A New Type of Dental Injection and Other Things We Learned in Chicago!
Five of our dental team went to Chicago last month for the annual Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting. The Chicago Midwinter offers a wide variety of continuing education classes as well as a huge floor filled with vendors. New products are introduced here and sales people are on hand to answer questions and supply information. We have found this meeting to be valuable not only for the scope of things offered, but also due to its proximity to Wayland. It doesn’t hurt that Chicago is a great city to visit.
Every year we go as a group to learn and improve ourselves and our practice. We also spend time together and bond as a team. This year, the five of us spent over fifty hours in class and on the exhibit floor. Not every class was gold, but we learned a little here and a little there. We then brought that information back to the rest of the team and shared the ideas we thought would improve our practice and each other.
In periodontal management, we learned that oral inflammation can be a warning sign for many systemic problems. We will be assessing overall health as we try and improve out patient’s health. Ask your hygienist how your overall health affects your oral health.
Blood pressure and diabetes are two disease processes that are linked with oral health. When they are not controlled, your oral health will suffer. Ask your hygienist if you should be getting check-ups more frequently.
We learned what to look for in moles and other facial and oral anomalies. Sometimes the most innocent looking thing can be deadly. Ask your hygienist about being screened for oral cancer at your next visit.
Children are a big part of our practice. We picked up a few tips on child management. Remember, “First tooth means first visit!” We also picked up some diet and snack tips that we can pass on to our patients.
We took some classes on leadership, business and practice management. We looked at some products that would be useful and helpful in our day to day activities. There was even a class on how to be happier and more productive.
The most significant change that you may notice is in our anesthetic delivery. We purchased a system that buffers the anesthetic we give before many of the doctor’s appointments. This lessens the sting of the injection and hastens the onset of the anesthetic itself. Now the injection will sting less and work faster. In addition, we also have a product that will help the numb feeling go away faster. If you do need injections, it’s nice to know that we provide them in the most pain free method available and help that annoying numb feeling disappear quicker!
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Bruce
