Is your practice prepared to deal with the H1N1 virus?  About.com posted an article with a guide for dealing with the H1N1 virus. Remember, standard precautions are crucial in preventing the spread of this virus. Precautions include:

• Providing a surgical mask for who are coughing.

• Dentists and hygenists should wear masks.

• Hand washing is the #1 way to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria.

from About.com Dental Care

The 2009 H1N1 flu continues to cause havoc across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports laboratory-confirmed flu rates are climbing, and are higher than expected for this time of year. More notably, hospitalization rates continue to be the highest among our younger populations, with the highest rate of hospitalization reported in children 0-4 years old. Sadly, 129 laboratory-confirmed pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths have been reported since April 2009.
If you are concerned about your upcoming dental appointment, and are wondering what your dentist is doing to prevent the spread of H1N1 in the dental office, here are some of the guidelines the CDC prepared for dental offices to consider adapting into their practice during this obviously stressful time:

Patients with an acute respiratory illness should be identified at check-in and placed in a single-patient room with the door kept closed.

• Staff should offer a disposable surgical mask to persons who are coughing, or provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for used tissue disposal. The ill person should wear a surgical mask when outside the patient room.
• Dental healthcare personnel assessing a patient with influenza-like illness should wear disposable surgical facemask, non-sterile gloves, gown, and eye protection (e.g., goggles) to prevent direct skin and conjunctival exposure.
• Patient and dental healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic handwash) after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.

Routine cleaning and disinfection strategies used during influenza seasons can be applied to the environmental management of swine influenza.

• Staff experiencing influenza-like-illness (ILI) (fever with either cough or sore throat, muscle aches) should not report to work.
• Staff who experience ILI and wish to seek medical care should contact their health care providers to report illness (by telephone or other remote means) before seeking care at a clinic, physician’s office, or hospital.
• Staff who were not using appropriate personal protective equipment during close contact with a confirmed, probable, or suspect case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection during the case’s infectious period should receive chemoprophylaxis according to CDC guidance (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/recommendations.htm).
• Staff who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or are believed to be severely ill, should seek immediate medical attention.

We are all advised to stay home if the signs of influenza-like-illness are present. If you have an appointment, contact your office for instruction. Chances are, the dentist will recommend the appointment is rescheduled until the ILI symptoms are gone. If you require emergency dental treatment, the following guidelines have been established:

“If urgent dental care is required and swine influenza A (H1N1) has either been confirmed or is suspected, the care should be provided in a facility (e.g., hospital with dental care capabilities) that provides airborne infection isolation (i.e., airborne infection isolation room with negative pressure air handling with 6 to 12 air changes per hour).

For aerosol-generating procedures, use a procedure room with negative pressure air handling. Personnel providing direct patient care for suspected or confirmed swine influenza A (H1N1) cases should wear a fit-tested disposable N95 respirator when entering the patient room and when performing dental procedures. Respirator use should be in the context of a complete respiratory protection program in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

Talk to your dentist if you have any concerns or questions about visiting the dental office during flu season.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

H1N1 (Swine Flu) Information for Dental Offices and Dental Patients originally appeared on About.com Dental Care on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 19:32:22.

from About.com Dental Care

Researchers from the American College of Chest Physicians have found that nocturnal teeth grinding (bruxism), is prevalent among the estimated 18 million Americans that suffer from sleep apnea; a common sleep disorder.

Shyam Subramanian, MD, FCCP, from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX notes the connection between the two disorders, saying “The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep bruxism is usually related to an arousal response. The ending of an apneic event may be accompanied by a number of mouth phenomena, such as snoring, gasps, mumbles, and teeth grinding,” adding “Men typically have more severe sleep apnea, and perhaps may have more arousal responses, which may explain the higher prevalence of teeth grinding in men. Besides, men characteristically tend to report more symptoms of sleep apnea than women, such as snoring, loud grunting, and witnessed apneas.”

The link between sleep apnea and bruxism is related to many factors, such as high levels of anxiety and the use of caffeine. According to Dr. Subramanian “High levels of anxiety can lead to bruxism, and untreated sleep apnea is known to cause mood disturbances including depression and anxiety,” adding “Daytime sleepiness from sleep apnea may cause a person to ingest caffeine, and this has also been associated with a high risk of bruxism.”

