Dental Info

Cold sore . Fever blister. Herpes Simplex Virus-1. These babies go by a lot of different names, but the experience is always the same: Telltale burning or itching near the lip A red bump appears a day or so later The bump becomes a cluster of blisters The blisters dry up and scab over The scab falls off The whole process usually takes two weeks or less. Infamous for irritating pain and ruining first dates everywhere, cold sores sure wreak a lot of havoc for something so small. A cold sore is a symptom of the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) in your system. HSV-1 is so common that most people are exposed to it in childhood. Many people can have and spread the virus without ever actually having a cold sore. Catching & Spreading a Cold Sore Sadly, once you catch HSV-1, there is no permanent cure. Thankfully, it won’t do much harm. If you have HSV-1, you might occasionally experience cold sores with long periods between each outbreak. This is because HSV-1 has the habit of “s...

In NYC our dental offices never officially closed. Instead we were advised that we should restrict our activities to true emergencies that involved pain or infections. Most of the patients who have called me with problems have been willing to wait for their treatment until our office officially is advised to perform non emergency treatment. I have offered patients of record the option of seeing a younger collegue who has continued treating emergencies two days a week at another dental office or an Oral Surgeon I know who has continued coming in to treat emergencies. Meanwhile, I have been actively involved in getting ready to reopen, when I am advised that it is a responsible thing to do. The most difficult part is obtaining adequate PPE for my staff. Faceshields and N95 masks are hard to obtain. Also surgical gowns are slow coming. We do have plenty of our old front buttoning dipsoable gowns that are actually OK to use in the meantime. They are not terribly expensive and can actu...

What are dental sealants? Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings that seal over the narrow grooves found on the chewing surfaces of back teeth (molars and premolars). When placed perfectly on these deep pits, sealants can prevent a significant amount of tooth decay (cavities) by protecting sensitive tooth surfaces from acid that causes cavities. Sealants are not generally placed on baby teeth but on the tooth enamel of permanent teeth (“adult” teeth). Source: CDC Dental sealants function much like sealing cracks in a driveway or on the sidewalk. The grooves in the chewing surfaces of back teeth are sealed so that food particles and bacteria will not settle within the fissures, causing cavities. Application of sealants may be appropriate for some pediatric dental patients to prevent tooth decay in kids . However, they are not a substitute for brushing, flossing, and a healthy diet. Dental sealants can be placed by your dentist, dental hygienist, or other dental professi...

The short answer is not too much. I have placed some orders for face shields and made enquiries about purchasing appropriate face masks. I would prefer to order genuine n95 3m masks but I have been informed by my Schein representative that they are currently not available. He also informed me that many of the kn95 masks available are counterfeits and an article in the NY Times recently indicated that the FDA was removing its authorization for many kn95 masks until evidence of their efficacy could be determined.  I am attending a webinar this Thursday given by 3m about PPE and will most likely know more on this topic afterwards. After further discussion with my Schein rep, we decided that bigger ticket items such as a specialized dental extra oral suction devices, should wait for now. Most of these will be back ordered and not available immediately and since each unit runs between 1500-2500, buying several of these can be pricey. I will wait until more information on their usabi...

While some dentists are billing for  Teledentistry, I think charging patients for "virtual appointments"  sends a negative message. Yes,  we should be available for phone, Facetime or Zoom consultations with our patients . In my opinion, It's better for dentists to step up to the plate and show real concern for patients and it will be interpreted as truly sincere  if we are not billing them for their remote consultation. Let's face it, the fees generated by assessing fees for these consultations will not make much of a difference in the bottom line for dental practices but it ay send a negative message to patients unable to receive actual on site treatment due to our offices closure. Billing them for on line consultations is "rubbing salt into the wound".  This is the time to show genuine empathy and concern. Billing our patients for taking their calls undercuts  this goal and don't kid yourself, patients will remember how we their dentist respond to t...