FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

When Martin Jones met his wife four years ago he never imagined that one day he would get to see what she looked like.

The 42-year-old builder was left blind after an accident at work more than a decade ago.

But a remarkable operation – which implants part of his tooth in his eye -  has now pierced his world of darkness.

The procedure, performed less than 50 times before in Britain, uses the segment of tooth as a holder for a new lens grafted from his skin.

‘The doctors took the bandages off and it was like looking through water and then I saw this figure and it was her,’ he said today.

‘She’s wonderful and lovely. It was unbelievable to see her for the first time.’

Congrats to this chap and to the eye surgeons who have perfected this procedure.

There are more dentists in San Francisco area than in remote Modoc or Inyo Counties. But there are some interesting facts nonetheless.

Alpine County has no actively practicing dentists. In San Benito and Inyo counties, there is one dentist for every 5,000 residents. Imperial and Colusa counties have one for every 4,000 residents.

In contrast, San Francisco County has 6.1 licensed dentists for every 5,000 residents, and neighboring Placer County and Marin County have 5.2 and 5.0 per 5,000, respectively.

This distribution illustrates the marketplace. More affluent people with money to pay for private dentistry means more dentists will flock to practice there. No surprise.

But, what is most interesting is the changing demographics of California dentists.

The percentage of dentists who may be nearing retirement age is greater than the percentage of newly licensed dentists. Fifteen percent of active dentists have received their license within the past five years, while 20% have been licensed for 30 or more years. In some counties far fewer are newly licensed and many more are nearing retirement age. Among newly licensed dentists, 45% are female and 91% are generalists. Among those nearing retirement age, however, only 4% are female and 75% are generalists.

Read the entire report here.

So, will there be a shortage of California dentists in the near future as baby boom generation dentists, like Flap, retire from active clinical practice?

And, what will the impact of more women dentists have on dental practice distribution demographics?

Flap has no immediate answers but with California dentists already numbering the most in the nation and with a seemingly dental office on every block in Los Angeles County, my bet is that there will be a gradual shift away from many solo, general practices to more group models.

What worries Flap is with Obamacare and the rush of organized dentistry, including the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association to ask for government bailouts/subsidies that American private dentistry will go the way of the awful British National Health Service System.

Then, the broken front tooth will NOT be a temporary inconvenience but a three/four month wait for an appointment to see your government dentist.

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The Day By Day Archive

Chipping a tooth right before the Memorial Day weekend means more than likely you will have to wait until next Tuesday to get it repaired.

However, be glad America has private dentistry and although your regular denist may be off golfing, there may be an enterprising dentist who is open for business – even on the holiday weekend.

Previous:

The Day By Day Archive

So authorities say Staten Island resident Joseph Nativo, 47, pulled a revolver on his former business associate and took them.

Nativo, a contractor who lives on the 200 block of Shirley Avenue in Eltingville, is accused of slamming the revolver down on a desk at his business, Atec Contracting on 360 Targee St. in Stapleton on May 7, then demanding that 40-year-old Gennario Sibbio take the chompers out of his mouth and hand them over.

He also demanded Sibbio give up $1,200 in cash, two cell phones, a Bluetooth wireless device and his jacket.

Nativo tells it differently, though — sure, he demanded the teeth back, since he paid for them in the first place, but he never pulled out a gun.

Police referred to Sibbio as Nativo’s “former business partner,” but Nativo characterizes him as an ex-worker who stole from the company.

“He’s not my partner. He’s my employee,” Nativo said. “I fired him, let him go. I paid for his new teeth to be put in… I told him to leave the company. I asked for my teeth back.”

And, what the hell is he going to do with the chompers?

Good grief……

First, the dentists are complaining about a pay cut.

The national leaders of the UK’s general dental practitioners described as ‘derisory’ the 0.21 per cent increase in earnings awarded by the government following today’s recommendation of the
Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay. The Retail Prices Index is currently at 3.2 per cent-anything less than this is effectively a pay cut.

