Merry Christmas!

Luke

Chapter 2
  1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

  2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 

  3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

  4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

  5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

  6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

  7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 

  8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

  10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 

  11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

  12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

  13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 

  14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

  15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 

  16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 

  17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

  18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

  19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 

  20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 

  21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Merry Christmas Everyone

---

From Flap's Dentistry Blog: Have a Happy Memorial Day

Have a Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Memorial Day - 2014

Have a Happy Memorial Day!

Will Oklahoma Dentist W. Scott Harrington Face Criminal Charges for Unsanitary Dental Practices?

Oral Surgeon Dr. W. Scott Harrington

This obviously disturbed dentist probably should face criminal penalties after dozens of his patients have been found to be infected with Hepatitis B, C and HIV.

More than 60 former patients of dentist Dr. W. Scott Harrington tested positive for hepatitis and HIV, the Tulsa Health Department said Thursday.

The department’s investigation of Harrington’s practice identified 57 former patients who test positive for hepatitis C, three people who test positive for hepatitis B and less than three people who tested positive for HIV.

“We understand these first reported test results may be of concern,” said THD Director Dr. Bruce Dart. “Thorough investigations are routinely conducted upon notification of a positive report for these infections. This response will be handled in the same manner, as disease investigation is a core public health service and staff are well trained to conduct this type of response.”

 Some time in an Oklahoma prison is warranted for this egregious gross negligence.

The case will grind on as more patients are screened and treated.

The Sunday Drill: April 7, 2013

Good afternoon.

I have been tardy in posting lately since I have been practicing dentistry on a long term contractual assignment with a long commute.

So, for the next few months, bear with me.

On to today's dentistry and health headlines:

Dental Bib Clips Can Harbor Oral and Skin Bacteria Even After Disinfection, Study Finds

Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Forsyth Institute published a study today that found that a significant proportion of dental bib clips harbored bacteria from the patient, dental clinician and the environment even after the clips had undergone standard disinfection procedures in a hygiene clinic.

Although the majority of the thousands of bacteria found on the bib clips immediately after treatment were adequately eliminated through the disinfection procedure, the researchers found that 40% of the bib clips tested post-disinfection retained one or more aerobic bacteria, which can survive and grow in oxygenated environments. They found that 70% of bib clips tested post-disinfection retained one or more anaerobic bacteria, which do not live or grow in the presence of oxygen.

Dental groups dispute Consumer Reports cancer screening story

The dental community is up in arms over a recent Consumer Reports article that claims oral cancer screening is one of several medical tests that are over recommended and unnecessary for all but high-risk patients.

The article, which appears in the March 2013 issue, concluded that "most people shouldn't waste their time" on most diagnostic tests, including chairside visual screenings for oral cancer.

"Most people don't need the test unless they are at high risk, because the cancer is relatively uncommon," Consumer Reports wrote.

But the ADA and the Oral Cancer Foundation vehemently disagree with the magazine's conclusions, asserting that visual screening can result in earlier diagnosis of oral cancer and other oral diseases.

The Consumer Reports article recommends only three cancer tests -- cervical, colon, and breast -- as worthwhile, and includes oral cancer screening among "eight to avoid" tests: ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, prostate, bladder, lung, oral cavity, and skin cancer.

The magazine said its ratings were based mainly on reviews from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Anonymous Dentist Sends Letters Criticizing Okla. Board of Dentistry

Many dentists in the Tulsa area received letters from an anonymous writer criticizing the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry for the way it has handled the Dr. Scott Harrington case.

The writer calls him or herself "Anonymous Dentist," and writes "Friends, I can tell you that this could happen to any of us." The writer said the board wrongfully handled the Harrington case publicly before he had had a hearing.

"The state board is really paid by and organized for the public," said Dr. Raymond Barnum at the North Tulsa Dental Center at Westview Medical Center. He said he also believes it is important to reserve judgment on Dr. Harrington until all the facts are gathered. However, he said the board's driving force was to inform and protect the public. Dr. Barnum said the media is necessary in spreading that message.

"The fact needed to be brought to the public's attention, and loudly enough, so that we get some response, so that people would go ahead and get their testing done," said Dr. Barnum.

Dr. Barnum said he believes the issue will bring about more awareness of cleanliness in dental offices. He has posted a notice in his waiting room about infection control in his office. However, he said he does not think additional regulation is necessary.

