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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…
Read MoreInsurance – 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…
Read MoreWhy We Don’t Go to the Dentist
Based on my decades of experience, let me take a guess at why you do not visit the Dentist.
Read MoreCrowns – 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MorePatient-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…
Read MoreThanksgiving 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…
Read MorePersonal Service and Connecting to People
While standing in the grocery store line, the clerk asked me, “How is your day going?” I responded “wonderful!” But I was still taken aback as she had asked it with real sincerity. In today’s modern world, expediency has over taken personal service. Smart phones have replaced personal connection. Busyness has replaced serenity and fulfillment.…
Read MoreUnder-served Dental Patients
Within the American population there are three groups of patients that are not receiving adequate dental care. Personally, I have treated underprivileged children for seven years under the auspices of the Head Start program. Additionally, I have treated elderly patients in 26 different nursing homes for a five year period. Those are two of the…
Read MoreA Love for Nature
Even before my earliest memory my parents taught me the joy of camping.
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