The Good Samaritan

The past couple of weeks has given me time to pause in amazement. I went into the grocery store to buy my wife a jar of lemon juice. As I waited in line, the lady in front of me saw that I had only one item to buy and kindly allowed me go ahead of…

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Insurance – Episode Three

In episodes One and Two, I discussed the history and the current trends in the business of dental insurance. I referred to these as the “dark side of the force.” Here, I would like to discuss the alternative, or the “light side of the force.” This is a membership plan.  Patients pay a monthly fee…

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Insurance – Episode Two

In you missed Episode One, you can get caught up here. In the 1960’s a group of dentists here in California formed a dental insurance company named California Dental Service, otherwise known as the CDS.   The dollar amount of payments was $1,000.00 per year.  I remember the price of gasoline at that time being 28…

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Insurance – Episode One

A long, long time ago, in ancient times (3770 years ago) on the far side of the planet, the first forms of insurance were recorded by the Babylonian and Chinese traders.  One of the first written loss limitation methods can be found in the Code of Hammurabi— The ancient world evolved with maritime loans with…

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Crowns – Not for the Head, Just as Expensive

There is much confusion on what a dental crown does. When a tooth has decayed and/or broken down beyond the ability to be preserved and protected with the use regular filling material, partial to full coverage is often recommended – i.e. THE CROWN. Metal crowns can be of stainless steel, gold or Titanium. Tooth-colored (most…

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The Oxymoron of Dental Insurance

In the 1960’s a group of California dentists formed a dental insurance company called the California Dental Service, which later became Delta Dental. Later came the PPO’s the HMO’s to which I call them the OhOhOhs’s (uhoh OO’s). The CEO’s of these OhOhOh’s get paid many millions of dollars each year. The dentist doesn’t get…

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Patient-Doctor Communication

What did you say? Why didn’t you say something earlier? Human communication is a surreal experience. We have foreign languages that separate us, non-verbal communication that is not observed, music that the performer has not experienced, written word not understood etc. But what confounds me more as a Doctor is how much miscommunication or lack…

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The Pain of Headaches

In the realm of reoccurring pain scenarios, Migraine Headaches ranks among the most despised.  My own Mother suffered with these and would be buried in the dark bedroom for days at a time.  Pills after pills, bio feedback, and psychiatric counseling did little to help her.  Today, as a dentist, I can reduce headaches in…

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Thanksgiving and Gratitude

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni This season has me thinking of the all the things that I am thankful for and there seem to be far too many. I think of all my experiences and the things that I have learned, I am in awe. This season has…

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