Get your Bite Blocks functional

If a case comes in to the lab of interest I blog about it... and this is one that has come in to us this morning.

An edentulous patient that we are making a F/F for needs some bite blocks, we made them, they were used by the dentist and returned to us for articulating the models...

The dentist marked the centre line (so many times we don't get this) and the canine line (wow, very rarely do we get this, so this is great)...

.. but in this case the dentist didn't lock the bites together, so we have no way of getting the bite right...
...the result? Another appointment for the patient, lost confidence with the patient and lost revenue through missed surgery time... oh, and extra cost for us as we have had to courier the case back!

So, please make sure that any bite blocks you take lock together clearly outside of the patients mouth. A simple thing to do, but costly if not done.

Bye for now...
Mark

Avoiding confusion with shade guides

What seems logical to you when you write things down can often be taken in a totally different way by the person reading. We've all experienced that haven't we? You write an email/letter and get a response back that you weren't expecting, only to realise it was the way the email/letter was interpreted.

Here's an example with shades.

Answer this question... "If you saw a shade written down that said A4++, is that lighter or darker than A4?"

Most people would say that A4++ is darker.

What about this?

This shade came in to the lab today, so if A4++ is darker than A4, is A1++ lighter or darker than A1?

I know the dentist wants lighter... but surely lighter than A1 is 'A1--'?

So, be careful what you write on lab prescriptions and make sure it is not open to ambiguous interpretation... you may just get what you ask for!

Anti Snoring Appliance Patient Referral Scheme

How many of your patients suffer from snoring?

The chances are that 60% of the men in your practice suffer from snoring… or should that be their partners suffer with their snoring!

Curing snoring with an Anti-Snoring Appliance is a simple piece of dentistry; most of the noises produced by snoring are generated by bottlenecks or even complete obstruction of the airways, especially when the patient lies on their back.

The SILENSOR Anti-Snoring Appliance makes use of the fact that the pharyngeal space is enlarged when the lower jaw is displaced in an anterior direction.

The SILENSOR consists of two separate clear splints made in either hard or soft materials which fit over the upper and lower arches. The splints are connected by two lateral rotating connectors which gently pull the lower jaw forward. Any further opening of the mouth increases the anterior displacement of the lower jaw.


All it involves on your part is upper and lower impressions, a centric bite and a note as to whether the patient requires hard or soft splints. The device can be returned within 10 working days with no interim appointments needed. The lab fee for this is £167.

Now here's the good bit...

Patient referral scheme
As part of our value added service to dentists in the UK we offer a referral service for patients looking for a snoring appliance. We run a Google Adwords & Facebook campaign encouraging patients to visit our patient anti snoring page, from here they give us their details and we provide them with the details of a dentist local to them, would you like to be on this list?

We launched this scheme on Friday 12th Feb, over the weekend we have had 3 patients contact us already looking for a dentist to provide an anti snoring appliance.

The only way to be part of this scheme and receive these referrals is to be a client of SBO, so please call Mark on 01707 663293 to find out how we can make this happen today, or email mark@sbodentallaboratory.co.uk

Getting a Smile Design RIGHT

This is a little tip for ensuring smile designs go right first time, and it involves an accurate impression of the palate at pre-op impression stage... let me explain.

When we do diagnostic wax ups for crowns or veneers we make 2 matrices to help with the preps, one shows buccal reduction and one show incisal reduction. The key point here is that the incisal reduction matrix often only locates on the palate, especially when posteriors are also being included in the smile design.

After you have prepared the veneers/crowns and we come to make the definitive restorations we use this matrix to build the restorations in to, this ensures we position the incisal edges in exactly the right place. Once again this matrix often locates on the palate only, so if the impressions of the palates from the original diagnostic and the definitive preps don't match then we are not always able to transfer this matrix.... possibilities for errors creep in!

So, although the impression of the teeth and preps is vital, for complete reliability and to reduce the chance of uncertainty, we need an accurate impression of the palate on both the original diagnostic and the final prep impressions.

Over the past few months I have recorded a few video articles on Dental Marketing for Apex (click here to watch) , they have passed the following information on to me, so I thought I would share it with you also as it will almost certainly have enormous value for any dental practioner.

Mark

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Apex invites you to join Dr Marc Cooper for an evening on mastering the business of dental practice Dr Marc Cooper, US dental business consultant for 25 years, will be presenting a series of evening talks in January in three different locations across the UK to dentists who want to achieve mastery in their dental practices.

Most dentists achieve ‘mastery’ in their clinical delivery of dentistry. At this level, they handle problems, breakdowns and issues with grace and ease. At this level of mastery they accurately forecast the future. As clinical masters they direct themselves, their patients, and their staff to produce quality clinical results. However, this level of mastery rarely translates into a comparable mastery of the business side of dental practice.

The 'Mastering the Business of Practice' evening event is designed to introduce British dentists to the concepts and technologies Dr Cooper has used with more than 2000 dentists over the last 25 years.

DATES:
January 19, 2010
Venue: ULC Eastman Dental Institute (CDP) 123 Gray's Inn Rd ‐ London ‐ WC1X 8WD

January 20, 2010
Venue: Academy of Clinical Excellence Wakefield ‐ WF2 7BJ

January 21, 2010
Venue: The Health Centre 55‐60 Conventry Rd. Coleshill ‐ Birmingham B46 3EE

FEE: £60

TIME: 7:00 to 10:00 PM

Attendance is limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. For more information and to register, please visit www.masteryofpractice.com/ukmasteryevening/

an SBO Christmas message...

That time of year is rapidly approaching again... you know, that time of year when you eat too much, drink too much and do everything else that can have 'too much' put after it!!

Well this year we at SBO hope that what you don't get 'too much' of is rest and recuperation ready for 2010.

2009 has been a topsy turvy year for us, we have reduced in size and relocated to our shiny new premises in Potters Bar... so we've had it with change for now... nothing so big and drastic is planned for 2010.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for supporting us throughout this year, we'd like to extend 2 special thank yous...

1. Thank you to all the new clients that have started to work with us in 2009 - all 23 of you have been an absolute joy to meet and discover how we can work together to improve the lives of your patients
2. Thank you to the 53 other loyal dentists that have supported us over the years and who have continued to work with us during 2009 - as ever it has also been a joy to continue to work with you all

Christmas closing times
We are going to be taking a well earned break this year, so the lab will be closed from 24th December and re-open fresh and ready to go on 4th January 2010.

Let's hope 2010 is as fun packed, eventful and enjoyable as 2009 has been... please extend a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy New Year to EVERYONE in your practice,

from all at SBO... Neil, Eldi, Keith and Mark

Ziconia crowns vs e.max HT

Is there a problem with zirconia crowns fracturing? Well possibly, what I present here in this video is an argument rather than a definitive YES or NO - watch the video and see what you think, then comment on the blog and let me know your thoughts.




If you can't see the video click here to watch on You Tube