UCLA School of Dentistry awarded $11 million to help underserved communities

The UCLA School of Dentistry was awarded more than $11 million from the Los Angeles-based child advocacy and grant-making organization First 5 L.A. to expand access to dental care for children and pregnant women, the school announced today.

The funds will establish the UCLA-First 5 L.A. Children’s Dental Care Program, which will support the delivery of care to children, from birth to age 5, and pregnant women over the next five years.

School officials said they expect the program to be especially beneficial to those in underserved communities, who are at high risk for dental disease.

First 5 L.A. awarded $9.23 to the dental school last year, bringing the total amount it has received from the organization to nearly $21 million over the past 12 months.

Enjoy your weekend!

Dentistry Wednesday Watch: March 6, 2013

Dentistry Today magazine has developed this video series to highlight dentistry news and, of course, their advertisers.

But, it is a smart, short production and worth a watch.

Here is the video description:

This week, we are joined by Dentistry Today March cover author, Dr. Lee Ann Brady, who tells us more about her article on avoiding restorative failure. Also, learn about clinical trials of a new oral cancer drug, and find out more about this week's innovative products: a metal refining service and a new canal-shaping system. And don't miss our special report -- learn how to enter to win an iPad with Retina Display! Visit http://www.dentistrytoday.com/ipad to ENTER GIVEAWAY.

Enjoy your morning!

The Morning Drill: March 4, 2013

Jasmine Delafuente

Good Monday morning!

On to today's dentistry and health headlines:

Sentence drilled down for embezzling dental bookkeeper

A former bookkeeper who stole approximately $5,000 from an East Palo Alto dental office while on probation for embezzling from two other Redwood City dentists will spend two years on mandatory supervision and must repay the money.

Jasmine Delafuente, 33, received a three-year term but, under the realignment split-sentence rules, she was given a year in the county jail followed by the supervision. She has credit for time served on the jail sentence and was released Friday. Delafuente must also pay $5,000 to 6 to 9 Dental, the office from which she stole between June 29, 2012 and July 19, 2012. Delafuente, who worked as the office manager, was responsible for making cash deposits and took the funds by depositing only part of the cash and pocketing the rest, according to prosecutors.

Delafuente also has another 187 days of supervision left on an earlier embezzlement case that will run consecutive to her new sentence.

In that case, prosecutors said between March 2009 and August 2010 Delafuente took $70,161.54 by taking the cash paid by patients and deleting proof of payment from office records. Delafuente urged patients to pay in cash, according to prosecutors who said she particularly took advantage of Spanish-speaking patients.

Rory McIlroy, who was 7-over through eight holes, walked off the golf course at Honda Classic - Blames Wisdom tooth

Walking off the course before you're finished with a round is behavior we're used to seeing from a hot-head on tour. Or a guy that parks his van outside a Hooters during the Masters.

But not the No. 1 player in the world who's defending his title at a marquee event.

Rory McIlroy made for the parking lot at the Honda Classic on Friday morning after hitting a ball into the water on the 18th hole at the PGA National Champion course in Palm Gardens, Fla. McIlroy had started his round on the back nine and was already 7-over par after the first eight holes. He blamed his early exit on "severe wisdom tooth pain" that was affecting his concentration.

Postmenopausal Women Who Smoked Are More Likely to Lose Teeth Due to Periodontal Disease

Postmenopausal women who have smoked are at much higher risk of losing their teeth than women who never smoked, according to a new study published and featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Dental Association by researchers at the University at Buffalo.

The study involved 1,106 women who participated in the Buffalo OsteoPerio Study, an offshoot of the Women's Health Initiative, (WHI), the largest clinical trial and observational study ever undertaken in the U.S., involving more than 162,000 women across the nation, including nearly 4,000 in Buffalo.

The UB study is the first to examine comprehensive smoking histories for participants that allowed the researchers to unravel some of the causes behind tooth loss in postmenopausal women who smoked.

Smoking has long been associated with tooth loss, but postmenopausal women, in particular, experience more tooth loss than their male counterparts.

Have a good morning!

Chicago's Dental Health Safety Net on Verge of Collapse?

According to a new report, Chicago's dentistry safety net is is dire shape.

As more than 30,000 dental experts descend on McCormick Place for their winter meeting this week, a new report issues a stark warning: The Chicago area's dental safety net — the oral care it provides to underserved patients — "is in the midst of collapse."

