Christensen: Stop making bad impressions; does Invisalign really work?

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Standing before yet another packed audience at last week's Yankee Dental Congress in Boston, Dr. Gordon Christensen once again took the U.S. dental community to task.

Too many dentists are making bad impressions, he lectured. In fact, he claims that 90% of all dental impressions are defective, and that sloppy impression making is one of the biggest problems in dentistry today.

But he didn't just criticize dentists. He also had some choice words regarding patients. A Dr. Christensen lecture is never dull, that's for sure! Read more.

In more coverage from the Yankee Dental Congress, contributing editor Rochelle Sharpe sat in on a session given by an autism expert who says dentists shouldn't rush to sedate autistic patients. While it may take weeks -- even months -- to create a working relationship with these patients, it can be well worth the effort.

Outside of Boston, insurance companies and dentists in Indiana are clashing over legislation that could change the way dental procedures are reimbursed in the state. Who should get the check, dentists or patients? Read more.

In clinical news, working with Invisalign seems clear enough. Most orthodontic patients prefer a smile full of translucent plastic to metal. And a lot of the work on each case is done by the company that makes the device. But a recent study calls into question the product's overall effectiveness.

And while most people think of the Earth's atmosphere when they hear the word "ozone," a growing number of dentists worldwide -- and some enterprising U.S. dentists -- are treating their patients with it -- and swearing by it. Read more.

Finally, lots of great new postings from our Word of Mouth advice and opinion columnists this week. Dr. Ted Parks -- a dental radiologist himself -- says oral and maxillofacial radiologists have done a poor job of marketing their skills to the dental community, while Dr. Helaine Smith says dentists can no longer avoid technology -- and that's a good thing! And Jimmy Earll returns with more comic relief from the trenches.