Your best defense against both sleep apnea and bruxism is communicating with both your dentist and your doctor. Diagnosing sleep apnea involves participating in a sleep study. Diagnosing bruxism involves a complete examination from your dentist that looks at the wear patterns on your teeth by obtaining dental impressions that are used to fabricate diagnostic study models, and radiographs such as a cephalometric and/or panorex for the dentist to study.

If the symptoms of sleep apnea or the symptoms of bruxism sound familiar to you; contact both your dentist and your doctor. Early diagnosis is always highly regarded as being a part of a successful treatment plan.

Sleep Apnea Connected to Bruxism, Says Study originally appeared on About.com Dental Care on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 00:20:51.

How you handle your practice’s financial policies can have a direct effect on your success in your industry.  Dr. Rhonda Savage, contributor for DentalBlogs gives her insight into successfully managing your financial policies.

In this article, Dr. Savage discusses these 3 Key Tips for maintaining a financially healthy dental practice:

• Determine the Health of Your Accounts Receivables
• Develop Your Financial Guidelines
• Criteria for Financial Options
  

from dentalblogs.com

In this month’s dentaltown.com print edition, DentalBlogs contributor and “great mind” Dr. Rhonda Savage shares her insight into what makes dentists’ financial policies successful. Her practical advice and tips can help you develop a great financial policy that will “keep your patients coming back.”

Dr. Savage recommends that the doctor get and stay involved in the accounting of his or her office. The dentist should manage the practice effectively and know which employee to speak with about any patient or issue. This management structure, according to Dr. Savage, will reduce stress and promote professionalism and accountability.

Another important issue is your financial guidelines. Dr. Savage points out topics and ideas you may not have yet considered in regards to developing or revising your current financial policy. Patients should understand your policy, as should employees, and the doctor/manager should not make exceptions that overrule an employee’s effort to carry out the set guidelines.

In this economy, you should offer financial options – pay by credit card, third party financing, or set up a phased treatment plan. Dr Savage suggests you consider your policies regarding lab work fees, insurance copays, and cash courtesy discount.

Read the full article at www.dentaltown.com.

Direct Capital Corporation to be preferred finance provider for BuyDentalEquipment.com

Press Release November 11, 2009

BUYDENTALEQUIPMENT.COM SELECTS DIRECT CAPITAL FOR FINANCE PROGRAM
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – November 11, 2009 – Direct Capital Corp. has been selected to be the preferred financing provider for BuyDentalEquipment.com, a leading nationwide provider of high quality refurbished dental equipment.
“We are excited to partner with BuyDentalEquipment.com to provide its customers with a stable and flexible finance program,” said Paul Ringuette, Vice President of Sales.  “Small businesses, including dentists, are struggling to access financing and we look forward to alleviating that pain through a robust offering delivered together with a leading equipment supplier. With our recent securitization of $200 million in lending capacity, Direct Capital stands ready to help BuyDentalEquipment.com accelerate its strategic growth plans in the market.”
“Direct Capital is the perfect match for our company to provide strategic financing options that match our customers’ specific goals,” said BuyDentalEquipment’s VP of Sales Tony Brumley. “We are confident that our partnership will make the financing process as quick and efficient as possible for our customers, so they can spend more time running and growing their business.”
“Now is a great time to consider purchasing refurbished dental equipment from BuyDentalEquipment.com,” said Brumley. “We provide dental professionals with an affordable alternative to high priced dental equipment.”  “Our refurbishing process is so thorough that rebuilding may be a more accurate term for what we do.

Watch a video that explains our refurbishing process here.

