FDA reconsiders blade implants; the upsides of cloud computing

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

In a move that could create new opportunities for an old implant technique, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a reclassification of blade-form endosseous dental implants.

While these implants have always been a viable treatment option, they had fallen out of favor in many circles after the introduction of the Brånemark implant method in the U.S. some 30 years ago. Click here to read what changed the FDA's mind about blade-form implants, and what this could mean for implant patients who can't or won't undergo bone grafting.

In other dental news, cloud computing has gained notoriety as yet another piece of techie slang borne out of the information technology and social media craze. But it often gets a bad rap, according to those who are building companies and products around the advantages that a serverless IT infrastructure and Web-based software offer dental practices.

Is it time to consider going serverless in your practice? In this latest Imaging & CAD/CAM Community feature, we talked with some of the companies offering these services, and some of their very satisfied customers. Read more.

Finally, over in the Practice Management Community, consultant Thomas Climo has long lamented the dearth of standardization when it comes to financial reporting of dental practices. In a new white paper, he outlines how it could be done and why this change is important for the dental industry.