Small Smiles faces another lawsuit; text messages reduce no-shows

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Small Smiles, the national dental clinic chain owned and operated by Forba Holdings, is facing another lawsuit over alleged mistreatment of young patients, including allegedly restraining children as young as 1 year old for procedures the plaintiffs say were "unnecessary and excessive." Read more.

Meanwhile, voice and text message reminders can help reduce no-shows, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. And it appears that last-minute messaging is particularly effective, regardless of the patient's age. Read more in our latest Practice Management Community feature.

And in imaging news, practitioners use a number of methods -- including implant mobility, probing depth, and radiography -- to assess the viability of newly placed implants. But none of these techniques are sensitive enough to accurately detect early-stage peri-implant inflammation, which can lead to implant failure. So a team of Canadian researchers decided to try a new approach -- and early testing indicates it is a viable alternative for detecting and monitoring peri-implantitis. Read more.

Finally, in his latest Ask Marty column, Dr. Marty Jablow shares some of his favorite new products, seen at the recent International Dental Show in Cologne, Germany. You might be surprised by some of his choices.