maxill's Dental Blog
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April 12, 2023
Should Leadership be Taught in Dental School Curriculums?
Absolutely! The dentist running a practice must be the ‘scientist’ in dental sciences and deliver quality care. Also, the dentist has to be a ‘business’ savvy individual to ensure the practice’s financial health. What else does the dentist need to be … the team ‘coach’.
It is either the dentist’s role or if the office has an office manager, it may fall upon the manager. Nonetheless, it’s a reality that hand-in-hand with being a practice owner comes leadership. So where does a practice owner ‘learn’ leadership?
It would be fantastic along with DENT 3055 there would be a Leadership 101 course that teaches the practice owner how to navigate the various dynamics of a team to develop and strengthen that team.
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April 11, 2023
July 1976 at the American Legion Convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Legionnaires was named and identified as the cause of an outbreak of severe pneumonia with 200 cases and 29 deaths (3) (5). The outbreak was linked to the inhalation of aerosolized contaminated water (3)(5). A milder infection caused by the same type of Legionella bacteria is called Pontiac fever. Rewinding in time, in 1968 in Pontiac Michigan, Pontiac Fever was named and identified as an outbreak of influenza-like illness, identified by people who worked at & visited the city’s health department and had inhaled aerosols from contaminated water (3). Legionnaires' disease is an acute bacterial disease, causing death in 5% to 30% of cases (4). The Government of Canada’s Legionella site, states the following:
“Cases of Legionnaire’s disease may be difficult to detect because very few of the people exposed to the bacteria get infecte
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April 10, 2023
Spring signifies a time of change where colors are plentiful, and every breath delivers fresh air. Dental professionals should use the energy of seasonal change for their own refueling and restructuring.
It goes without saying, dental offices are busy places and the day-to-day operations do not leave much time in anyone’s schedule to re-organize physical spaces in the office as well as the mental compartments of our process of care circuits when treating clients.
What does physical space re-organizing look like? This would be going around the office and removing ALL clutter. The best way to ‘SEE’ if your office and operatories look cluttered is to take a picture. Play an ‘eye-spy’ game with the picture. What do you see that should not be in the picture?
An Untidy Work Area Equates Uncleanliness
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April 04, 2023
Dental impression materials have evolved significantly over the years. In this article, we will discuss the different types of impression materials commonly used in dentistry, including polyvinyl siloxane, polyether, agar hydrocolloid, and alginate hydrocolloid, along with a brief history of their development.
Dental impression materials are an essential component of restorative dentistry. They are used to create an accurate replica of a patient's teeth and oral structures for the fabrication of dental restorations or prostheses.
The 3 Types
There are three types of impression materials: preliminary, final, and bite registration.
Preliminary impressions are used to create a rough model of the teeth and oral structures for diagnosis and treatment planning.
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April 03, 2023
Impression trays are an important part of dentistry.
These specialized tools are used to create a precise impression or mold of a patient’s teeth and surrounding oral structures, that is then used to create an accurate 3-dimentional model of the patient’s mouth. The models made from the impression can then be used for different dental appliances or treatments, such as orthodontics, prosthodontics, mouth guards, snoring appliances, dentures, whitening trays, crowns, bridges, and more.
During a dental visit, if an impression is required, the impression tray is filled evenly with the impression material of choice, alginate is one of the most common materials used for impressions in dentistry. The filled tray is then seated over the arch of the teeth capturing a negative imprint of the teeth, gums.
The material sets quickly once it is inside the mou
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March 31, 2023
How do I save money on dental supplies?
Operating a dental office requires a substantial upfront cost for dental equipment and supplies.
Dentists spend a large percentage of overhead keeping those supplies stocked.
Many routinely purchase items from a dental supply distributor, never realizing they are overpaying for items.
Unlike manufacturers, distributors charge more for products, therefore increasing dentists' overhead costs.
Manufacturers save dentists money by cutting out the middleman and providing the lowest prices for dental supplies.
Basic Equipment Costs
For
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March 28, 2023
In the fast-paced and demanding environment of dental clinics, efficient and reliable sterilization of instruments is paramount to ensure patient safety and infection control. One crucial item that has revolutionized dental instrument reprocessing is the self-sealing sterilization pouch.
Components and Features:
A self-sealing sterilization pouch is typically made of a medical-grade, durable, and puncture-resistant material, often a combination of transparent polypropylene and medical-grade paper. These pouches come in various sizes to accommodate different instruments, from small dental items such as burs, handpieces, explorers to larger things such as forceps, rubber dam frames, instrument cassettes
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March 28, 2023
Going Through Your Inventory
The most important task that a dental office manager needs to do is fill orders. By this we mean getting the patients in, and making sure the dentist has the resources to address them.
To fill those orders, you’re going to need to find out what supplies are required to meet the needs of the upcoming procedures. But it’s not just the procedure that you need to worry about, because the patient will or may visit several rooms in your practice. So the best thing is to have a checklist and to go around the entire office, marking off anything that might be getting low.
There are many different areas of the office that need addressing, and ordering for each of them at different times from different distributors is a big hassle. Why not just go to maxill.com and do pretty much all of it in one shot?
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March 24, 2023
This explanatory article on barriers is part of a series of articles that were created to help new office managers and patients understand the uses and best practices of barrier products for infection control.
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March 20, 2023World Oral Health Day is a great time for dental offices to take meaningful action to promote good oral health practices and help end the neglect of oral health. We have gathered some easy ways that dental offices can help spread awareness and conversation around World Oral Health Day.