Why This Study Should Be a Wake-up Call to Dentistry

If you haven’t heard already, a report has come out that says that six-month recall appointments aren’t necessarily that conducive to keeping your patients’ oral health in line. In fact, maybe, just maybe, patients don’t have to come into the dental practice twice a year.

Now, on the surface, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that this has to be wrong and that we have to make sure everyone knows it is wrong, right? Well, hang with me for a second on this one.

Do you see the photo of the smiling lady at the top of the article? What if she walked into your practice and had questions about that study? Would you answer her the same way you would another patient … or would you treat every patient the way he or she should be treated (and that’s as an individual)?

Every person is different and every person’s oral health needs are different as well. That’s the basis for what I want to talk about this week. Let’s pump the brakes on debunking this study until we think about what it might be signaling that we need to know for each and every one of our patients.

Check out my thoughts in the video below. #TogetherWeRise

Note: Photo of “Big smile” by faye kinnit (no more uploads, can’t afford Pro) is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

David Rice

David Rice

Founder of the nation’s largest student and new-dentist community, igniteDDS, David R. Rice, DDS, travels the world speaking, writing, and connecting today’s top young dentists with tomorrow’s most successful dental practices. He is the editorial director of DentistryIQ and leads a team-centered restorative and implant practice in East Amherst, New York. With 27 years of practice in the books, Dr. Rice is trained at the Pankey Institute, the Dawson Academy, Spear Education, and most prolifically at the school of hard knocks.