Week in Review: Knowles on patient communication; mouthguards; implantology benefits

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Has this happened at your practice? The patient in your chair is certain that pain emanates from a certain tooth, but you can't find anything that would be causing that pain, until you search other areas of the mouth. This has happened to Dr. Lisa Knowles, and she's developed three tips to help her diagnose these patients with clarity. Read her column here.

Mouthguards aren't just for football any longer, writes Dr. Timothy Donley. They're regularly seen on national television thanks to high-profile athletes such as Steph Curry and Pierre Garçon showing theirs during games. Custom-fit mouthguards can help your pediatric patients stay safe and be profitable for your practice. Read his column here.

The ultimate goal when treating a patient is not just "do no harm" but providing a holistically positive experience that ultimately fosters lifelong doctor-patient relationships, Dr. Anthony Ramirez writes. In the latest installment of his series, he details his journey into computer-assisted implantology.

Avoiding thinking about retirement? Retirement planning too complicated? Many of your colleagues feel this way, writes financial planner John G. McCarthy III. But the sooner you make it a priority, the better off you and your family will be in the long run. Read his column here.

What the first three columns above have in common is the need to keep the focus on your patient. Whether it is trusting your clinical expertise to search deeper for a solution or the integration of new technology to improve treatment acceptance, these practitioners remind you that the relationship with that patient in front of you is the most important one.