A World Wide Rave Video for the WWR Book!

Today David Meerman Scott released a new video relating to his upcoming book, World Wide Rave.

According to David, over 100 people and groups sent him photos and videos of themselves holding a World Wide Rave poster -- from Boston to Antarctica!

It's very cool.

David Meerman Scott Talks About World Wide Rave at HubSpot

HubSpot is an Internet marketing company based in Cambridge, MA (I met a few of the people in November when I gave a presentation to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, Boston chapter).

They host Webinars and HubSpot TV and last week their guest was David Meerman Scott, author of the best selling book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and the upcoming book, World Wide Rave.

As David explains, a World Wide Rave is when lots of people are talking and spreading your ideas. He gives lots of great examples of World Wide Raves and how they work (this means you don't use traditional (expensive) marketing like the Yellow Pages and magazine ads).

(Full disclosure: Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex! is a featured World Wide Rave.)

You can view the full screen Webinar here: http://www.hubspot.com/archive/world-wide-rave-webinar (I had a hard time trying to make it fit into this blog.)

Children's Dental Expert Gives His Thoughts on "David After Dentist" Video

As a dentist, I was mildly distuburbed after watching the David After Dentist YouTube video that's making the rounds of Twitter and the blogosphere. As of this writing, the video has over 9 million views.



My friend, Dr. Lance Kisby, director of Pediatric Dentistry at Geisinger Hospital in Pennsylvania, however, was more than mildly disturbed -- he was downright mad.

Here are his comments about why this video is so bad with regard to children's dentistry -- and why it gives completely inaccurate information about the role of pediactric dentists (or pedodontists, as they are known).

The 2006-2007 Pedodontic Sedation Guidelines are REALLY clear regarding sedating children. The guidelines state that before the patient is dismissed from the office he/she must be:
1. verbal
2. alert
3. awake
4. able to walk under their own power
5. given verbal tests (say the alphabet or count to 20) to determine level of recovery.

The guidelines are crystal clear on this: if the patient is none of the above (you really need all five to send the patient home), the patient must stay in office until FULLY recovered.

And, according to Sedation Guidelines, parents are not allowed to premedicate kids at home before dental appointments. Once you premedicate a child and put him or her in the back seat of a car, you run the risk of the child falling asleep, having his head fall forward and dying due to:
a)Seat belt on the neck
b)The anatomical variation in kids'airway anatomy . . . it is conical, narrow at the cricoid cartilage (adults are wide and parallel).

In addition, sedating young children is not as simple as giving a kid nitrous. When doing sedation on children using nitrous, the tragus of the ear HAS to be parallel to the sternum. If not, the airway gets blocked due to anatomy.

And, most important when it comes to sedation -- kids are not adults!

Here is an equation:

Cardiac output = Heart rate X stroke volume

or

CO= HR X SV

Children, unlike adults, cannot vary their stroke volume. Thus, in the equation, stroke volume is a constant. Thus,

CO = HR

That means, blood pressure is heart rate dependant.

Decreased O2 causes bradycardia (in adults it causes tachycardia). Bradycardia (decreased heart rate) causes decreased blood pressure.

Decreased blood pressure in a child is dangerous. This is because children go FAST -- as in, they die.

In the 4-day simulation course I took last year on Sedation, we found out all too well that decreased PG means decreased 02 and then it spirals out of control. Big time. In our course on the $1 million dollar dummies we worked on, and which are true to live, the "child" was dead in 30 seconds.

Adults have 02 levels that go like this: 100-99-98-96-93 . . . etc.

A child's 02 levels go like this: 100-92-88-70. Yup, that fast.

Now, here is the kicker. Since children's heart rates are higher, here is the rule: if a child's HR is 80, you must start CPR immediately.

Let me put it in real life terms for you. You're a dentist with a child in the chair. You are talking and he is talking about your good looks, your dress, the Patriots, and the weather. His heart rate is 80. He is lucid. He is talking. No problems noted. You immediately level your chair, insitute CPR with chest compressions and breathing and call 911. I am not kidding!

