Self Praise Stinks

My mother always said, "Self Praise Stinks."

I understand that she didn't want us to grow up to be the type of people who walked around telling everyone how great we were.  She did not want us to be conceited.  She wanted us to be respected.  That didn't mean that she couldn't tell of all the achievements of her children and grandchildren, after all that was her prerogative.

I business, especially a health care field, where people don't really know whether you did a good job but rather how you made them feel while you were doing it, some self praise is okay.

I have adapted this philosophy when it came to my children.  Don't be a braggart, but you can tell people if you are good at something.  If you don't say it who is going to know.  My daughter is a magnificent figure skater and very good with languages.  My son's language is mathematics and computers, and he puts the rest of us to shame that we don't understand the instruments we use daily, the way he does.  As a parent it is my prerogative to state these things.

Ivan Misner, founder of Business Networking International recently wrote the following as a facebook posting:

Many of us are taught as kids that we should refrain from bragging about our successes, but there’s a real caveat to those rules that our parents usually didn’t teach us, and it’s important to understand that it really helps our business to do certain things that capture our success stories. Now, success stories about businesses and entrepreneurs are really vital for those who are dedicated to learning all we can in order to make our own enterprise as successful as possible.

Cocky, Self absorbed, self praise may stink, but self-promotion is the entrepreneurial spirit. 

Just Sayin'

Thanks Mom

Which do you prefer, Horses or Zebras?

Which do you prefer, Horses or Zebras?

I had a professor in Dental school who always said when you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras.  What does mean?  It means that in the worlds in which we live the horse is much more common, whereas the zebra is more rare and exotic.  So, when troubled by making a diagnosis, think common, more probable first, then widen your scope to the rare. (think common cold before rare virus from across the world, where you have never been)

In medical and dental school we are bombarded with all types of information and knowledge, much of it necessary, but some of it a bit on the fringe.

I recently had a patient in, whom unexpectedly and quite suddenly had some pain in her face below her right eye.  It subsided a bit but the next morning when she awoke it was slightly swollen, and quite painful.  Her sister works for an ophthalmologist, so her sister recommended that she come into her office for an exam, because if here is an infection in you r eye you could lose your sight.  Logical and rational.

The ophthalmologist saw the patient for the pain below her right orbit.  He concluded that it was not eye related and sent patient to the ER for facial pain evaluation.  In the ER they thought there might be a small stroke. The patient had CT scan at hospital, no stroke, no sinus issues noted, but they unable to determine cause of pain.  The ER gave her pain meds sent her on her way and told her to perhaps call her dentist.

Luckily for our patient we are one of those offices that bend over backwards for our patients, especially those in pain. We were able to see patient immediately following, she was very grateful and expressed it several times saying that we never fail her. 

 

Pain was below the right orbit in line with root structure of teeth #5 & 6.  1 periapical x-ray was taken of #6 since it has the longest root.  No lesions noted.  Pulp tested the teeth in the area.

Tooth #5 tested at a level determining that the nerve was dying and a probable cause of the pain.

Patient was advised that the tooth would most likely need endodontic (root canal) treatment.  On the x-ray, we showed her how low the sinuses were and how close they were to the apex of the tooth and that this would be a better treatment than extraction. 

After root canal therapy the pain went away.

The reason I am retelling this story is that simple solutions go a long way.  As Physicians we are all limited by our scope of practice and what we are familiar with.  Facial pain could be your eye, your nose, your mouth or perhaps stretching a bit a possible stroke.  You need to be vigilant in your own health care process.  Look for solutions, address the poignant issues and seek all areas of help because your problem is more likely a horse rather than a zebra.

Just Sayin’

There are Good People out there

While My son and I were in San Diego a  few weekes ago for Comic Con International I wrote a few blog articles.  Our internet access was intermittent so they will be posted over the next week or two:

What are the odds of losing something in place crowded with 130,000 people and being able to find it?  Better yet have someone else find it and turn it in to the lost and found? And what if this item is a highly sought after commodity.

On our first night here in San Diego Comic Con, we made a purchase that was awkward to carry, so we decided to bring it back to our hotel room and then return to the convention floor.  Our hotel is a few blocks away but we hoofed it in order to get back before the con closed for the night.   While in our room, my son noticed that his ID credentials were missing from the lanyard around his neck.

