Week in Review: Unvaccinated patients | Cannabis conversations | Effective social media

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, but it has made a comeback. How do you respond when you learn that your pediatric patients are not up to date on their vaccinations? Are you ethically bound to treat these patients? Experts from the risk management staff of The Dentists Insurance Company explored the ethical and legal considerations of these questions and offered practical advice.

Another potentially tricky conversation to have with patients is about their cannabis use. You and your team may not be aware of the oral health considerations involved in the use of marijuana and other noncigarette products, so researchers from the University of California, San Francisco outlined these issues in a recent study.

The link between the articles mentioned above is communication with your patient and your team. Being proactive in thinking about how to respond to these situations may help you build trust with your patients and avoid other complications.

Also this week, Dr. Mikaeya Kalanta writes that the point of your practice's social media is to remind your community that you are more than just a doctor and a business owner. In her latest column for DrBicuspid.com, she suggests highlighting your interests and activities beyond the practice to help build a connection with patients and to let your personality shine.

We'll finish this week with an imaging study. When you're trying to locate microcracks on root dentin after root canal prep, is microcomputed tomography or cone-beam CT a more effective imaging modality? You might be surprised that one of these modalities is better for detecting these microcracks.