When we design a house, we need certain tools like manpower and most importantly, the blue print which designs the structure according to the person's taste and lifestyle. We then hire engineers, architects, interior designers and so forth in order to complete and execute the plan. This is what we call planning ahead. 

Likewise in dentistry, when we receive a patient, we don't just go ahead and treat the ailment. At this point, we should focus our treatment plan on a holistic approach where we...
Continue reading ...

When I was in college, I had my lower left molar extracted by our family dentist. Because I had no inkling of what the procedure would be, I obliged to my dentist and had it removed on that fateful day. Truly it was an awful experience. For one hour and a half, my mouth was open, I was subjected to all the needling, and yanking of my tooth as my dentist persistently removed my third molar. At last, she was able to remove my tooth but then as soon as the tooth was pulled out, I felt a sudden g...
Continue reading ...

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

Over the years of my clinic practice, I have gained the skill of having an eye for detail. Most especially if I am dealing with Aesthetic restorations. I always tell myself, I can never fail the expectation of my patients in terms of shape, size and color. These three aspects are the basic foundation of creating a good restoration. That is why I constantly seek for good labs who can cater to my expectations.  

Through this, I have found a new way of repl...
Continue reading ...

The truth will set us free! 

As I was cleaning the teeth of my patient this noon, I was aghast at what I was looking at. His teeth were in bad shape and what I couldn't help noticing was that the filling on this front tooth was too white next to his natural tooth. Because I could not hold my tongue, I told my patient bluntly that his teeth needs to be fixed. I even expressed that these root fragments are no treasure for him to keep so I urged him to have it extracted immediately. I don't know ...
Continue reading ...

Its been months since I last visited my blog and I felt compelled to do so because of the need to vent out what has been lacking in our practice. Just today, I was about to install a one unit Porcelain fused to Metal Crown and unfortunately, the bite on the patient was not perfect. I checked the occlusion and the patient had a deep bite. While fitting the crown, the patient's bite changes thereby increasing its vertical height on the side of the crown. Immediately, I realized this is not the ...
Continue reading ...

When a dream is given birth, we fire it up with our passion to create something great out of that dream. We become focused, resourceful and most of all, hopeful in every step of the way. 

Passion drives us to succeed. We may mix it up with drive and determination but passion ignites our creativity to do more so it amplifies the fire within. It creates an imaginative place of what may become when we achieve this dream. It is the trophy, our prize for beholding that dream.

If a person loses this,...
Continue reading ...

We should never forget what we are and what we uphold as professionals. Our degree and title is our highest honor that we should take pride in. Nobody can defy nor deduce our professional degree because that is borne out of blood sweat and tears. The moment you belittle yourself, people around you will follow.

I observe among our colleagues that they develop a form of insecurity when they are questioned about their profession. Maybe its because other dentists size up their contemporaries based...
Continue reading ...

Just today I encountered a reluctant patient who had an aching tooth with pus oozing out of his gums. To his belief, it was caused by brushing too hard on his gums and was reliant on taking antibiotics alone rather than having his tooth extracted due to dental decay.  Upon examination, it was badly carioused and emitted a foul smell yet he is still convinced that it was his harsh brushing that caused the bleeding.  With all my efforts, I told him how  tooth decay can cause a foul odor smell t...
Continue reading ...

Dentistry is no longer just a profession. It is a business opportunity. After all, we make a living out of it. We  build, establish, gain connections - its a due process waiting to unveil.  A few years back, I made a friend out of a patient who almost became a hostile entity in my life. It came to a point where I would dread her appointment because all I could hear were complaints. And she became irrational to every explanation I gave to her. I felt my hands were tied and that I was at her me...
Continue reading ...

Have you ever had an incident where you extracted a wisdom tooth in just minutes and extract a badly decayed tooth that took you almost an hour to remove? I have had my share of bad experiences and frankly speaking, I do not enjoy this at all. To me,  I chose oral surgical specialty because I know that I am good at what I do. But when certain matters happen where the bone of the patient is too dense and extraction becomes difficult, it is such a frustrating moment for me.  That's the time whe...
Continue reading ...

For some dentists, doing RCT would be a breeze. They do their routine like clock work, quick and flawless. I on the other hand are among the many clinicians who shun this procedure because of the meticulous task of cleaning the canals dry and so forth.  

Amazingly, I was confronted by the same scenario where I had to open a lower right molar (46) that had a periapical lesion located at the apex of the tooth. I took the xray and to my surprise, the canals showed several root canals. How many do...
Continue reading ...

Long ago, when I took impressions of my prosthodontic cases, (especially the crowns) I would use an ordinary plastic or metal tray. Later, when I knew about Premier's impression tray, it made me a believer of this innovation. I never thought technology could be this good for the practice until this simple step was invented and I had the chance to use it myself.  Although alginates are a common choice for most dentists during impression taking, rubber has become my favorite because I never hav...
Continue reading ...

I often experience patients making bargain with me while inquiring about my rates and services. Some are bearable but sometimes it may get annoying if they keep pushing you to the wall as if your rates are already rock bottom and there's not much left for your professional fee. I understand that our fees can sometimes be pricey, especially in this day and age where the 10 billion scam blew over our country that caused heavy bouts among our government officials and local citizens.  But what pa...
Continue reading ...