From 2006 to 2011, more than a quarter of the region's low-cost dental clinics were shut, according to a 30-page white paper released Thursday by the Chicago Dental Society. The report details how the local availability of dental treatment has declined for the neediest patients, leading to what one dentist calls a "perfect storm of an oral health crisis."

They have "almost nowhere to go" at this point, said Dr. Susan Becker Doroshow, secretary of the dental society. "The path for them is already irreversible."

Most factors cited in the report could apply to any municipality — strained budgets, fundamental misconceptions about oral care and shrinking income thanks to stubborn unemployment. But the dental safety net in Cook County and Chicago is especially vulnerable, according to oral health advocates.

"The economy has hit our area hard," Doroshow said. "When people are strapped financially, they take away the things from their budget they think are the easiest to postpone."

So, what else is new?

This is not just Chicago, as the American economy has struggled the past four years.

But, the solution is economic growth - something the politicians have placed on the back burner because other issues are more important.

I, foresee, more suffering before the economy improves.

Dentist Acquitted and Wins $7.7 Million Judgment in New York Medicaid Fraud Case

Dentist, Dr. Leonard Morse

Dr. Morse who at one time was one of New York's top Dental Medicaid billers lost his practice but was vindicated by a jury.

A Brooklyn dentist whose career was ruined after the then-state Attorney General made him a poster boy for Medicaid fraud won a $7.7 million verdict Tuesday against two of Spitzer’s former investigators.

That was $1.6 million more than Dr. Leonard Morse’s expert estimated the tooth doctor lost as a result of Spitzer’s probe — and, in terms of vindication, priceless.

“It took a little more than 2,500 days, but we got to the truth,” said Morse, a 65-year-old father of six from Manhattan. “Now I feel totally vindicated.”

Morse, who accused former Spitzer deputy John Fusto and investigator Jose Castillo in the suit of fabricating evidence against him, also had some choice words for their old boss as well.

“He should be ashamed that this happened in his office, under his stewardship,” Morse said of Spitzer. “His finger prints are all over it.”

Morse’s lawyer, Jon Norinsberg, also ripped Fusto as “a perfect storm of arrogance, laziness and incompetence.”

Neither Fusto, nor Castillo, work for the AG’s office anymore.

The AG’s office had no official comment, but their lawyers in court told Federal Judge Carol Amon they will appeal the verdict.

In his closing arguments, Deputy Attorney General Christopher Miller argued that just because someone is acquitted of a crime — as Morse was earlier — doesn't mean the prosecution had fabricated evidence.

“He already had his day in court, he was found not guilty,” Miller said.

But Miller looked ashen when the jury, which took just three hours to reach a decision, asked the judge for a calculator.

Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after getting caught in a hooker scandal, could not be reached for comment.

This is disgraceful and with all of the Medicaid fraud cases being brought by the government, will dentists continue to accept Medicaid?

With the Affordable Care Act taking full effect in 2014 and with a major component of the Act being expansion of Medicaid, I somehow think there will be a lack of dentist providers.

Why put your family finances and your liberty at risk, while treating the poor?

I know, I won't.

Merck Loses $285,000 Judgment for Fosamax Damages

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)

This verdict was handed down in federal court last week.

A federal jury on Tuesday ordered Merck & Co Inc to pay $285,000 in a lawsuit over the risks of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, only a second loss for the company after several earlier trials.

The eight-person jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan found that Merck failed to warn plaintiff Rhoda Scheinberg's doctors of the risks associated with Fosamax. The jury rejected the plaintiff's argument that Fosamax was a defective product.

More than 4,000 lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts arising out of injuries allegedly caused by the one-time blockbuster medication. Seven cases have now gone to trial, and Merck has won five and lost two.

Lawyers for Scheinberg, a 69-year-old New York resident, contended Fosamax caused her to suffer delayed healing and a bone disease of the jaw after a tooth extraction. The jury found that Merck's failure to warn of the drug's risks was a cause of her injury.

Hundreds of lawsuits in state and federal courts will continue....

Texas Orthodontist to Forfeit $1.5 Million for Medicaid Fraud

Goodwin Orthodontics

More fall out from the Texas Medicaid orthodontic fraud schemes.

An Amarillo orthodontist must forfeit $1.56 million he fraudulently gleaned from the Texas Medicaid program by billing for dental work he never performed, an Amarillo judge has ruled.

In a preliminary order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson said the government presented “credible evidence” Michael David Goodwin, owner of Goodwin Orthodontics, 3629 Wolflin Ave., reaped $1.56 million in ill-
gotten gains between 2008 and 2011.

