Basics of Business Success
You will learn what makes a dental office successful and profitable. The areas discussed in detail include; the importance of delivering high quality dentistry, providing exceptional customer services and understanding what makes the business work and be profitable, safeguarding the patient base as the most valuable asset by understanding continual care, the role of insurance, management of collections and receivables. Also discussed is the role of leadership to ensure the team is committed to common vision and goals, so the practice is a fun place to work, is productive, profitable and a place that patients enjoy visiting.

Important CE Credit Information: This course has only been approved for AGD PACE Credits.

 Dentists today receive information from more sources than ever. It is increasingly difficult to determine how to prioritize information when it comes time to make important practice decisions such as purchasing imaging systems for the modern dental office. This series of articles is intended to provide the dentist with some basic information regarding modern imaging systems. Specifically, part one of this series is geared towards a review of intraoral digital radiography. In addition to digital radiography, we will offer a basic overview of the principles of x-ray production; radiation dose and selection criteria; attenuation and image quality. We will also discuss how these aspects of radiology are meaningful to the prac­ticing dentist. After completing this course, the dentist and dental auxiliary should have a better understanding of how intraoral dental radiography systems function and be better equipped to make a decision regarding which intraoral system to purchase.

Americans consume an average of 400 calories per day of added sugars in their diet from high-fructose corn syrup, table sugar, honey, and all other sweeteners with calories! Today’s sugar consumption has jumped 20% over the past 30 years with a correlating rise in obesity, and the domino effect continues with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, elevated triglyceride levels, liver disease and Type II diabetes. Soft drinks which are the greatest culprit of this growing “sugar obsession” are implicated in increased risk for dental caries and tooth erosion. This program gives a review of the literature related to sugar’s impact on overall health, but also provides good news for today’s clinician seeking methods to help reduce decay, remineralize tooth structure, and motivate patients to reclaim their health!

Program Format Note: This program is offered in both a Text based format (PDF) and an Audio Video Webinar format (Interactive).

Special Bundle Offer:
Buy "America’s Sweet Tooth Obsession and Its Impact on Oral and Systemic Health" and receive a 20% Discount on your choice of any 2 currently available ineedce 2 credit hour courses.

All 3 Courses must be purchased at the same time.
To recieve discount enter Promotion Code: 1BUNDLE2013
Offer Expires 12/31/2013

Dental hygiene care incorporates antimicrobial agents as ad¬junct services with nonsurgical periodontal therapy, and as a measure to reduce the risk of hematogenous infection subse¬quent to oral tissue manipulation. Knowledge of antimicrobial properties provides practitioners the ability to make sound de¬cisions when diagnosing conditions treated by dental hygiene intervention and choosing antibiotics dentists prescribe for administration. Antimicrobial agents inhibit structural or metabolic functions of microorganisms, but also render adverse effects to patients. Bacterial mutation and acquisition of genetic material enables development of strains resistant to antibiotics. Understanding the interplay of host, microorganism, and anti¬microbials fosters advances in therapeutic choices and delivery systems when treating periodontal disease, as well as when re¬sponding to the risk of hematogenous infection of endocardium or prosthetic joints.

One benefit of occlusal splint therapy is a reduction in masticatory muscle hyperactivity related to the development of an optimal programmed occlusion. This normalization of muscle activity can reduce the effects of cumulative adverse force on the teeth, periodontium, muscles, and temporomandibular joints. Current literature defines a therapeutic occlusion as multiple, bilateral posterior teeth contact with the mandibular condyles physiologically seated and immediate separation of the posterior teeth by the anterior teeth in all excursive movements. These contacts are usually identified by occlusal marking but research has shown that conventional identification of occlusal contacts with inked silk, paper, or plastic ribbon is not accurate. The rationale and application of computerized digital occlusal analysis to verify a therapeutic occlusion with occlusal splint therapy is presented. The advantages for clinical documentation and validation of research are discussed.

Interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) are promising tools to improve quality and efficiency in health care. This course will look at the tides of change and how dentistry became part of the interoperable EHR process. It will assess the impact of standards, coding, and systems being developed by the American Dental Association for EHR. The reader is given five simple steps that can be taken to help with navigating the choppy waters of adoption.