Because of the sheer volume of people, you can't even enter the convention center building without your credentials.  We rushed back to the convention center, my son waited outside the building and I tried to retrace our path.  When that proved to be a dead end, I was directed to the lost and found.  Now we all know that lost things rarely wind up in the lost and found, but it was worth a try, if nothing else they could direct us how to possibly get him new credentials.

I have failed to mention the value of the credentials, SDCC is sold out a year in advance, passes go for $175.00 (the monetary value is not the issue), and photo ID is required to pick up your passes along with a secure individual bar code that was issued several months ago.  To the uninitiated it is difficult to understand, but these tags are the holy grail of geekdom.  They allow you access to a world unlike any other, one they consider home.

Alas there are good people about there.  I went to the lost and found, told them that my son had lost his credentials, they asked me his name.  They had his badge, someone had turned it in, YAY!!!  But they wouldn't give it to me.  He would have to show ID in order to get it back, ah, here is the catch 22, without his badge he can't get into the building and without getting in to the building how can he show them his ID?  One of the staffers was nice enough to walk to the door where he was to check his driver’s license and give him back his credentials.

We are back in, thank you kind stranger for returning this valuable commodity.

A Day in the (Skate) Park

A Day in the (Skate) Park

Dental x-rays, To Do or Not To Do, That is the Question

I'm sure by now you have all heard the news, Dental x-rays cause brain tumors...we are sure that you are all concerned about your health and safety.  I want to assure you that we too are concerned with your health and safety, that is why we do what we do.  We believe that a healthy smile brings a healthy life.

Let me take a moment and help you better understand the brief glimpse of flawed information that the media is capitalizing upon.

Dental x-rays are used to diagnosis and determine necessary treatment of dental conditions. We use them to evaluate and monitor problems such as decay and periodontal disease.

Without x-rays, we are unable to see the true extent of a potential problem, we are literally only seeing the tip of the iceberg.   X-rays allow us to check for decay between teeth, periodontal disease, and any bone irregularities, without them our hands are tied and we are not delivering the BEST possible treatment.  In our office, we take digital x-rays, which use up to 80% less radiation than the traditional x-ray films used in the past.

The epidemiological (solely a statistical study, not a scientific analysis) study linking brain tumors to dental x-rays is flawed in a several areas presented below are a few:

There is no scientific study. In this study, patients were asked to remember their history of x-rays, but their answers were not verified by their dental records, or even insurance records. In our office, many patients do not always remember correctly when their last dental visit was, let alone exactly what type of x-rays were taken.  It is simply one of those things that we file as something we did, you might remember your last visit 6 months ago but do you truly remember what happened at the prior 3 or 4, or 20?We take x-rays according to the recommended ADA guidelines. 

This study discusses exposure with film x-rays which were used in dentistry in the past, few offices still use standard film x-rays. Digital x-rays are used in many offices today, and they reduce radiation exposure by up to 80%.  At Griswold Dental Associates we have been using digital technology  for all x-rays, for the past few years.

There are inconsistencies in the data. The study found a link with 2 bitewing x-rays, but no link with the 16 film full mouth series. If 2 x-rays show a link to meningiomas, logically, wouldn’t 16 x-rays show a much greater link?   the lack of association with full mouth x-rays led one expert  to question the connection.

"They found a small risk (from) a pair of bitewings, but not from a full mouth series, which is multiple bitewings.  That inconsistency is impossible to understand to me," said Dr. Alan Lurie, president of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.

The benign tumor being associated is a meningioma, which is found in 3 out of every 100,000 people. The way to diagnose this tumor is by a CT scan (which uses radiation similar to dental x-rays) or by MRI.

Radiation exposure: measured in Sv (sieverts)(millisieverts = 1/1000 sievert)

Chest x-ray Computed Tomography (CT scan)    6900Sv
Natural Radiation per year                                    2400Sv
Round trip Flight from Tokyo to New York           200Sv
Chest x-ray                                                                50Sv
4 digital x-rays                                                    .013mSv  (.000013Sv)
full mouth series of x-rays                                  .180mSv  (.00018Sv)


When dental x-rays are recommended in our office please ask why, that is your right.  We will explain their importance, all our treatment is guided by each patient's individual needs.

Remember should you refuse xrays, this would not allow your dentist to accurately diagnose and treat your dental problems. If you are concerned due to this recent report on dental x-rays, please be sure you speak to us. 


sources:
Keio University
www.doctorspiller.com/dental
www.webmd.com
www.reuters.com

 

 

As the World turns… oh wait that’s been cancelled.

As the World turns… oh wait that’s been cancelled.

