Blogs

Management of dental emergencies during this COVID-19 pandemic takes knowledge, preparation and a bit of bravery. The creation of aerosols during surgical extractions or opening teeth to initiate root canal treatment is definitely a cause for concern. However, the CDC, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and recent updated Guidance from the ADA have mandated that the dental personnel in the operatory wear N95 masks, face shields, gowns, gloves, use high-volume suction and use the  RUBBER DAM  when possible. Negative-pressure rooms are not necessary. Despite these well thought through guidelines, there is still a lot of concern, hesitation and fear of ...

I have always believed that “we are all members” of the same team, probably because of my playing full contact football from the  third grade on in Houston! (No, I don’t have CTE!) The coaches were all volunteers who loved football and all were WWII vets who knew a few things about teamwork. The concept of being unified for a common goal was always emphasized (along with a 2-inch-thick binder with offenses and defenses that were state of the art in 1956!) The coaches said that in order to be successful, we had to work together and each do our part if we were to be successful in both our offense and defense. My experiences in both the United States Navy and later ...

At the risk of sounding elitist, it is time to get the word out to the public about who we are and what we can do for them! Let them know our science is sound and our skills are exceptional! What better way than adding Save Your Tooth Month to the ongoing Worth Saving Campaign? But lest we forget, this month is yet another opportunity to point out the importance of our strategic plan in helping us focus on our goal “The public will value saving their natural teeth and seek endodontists — the specialists in saving teeth — for their care.” As I highlight the Worth Saving Campaign/Save Your Tooth Month, let’s look back to the history of the development of the campaign. ...

This time of year, and actually beginning earlier than this, my email box gets many requests for me to fill out surveys for research projects. These requests are from endodontic residents who are seeking to fulfill their research requirements for graduation.  My personal opinion is that a 15 year old can do a survey and get on Google to figure out the way to analyze the data statistically.  It is also my personal opinion that endodontic programs as well as the AAE accept this as a way to satisfy the research requirements to obtain a certificate or possibly even an MS in the field of endodontics.  My final opinion is that this is pathetic! The methodology of a ...

As I begin my presidency, it is with great excitement and gratitude that I embark on this year-long journey, I am grateful for the thoughtful past leadership that has provided a strong base from which to grow. We had about 1,700 endodontist members in 1980-81 when I began, and now we are over 8,000. The past leaders provided foundational examples such as integrity, looking to the future and investing for the future of endodontics for those that followed. This has been realized in so many areas that are now, taken for granted, such as the Foundation or   JOE . From these past legends, the future has continued to redefine the boundary of the edge we keep pushing. ...

In May, Root Canal Awareness Week showed us how endodontists are the superheroes of saving teeth. In August, the World Congress on Dental Traumatology 2018 (WCDT 2018) will show us how, together with other dental specialties, we form an entire legion of saving teeth. The four-day   WCDT 2018   will bring together an unprecedented number of experts and leaders in dental and orofacial traumatology, as well as hundreds of clinicians from around the world representing multiple specialties and disciplines. You've heard of Batman, Superman, Thor and Wonder Woman. In the dental superhero realm, chances are you've also come across these world-renowned speakers of ...

Some fifty plus years ago, noted psychologist and researcher Robert Rosenthal conducted a seminal research study on the self-fulfilling nature of a teacher’s expectations for their students. Students in a California elementary school were administered IQ tests before the experiment. The teachers were unaware of any given students IQ score, however, they were given a list of student names that were considered potential “high achievers” based on their IQ scores. The list was actually a random sampling of students and had no correlation to any student’s performance on the IQ test. At the end of the school year, the same IQ test was again administered and the ...

Taking Control of Our Specialty “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.” - William Arthur Our specialty of endodontics has come a long way since I completed my residency program in 1991. Electronic apex locators, rotary files, the surgical microscope, bioceramic materials and cone beam CT are but just a few things that have not only raised the quality of endodontic care over the past 25 years, but they have raised the bar on what should be the standard of care for ALL dental practitioners performing root canal therapy. As I have had the opportunity to meet with various AAE affiliates and ...

Kudos to Donna and her team for putting together a terrific meeting.  Great, diverse CE opportunities with the most relevant topics and speakers. An exhibit hall chock full of the latest and greatest equipment and supplies, with fascinating live demonstrations. Entertaining social events in a wonderful, hospitable city. Networking opportunities and of course some business was accomplished.  Congrats to Linda for a job well done and good luck to Garry!

Just returned from a great weekend in Chicago. In addition to the beautiful weather (yeah, it's February), the great shopping and food, we had our semi-annual PPRC meeting. For those of you that may not know, the PPRC is the Public and Professional Relations Committee. Our task is to develop and implement programs to increase the awareness of the specialty among the public and the profession, and maintain rapport with the dental profession. We are hard at work implementing the new strategic plan. finding authors and subject matter to promote endodontics, including Colleagues for Excellence and creating educational videos and other materials for the AAE website ...

Every health care provider is familiar with the term "informed consent." It is an integral part of the provision of any medical or dental procedure. During the process of informed consent, the health care provider discloses the relevant information to a competent patient so the patient can make the voluntary decision to accept or refuse treatment. The elements of informed consent include a description of the procedure to be performed, any risks, benefits and uncertainties related to the procedure as well as alternative procedures, confirmation that the patient understands the presented information and finally, documentation of the acceptance or declination ...