Here at the hospital, we have a sedation team and they sedate kids for me in the PICU rather than me worry about all this stuff. Last Thursday, a child's O2 went: 100-99-82 . . . that fast. I had to stop and the sedation team did their thing.

I get aggrevated when dentists and parents say 'Aw, just sedate the kid.' I have been doing children's dentistry forever, and I don't sedate.

Now you know why I find this David After Dentist video highly aggraviating.

Well, I guess that sums up why dentists are truly health care professionals, why modern dentists keep up to date with technology and advanced techniques, and why really good dentists leave advanced procedures, such as sedating children, to real experts.

"Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex!" Featured in World Wide Rave

I had wanted to talk about the connection betweeen oral health and sexual health -- something no one was talking about -- for a long time, but didn't know how to address the topic.

It wasn't until I stumbled upon David Meerman Scott and his ideas about viral e-books that I knew an e-book format would be the perfect vehicle for my idea.

And while I thought it was a good idea, when I published my e-book, "Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex!" in March 2008, I was a little nervous about what people's reactions would be. My fears were for naught.

Since publishing it, I've had countless colleagues call to tell me what a great book it is.

I've had a couple of colleges call to ask if they could hand it out to freshman at orientation.

A number of bloggers, including Cory Silverberg at About.com:Sexuality, Paul Levy in his popular "Running a Hospital" blog, and the team from Reva Health on their Consumer Health Blog, have written about it.

Over 5,000 people have downloaded it.

The reporters at Forbes.com featured it in an article about innovative marketing techniques.

And, it's appearing in a book, World Wide Rave, by David Meerman Scott. The book is due out early March 2009.

I am absolutely thrilled -- to say the least!

Social media is the new way of communicating with your customers. For years I relied on traditional (read: expensive) marketing, none of which worked.

This blog, my Website, YouTube videos, and the e-books have done more to build my practice than the expensive yellow pages advertising I purchased month after month ever did.

Be sure to pre-order David's book on Amazon today -- and take a look at his World Wide Rave blog for additional info about him and the book.

Congress Introduces Bill to Include Dentists in Emergency Response

The American Dental Association issued a press release Thursday, Feb. 5 that commends, "Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) for introducing the 'Dental Emergency Responder Act' (H.R. 903), a bill that would bolster America's capacity to respond to natural disasters or terrorist attacks by taking advantage of the extensive education, training and professionalism of the nation's dentists."

According to the release, the bill will not require additional federal spending. The thinking behind it is that because dentists receive a "sound general medical background . . . their knowledge and experience can make them valuable assets in the community response to man-made and natural disasters."

As a dentist, I'm very glad that this piece of legislation has been introduced to Congress. It makes complete sense, as dentists are very well educated and can help during emergencies.

Why Do Consumers Consider Dentists as "Satan" or Worse?

I've been using social media tools, such as Twitter, more, and am surprised at the number of "Tweets" from people who post that they are visiting the dentist.

Few people write that they enjoy visiting the dentist. Quite a number of people write that visiting the dentist is like being in hell and their dentist is Satan (or worse).

I know many people have fear and anxiety when visiting the dentist. Sharp pointy needles and tools look scary and can cause pain. People have had bad experiences with inept dentists -- I see these patients all the time and get angry that they received such poor dental care.

This fear and anxiety is one reason why I educate my patients about procedures before we begin. I also provide a soothing environment where they can relax, and I offer various sedation techniques -- ranging from topical gels to Valium -- in order to ease people's anxiety.

I've also learned how to do "little" things that help ease pain. For example, when giving multiple injections into a patient's mouth, I will use a needle for a maximum of three injections and then use a new one. Why? Dull needles can cause more pain. (I also buy high-quality needles.)

