DO WE HAVE TOO MANY DENTAL HYGIENISTS?

A Hygienist/Staffing Specialist in Cleveland/Akron, Ohio posed this question on LinkedIn to the American Dental Education Association:   “…why are schools graduating so many Dental Hygienists in a field that is very saturated, with little chance of job opportunities for these new Dental Hygiene grads? “

I am also interested in hearing the answer. Here in south Florida there is a plethora of well trained, dedicated Hygienists who are working part-time for Staffing Agencies, or as clinical assistants, and in other industries, because there are not enough opportunities in dental offices. My colleagues in Philadelphia and southern California tell me the situation is similar there.

Do you find this to be the case in YOUR area?

From The Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Job prospects are expected to be favorable in most areas, but will vary by geographical location. Because graduates are permitted to practice only in the State in which they are licensed, hygienists wishing to practice in areas that have an abundance of dental hygiene programs may experience strong competition for jobs.

Projection data from the National Employment Matrix Occupation:
Dental hygienists

174,100 2008
237,000 2018
36% increase

Do you feel that expanding the legal functions of Hygienists, and relaxing their areas of “direct supervision” will alleviate this problem?

WHAT IS MISSING IN YOUR COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL EXAM?

A truly professional comprehensive dental exam examination (D0150 or D0180) should include much more than what the CDT codes delineate.

What is essential?
Beyond the obvious FMX, the charting of existing and needed dental and periodontal conditions, and an oral cancer screening, there are many other useful evaluations which are directly related to our services and are within our range of authority and responsibility. 
The Comprehensive Exam should also include measurement of vitals such as blood pressure, a sleep dysfunction (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) screening such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, a nutritional analysis and a careful discussion of any notable items (alerts) in the patient’s med history. These things don’t need to be spelled out in the CDT code. They come with our desire to do what we know is right. .

  TMJ exam, facial muscle palpation, Mallampati classification (of the airway entrance) and an oxygen saturation test will provide critical information.  Any dentist/hygienist will chose how extensive they wish their dental exams to be and what should be included.

Would we be “spending too much time” in a dental exam visit?

Not if we care about our patient’s total well being, about our conscience, and about our dental license.

And is this nearly always accepted by patients as hugely valuable and with appreciation?     YES, it is, where the dental team shows their patients how much passion, care and skill they have. I see it in many dental offices.    The really successful ones.

A Hygienist is in a uniquely key position.
Here’s your opportunity to increase your service to your community, to create your “niche”, and  to stand out in your community as a complete care-giver.
It is reported that 34% of the population has Sleep Apnea symptoms. One of the next three patients that walk thru your doors is a Sleep Apnea victim. Are you able to help them?
Does your New Patient Exam include a screening for Sleep Apnea?

Interested? Then check this out:   www.sleepgs.com

HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE END OF DST

The days are getting shorter. Darkness arrives earlier.in the evening. Daylight Saving Time ends on November 2nd and we turn our clocks back one hour. When we wake up Sunday morning it will be a little darker than yesterday morning. We’ll have one extra hour for sleep.

In order to fulfill the essential number of regenerating sleep cycles the average adult needs 7-8 hours. A five stage sleep cycle repeats consistently throughout the night. One complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. So during an average night’s sleep (8 hours), an adult will experience about four or five cycles of sleep.

A Little History of Daylight Saving Time
The concept of setting the clocks ahead in the spring in order to make better use of natural daylight was first introduced in the US by inventor Benjamin Franklin in 1784.

During his time as an American envoy to France, Ben Franklin publisher of the old English proverb, “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” anonymously published a letter suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight. This 1784 satire proposed taxing shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells and firing cannons at sunrise.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted year-round DST in the United States, called “War Time” during World War II from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945. The change was implemented 40 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and during this time, the U.S. time zones were called “Eastern War Time”, “Central War Time”, and “Pacific War Time”. After the surrender of Japan in mid-August 1945, the time zones were relabeled “Peace Time”.
Congress decided to end the confusion and establish the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that stated DST would begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October. However, states still had the ability to be exempt from DST by passing a local ordinance.Healthy nights of sleep are essential to recharge our human organs and maintain good health and longevity. 

 This fall, dentists have the opportunity to spring forward with Dental Sleep Medicine and help the millions of their Sleep Apnea victims. 

Upcoming training seminars by DSM experts are available in the following cities:

Oklahoma City    Dr.Damian Blum
Atlanta                Dr. Marty Lipsey
Hollywood, FL     Dr. Dan Tache’
Boston               Dr Barry Freydberg
Indianapolis        Dr. George Jones

Orlando              Dr Anjoo Ely

You can view the dates and course outlines and register here:
http://sleepgroupsolutions.com/2.0/modules/piCal/index.php?smode=&op=&cid=2

 

“I’m thinking of taking the Dental Sleep Medicine training.”

