Levin on giving patients a reason to return; Butler on vacation preparation; stem cells

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Patients who believe that all a hygienist does is clean their teeth are much more likely to cut back on or completely eliminate hygiene visits. You can't expect patients to come in twice a year for mere "cleaning," especially if they're on tight personal budgets. Give them good reasons, and they will come, according to Dr. Roger P. Levin.

In her latest column, stress management expert Jen Butler details the steps needed to prepare for your time off and how to ease the stress of returning to work. She offers helpful ideas so you can take the time off you deserve and enjoy it. Read her column here.

Michigan researchers have found a new way to regenerate a patient's jawbone through the use of stem cells, according to a new study in Stem Cells Translational Medicine. They note that traumatic injuries involving the face are common, with up to half of these injuries resulting in the loss of teeth, surrounding tissue, and bone that once supported these teeth. Read more here.

As Dr. Leslie Townsend writes, adults who grew up playing hockey sometimes joke about the teeth they left behind at the rink. But think how much better their lives would have been with one small preventive measure: a mouthguard. She advocates educating parents and patients about the importance of mouthguards.

Now that we can safely say the 2014 elections are behind us, one of the undoubted winners was water fluoridation, as voters in cities in California, Kansas, Michigan, and Washington all approved maintaining a fluoridated water system. Will these results deter opponents of fluoride in public water systems or will there continue to be ballot measures? What do you think? Share your thoughts in our Forums.