Week in Review: Syndrome leads to unneeded procedures | High-paying dental jobs | New video series

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Phantom bite syndrome is a psychosomatic condition in which patients are preoccupied with dental occlusion. Our top story of the week detailed the real-life cases of three women with the syndrome who underwent unnecessary dental procedures and, in some cases, experienced new or worse dental problems.

The authors advised dentists to be cautious before providing treatment for patients with a long psychotic history or young onset of psychosis. It's also wise to look for an alternative cause when patients present with medically unexplained symptoms, they wrote.

Money, money, money

Several of the top-paying jobs in the U.S. are in the dental field, according to a recent report by Ladders. Out of the top 10 highest-paying jobs, four were related to dentistry.

Anesthesiologists and oral surgeons claimed the first and second spots on the list, respectively, followed by orthodontists at No. 4. With an annual salary of $155,600, dentists nabbed the 10th spot in the rankings.

Speaking of money, the COVID-19 crisis narrowed practices' profit margins. Now, inflation is eating away at the value of each dollar, explained Dr. James V. Anderson. Anderson shared his insights into how to rein in unnecessary expenses by reviewing and trimming your overhead.

Introducing Technology Focus

Earlier this summer, we surveyed DrBicuspid.com members about the content you want to see on the website. Many of you asked to see more coverage of new products, which is why I'm excited to announce Technology Focus, a new video series that brings you an up-close look at technologies and tools in dentistry.

The first Technology Focus interview featured the new i700 intraoral scanner by Medit. In the episode, the Medit team showcased some of the scanner's features, including a "live" arch scan. The group also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected digital dentistry.

If you like our video content, you'll also be happy to know that Dental Dose is back! Pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh, continued his deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses of local anesthetics in an episode all about mepivacaine -- often better known by its brand name Carbocaine.

I'm very excited to put some of the survey insights into action on the website. If you didn't get the chance to share your input this summer, you can still contact me to share your feedback and suggestions.