Goodwin, 63, pleaded guilty in December to one count of health care fraud. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced. Under the plea, Goodwin agreed not to challenge the forfeiture.

Prosecutors allege Goodwin frequently billed for work he never performed and scheduled up to 100 patients daily. Employees and patients likened the scheme to “herding cattle,” court documents show.

A nice retirement at Club Fed (meaning federal prison) perhaps will teach some greedy colleagues to play by the rules and obey the law.

What were these orthdontists and dentists thinking?

Guess, it was simple greed.

Are the Advent of Agriculture and Rats Responsible for Tooth Decay?

Perhaps, according to a new study.

New evidence from Omar Eduardo Cornejo Ordaz, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Stanford School of Medicine, and his colleagues back up this hypothesis. They analyzed the genomes of several strains of the prevalent caries-causing bacterium, Streptococcus mutans, to determine when new genes evolved in this species and its close relatives. The team's statistical analyses suggest the bacteria's population started expanding exponentially about 10,000 years ago, which coincides quite nicely with the birth of agriculture.

But how did agriculture spark a tooth decay revolution? Cornejo Ordaz thinks that even though agriculture brought us improved living conditions, it also brought humans and rats into much closer proximity than before. According to Cornejo Ordaz, the species most closely related to S. mutans is Streptococcus ratti, and its “natural environment is probably the rat's mouth. It is easy to imagine,” he says, “that when population densities increased after the origin of agriculture, there was increased possibility for a host shift and development of a new species."

Other researchers agree that a switch to agriculture proved damaging to the dental health of several societies. George Armelagos, an anthropologist at Emory University, studied the teeth from 39 fossil skeletons found in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, estimated to be between 8,000 to 11,000 years old. Their findings, published online December 10 in Molecular Biology and Evolution, suggest that when the Nubian people living in northern Sudan and southern Egypt switched to intensive agriculture, the incidence of caries in the population jumped from 0.8 percent to nearly 20 percent.

Not all researchers agree with the rat hypothesis, however. Peter Brown, a paleoanthropologist from the University of New England in Australia, thinks the emergence of tooth decay relates to sugar in the human diet. “You need to think about the distribution of rats and caries, both in terms of geography and through time,” Brown says. “In Australia caries came with the introduction of sugar and flour to Aboriginal communities. In Japan, during the Edo period, the samurai class had relatively poor oral health (sugar and refined carbohydrates) but the common people had a very low caries incidence (no access to sugar or refined carbohydrates)—nothing to do with rats.”

I think I will subscribe to the sugar in the diet theory.

But, an interesting hypothesis.

The Morning Drill: February 5, 2013

Good morning!

On to today's health and dentistry headlines:

3D Printers Are Revolutionizing Dentistry

Apex Dental Milling use the Objet Eden260V 3D Printer to turn digital impressions into physical models. The use of the Objet 3D printer allows Apex to reduce their cost per case significantly and to stay at the forefront of Digital Dentistry. The final models are sent to the dental technician who performs a final fit and quality check before a restoration is sent back to the doctor. Objet’s reputation for fine resolution 3D printing allow the dental technician to provide the most accurate restorations to his clients. Objet machines are reliable and robust and are typically left to run overnight and over weekends without attendence – further improving the cost/benefit to Apex.

New HIPAA rules issued

The HIPAA rule is effective March 26, and covered entities, including covered dental practices, will have an additional 180 days, or until Sept. 23, to comply with applicable requirements. The regulations:

•     Enhance HIPAA enforcement;
•     expand many HIPAA requirements to "business associates" such as contractors and subcontractors that receive protected health information;
•     expand individuals' rights to receive electronic copies of their health information and to restrict disclosures to a health plan concerning treatment for which the provider has been paid out of pocket in full;
•     modify rules that apply to marketing and fundraising communications and the sale of protected health information;
•     expand the definition of "health information" to include genetic information, and
•     clarify when data breaches must be reported to the HHS Office for Civil Rights.

Gum Disease Found to Worsen Infection in Animal Model of AIDS

Texas Biomed scientists in San Antonio have found that moderate gum disease in an animal model exposed to an AIDS- like virus had more viral variants causing infection and greater inflammation. Both of these features have potential negative implications in long term disease progression, including other kinds of infections, the researchers say in a new report.

