Category: Opinion & Editorial

As I write this, the wheels are turning in Washington to create a dental benefit in Medicare Part B. There is no doubt that there are access issues regarding dental care for senior citizens in the country. What is open for debate is how to address those issues. Unfortunately, that discussion is currently proceeding in the worst possible place for ... [continue reading]

As I have conversations with many colleagues around the country, one thing is absolutely clear: we have a workforce shortage! As the smoke clears from the carnage of the pandemic and we assess the past two years in our sector of health care, most of us reported being busier than ever coupled with having less than the normal number of qualified ... [continue reading]

The XXXIII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan has come to an end. The best athletes in the world had to wait an extra year to show off their skills. They did not disappoint. The world watched people run faster, jump higher, lift more weight, and throw objects further than ever before. Elite gymnasts, swimmers, soccer players, volleyball stars and cyclists ... [continue reading]

I love tomatoes, a lot. Not the ones grown by commercial growers that are harvested green and sprayed with ethylene to turn them red. While it’s true they are voluptuous, deep red, and without blemishes, sadly they have no flavor, no character, no soul. Home grown tomatoes are completely different. They are a labor of love. Each spring ... [continue reading]

As we move into the heat of summer, we are all excited to have life returning to a more normal feel. We are busy doing the things that we were not able to do for more than a year...and it feels great! Dental offices quickly rebounded from the COVID shutdowns, with rapid growth heading toward the pre-pandemic levels. According to data from the ... [continue reading]

When the dental profession talks about improving Medicaid, we lament how low the fees are, but are reluctant to raise that issue with legislators or other decision-makers for fear of seeming to be self-serving. We’ve shied away from addressing this issue forthrightly for fear of bringing attention to our incomes or being seen as mercenary. Only ... [continue reading]

First appearing in Baldassare Castiglione’s 1528 work “The Book of the Courtier,” Sprezzatura is an Italian word defined by the author as “a certain nonchalance so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” It was the ability of a successful courtier to ... [continue reading]

Working on jigsaw puzzles can teach us so many things! I know that figuring out which piece fits against the contours of another piece brings back so many fond memories of the DAT exam before applying to dental school. Who didn’t love that game of mental Tetris fitting the 3D patterns together? Well, OK, no one really loves that … Think ... [continue reading]

This spring, we awakened to great weather, blossoming of flowers and the wonderful news that the mask mandate would soon be lifted for vaccinated individuals. To add to this optimism and the spirit of moving forward we have two children in our household that are graduating from medical and dental school. Four years ago, I envisioned a huge ... [continue reading]

It was time for spring cleaning and I was in the basement, dusting off some wine bottles that I have been storing. I don’t have a big collection or large wine cellar, by any means, but there are wines that I have been storing for a while now. I got to reflecting on the labels and how I had picked up some of them. For me, the real value of wine ... [continue reading]