Here is the catcher: A dentist who provides ‘prosthodontic’ services is not necessarily a prosthodontist! A patient recently came to me about replacing her missing tooth with a dental implant. She told me that through internet search, she had found a prosthdontist who she is considering for restoration of the implant. When she told me [...]

I read an important article in USA Today, “Lack of training can be deadly in cosmetic surgery”, on severe complications in patients receiving cosmetic surgery by untrained doctors. It is an excellent article that brings some well needed awareness to this highly unregulated area in medicine. Practically any doctor can advertise and perform such procedures [...]

Most people are very familiar with which type of medical doctors they should see for different kind of problems: orthopedic surgeon for knees; dermatologist for skin; plastic surgeon for a facelift; cardiologist for heart; ophthalmologist for eyes; so on and so on. But when it comes to dentistry, people often say ‘Go see a dentist!’ [...]

If you don’t understand the different dental specialties and what they do best, you are not alone. What is more concerning is that many people do not really know their dentist’s credentials before committing to complex treatments like dental implants or cosmetic work. Many proceed with specialty type treatments with their general dentist with assumptions [...]

The old adage, “You get what you pay for,” also holds true in implant dentistry. On the one hand are truly remarkable, life-long, and highly aesthetic dental implant treatments performed by trained experts. These services often do come at a higher price. On the other hand are second-tier, cheaper quality dental implants, and poorly planned [...]

Many general dentists are performing surgical placement of dental implants without proper training or knowledge. This trend is largely due to the down economy and encouragement from dental implant companies who want to increase sales by sponsoring weekend courses. Many dentists now offer discount dental implant fees to allure patients to their offices. And patients [...]

Last week, I found myself in need of a chiropractor — a specialist I have never required before. So I asked a few friends for recommendations of who to see. A physician acquaintance answered with the names of three chiropractors and suggested I pick any of them. Another friend told me she knows of several [...]

Survey Indicates Dramatic Increase in Rescue Cases Referred To Surgical Specialists Earlier this year, the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness conducted a survey of hundreds of surgical specialists throughout the country to determine the extent of the problems associated with “weekend warriors” and rescue cases. More Referring Dentists Placing Implants… The survey results indicate that [...]

Everyday, I receive invitations to dental courses they call ‘mini-residencies’. What is a mini-residency? I think it’s nice to see your dentist’s credentials hanging on their office walls: diplomas and certificates framed and hung with pride. Undergraduate degrees, dental pedigrees, and various specialties described in Latin and signed with gold flourishes. But look carefully at [...]

Sure, you can go online and Google all you can about the dentist that you want to use, find out where they went to school or what offices they worked at previously. But there are some other signs to look for when deciding whether to use a particular dentist or not. Here are the top [...]