The public health message from the study is that even mild inflammation in the mouth needs to be controlled because it can lead to more serious consequences, said Luis Giavedoni, Ph. D, a Texas Biomed virologist and first author of the study.

"This is important because moderate gum disease is present in more than 50 percent of the world population. It is known that severe gum disease leads to generalized inflammation and a number of other health complications, but the conditions that we created were moderate and they were mainly localized in the mouth," he added.

Dentist accused of assault appears in court

A Merced dentist accused of sexually abusing four female patients made a brief appearance in court Monday.

Four women told Merced police they were sexually abused, some while sedated, when they were patients at the dental office of Dr. Sang Hyuk Park, who's facing six counts of sexual abuse. He remains free on bail.

On Monday, Park was in court with defense attorney Thomas Johnson to confirm that they are ready for the preliminary hearing.

The preliminary hearing was scheduled by Merced County Judge Mark Bacciarini for 1:30 p.m. Monday. The hearing is to determine if there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial.

"Dr. Park maintains his innocence, and we look forward to trial," Johnson said.

He said they also began their own investigation because somebody created a Facebook page after the first story about Park was published. Only after that did other people come forward and make allegations, Johnson said.

The defense doesn't know who created the page or when it went up. Johnson said he can't find it, but it was cited in police reports.

Additionally, Johnson said two of the claimed victims were employees at Park's office and continued to work after the claimed assaults. The other two were patients who also continued to see Park for treatment "numerous" times after they claimed to have been assaulted, he added.

"That much we know," Johnson said.

Enjoy your morning!

The Daily Extraction: February 4, 2013

The above video was taken last week at Dr. Tommy Murph's "Hands On" extraction course in San Jose, Guatemala.

The student, who is a licensed dentist is given instruction on extracting a lower right premolar with a straight 301 elevator. The tooth had a buccal version, making it diffuicult using a forcep.

Enjoy your daily extraction!

Dr. Murph is a South Carolina dentist who practices general dentistry and who really excels in extracting teeth.

For patients in the Myrtle Beach area, I can heartily recommend Tommy as YOUR dentist.

For dentists, Dr. Murph has a number of resources for you in extracting teeth, including resource manuals and travel (outside the USA) courses with "hands on" instruction.

Dr. Murph's website is here and his extraction manuals are here on e-Bay.

Previous:

The Daily Extraction Archive

The Morning Drill: January 29, 2013

Chesapeake dentist Derrick Broadaway

Good Morning!

On to today's dentistry and health headlines:

Chesapeake dentist faces judge on felony charges

Felony charges against Chesapeake dentist Derrick Broadaway for writing bad checks to former employees were certified to a grand jury this afternoon.

“It has been stressful,” said former Broadaway Dentistry business manager Andrea Ross, who contacted NewsChannel 3 after she and several others quit when their checks kept bouncing.  By the middle of November, Chesapeake police charged Broadaway with four counts of felony bad checks.

During the preliminary hearing in Chesapeake General District Court, the former employees showed the judge the bounced checks.  Broadaway’s attorney argued that there’s no proof the dentist actually signed the checks, but the judge said the evidence presented in court Monday met a burden of proof for the case to  move forward.

This isn’t Broadaway’s only black eye.  NewsChannel 3′s digging also uncovered his decade long history of violations with the Virginia Board of Dentistry.

State EPA plans to list BPA as harmful

A chemical widely used in plastics and believed to harm fetuses and infants is on track to being declared a reproductive hazard in California, a state agency said Friday.

The move by an arm of the state's Environmental Protection Agency means the compound, bisphenol A, could soon be listed under Proposition 65. Manufacturers would ultimately be required to include warning labels on products with hazardous amounts of BPA.

"We think it's been a long time coming and we're happy that it's happening," said Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.

Since the 1960s, bisphenol A has been present in plastic bottles, the linings of canned food, dental sealants and receipts made of thermal paper.

Berries May Be Healthful, but Some Health Benefits of Berries May Not Make It Past Your Mouth

Research has suggested that compounds that give colorful fruits their rich hues, especially berries, promote health and might even prevent cancer. But for the first time, scientists have exposed extracts from numerous berries high in those pigments to human saliva to see just what kinds of health-promoting substances are likely to survive and be produced in the mouth.

It's too early to name the best berry for health promotion based on this initial work. But the researchers have discovered that two families of pigments that provide berries with their colors, called anthocyanins, are more susceptible to degradation in the mouth than are the other four classes of these pigments.