How many great ideas have you had in your life that were exciting… seemed important to you… that had to be done… that could improve the world….that could improve YOUR world?  You thought about it, talked to confidants about it, put it off day after day and then, fssst! Gone! Forgotten, or worse, watched someone else do it and get the credit for it. You’re in good company; we are all procrastinators to some degree.  Me, too.

When there’s a good idea, it’s in “the air”.  A lot of people will think of it at the same time; but the person that takes action will be called the genius.   DSM is one of those “ideas”… it may be the best one you will have. There is a DSM bandwagon- JUMP ON IT!

               UPCOMING DSM TRAINING SEMINARS

		Hartford, CT –         Dr. Ely        September 12th and 13th
		Las Vegas, NV –      Dr. Lipsey     September 12th and 13th
		Chicago, IL –          Dr. Lipsey     September 19th and 20th
		Newark, NJ –          Dr. Blum        September 19th and 20th More and more dentists are getting trained and implementing Sleep Apnea screening and treatment into their patient services. Are you going to wait and watch your colleagues become “sleep dentists”?  “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”  Mark Twain                                         IF IT’S A GOOD IDEA, DO IT NOW   “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”   Napoleon Hill

The choice is yours; either way, next week YOU WIN!

The winners in this difficult economy will be those Dentists who are able to offer the combination of patient engagement and niche marketing.

On Fri. and Sat., August 15, 16, you can chose between training by two of the most respected Dental Sleep Medicine educators in the nation. Sleep Group Solutions presents:

Dr. Damian Blum in Boston, MA 

Dr. Dan Tache’ in Minneapolis, MN

.   Those Dentists who convince people that they understand their needs, truly care about them, and have a unique and essential service to offer, will stand out.  Patients’ priorities have changed. The money is still there. They are willing and ready to spend money on their priorities.

STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT!

The current need and “buzz” is in discovering and treating sleep apnea.  Patients are asking their Dentists about sleep apnea. How comfortable are YOU with the answers? It is reported that less than 4% of practicing Dentists are able to assist the more than 50 million people who suffer from sleep apnea. There is a growing public awareness of the hazards that come from a nocturnal stoppage of breathing. Your patients are becoming increasingly more concerned about the blockage of oxygen to the brain and other organs. Strokes. Heart attacks. Diabetes. As a Care Giver, think of how you can serve. Serve an unfilled need.

Your patient doesn’t want to buy crowns and fillings. Your patient wants to buy YOU. Once a patient likes you, trusts you, believes in you, and knows you are REALLY concerned about them, they will want to accept your recommendations. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

Here’s a mnemonic for you to remember:

STAND UP for what you believe in. Be a complete healer.

STAND OUT with a unique and valuable service.

BE OUTSTANDING !

 

Did George Washington’s dentures contribute to his death?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  President Washington! 

282 years old   February 22, 1732-2014

Dentistry has come a long way since Dr. John Greenwood gave you those dentures in 1789 made from >>>>>>>>

There must be dozens of portraits of George Washington. I have never seen any with him smiling. Those darn Hippo dentures with the spring openers must have been painful.

Light from a red laser scans a resin reproduction of the 1789 lower denture originally carved from Hippopatamus ivory for George Washington.

Was the throat infection that took George Washington’s life caused by colonies of bacteria that grew in his world famous dentures?   What material were they made from?

By the time he became President, in 1789, at age 57, he had only one tooth remaining,   At his inauguration, Washington was wearing a full set of dentures which were attached to his final tooth. Washington had frequent dental problems during his tenure as commanding general of the Continental Army. A famous painting of Washington in 1779 shows a scar on his left cheek, believed to be the result of a badly abscessed tooth.

One cannot help but wonder if his teeth might have been the source of the chronic infections he suffered. His dental and health problems were intertwined.

Washington was treated by no fewer than eight prominent dentists who practiced in colonial America, but his favorite was Dr. John Greenwood.  Dr. Greenwood’s dentures had a base of hippopotamus ivory carved to fit the gums. The upper denture had ivory teeth and the lower plate consisted of eight human teeth fastened by gold pivots that screwed into the base. The set was secured in his mouth by spiral springs. The upper and lower gold plates were connected by springs which pushed the upper and lower plates against the upper and lower ridges of his mouth to hold them in place. Washington actually had to actively close his jaws tightly to make his teeth bite together.

His final dentures were made in 1798, the year before he died. This set had a swaged gold plate with individual backing for each tooth and was fastened together by rivets. Today, the lower denture is on display in the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, and another the set was donated to the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, the oldest dental college in the world.

Source: Research by Michelle Keib

CHILDREN AND SLEEP: Consistent Bedtime is as Important as Sleep Quality and Quantity.

 

There are numerous studies on the quality and the quantity of sleep for children. Now there is insight to the regularity of children’s sleep.  It is found that he consistent nature of bedtimes during early childhood is related to cognitive performance. Considering the importance of early child development, this may be an influence for health throughout life.

 

 

 

A study out of the United Kingdom revealed that inconsistent bedtimes for young children result inlower scores on reading, math, and spatial awareness tests administered at age 7, compared to children who went to bed at the same time every night.