For more information about financing options from Direct Capital, call Matt Buchalski  at 603-766-9397 or visit www.directcapital.com. For more information about financing options on dental chairs, dental sterilizers, refurbished dental equipment, dental operatories, or custom dental cabinetry from BuyDentalEquipment.com, call Deb Skelton at 940-766-5209 ext 2755 or visit www. buydentalequipment.com
# # #

About Direct Capital
Established in 1993, Direct Capital provides specialty finance solutions, including capital equipment leasing, commercial loans, and merchant cash advances. Direct Capital markets its services through direct relationships with businesses and through partnerships with vendors, dealers, and manufacturers of capital equipment. Superb execution on its exceptional and unique direct service delivery model is the cornerstone of Direct Capital’s success in an increasingly commoditized financial services industry. The company has offices in New York, California, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Ohio, Iowa, and New Hampshire.

About BuyDentalEquipment.com
At BuyDentalEquipment.com we deliver the highest quality dental equipment at the best prices. Specializing in refurbished dental equipment and affordably priced new equipment makes it possible for us to offer our customers significant savings. But we don’t stop there. We offer a wide variety of services within the Dental Industry.

For additional information, contact:
Matthew Buchalski
Direct Capital Corp.
(603) 766-9397
mbuchalski@directcapital.com

Sign up and receive a FREE Dental Practice Rules Guide.  It’s a $50 value full of content from Kodak Dental Systems, SmartPractice, BuyDentalEquipment.com and more!
Guide includes:
• Avoiding Common Mistakes
• Entity and Legal Information
• Lease and Space Negotiation
• Equipment, Cabinetry, Digital Radiography
• Management, Marketing and much more!
To receive your FREE Guide, simply submit the form located on the top right of this page.

by  Dr. Woody Oakes

Purchasing equipment can be both confusing and expensive. There are numerous choices and companies to choose from. Then, there are gadgets, upgrades and options that can easily raise a new office price to upwards of $80,000 per operatory. As I wrote in Buyer Beware, “one poor decision can drastically change your future.” Well then, the other side of that coin is– one GOOD decision can drastically change your future. Actually, it can save you over $1.5 million. More on this in a minute.

Let me tell you about a recent partnership of ours which I believe will successfully transition your equipment buying process into a money saving and stress-free experience while offering the best in choice and benefits. Whether you are expanding your office to improve services, building a new office or replacing equipment, our exclusive equipment partner will save you a substantial amount of money. I’ll explain further–
BuyDentalEquipment.com offers quality refurbished equipment as well as affordably priced new equipment with cost savings of up to 40% or more. You also save an additional 5% over all of their regularly advertised pricing as a Profitable Dentist subscriber. They sell direct through their team of equipment specialists thus saving you significantly. Their refurbishment process is extensive, ensuring the highest working standards today and in the years to come. Every piece of refurbished equipment they sell is backed by a full one-year warranty on parts.  They also provide delivery and installation to all 50 states, by their highly qualified team. Do you see the value here?

Building a new office or renovating/updating an existing office? BuyDentalEquipment.com will be with you every step of the way. They offer new office floor space/design services and full construction drawings by professional architects, well-versed in dental design.  This is a must if you want to maximize your space to work efficiently and comply with plumbing, wiring and radiographic guidelines. These services are at no charge when offset by your equipment purchase.  But that’s not all–
They have a sister company. BuyDentalCabinets.com offers custom cabinetry for all your operatory, sterilization, lab, or reception cabinets. The quality is second to none, and all are backed by a 5-year warranty. These savings can be in excess of over 50% compared to many major manufacturers. The 5% subscriber savings applies here too.

Can you see why this partnership is a no-brainer? It’s about profits – It’s about “not how much you make, but how much you keep” –  It’s about a future retirement.

Ok, earlier I mentioned a previous article, <em>Buyer Beware</em>, and how one good decision could save you over $1,500,000. Let me tell you how this is possible. Just this week, BuyDentalEquipment.com gave me an example of a comparison bid they did for a customer in the northeast. This customer was about to construct a new, 3-operatory office. They already had a bid of $235,000. BuyDentalEquipment.com was able to bid all new cabinetry and new and refurbished equipment to the Dr for a total, installed price of $116,000.  So lets just say you take a $100,000 of that savings and invest it at 30 years at 10% interest. The Results?  $1,744,940 for your nest egg. So, the decision is yours, new, high end, expensive equipment with all the gadgets and bells and whistles, or a nice view of the Caribbean ocean from your Villa in The Caymans? I’ll take the View.