Chairman of the DPA Jim Donaldson BDS said “The DDRB seems to assume no responsibility for diffic
lties in NHS access. Year after year we have tried to explain to them that dentists are motivated to either join or leave the NHS based on comparison with similarly skilled groups and also the disparity in terms and conditions between the public and priv
te sectors. Pay is a vital element of the NHS package, yet year after year it is cut in real terms.

“The new contract is sufficiently unattractive and uncertain without this further clear signal that financial penalties are to be imposed year
fter year by below-inflation awards”.

President of the DPA Brian Levy BDS said “With the RPI at 3.2 per cent, this recommendation can only be viewed by NHS dentists as another pay cut. This will further reduce our members’ ability to accept an
treat NHS patients”.

Yet, UK patients are having probelms with access to patient care and affording it even should they find
a NHS dentist who will treat them.

Despite Government promises to improve access, research reveals that 35 per cent of adults are struggling to get the dental care they need – up from 23 per cent the year before.

In some
parts of the country, half the adults said they cannot see an NHS dentist – forcing them to go without treatment or to pay privately.

The credit crunch is also having an impact on the nation’s dental health.

The poll revealed that a
most 50 per cent of the population say they are put off going to the dentist over fears of the cost. Last year the figure was one in five.

Abby Bowman from Simplyhealth, the private dental provider which carried out the survey, said: ‘The NHS
ental contracts introduced three years ago were supposed to give more people access to dentists, but as our research shows this is only getting worse.’

So, the UK nationalized system has the worst of both worlds – cost and availability.
But, isn’t this the lesson of a price fixed system taught in basic economics?

And, the UK politicians, where do they stand while their own people are resorting to extracting their own teeth while continuing to pay high taxes for services they
annot obtain?

Well, Prime Minister Gordon Brown who opposes private medicine says – Let Them Eat Cake.

CHANCELLOR Gordon Bro
n came under fire last night after it was revealed he has been using a £100-an-hour private dentist. Mr Brown, a fierce opponent of private medicine, has been a regular patient at the exclusive London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry.

It boasts a string of celebrity clients, including Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

Just last week, as an estimated two million Britons continued to struggle without access to an NHS dentist, the Chancellor attended the clinic to undergo root canal treatment. Treated by the practice owner, Mervyn Drurian, he had two half-hour sessions t
clean out a dead nerve and cap one of his teeth.

The bill is expected to run into hundreds of pounds, once laboratory fees are added.

Astonishingly a spokesman for the Chancellor defended his decision to go private by blaming the current lack of NHS dentists available.

A spokesman said: “Using a private dentist is not the same as using a private doctor.

“Gordon is no different to the large number of people who have found themselves without an NHS dentist because he did not visit one regularly.

“If you have a toothache, you have to find a dentist quickly and to do that you have to go private. It is not like arranging an appointment with your GP. ”

Astonishingly?

No, not really.

The POLS know where to go for the best treatment and the peasants in their elite, socialized system can just “PISS OFF.”

Thousands of Britons are having teeth needlessly pulled out, it was claimed yesterday.

The number of extractions has soared by 30 per cent in four years, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

The party claims this demonstrates how much dental care has deteriorated under Labour, leaving thousands missing out on treatment that could save their teeth. More than 175,000 Britons had their teeth extracted under general anaesthetic in 2007/08, up 40,000 on the 2003/04 figure, a parliamentary answer revealed.

If indeed true, is that what American dentistry has to look forward under an Obama socialized health care framework? Or is this indicative of only the botched National Health Service dentistry system of the United Kingdom?

Certainly, an extraction is cheaper than a root canal, build-up and crown but at what price to the person’s health and self-esteem? But, if the government is paying the price, should the people NOT pay for the cheapest of care?

Who will draw the line and make the decision as to who receives what? Hypocritical Prime Ministers?

The United Kingdom is painfully working its way out of socialism towards a private system for dentistry.

For now, they have the worst of both worlds.

The people should insist on immediate reform, transition towards private dentistry and a government safety net for the poor disabled and infirm.