The original draft of this blog was dealing with the uses of social media, and the ways we all connect with each other.  I was going to discuss how our Social Media guru and I turned my mild mannered Office Manager into the tweeting Queen.  But I have a newer focus now.

Last week on my day off, before the work day was even beginning.  I received a phone call from one of my hygienists, “Terry’s(my Office Manager)  been in an accident, we need you to come to the office.”

Not to worry, Terry is fine.  While waiting to make a left turn into our office parking lot her car was rear ended, crushing the trunk practically into the back seat.  While she was being taken off in the ambulance I was on my way to the office.  What does this have to do with social media and technology communication; I promise I’ll get there.

Using her mobile phone, Terry called her husband and he arrived quickly, right after the accident.  Phones were used to call 911.  My hygienist used her mobile phone to call my mobile phone since we are all programmed into each other.  She could have texted but she knows that I would have called and asked questions so better to talk. 

Via Facebook I received a message from Terry’s sister that she was on her way to meet them at the ER, also by means of Facebook, she kept me up to date on what was happening.  I used her Facebook chat information to keep Terry’s daughter, who lives in Maine, current as to what was occurring by instant messaging her on Facebook.

As she was being released from the hospital, Terry was texting me as to her conditions and I was forwarding the information verbally within the office and a short notice on our office Facebook page.  Later in the day I noticed on Twitter, multiple conversations between Terry and her daughter in regards to what was happening.

How did we keep each other in the loop prior to all this technology?  Are we communicating more or less because of the technology?  I would say more, but will the next generation know how to speak or just type?  Social media and communication works.

Oh and did I mention that they did their new car research online.

Just Sayin’

My Animoto Video

My Animoto Video

Bridal Show 2012 Mohegan Sun

My Animoto Video

Help fight the Decay Ninja

Decay is like a ninja, you may not see a ninja coming but you will know when he gets there.  Most of the decay we see in dentistry begins in between the teeth.  Food gets trapped in the small spaces in between our teeth.  If you are like most Americans you only floss the week before and the week after your hygiene visits.

When food is not removed from these areas decay begins.  We're great clinicians and technicians in our office but we still haven’t developed x-ray vision.  We can only see the cheek, side tongue side and biting surface of teeth with our eyes.  We can’t see that ninja-like decay laying in wait where your teeth touch each other.

It is waiting, slowly creeping closer and closer to the nerve of your tooth, undetected….then BOOM!

Ninja star to the nerve, a crushing blow, taking you down with little effort and a lot of effectiveness.  All that can be avoided by taking bitewing x-rays once a year.  A radiograph is like daytime to a ninja, there's no hiding from my super detection rays.  Radiographs taken once a year can reveal decay when its small.  If we can catch it when its small we can usually restore the tooth with a tooth colored filling.  The longer it hides in the tooth the more it's destroying tooth structure and eventually can cause major damage.  Treatment then becomes more complicated.  Your tooth could need anything from a simple onlay to a root canal or a crown (cap) or even extraction(if you let it go too far). 

Please, help us, help you

Thank you to Nicole McCracken, one of my Treatment Coordinators, for writing this blog, I simply edited it.

Just Sayin'... let 2012 be the year we stop the Ninja



Don't go changing, why not?

As a new year begins, we all look back and reflect on the year that has passed.  What we need to do is use it as a learning experience to move forward into the future.  We can't stand still, change is what makes the world move . An old native American saying is that you can never step in the same river twice, it is always in perpetual motion. Constantly changing.

Sorry, Billy Joel.

Don't go changing, to try and please me,
You never let me down before,

Without change, where would we be?  The phone would never have been invented, nor the cell phone.  The technology with which I am writing this would still be a cave drawing.

Don't go trying, some new fashion,
Don't change the colour of your hair

Go for it, try a new fashion.  It may not work for you, but you won't know til you try.  Hair grows back, constantly changing, so take a chance, change the color, what do you have to lose.

I don't want clever, conversation,
I never want to work that hard,
I just want someone, that I can talk to,
I want you just the way you are.

Be yourself and you will evolve into the person you want to be.  Who you are comes from deep within you.  When my daughter was little and skating, people would say that she looked so happy, and she would say, I forgot to smile.  I always told her that a smile starts deep down in your belly and works its way out, the position of your teeth doesn't matter.  (believe it or not this advice came from dad the dentist)

To paraphrase:

Don't stop changing, try and please yourself

You'll never let you down

Just Sayin'...Happy New Year

What is a name?

