An Easier Trip to the Dentist – Dr Kevin Barrett on Dr Phil

 

“I hate going to the dentist, and I will do whatever it takes to avoid another appointment,” says Michael, a Dr. Phil staff member. “I’ve got a cracked front crown, which means that I have to get both of my front teeth replaced, yet again, which will be my sixth set of new front teeth. Just the thought makes my skin crawl.”

Dr. Phil sends Michael to Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Los Angeles based dentist, who uses a new technology that can fix many tooth troubles in only one visit. Before his visit, Michael meets with Dr. Frank Lawlis, chairman of the Dr. Phil Advisory Board, to learn relaxation techniques.

When Michael enters Dr. Barrett’s office, he performs the techniques he learned to relax before the procedure.

“When people go to the dentist, they have phobias,” Dr. Barrett explains. “Cad-cam eases the pain of being in a dental chair, because the patients don’t have a second visit, and they know that.” He explains how the procedure works. “We take a digital impression, no goopy impression. Then we put it in a three-dimensional computer. We design it, we mill it or make it, we try it in, glaze it, and we bond it. It’s that simple.” This procedure avoids having to send a mold to a lab and waiting for the dental pieces to be sent back.

Dr. Barrett fixes Michael’s two front teeth. When the procedure is complete, Michael exclaims, “They look amazing. The process was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I’m really happy with the results.”

A Conversation with Dr. John Kois

This month, the founder of the Kois Center shares some of his insights on where the profession is, where it’s going, and how private continuing education programs can contribute.

INSIDE DENTISTRY (ID): How did your experience in dental school have a lasting impact on your career as a practitioner—on your philosophy as a teacher?

JOHN KOIS (JK): I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, and I completed my Periodontal-Prosthodontic training at the University of Washington. Both schools offered fantastic opportunities for me and were very progressive with their curriculum. The educational experience was wonderful, and I remain very grateful for the way it has framed my career. Even though I do not use many of the procedures I was taught, I learned to be a more critical decision maker. The most important contributions came from being exposed to gifted, passionate teachers who were my mentors. Dr. Ralph Yuodelis, Dr. D. Walter Cohen, and Dr. Morton Amsterdam were among the most influential.

ID: Tell us when and why you founded the Kois Center.

JK: The Kois Center was founded in 1995, based on the need for a comprehensive approach for continuing education. The goal was to create a graduate program for practicing dentists that was cohesive rather than a combination of different courses. The core courses were designed to create improved critical decision making (treatment planning), understanding function, and dentofacial evaluation. The implementation courses focus on periodontics, biomechanics, and implants have seen the most change driven by science and technology.

Many other courses are able to provide great information but that is not the same as education or teaching. Education is designed to create a more significant impact by transforming the student through a platform of understanding and commitment.

The ultimate purpose of the Kois Center is to create world-class performers. The individual practitioner in turn derives more confidence, gains improved clinical performance, understands the financial accountability of dental procedures, and has more satisfaction from the practice of dentistry. This is not possible without receiving feedback on results, which is demanding and it is not always much fun. It isn’t work or play but something entirely different. It is what Geoff Colvin describes in his book as “Deliberate Practice.”

ID: What are the key components of a postgraduate institute that dentists should look for when researching various facilities and/or programs?

JK: I think it is critical to avoid significant conflict of interest concerns. It is important to have a “safe” environment where practitioners can discuss failures and their problems. Another critical piece is the opportunities available for continuous growth. We have an annual symposium which addresses the new science that has been published only in the last year. This is the evidence-based platform that modifies existing systems leading to best practice parameters. We also have mentors that work closely with students inside and outside the classroom. They have become a critical support network to answer questions, provide follow-up information, and help with implementation struggles in private practice. The mentors and clinical instructors are an integral part of the infrastructure that enable us to be more like what Seth Godin refers to as a “tribe.”

ID: How has your vision for the institute grown or changed over the years?

JK: The outcome is more than I ever dreamed of because it is now being driven by the students themselves. Their feedback has helped to develop reputable methodology (checklist), accountability coaching, an execution system, and community learning to share and reinforce best practices and accelerate learning. It is so exciting to see the dentists’ confidence and capability increase; that is the priceless component. In addition, my son Dean is a prosthodontist and my daughter-in-law, Tara, is a general dentist. The opportunities we have practicing together add even more depth and credibility to the Teaching Center. I can understand the struggles of younger practitioners in today’s challenging times and benchmark the improvements from our systems.

ID: What are the obvious (and perhaps the not so obvious) differences between a university dental school environment and a private institute environment such as yours?

JK: My current faculty position at the University of Washington does not involve any administrative responsibilities; therefore, my comments would be speculative at best. I view the role of a dental school as creating core competencies, but they are still entry-level skills. Therefore, our major differences are because we are inherently very different. I see my role as creating continuous improvement for dentists already in practice. This environment is changing so fast, it is harder for dental schools to keep up.

ID: With so many changes in technology coming to every aspect of dentistry, what in your opinion are the most impactful for practitioners as well as for patients in terms of providing better treatment options and more predictable outcomes?

JK: In many respects the changes in technology represent “disruptive innovation” that may not always be better. It depends, of course, on how we frame the concept of better. When technology can help create more predictable outcomes, more cost effectively, then dental healthcare becomes more affordable and we can help more patients. Everyone wins in this scenario.

The real problem is that the changes are happening so quickly and we have fewer expert clinicians to learn from. This is why we incorporated our own research center without any commercial support and depend more heavily on a precalibrated user group. The real challenge here is continuing to grow our understanding because information is traveling at the speed of thought and it is not all correct. Our own Research Center, under the direction of Dr. Yada Chaiyabutr, has added another unique component. Her background has enabled us to provide targeted research that directly impacts daily practice. In addition, the Research Center does not have commercial financial support, which makes it much easier to avoid any conflict of interest and publish in refereed journals.