I've learned where to give injections in the areas of the gum that are less sensitive, and if a needle hits the jaw bone, I throw it away immediately. This is because hitting the bone can create a "burr" on the needle -- again, causing more pain.

But more important, like many modern dentists today, I continually take classes in order to learn how to best use advanced technologies and techniques. My mission is to give patients the ultimate in dental care, preserve teeth wherever possible, and give back to patients the ability to eat, smile, kiss, and laugh with freedom.

I'm passionate about educating my patients about the benefits for taking care of their oral health. For example, one patient came in recently and while checking her mouth I said, "Wow, your teeth and gums look beautiful. What have you been doing?" and she replied, "I followed your advice and started brushing and flossing every day."

Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day can go far in helping you to have a pleasant -- and stress-free -- visit. You'll have less plaque (and less scraping), your gums won't bleed, and you'll spend less time in the chair.

But more imporant, you'll leave the dentist's office feeling happy about your visit and your dentist -- someone who is your partner in maintaining good oral health, not Satan.

You can learn more about dental health by downloading my e-book, "Keep Your Body Healthy . . . Brush Your Teeth."

You can also email me your dental health questions -- send your questions to helainesmithdmd@aol.com.

Technology HUGE at Yankee Dental Conference

As a consumer, you don't see how technology has advanced dentistry -- especially since dentists phase technology (which is pricey) into the dental office over time. Some of the advances you may have witnessed with your own dentist include:

** Moving from film and lightbox x-rays to digital images that dentists can now view on a computer screen.

** Eliminating paper-based records in favor of using software that houses our patients' records (plus the digial imaging files associated with the patient).

** Making crowns chair-side using a CERAC machine versus sending goopy impressions to a lab and then waiting two weeks for the crown to come back.

But one thing you haven't seen is how dentistry has truly moved into the 21st-century due to technology -- and no where was this more evident than at this year's Yankee Dental conference.

As I stood on the exhibit floor, I was awed by the sheer number of companies presenting imaging software and hardware -- digital impressions, CAD/CAM systems and CBCT units dominated the exhibition floor. Every where you looked technology was on display. (To see a good example, view this Sirona GALILEOS video -- GALILEOS is Sirona's new 3D imaging machine.)

All of this technology has revolutionized dentisty -- and has raised the standard of care. Using CBCT scans, for example, a dentist or periodontist can see a patient's facial structure and precisely locate the jaw bone, nasal passageways and airways, and most important, facial nerves. We can see how the jaw opens and shuts and how the jaw fits in relation to cranium and facial structure.


(image (c) Sirona)

Dentists no longer have to "guess" where to place an implant or whether a patient is a viable candidate for the procedure. A simple scan can tell the dentist instantly what is feasible -- and new treatment plans being taught at advanced dental training facilities mean patients can walk away with not just a beautiful smile, but a smile that's been designed precisely for him or her using the latest techniques.

While at Yankee I gave my first course, "Full-Arch, All-Porcelain Rehabilitation." (This was a course other dentists could take and then receive continuing education credits. I'm very happy to report that both morning and afternoon sessons were sold out -- and on a Saturday, too!)

While talking about my work as a dentist over the years I realized that dentists and their patients are on the cusp of truly extraordinary times.

Health technology will allow dentists and doctors to finally integrate patient health information into one place. At a point in the future, patients will come to me and I'll know instantly which medications they take, if they have sinus troubles or migranes and the treatment they've had, any injuries or surgeries to the head or jaw, and any diseases.

Having this information literally on my computer screen chairside means that I'll be able to give patients an unprecidented level of care.

Modern dentistry and the technology that supports it mean that dentists can no longer view themselves as "tooth plumbers." Instead, we are truly "mouth physicians."

As I stood in the Yankee Dental exhibit hall surrounded by this new technology, I realized how just how exciting it all is. As a modern dentist myself, I embrace this new technology -- and am glad I'm able to provide my patients with the utmost in care.