Shakespeare was correct, a rose by any other would smell as sweet. Today we were at the Westfarms Mall here in Connecticut, and we went into one of my favorite stores, Teavana. for those of you that know me well, know that I don't drink coffee and am a lover of tea (not the fruity non-tea herbal stuff, but black, green, and white teas). I started placing my order for the flavors of loose tea that I generally drink, and the 'tea specialist' stopped me to tell me that they had changed the name of my favorite tea. Years ago it was called Almondina Biscotti, then it changed to Almond Biscotti, and today it was called Almondina Rose. The flavor has not changed but the name is ever evolving. The name aside this still one of my favorites. If you ever find yourself in a Teavana try this tea mixed with some Matevana for the added caffeine and a hint of chicory and floral essence. Change is expected, but please leave the names of the things I like alone, so that I may identify them. Thank you just Sayin'

Today is our office holiday party. It is a time to look back upon the year and start to look forward to the holiday season and the new year. It has been a year of constant change. We hired a new doctor in our office and she has been a great addition. We have both our children in college, hence we are now considered empty nesters. Doesn't seem so empty, we have found many things to do to keep us busy. A year ago, who would thought that I would be writing this blog from my family room on an iPad. Over the next few blogs, I will reflect more. Just Sayin'

Time is running out

Time is running out!!

Sounds ominous.

Actually I'm referring to dental and medical benefits

For most dental and medical plans the new year brings new benefits.  the average dental plan covers anywhere from $1000 to $1500 per year.  Practically nothing in these economic times. 

If you haven't used all your benefits this year, you may want to take advantage and use the benefits that you are paying for.  Contact your family dental provider to help you maximize your benefits, they are on your side, not the side of the insurance agency.  They are looking out for your your dental health, not their shareholders' pockets.

Just a note... Just Sayin'

Thank you

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Little else needs to be said, but a great big thank you to the service men and women who gave their  lives so that we can live free!

It is also a time to thank those that serve and protect us yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Just Sayin'...

Let the count down begin...

It is that time of year again... have you been naughty or nice?


No matter whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or any thing else there is something in the air this time of year, and I don't mean the flu virus.  The air is crisp with an anticipation that can't be quantified.

Is it children anticipating gifts wrapped with colored papers and ribbons?  Is is adults hoping for an end of year bonus or gift?  In this economy is it just the thankfulness of having employment? or the hope that the new year will be a better year?  As the trees lose their leave and prepare for winter hibernation and await spring's 'renewal', so do we...

Whatever it is, there is an extra spring in people's step.  They Smile more, and in my business that is a currency all its own.  I hope to spend some time reflecting on the past year and planning for the next.  After all, failing to plan is planning to fail.

What are your plans over the next few weeks? Other than trying to avoid the crowds at the mall.  Will you utilize the Internet more?  Big Box stores or Shop Locally at local small businesses?  Whatever you plan, do it wisely, and safely, with a smile on your face.

A smile is small gift that keeps giving, be nice to the clerks in the stores, they are trying to survive this time of year like everyone else.

So, naughty or nice? only you know for sure.

Just sayin'...

Can you kill a Scarecrow?

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide (such as manslaughter).

We arrived this morning at our office to find the Scarecrow that we had painstakingly built and nurtured in in a heap on the ground with his round pumpkin head bashed all over the sidewalk.  Was this murder?  Was it premeditated, or a crime of opportunity? or plain ignorance and vandalism?

At the Preston Scarecrow Festival with a Patient

He was a good Scarecrow, Dr Snaggletooth.  He was a cousin to the scarecrow that we had entered in the Preston Congregational Church Scarecrow Festival, which won an award for most humorous.

Dr Snaggletooth with one of his faithful assistants

 We revisited the scarecrow idea to help the Griswold Youth Center raise funds.  people in town could vote in favor of our scarecrow or the others throughout town by placing money in the collection jar in the office.

Dr Katzoff investigating the crime scene

All that remained of his head, one eye

bodily remains

There are those out there that just don't care that other people worked hard on something to benefit others.  They just need to destroy.

He brought joy to those who knew him.  His job was to put a smile on peoples' faces, and in that job he succeeded.  He will also serve to remind us that doing things for the community, will always be the right thing to do.  We just need to keep moving forward.  Keep on swimming.

Vandals may have destroyed our Scarecrow, but they  have not destroyed our Community Spirit.

We believe that there is Magic in your Smile and with that note, may we all have a safe and happy fall season.