ID: Which technologies have had the biggest impact on your institution in terms of how and what you teach?

JK: Technologies that provide better diagnostic metrics provide the biggest impact with what I teach. This will reduce the emotionally or empirically driven decisions. For example, scanning technology can provide a comparative evaluation of tooth wear from one appointment to another. Explaining to a patient they have lost 29% of their tooth structure will provide more meaningful communication than just telling them their teeth are “wearing down.” Telling them that their teeth changed 3% in 1 year will be more influential than saying their teeth look a little shorter. It is often our lack of clear, objective data that allows one dentist to determine treatment needs that another dentist would judge to be inappropriate. All of our clinical decisions must begin by determining each patient’s risk for future disease, even before they have expressed it. This paradigm shift is based on the need for a wellness evaluation, not a reparative model. The technologies that have the biggest impact are those that lead to “precision medicine” that will create a more predictable dental healthcare model.

ID: Tell us about the typical dentist-student at the Kois Center. What do you think they have in common? What do they leave there with that they didn’t have coming in? Who is an ideal candidate for the center?

JK: That is easy. They really care about their patients and want to be proud of the treatment. In a nutshell, it is about caring, commitment to excellence, pride, making a living, and making a difference for humanity.

Source: Inside Dentistry

Restore Your Smile In One Visit To The Dentist With CEREC

While the experience of undergoing certain dental treatments in the past has been a lengthy and repetitive process, with options in one visit dentistry now offering you the latest in smile makeover technology, you needn’t spend days and months revisiting the dental surgery. 

For teeth that are in need of restoration, porcelain dental veneers offer a durable, aesthetically desirable and compatible material for use against your existing teeth and gums for optimum impact and an effective means for achieving your positive sense of well-being. 

CEREC porcelain veneers for teeth are a revolutionary new option for creating your perfect smile and overcoming the problems you may have with damaged teeth. The CEREC system undertakes a scan of your mouth in order to create an optical impression. The usual method o f creating a physical impression can not only be a messy, but also lengthy process. The swift and hassle free method of using digital imagery for this purpose allows your experience to be clean and unobtrusive and can give you beautiful new teeth in one visit to the dentist.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) software processes and to recreates your perfect smile, suited to your face and mouth and, once established, your impression is sent to a milling machine to form your restored teeth.

Once in place your new teeth are polished and bonded in fit with your mouth and made secure and permanent.

The CEREC system is such an efficient method that the whole experience, from initial consultation through to departure with your new smile fully intact, can take as little as one hour to complete, making your day a truly enlightening and positive one.

Dr Steven Acker is a dentist, servicing the Brooklyn and Staten Island areas, who offers CEREC treatment. For more information please visit http://www.cosmeticdentistrystatenisland.com

What happens during ZOOM! Whitening

Whitening treatment is simple, safe and virtually pain-free. Tooth Whitening steps to a beautiful white smile:

1.    When you arrive in our office it begins with a short preparation to cover your lips and gums – leaving only your teeth exposed.

2.    Whitening gel is carefully applied to your teeth.

3.    Your Dentist will then activate the gel with a gentle blue light for 20 minutes. The ZOOM! light and gel work together to penetrate your teeth breaking down stains and discoloration.

4.    The gel is applied for 3 fifteen minute sessions for a total treatment time of 45minutes.

5.    You can then go home with a whiter brighter smile.

Should I get my teeth whitened?

There are lots of advantages in getting your teeth whitened. When you smile, people take notice, and a brilliant white smile can give you new found confidence that people will instantly notice. It gives your appearance an instantaneous lift. Whiter teeth are associated with a healthier, happier lifestyle. Also a whiter smile tends to minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles, and helps to give way to a more youthful appearance.

There are some short- term side affects which will fade and disappear, or can be avoided all together. Some people are overly sensitive to the whitening gel used. If you find that you experience tingling or slight pain, then it is recommended that you use less whitening gel in the tray as this will reduce the contact between the gel and the gums. If used properly, there will be little or no pain, and this pain will disappear when the tray and gel is removed.

Are you embarrassed by your smile?

As a dentist, I see people every day who are ashamed of their teeth. Like the patient I talked to recently who burst into tears when she told me how her little grand daughter climbed into her lap and asked “Why are your teeth all yucky and brown?”

It broke her heart that the little girl thought her mouth was ugly – and it made her realize that grown-ups noticed her stained teeth too. They just weren’t as open and honest as children are.

Isn’t it time to stop being embarrassed by your teeth? Half of all people surveyed say they’d love to have a better, more attractive smile. They are people just like you, and

Just like you they’d like to have:
•    Brighter, whiter teeth with no stains or discolouration
•    Straighter teeth with no gaps and no crowding
•    Teeth that aren’t too big or too small
•    Healthy looking teeth with no chips or cracks

In other words you’d like the brilliant healthy smile you’ve dreamed of, and now you have it in weeks!

Don’t Kid Yourself

You can have your hair styled at the best salon, wear designer clothes and expensive jewelry. But if your teeth are stained, crowded and unattractive THAT’S what people will remember!

If you didn’t know about all the spectacular things cosmetic dentistry can do I am not surprised. The past decade has seen an explosion in comfortable, highly effective techniques. But many dentists still choose to focus on things like silver fillings, and wisdom teeth. I can’t imagine why. For me, doing smile make overs is a lot more satisfying because it lets me actually change peoples’ lives.

When I finish, my patients not only give me beautiful healthy smiles, they shake my hand and lots of them even hug me. When is the last time you felt like hugging the dentist who took out your tooth?

Techniques so advanced they take years off your smile!