire side of the face numb for several hours. This makes talking, drinking and eating difficult. Additionally, there is a greater chance of injury if the patient bites their cheek or tongue. Known as single-tooth anesthesia, it delivers it precisely to the area that needs it. Thus, any numbness is localized without affecting the wider area.

Another advantage of this technology is that it works instantly. Dentists can commence treatment immediately, without waiting for the anesthesia to take effect—and patients spend less time in the chair. This is an advantage in children’s dentistry, since keeping them in the chair can be challenging.

For children and needle-phobic adults, creating confidence is essential. Pain-free injections can play an important role in building trust. And if your patients trust you, they are more likely to return.

Digital Impressions

Conventional dental impressions are made from alginate. This is a glutinous substance that is used to create molds of the teeth. Its application is uncomfortable and unpleasant, often invoking a gag reflex. It can also prove difficult for dentists to get an accurate impression without multiple attempts.

A wide variety of dental procedures need impressions: crowns, dentures, orthodontics and mouthguards alike. A simpler and less uncomfortable way of obtaining accurate impressions would seem to be a win-win situation. Digital impressions offer that solution, benefiting patients and dentists alike.

Using computer technology, the process is comfortable and quicker. A simple scanning process takes 3D images and projects them onto a chairside screen. This allows patients to see and understand the proposed treatment. The technology even demonstrates before and after treatment results. Consequently, patients are fully aware of the processes and expected outcome.

CAD/CAM Technology

CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) is another digital tech solution revolutionizing dentistry. It is computer software used in the production of dental prostheses and restorations. Instead of using an outside laboratory to make restorations, such as crowns, it can be done in-house while the patient waits.

Using digital images of a patient’s mouth, dental restorations are designed and displayed on a computer screen. The software allows changes to the size, shape and color of the restorations. Once complete, the final design is sent to an on-site milling machine. From a block of solid ceramic, the machine produces a tailor-made restoration. This is then fitted by the dentist the usual way, using a bonding process that secures the restoration in place.

1: Tooth preparation

The tooth is prepared by removing decay or structurally unsound portions of the tooth

2: Intraoral scanning

Captures 3D images of the prepared tooth and surrounding teeth

3: Design Restoration

4: Milling

5: Staining, glazing and polishing

The restoration has the finishing touches applied to create a more natural appearance

6: Affix Restoration

The complete process includes:

The restoration is cemented firmly in place, using a special light-activated adhesive that bonds it securely to the tooth

CAD/CAM is a single-visit treatment that can shave 2–3 weeks off treatment times. It is a convenient and more comfortable process for patients, and is easier for dentists. It is not always the best option for every patient, but is a great service to offer alongside traditional restorative dentistry.

The Takeaway

This era of advancing technology is far from over. As patient expectations increase, future advances will offer even more options for clinicians. With enhanced patient care and comfort, a blueprint for better oral healthcare is now here.

Via Dental http://www.rssmix.com/