The List

1) Sonicare To Launch Flexcare+ @ ADA Meeting In Hawaii – Teresa Duncan, of The Dental Implant Blog, announced the launch of Philips Sonicare FlexCare Plus electric toothbrush at this year’s annual session of the American Dental Association in Hawaii. Clinical studies have shown some promising results…

2) ADA Membership? Not for One in Four Dentists Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey, of TheWealthyDentist.com recently conducted a survey asking dentists about their ADA membership status. You’ll see in the video recap of the study results that dentists across the country have very different opinions regarding the ADA’s usefulness and agenda…

3) Dental Practice Transition Planning Learn the numerous factors that must be taken into account when planning a practice transition, and why its more important than ever do your due diligence.

4) Reality in this appropriately titled post, John Gammichia, DMD, FAGD, author of The Daily Grind and general dentist offers his “real” take on the toll this economy is having on his practice. Many of you can empathize with Dr. Gammichia, I’m sure…

5) Marty Jablow, DMD, and author of the Dental News and Technology Blog provides us with a nice summary of the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) data security requirements…

…and there you have it. There’s a look at the top stories coming out of the Dental Blog Community this week. Look for a brand new list next week!

Are we missing anything?

Did you read an interesting dental-related blog post this past week? I certainly can’t hit on them all, so please share what you found in a comment below.

Last week, “Site of the Week” honors went to Dental Watch, a site dedicated to keeping the dental industry honest, both offline and on. This week, I’m featuring ADA.org, the home of the American Dental Association.

ADA.org is among the top dental-related websites on the internet both in terms of popularity and in terms of credibility. Therefore, I consider it the perfect candidate for this honor.

ADA.org – What’s so great about it?

I like ADA.org because it’s incredibly comprehensive in nature. You would expect a professional organization like the American Dental Association to focus strictly on industry professionals. However, the consumer is such an integral part of ADA’s focus, that they’ve dedicated a significant portion of ADA.org to educating the public about oral health topics. That doesn’t in any way take away from the extensive professional resources ADA.org provides for their members.

Professional Resources

I found the vast library of professional topics to be especially well-done. You can even learn about the ADA’s official stance on a variety of topics, including: amalgam, fluoridation, and bottled water to name a few.

Consumer Resources

The Consumer resourcesection is also extremely well done. Want to learn how to select the right dentist for you? ADA.org can help you do that. Want to learn about career options in the dentistry field? They do that too. But, I think the most valuable portion of ADA.org to consumers is the large number of dental care tips they provide. You’ll learn how to clean your teeth and gums properly, and even how to choose a safe tooth whitening method. This is one of the first websites(besides Dental Heroes of course) that I’d visit with any dental care questions that you may have.

Final Thoughts

If you only take one thing away from this post, it’s that ADA.org should be one of the first stops for any type of dental care information, rather it’s consumer-related or professional in nature. ADA.org is not only a trusted resource, but it’s also among the most comprehensive. I hope you’ll find it as valuable as I do.

• Ask family, friends, neighbors or co-workers for recommendations.
• Ask your family physician or local pharmacist.
• If you’re moving, your current dentist may be able to make a recommendation.
• Call or write your local or state dental society. Your local and state dental societies also may be listed in the telephone directory under “dentists” or “associations.”
• Use ADA.org’s ADA Member Directory to search for dentists in your area.

Questions to Ask Prospective Dentist
Once you have found a dentist you believe you can trust and develop a good relationship with, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the appointment schedule convenient for you?
• Is the office easy to get to from your home or job?
• Does the office appear to be clean, neat and orderly?
• Does the dentist explain techniques that will help you prevent dental health problems? Is dental health instruction provided?

For the remainder of the list please visit the ADA Website.

Some of these questions can’t be answered before visiting the prospective dentist for a check-up, Consider it a trial run, then answer the questions. If your answers are not satisfactory to you, keep looking for another dentist until they are satisfactory. Remember that your dentist is your partner in helping to maintain great oral health, so choose wisely.

This announcement comes as no surprise as the dental community has for several years now been exposing the explicit link between oral health and overall health. However, the link between oral health in pregnant mothers and the overall health of their unborn child is a relatively recent discovery.

Specifically, the ADA research suggests:

“there may be an association between maternal gum disease and pre-term birth and low birth weight babies. In addition, a recent study says that pregnant women with gum disease may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes.”

Without this information, pregnant women have placed dental care low on their list of priorities during pregnancy. These studies may change that.

How should women care for their oral health during pregnancy?

Sally Cram, D.D.S., ADA consumer advisor and periodontist in Washington, D.C. suggests:

“If you are planning a pregnancy, schedule a dental checkup for a cleaning. If you are pregnant, continue your regular dental visits. Be sure to inform your dentist if you are pregnant or suspect you might be pregnant. In addition to regular dental visits, the ADA recommends eating a well-balanced diet, maintaining daily oral hygiene by brushing teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between teeth at least once a day with floss or an interdental cleaner.(Source: ADA.com)”

The link between a pregnant mother’s oral health and her unborn child’s overall health is becoming stronger by the day. Therefore, it is important to follow Dr. Sally Cram’s advice and contact your dentist as soon as possible if you are pregnant or expect to become pregnant.

For more information, please visit the ADA website at Ada.com

A New Zealand-led research team found that young adults who were regular cannabis (marijuana) smokers had a higher incidence of periodontal disease by age 32.

This doesn’t surprise me in the least. I guess it’s just one more reason to avoid marijuana. If you don’t think this is a big deal, google “periodontal disease” and take a look at some pictures. You’ll see what I mean.

To read more about the cannabis/periodontal disease link, visit the American Dental Association website here.