The Ohio State University study also showed that bacteria living in the mouth are responsible for most of the breakdown of these compounds that occurs in saliva. Researchers are investigating whether it's the berry pigments themselves, or instead the products of their degradation, that actually promote health.

UN Treaty Calls for Dental Amalgam Reduction

An international treaty drafted earlier this month calls for phasing out dental amalgam to reduce mercury pollution.

The Minamata Convention, negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), sets a deadline for banning the manufacture, import, and export of several categories of products containing mercury, such as batteries, light bulbs, and cosmetics, by 2020.

However, it excludes dental amalgam from this list, instead laying out measures that should be used to reduce its use. It does not set a timetable and leaves much to the discretion of individual countries.

Enjoy your morning!

The Morning Drill: January 25, 2013

Good Friday morning!

On to today's health and dentistry headlines:

State board report: Bakersfield dentist accused of incompetence, negligence

In 2007, Bakersfield dentist Dr. Robert Tupac reassured a concerned patient not "to worry about a thing, I wrote the book on (dental) implants," according to an accusation filed on behalf of the California Dental Board. But according to that newly filed document, Tupac was negligent in a litany of painful-to-read ways.

Submitted by the state Attorney General's office, it details the complaints of two patients and a dentist who stood in for Tupac while he was on medical leave. "Treatment rendered on the majority of (Tupac's) patients was well below the standard of care in his community and in my opinion any community in California," the other dentist, referred to as R.R., wrote in his 2009 complaint. The dentist also reported that one of Tupac's employees said Tupac was altering records because he was being sued by at least two patients, according to the accusation. The accusation filed Jan. 10 is the third revision of a document first filed Feb. 1, 2012. Tupac's license is still current, according to the Dental Board's website. Tupac's Stockdale Tower office was open Thursday afternoon, but a woman at the front counter said the dentist is not speaking to anyone about the accusation.

Former patient says local dentist left her disfigured

17 News has fielded a series of calls from unhappy patients after first reporting Wednesday night that the Dental Board wants to suspend or strip the license of local dentist Dr. Robert Tupac.

The patients' stories are similar: botched dental implants that left their mouths disfigured. One former patient we spoke with says she sued Dr. Tupac and settled with him for $80,000.

But, that's nothing compared to the dental bills she says, she's racked up trying to fix her mouth.

"I start out with Advil then i go to Vicodin." Patty Hicks has a basket full of pain pills and a world of dental problems.

"I probably cry at least five nights out of the week," she said.

Pictures show Patty's upper gums were left swollen and red after several of the posts used to anchor the artificial teeth in her mouth became infected. She says part of the bone rotted away.

"That's why I don't eat," said Hicks. "I don't eat. That's why I've lost 35 pounds. I just went to the doctor the other day."

Hicks says Dr. Robert Tupac implanted her artificial teeth in 2008.

Dr. Tupac hasn't returned 17 News' repeated calls or responded to an e-mail message from 17 News.

But, Patty isn't alone.

The Dental Board seeks to suspend or revoke Dr. Tupac's license after a chorus of complaints flooded in over the last four to five years, not just from patients, but from several of Dr. Tupac's colleagues.

Melbourne dental worker sacked over porn

A MELBOURNE dental worker has been investigated after allegedly using a public dental clinic to shoot pornographic photos and for circulating a patient's confidential medical records.

A Southern Health dental hygienist ceased work a day after being told dozens of images of her posing explicitly in the Clayton clinic were posted on a members-only internet porn site.

The Herald Sun has seen the images, which show the employee posing nude in the clinic and using dental equipment as props. Some shots show the Southern Health logo in the background.

Plano Man Arrested For Practicing Dentistry From Home

A Plano man was arrested on Thursday for running an unlicensed dental practice in several makeshift offices inside his home. Police told KRLD that the man, 63-year-old Jose Santiago Delao, advertised through word of mouth and targeted those who did not have dental insurance. Investigators were initially tipped off to Delao s illegal business by a patient who felt he had improper work done on his teeth.

The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners actually sent a couple of investigators down to assists us, said David Tilley with Plano Police. And we were able to determine that basically, he s operating a full blown dentist office out of his personal residence. Investigators say that Delao often performed complicated surgeries, though it s unclear if he had previous dental experience in any country. Delao was taken to jail on Thursday and charged with a third degree felony for not having a license to practice dentistry.