Everyday dentistry does not typically include full mouth reconstruction. Rather, minimally invasive dentistry, restoring one or two teeth or somewhat more complex cases comprises what we do on a daily basis. Though involvement and complexity can vary, the foundation principles that ultimately dictate success remain the same. A key component is the role that occlusion plays in achieving excellence in anterior esthetics. This presentation will focus on the principles that need to be addressed in order to achieve predictable long term success through an occlusion-based rationale toward natural esthetics.

Oral side effects are commonplace with cancer chemo and adjunctive therapies. Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy can lead to osteonecrosis, especially after a tooth extraction or oral surgery. Scheduled cleanings should be performed every six months or quarterly, as well as compliance with meticulous home oral hygiene, depending on risk factors and the patient’s health. Chemotherapy can cause a host of oral side effects including hypersensitivity due to discomfort and pain, ulcerated gingival tissues, impaired taste buds, erosion of tooth enamel due to vomiting, and mucositis. The primary method of treating mucositis is palliative therapy. Therapy includes home oral hygiene, pain control, oral mouth rinses, and palliation of dry mouth. It is important for dental hygienists to be aware of these side effects and how to counsel their patients appropriately.

As the demand for tooth whitening increases and consumers are making their own diagnostic decisions regarding tooth whitening, it is important that this smile enhancing process become a part of dental hygiene clinical protocols. A focus on professional tooth whitening — whitening provided chair side or professionally dispensed — will be provided and includes the dental hygiene process of care. Maximizing and improving oral health through tooth whitening provides the rationale for dental hygienists to identify, implement, and maintain this esthetic opportunity.

The incidence of periodontal disease is far greater than we have been led to believe, according to the latest CDC NHANES survey, yet dental offices are submitting relatively few claims for periodontal procedures. The disconnect may stem from the fact that so many practices are “treating” disease with prophylaxes instead of definitively diagnosing. Until relatively recently we depended on simply probing for clinical data, but we now have the ability to accurately determine the causative pathogens with a simple salivary test. This allows the clinician and the patient to understand the underlying causes of the clinical changes, and then provide definitive therapy for management. The discussion will cover the implications of the dental clinician forging a closer link to medical colleagues by using pathogen and genetic predisposition testing in a medical model, so as to allow for more targeted, personalized therapy.

Inflammatory diseases share many common traits, including the ability to produce pro-inflammatory messengers called cytokines that travel throughout the body. Cytokines play an important role in physiologic regulation of many biological activities, but in inflammatory diseases, they are produced at levels that can have pathological consequences. In diabetes, cytokines can cause β-cell death and insulin resistance. In periodontal disease, the same cytokines are responsible for collagen destruction and alveolar bone loss. Because inflammatory diseases share a common biological denominator, they can often influence the progression of other inflammatory diseases.

Dentists are routinely presented with patients that have Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among these patients, the potential health benefit of diagnosing and treating chronic inflammatory periodontal disease may be uncertain. This article reviews studies over the last decade to help understand the potential effect of periodontal therapy among these two patient groups. While there are many factors involved outside the realm of oral health and our understanding of cause and effect, these studies reveal that the dental professional’s role in systemic health care management is significant. Based on these studies, the management of chronic periodontal disease in specific chronically diseased patients appears to have a significant health benefit: plus an additional benefit in the reduction of over-all medical expenditures.

As the 20th century ended and the 21st century began, research groups were developing an imaging technology that would forever change dentists’ ability to image their patients. This technology is known as cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).1-6 In this course we will explore the technology and principles of CBCT and we will compare the similarities and differences between multi-detector CT (MDCT) used in medical imaging and CBCT. We will also discuss some of the basics of radiation dosimetry, as well as a few tools dentists can use to educate their patients in the relative risks of CBCT. We will also look at how CBCT can assist the practitioner with advanced treatment planning. Finally, we will review some of the ethical and medicolegal issues related to the use of CBCT imaging in dentistry.