Dawson Blog
5 Tips for Finding a Great AssociateMonday, May 14th, 2012
By Dr. Gary L. Spieler
The diversity of partnership and associateship experiences I’ve had has taught me some very valuable lessons. However, I made many mistakes along the way.Why shouldn’t you learn from my mistakes? Why should a busy dentist spend countless hours in “screening” for that right person?
Having been in practice for 20 plus years and having been faculty at UF, I’ve come to appreciate the expectations of many recent graduates. I’ve interviewed countless dental school graduates who had applied for acceptance to the Endodontic Program at the University of Florida. Sorting out which graduates, associates, colleagues might be compatible with your future goals; filtering (interviewing) candidates with realistic expectations from those who have “no clue” (re: the way you practice) can be time consuming and costly.
From my experience, the following are 5 tips for finding a great associate:
1. Speak with colleagues at local dental schools and ask for referrals.
2. Spend the time to carefully interview potential candidates to assess:
- How do they look at your interview?
- Do they make “eye-to-eye” contact
- Are they dressed appropriately?
- Do they listen to you, or do they seem to have “canned” answers
- What are their expectations in dentistry – financially, clinically, lifestyle?
- Are those expectations reasonable for your type of practice, location?
- What are their reasons for choosing your practice?
3. Be sure to check out each reference.
4. Do you feel that they can “take direction”?
5. How many other colleagues have they worked with? Did you call them? What Happened?
5 things to keep in mind during the interviewing process:
1. Making the right choice will save you:
- Time
- Money
- Frustration
- Quality of Practice
- Quality of Life
2. Prepare your staff for the transition at least one month before active interviews
3. Listen to your staff’s concern and experiences, perhaps they can refer potential candidates
4. Make the staff active participants in the selection process
5. Enlist your staff to show enthusiasm for this transition.
For more help with finding an associate, you can email Dr. Spieler by clicking here.
The Children’s Science Hands-On Learning LabMonday, May 7th, 2012
By Dr. Susan Maples
Through a radical paradigm shift in our practice’s approach to children’s health, we boosted our team morale, inspired an influx of new patients and began making a significant contribution to children’s oral and nutritional health. We designed and implemented a SCIENCE Hands-On Learning Lab ™ that begins with a self-prophy model and includes 40+ science experiments to go with it. Very quickly we became the talk of our community—in a positive way. You can do it too!
Our aim for children, not unlike yours, has remained clear: to help kids graduate from high school with skills and behaviors for a lifetime of dental health. During the last decade, we have witnessed more and more kids missing the mark, with increased decay and reduced plaque control. But something else was disturbing. Along with rising consumption of sugar-laden beverages and junk food came a decrease in physical activity and a marked increase in body fat storage.
I wanted to address obesity with my patients also—just like 51% of you do, according to a recent JADA cover article (Curran et al, Nov 2011). But few dentists are ready for that. Why? The reasons cited for not addressing obesity include lack of sensitivity training, expertise and effective tools to do so. Dental caries and obesity are clearly the two greatest health risks for kids, and both conditions are 100% preventable. Nutrition problems are not just a dental issue but a public health issue that will fall upon an already crippled health-care system. So who is listening?
Not our young patients, unfortunately—and herein lies another challenge. We “talk” our message to kids, but our words often fall on deaf ears. Generation Z is socially distracted beyond measure, preoccupied by whatever hand-held “app” they last loaded. Perhaps none of our brains are wired for teach-and-tell learning, but these kids are especially tuned out to the drone of an authoritarian teacher. Looking for a breakthrough, we decided to put learning into their own hands.
For more information on the SCIENCE Hands-On Learning Lab ™ visit www.HandsOnLearningLab.com.
Private Care CreedMonday, April 30th, 2012
At our recent dental ce course, Advanced Problem Solving course on St. Pete Beach, Florida, Dr. Peter Dawson mentioned the ‘Private Care Creed’ that is so important to live by in order to practice complete care dentistry and to give patients the care they deserve. This creed was created by the Schuster Center in 1995.
We believe that every person should have the freedom to establish and participate in an environment that promotes these beliefs:
- That all individuals should be cared for with dignity and respect.
- That all persons should exercise their human rights of freedom of choice, the pursuit of happiness (both spiritual and material) and the duty of personal responsibility.
- That health-centered (caring) methods and models should be promoted and practiced in lieu of disease-centered (curing) methods and models.
- That voluntary, interdependent relationships should be created based on shared values.
- In the freedom to create an environment conducive to improvement of the quality of life of all parties concerned.
- That health is based on the freedom to establish healthy, interdependent relationships, rather than dysfunctional dependency or co-dependency relationships.
For more information on the Schuster Center, please click here.
The Secret to Exquisite Single Tooth CrownsMonday, April 23rd, 2012
Special Edition of Dawson Academy TV presented by Dr. John Cranham and Dental Arts Laboratories
Learn the necessary steps to mastering the skill of delivering a great single tooth restoration. This 30 minute video discusses the secret to creating exquisite single tooth crowns with the following goals in mind:
- Creating a cleanable periodontally stable restoration
- Creating a functionally stable restoration
- Creating stable, cleanable interproximal contacts
- Eliminating and minimizing adjustments at delivery
- Choosing the appropriate restorative material
- Creating an esthetically acceptable result
Doppler Auscultation in Treatment PlanningMonday, April 16th, 2012
By Dr. Stephen Miller
One of our most important decisions in our treatment planning process is the treatment position of the TMJ. An easy and effective adjunctive screening tool for TMJ Health is Doppler Auscultation.
Listening to our patient’s joints is an important step in the TMJ-Occlusal Exam process. The use of a Doppler in dentistry was developed in the 1980’s by Dr. Mark Piper. It is basically a stethoscope with a microphone that incorporates the Doppler wave effect. The sounds give us an indication of the amount of friction and quality of lubrication within the joint.
Technique
1. Place gel on the transducer head and place between middle of the ear and condyle in the fovea
2. Turn on the volume on the Doppler MD2 from Great Lakes
3. When you hear the sound of the Superior Temporal Artery, angle the transducer anteriorly toward the posterior aspect of the condyle.
4. Ask the patient to open and close slowly.
- If there are no sounds, we can assume that the patient has an intact joint that is well lubricated.
- If there are noises, Is it a medial pole issue or lateral pole issue?
5. Medial pole is tested by having the patient place their tongue on the roof of their mouth and just open half way. The motion will be pure rotation.
6. Lateral Pole noises are distinguished by having the patient open wide and close, then have the patient move to right, left and protrusive, which are all in Translation.
The following are the Piper Classifications:
Class 1 – normal joint
Class 2&3—lateral pole issues
Class 4 &5 – medial pole issues
Integration of Doppler Exam into Treatment Planning Decisions
If the patient presents with a Piper Class 1 and NO signs of occlusal instability, then the patient can be restored in their Habitual Occlusion.
If the patient’s exam presents with a Piper Class 2 or 3, then a lateral pole problem exists and we must decide how to establish Occlusal Stability.
A Medial Pole issue indicates a Piper Class 4 or 5. It should flash a caution warning that further investigation is warranted. A MRI or CAT scan is indicated to make a definitive diagnosis. The TM Joint must be stable before restorative phase is initiated, barring Phase 1 treatment.
In conclusion, Doppler Auscultation is an important screening tool that is efficient, inexpensive and informative.
