Forever Chemicals and Other Hidden Poisons

Studies have shown that “forever chemicals” — also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) — can be ingested from everyday items such as Teflon-coated cookware. Over time, these coatings may chip or wear off, allowing harmful compounds like PFOS, PFHxS, PFBs, and GenX to enter our food. For safer cooking, stainless steel, cast iron,…

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Service of Dentistry

Some years ago, my elderly aunt Melba was in a nursing home in San Jose.  She had Alzheimer’s and needed some extensive dental treatment.  This could only be accomplished by sedating her, so her daughter/my cousin arranged for me to use a local dentist’s office there in San Jose on a Saturday.  The dentist even…

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Healistic Dentistry – A Step Above Holistic Dentistry

Traditionally as a society we are bombarded by pills and medicines to treat our health issues which address the symptom, but rarely the cause.  As dentists, we try to concentrate on the root cause so that we can more effectively treat the symptoms our patients are experiencing. Holistic dentistry focuses on the whole body and…

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The Real World vs The Dental Insurance World

Real World There are many business models that have been written about, one being a Real-World triangle regarding the purchase of goods or services.  In one corner of the triangle is Great Service, in another corner is Cheap Costs, and in the third corner is High Quality.   So, in this Real-World business model you get…

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When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear

– Buddha Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni I am so utterly excited about my profession! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: “Dental treatment has been advancing as much or more than computer development.” And today we can treat patients in ways unimaginable just a few years ago.  One of my favorite expressions is: “If…

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Who Does a Dentist Go To, To Fix His Own Teeth?

Years ago, I read a story of a vacationing dentist visiting a one-dentist town on a small island off of Greece.  The only local dentist in this town needed some dental work and he sat in his own chair while the visiting dentist fixed him up. Back in the day, my childhood dentist practiced the…

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Is it SAFE to go to the Dentist?

ABSOLUTELY It Is! The world continues to change at a breathtaking speed with some fear and uncertainty. As it begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, one question that I am often asked is “Do you think it is safe to go to the dentist? “ My immediate response is an ABSOLUTELY, “YES!” You may…

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Taking Care Of The Uncared For

Many years ago, I attended a dental meeting where representatives of the dental organization spoke about the unmet needs of nursing home residents.  I was moved by compassion and felt an unavoidable desire to do something about it. I found a dentist (Peter) in the Seattle area that had been treating those who had often…

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Karen Picks A Plan

Karen was very anxious about her decision of what dental plan to sign up for.  Which plan is best?  What are the monthly costs?  Which services will be covered? Which one’s will not?  What does “yearly maximum” mean? Traditional, PPO’s, Company plans, Individual plans are just a few of her choices. Little did Karen know…

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