Just Sayin'
Dr K

Whole=Sum of its Parts

We've all heard the expression, " You are what you eat."

This is used to help us understand nutrition.  Junk in Junk out, Healthy stuff in Healthy stuff out.

This should be every one's first hint that your oral cavity is connected to the rest of your body.  Health is a whole body experience.  Athletes don't perform their best if they use the wrong 'fuel'.  We all need to go back to basics and realize that we are a whole person not just individual parts.  What happens to your foot can affect your hip which in turn can affect your back and so on.

Unlike Vegas, what happens in the mouth does not stay in the mouth.   From the nutrition we take in, to the care we take of our teeth, gums and bone, the problems and solutions don't stay only in the mouth.  If you have an infection in your mouth, it is safe to say that the bacteria is your blood stream and traveling to other parts of your body.  Poor Oral health has been linked to cardiac conditions, low birth weight and other systemic issues.

There is an expression in Dentistry, 'you only need to brush and floss the ones you want to keep.'  Perhaps we should rephrase it to, 'you only need to brush and floss in order to keep your heart ticking.'

Just Sayin'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ih7LTPPoE&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

I'm a PC, but...

I'm a PC, but I love Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak's concepts of the personal computer.  While my business applications and home personal computer are all PCs, I own a myriad of Apple products., Ipods (6 in fact), and an Ipad.

We love browsing the Apple store for the latest and greatest in innovations.

Steve Jobs will be missed by millions, but mostly we will all miss what he may have thought of 10 or 20 years from now as technology caught up with his visions. ( perfect example of this is George Lucas waiting so many years and having to create his own tech in order to continue the Star Wars series, because 1970's tech wasn't where we are now)

I'm a PC but, I'm gonna miss Apple's core!

"You can Help Prevent Forest Fires"-Smokey the Bear

At a recent meeting of our Hygiene department we discussed being more proactive in our patient care approach.  Perhaps we can help our patients do a better job preventing cavities, and reduce our need for searching for them later.  Probably the most important conversation we have in our office with people is about home care.  We work with our patients, and help them find things they can do regularly to maintain the health of the mouth. We try to set attainable goals with them so that both our patients and ourselves won’t be disappointed, and hopefully this will help with their compliance.

Most people brush regularly (or so they say), so if we can use this behavior, and modify it to a more powerful tool, it is a win/win situation.  We try to make Brushing and Flossing more effective by adding in adjunctive therapies, such as: Prescription strength toothpastes in various modalities (for dry mouth, sensitivity, and enamel protection), Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse 0.12%, topical paste with bio-available calcium and phosphate, and many others.

Effectiveness of these products comes from proper introduction and expectations of the products along with patient compliance.  Throwing too many items at once at a patient won’t make them use all these items, but introduced in a slow methodical and comprehensive approach has been observed by us to be effective.  Baby steps before running.  These simple steps have us believing the perhaps we can help prevent dental decay, thus reducing the amount of routine restorative procedures and the frequency need of radiographs.

We are working towards a cavity free society; we just need our patients to help us in this journey.   We only see a person a few times a year, and we have a limited time to get our message across, so we need to be effective and informative in explaining why and what we are suggesting for them.  After all, the other 360ish days their teeth are their own responsibility.  We just want to help.  Just  Sayin'.

QR Nation

OK, so who knows what a QR code is?  Those of you involved in Social Media do, but what about the rest of the general public.  People recognize them, but don't know what they are.  They are Quick Response codes,or the funny looking  square  bar codes that are popping up all over the place.

You can find them in all areas of our life:

Magazines
Supermarket packaging
online
promotional items

even in our Dental office.

We borrowed the idea from Dr Jason Lipscomb, of Social Media Dentists, and have a QR sign in each of our operatories that will link your smart phone/device directly to our Facebook page, so that more of our patients can be 'likes', and participate in what we are doing. 




While many people in our rural area don't have smart phones and question what the black and white squares are for (this I expected), I was surprised by the number of QR  symbols I saw at Comic Con and how few people seemed to know what to do with the information.

They were everywhere.  I found them on walls, banners, posters, even on a coaster in a restaurant.

They were used to get free goods, tickets for events, links to movie trailers, even a QR code scavenger hunt to win prizes.

Just this morning in my office I showed a patient how to connect to our Facebook page with the QR app on her phone.

It is no longer just good enough to be aware of ones surroundings, but now our surrounding s can take us to even more places than ever before.

Just Sayin'