THE DIGITAL STREAM

Of all the criteria for selecting loupes (working distance, frame size, scope position, declination angle, co-axial adjustment), declination angle is the most important ergonomic factor that can make or break your health. Dr. Bethany Valachi discusses the importance of selecting the appropriate loupes to lessen neck pain for clinicians.

A major reason for attending any conference is for educational purposes. The Global Oral Health Summit has some of the best and brightest industry speakers, trainers and doctors lined up to guide attendees on their educational journey, but opportunities also exist outside the classroom for people to learn from their peers in the industry.

In our practice, we use time-outs as a planned pause before the start of treatment to focus on safety and patient communication. Fortunately, in dentistry, we don’t often deal with the life-or-death issues that hospitals face. But mistakes cost us time, add to our stress and sometimes cause us to achieve less-than-desired results. That’s where the time-out comes in.

In years past, when a clinician made a recommendation, the patient almost always accepted the treatment plan and proceeded with the procedure. A lot has changed since then. With the advent of the internet, patients often want time to do their own research before making a treatment decision because they feel the need to look out for their own self-interest.