Blog

By Jacob Drucker

These are exciting times for dentistry. We’re witnessing a series of major shifts in the dental space today. I’ve already written about some technology shifts that are already changing the face of care. Equally important, though, are the individuals and offices providing that care, and their demographic and structural shifts. The old image of a dentist- an elderly white male who owns his own small practice- is rapidly being replaced by a model that’s simultaneously more diverse and more consolidated...

A few weeks ago, I attended the annual Oregon Dental Conference in Portland. One of the most interesting topics discussed at the conference is the impact of marijuana (cannabis), its active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiol (CBD), in the medical and dental industries.

As many in healthcare may know already, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I substance, and according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, "has no currently accepted medical use." However, in the last few years...

New technology has reached every facet of our lives, from the way we make our coffee in the morning to how we consume the news late at night. We don’t watch TV the way we did twenty years ago. We don’t listen to music the way we did even a decade ago. And we don’t even use transportation the way we did five years ago. And in so many ways, the office, even the dental office, is getting its makeover, too.

“The internet is not something that you just dump something on- it’s not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes!” Senator Ted Stevens will live in infamy thanks to his public comments on the internet. Signal is down? Call the plumber. Trying to download too much at once? Use some Drano.

Of course, the internet has long since evolved from the days of dial-up, when you were excited to hear that “You’ve Got Mail” and Pets.com was the way of the future.

In Scott's last post on the Academy of Osseointegration meeting, he mentioned that digital dentistry and digital workflow are the way of the future. There is no denying that advances have not only enabled a complete transformation of patient care, but they have also have begun to impact the future of clinical education and clinical standards. 

I went through training alongside Scott at the University of Pennsylvania, where the next research paper in CAD/CAM always seemed just around the corner while instructors constantly reminded us to not forget the basics of time-tested techniques and materials. Since graduating, I've constantly pondered on the nature of this dualism. 

Dentistry is in many ways like making sushi.