Dental Info

 I've been a practicing dentist since 1980 and with the exception of my first three years in dental practice, I have worked in my own dental practice. Even when working for other dentists, I always maintained an independence. In my mind, my primary mission was to perform the best dentistry that I was capable of and maximizing my income was a secondary concern.  Early in my career I worked in a number of "lower fee" dental settings and I enjoyed working in these practices because they allowed me the opportunity to perform all sorts of procedures ( Crown and bridge, endodontics, periodontics,  dentures and fillings. Since few dentists graduate dental school being truly masters of all dental procedures, we have a need to perform many procedures before feeling truly confident in our ability to predictably practice excellent dentistry. Most seasoned dentists, when  asked  would agree that  it takes five to ten years to feel truly proficient in most of the...

Just today  the NY Times  quoted a study that showed that "The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalization in older adults".  Many of my patients are over 50 and most  are vaccinated.  More and more they are returning for their delayed dental care.  People are living longer and many expect to live past 80 years of age.  Jane Brody published an article in today's Tmes t hat  maintains that the "secret to a happy and vibrant life is to strive to do what you love for as long as you can". Since taking care of  teeth has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve ones health and quality of life, neglecting your teeth seems like a poor choice.  My office is located on 40th st between Madison and Park in a neighborhood that is sometimes called Murray Hill and sometimes Midtown East .  Things in the neighborhood are definitely picking up.  The foot traffic in our neighborhood seems to be increas...

 My office is located on 4oth st between Madison and Park in a neighborhood that is sometimes called Murray Hill and sometimes Midtown East. Our street seems to be located at the top of what is left of Murray Hill but it's hard to tell because most signs of the hill are missing, accept for a gentle slope visible along Madison Avenue.  Many of the stores and restaurants along Madison have closed and our choices for take out food are more limited than they used to be. My office is in a professional building and four of the seven suites on my floor are empty. There are only two tenants (Myself and another young dentist) who remain as tenants on the floor and other remaining dental office is sublet to a new dentist one day per week.  Possibly things are about to get better.  The foot traffic in our neighborhood seems to be increasing with each week and every since the CDC changed it's mask recommendations I have noticed more people going maskless while outside.  ...

 I suspect that many dentists are noticing an increasing amount of new tooth decay in patients returning to their dental practices. The usual suspects maybe contributing explain this uptick. ..snacking on carbohydrates and sweets, poor oral hygiene and dry mouth are common contributing factors. I also have noticed an increasing number of cracked teeth and fillings that may have resulted from anxious patients bruxing and night grinding their teeth.  People who are working remotely or just "sheltering in place" may not feel the need to brush as often since they are not going to be in close contacts with people outside of their families and mask wearing will generally keep other people from noticing any offensive mouth odors. Staying at home may contribute the urge to snack since this helps eliminate boredom and lesson anxiety. Mouth breathing seems to be prevalent among mask wearers since most feel the need to increase the force of their air intake to overcome the filtering e...