 

This research is particularly interesting because it zeroes in on the timing of sleep and the issue of bedtime consistency, apart from sleep quality or quantity. In the study, 11,178 children whose bedtimes were irregular at ages 3, 5, and 7 were tested at age 7.

 

 

 

 

Results

 At age 7, not having a regular bedtime was related to lower cognitive test scores in girls: reading (β: −0.22), maths (β: −0.26) and spatial (β: −0.15), but not for boys. Non-regular bedtimes at age 3 were independently associated, in girls and boys, with lower reading (β: −0.10, −0.20), maths (β: −0.16, −0.11) and spatial (β: −0.13, −0.16) scores. Cumulative relationships were apparent. Girls who never had regular bedtimes at ages 3, 5 and 7 had significantly lower reading (β: −0.36), maths (β: −0.51) and spatial (β: −0.40) scores, while for boys this was the case for those having non-regular bedtimes at any two ages (3, 5 or 7 years): reading (β: −0.28), maths (β: −0.22) and spatial (β: −0.26) scores. In boys having non-regular bedtimes at all three ages (3, 5 and 7 years) were non-significantly related to lower reading, maths and spatial scores.

 

 

 

References
“Time for Bed: associations with cognitive performance in 7 year old children: a longitudinal population based study”
Yvonne Kelly, John Kelly, Amanda Sacker
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
Published Online First 8 July 2013

 

Getting tired of the freezing weather? See you in Ft. Lauderdale!

The warmest part of the continental U.S. this week has been Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 
 It gets even hotter in the weekend of Jan 17th-18th, when Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz 
presents his Sleep Medicine seminar and offers you 16 CE credits to start your new year. 
This course is designed to provide you with the knowledge to confidently return to 
your practice and immediately begin implementing new screening and treatment protocols.

Dentists are in the first line of discovery and defense of many systemic diseases. 
We are often the first ones to discover diabetes, sleep apnea and oral cancer. 
These three serious conditions are all too frequently under-diagnosed. 
You will become prepared to be able to do far more as a comprehensive caregiver
for your patients. 

Sleep Apnea victims are looking for a dental professional like you to treat their symptoms.

Learn Dental Sleep Medicine with 16 CE credits. 
Friday and Saturday, January 17th and 18th in sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.



Dr. Horowitz shares his unique perspective on Dental Sleep Medicine in an A to Z 
presentation.  Included: Medical Insurance billing, Codes, Fees and Procedures.                 Review the course outline and register here:
http://sleepgroupsolutions.com/2.0/modules/piCal/
index.php?action=View&event_id=0000003028

Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz

 Dr. Horowitz has dedicated himself to continuing education, earning fellowship award from the Academy of General Dentistry, Mentorship status at the prestigious Kois Center for Advanced Dental Studies, and fellowship in the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Horowitz is also a member of the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine.

WHAT IS MISSING IN YOUR COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL EXAM?

A truly professional comprehensive dental exam examination (D0150 or D0180) should include much more than what the CDT codes delineate.

What is essential?
Beyond the obvious FMX, charting of existing and needed dental and periodontal conditions, and an oral cancer screening,there are many other evaluations which are directly related to our services and are within our range of authority and responsibility. 
The Comprehensive Exam should also include measurement of vitals such as blood pressure, etc., sleep dysfunction screening such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and a careful discussion of any notable items (alerts) in the patient’s med history. These things don’t need to be spelled out in the CDT code. They come with our desire to do what we know is right. If I were still practicing today I would certainly perform these and a nutritional analysis.

  TMJ exam, facial muscle palpation,Mallampati classification  (correlates tongue size to pharyngeal size) and an oxygen saturation test will provide critical information.  Any dentist/hygienist/team will chose how extensive they wish their dental exams to be and what should be included.

Would we be “spending too much time” in a dental exam visit?

Not if we care about our patient’s total well being, our conscience, and our dental license.

And is this “nearly always accepted by patients with huge value and appreciation”? YES, it is, where the dental team shows their patients how much passion, care and skill they have. I see it in many dental offices. The really successful ones.

Do you want to do more?
Here’s your opportunity to increase your service to your community, to create your “niche”, and  to stand out in your community as a complete care-giver.
It is reported that 34% of the population has SA symptoms. One of the next three patients that walk thru your doors is a Sleep Apnea victim. Are you able to help them?
Does your New Patient Exam include a screening for Sleep Apnea?

Interested? Then check this out: http://sleepgroupsolutions.com/2.0/

STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS!

Congratulations to the members of Advance! Dental Study Group on LinkedIn. We have grown to 700 members in a very short time.  People like what you have to say; keep up the good work. 

Your contributions of discussion topics and comments are of large value to our community of dental professionals.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4053727&trk=anet_ug_hm

Join, learn, share and enjoy. This is  the fountain of knowledge. Stay thirsty, my friends.

I don’t always read my emails, but when I do, it’s from you, the Most Interesting Man (and Woman) in the World.