Enjoy your morning and weekend!

Will ObamaCare Result in Less Dental Coverage for Patients?

Perhaps and Dr. Bicuspid has a good post on the unintended consequences of ObamaCare, known as The Affordable Care Act (ACA).

While 5.3 million children will gain dental coverage in 2014 thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), up to 11 million adults could drop their own dental coverage when their children are covered separately, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. And parents who switch to dental coverage under their medical insurance may have to change dentists.

Currently, adult and children's dental plans are mostly sold through family and group plans offered by employers. As one of the 10 essential health benefits under the ACA, pediatric dental plans also will be sold in insurance exchanges, both packaged with adult plans and as standalone plans.

While large companies (more than 100 employees) won't be affected by the upcoming changes, employees in small groups will have to decide this year how to get the dental care mandated for their children.

What that means is the dental coverage that nearly 23 million children now have as part of their parent's policy in the small group market will be duplicated by their medical coverage beginning in 2014, according to Evelyn Ireland, the executive director of the National Association of Dental Plans. About 5.3 million children are expected to gain dental coverage next year, mostly through public programs such as Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

To avoid duplication, parents have to decide by the end of this year whether to take their children off their separate dental coverage. If they do, they may have to change dentists for the children, depending on which dentists are in the medical carrier's network.

Read the entire piece.

Without question, the ACA does not address who will pay for the increased number of dentists to treat these children who will receive more coverage. But, perhaps, it is answered here = treat less adults.

ObamaCare will be modified and parts of it repealed as the costs escalate and the unintended consequences become more readily apparent.

It is a bad, bureaucratic law that will be adverse for dentists and dental patients alike.

Dentist Robert Garelick Charged with Drunk Drilling

New York Dentist Robert Garelick

Or rather Dr. Garelick is charged with working on a patient while under the influence of alcohol.

A well-regarded dentist on Long Island spent Monday night in jail, accused of boozing it up and then performing a complicated drilling procedure in the mouth of his patient.

Doctor Robert Garelick appeared to smirk as police led him handcuffed to court, CBS 2’s Jennifer McLogan reported Tuesday.

“Suffolk County police arrested a dentist who was under the influence of alcohol while he conducted a dental procedure on a patient yesterday afternoon,” police spokesperson Kerry Pecorino told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs.

According to the district attorney, Dr. Garelick, 57, said he might have had a couple of beers at lunch. However, detectives allegedly  confiscated a water bottle with alcohol in it, 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reported.

According to court papers Dr. Garelick stated, “I know I did something incredibly stupid.”

“It doesn’t appear that she suffered from any injury, which is certainly important. There can be a whole host of reasons why someone may not be acting in the manner you would expect them to,” said Randy Zelin, Garelick’s attorney.

OK, the dentist should have known better, and it is good the patient was not harmed.

Dr. Garelick needs to get into rehab and if successfully treated, then provide some dentistry for some less fortunate patients.

A goodly time of license suspension and probation will be ordered.

The Daily Extraction: January 22, 2013

Tooth number 1 (Upper Right Third Molar) post-extraction

Today, Dr. Tommy Murph obliges this patient who wants tooth number one extracted.

Here is the pre-operative radiograph (x-ray):

The video:

Enjoy your daily extraction!

Dr. Murph is a South Carolina dentist who practices general dentistry and who really excels in extracting teeth.

For patients in the Myrtle Beach area, I can heartily recommend Tommy as YOUR dentist.

For dentists, Dr. Murph has a number of resources for you in extracting teeth, including resource manuals and travel (outside the USA) courses with "hands on" instruction.

Dr. Murph's website is here and his extraction manuals are here on e-Bay.

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The Daily Extraction Archive

ADA Launches Dental Symptom Checker at MouthHealthy.Org

The Dental Symptom Checker launched by the American Dental Association (ADA) can be found here.

According to the ADA:

It is designed help them make better-informed decisions about their oral health, help build consumer awareness of the importance of oral health, and recognize the benefits of regular dental visits, according to the ADA.

After entering their age and gender in the ADA Dental Symptom Checker, patients can identify the location of the symptom they're having and other factors, such as pain or discharge, and read about various conditions that fit that description. The Dental Symptom Checker is not meant to diagnose or replace the role of the dentist. In fact, many of the conditions emphasize the importance of seeing a dentist or physician.

This is pretty neat - so go ahead and check it out!

But, if you have anything that continues to trouble you, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.