When a “Hopeless” Tooth Isn’t Hopeless

Posted on January 23, 2026January 21, 2026 by Lee Sheldon DMD PA

A 45-year-old woman arrived in our office in significant pain. The day before, she had seen a dentist for a painful lower left central incisor. The recommendation was straightforward: extract the tooth and then see a periodontist. She refused. Instead, she searched for another option and drove nearly 50 miles to our office. The Clinical Picture She was hitting tooth #24 every time she closed her mouth—and it hurt badly. The gingival tissue was visibly swollen, and the tooth had Clas...

Flying Blind: A Wake-Up Call – Part One

Posted on June 27, 2025June 19, 2025 by Michael Goldberg DMD

When I say “Flying Blind” no, I’m not talking about the air-control issues at Newark Airport. I’m talking about how we practice oral health care. Having taught in two universities, I have a pretty good idea of the curriculum dentists and hygienists receive. “Basic Sciences” dominate those early years: microbiology, immunology, physiology, anatomy, and pharmacology. Why? Because understanding the why behind disease matters. So here’s the real question: Why are those sciences all but aba...

Investing in Technologies that Help You While Helping Your Patients

Posted on September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 by Miranda Adams RDH

I have been a dental hygienist for 12 years now; my back and neck pain started while I was in school. The assumption was that if you’re a dental professional, you will have neck and back pain. My first full time job out of school was taking over for a hygienist who had to retire after 20 years due to back problems caused from her profession. Every time I would go to the chiropractor, he would always remind me that dental professionals were one of his largest patient bases. That wasn’t very r...