Healthcare: the battle for survival

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times As the end of a very unusual year comes to a close I have been looking at what changes this has brought to the small business community.  Like many independent dental practices I am a small businesswoman.  My industry is a bit different however than many other small businesses, in that we have no mechanism to raise our fees when the costs...

How dental offices are working to keep you safe

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times It’s been a complicated year for everyone. In the dental world we have faced full business shutdowns, treating only emergency patients while scrambling for overpriced and undelivered PPE and taking care of our patients during a time of overall uncertainty. Dentists and dental employees alike were weighing the pros and cons of returning...

A new spin on an old idea can give you a better smile, quick

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times A more beautiful smile can be yours today, yes really. Sometimes we need to revisit the past to find something new.  How about a nicer whiter smile today.  Years ago people got their teeth “bonded”. It was the new tooth colored materials that allowed dentists to hand sculpt a better looking tooth in just one visit.  Bonding went by...

Best way to fight COVID-19? Don’t be stupid

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times When contemplating my column for this month, I looked over the columns of years past and thought about how different things are now.  As I write this I am sitting in my office with the sound of the newly installed localized negative pressure units humming away as my hygienist is working with a patient. It sounds more like I am in a vacuum...

When a tooth can’t be repaired

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Sometimes it just can’t be fixed.  In today’s modern age of dentistry the “save it no matter what” attitude has been replaced by a more measured response.  Sometimes it makes more sense to remove a tooth and place an implant than to do tons of work to “save” an already compromised tooth. There are a lot of reasons to replace...

The winds of change in dentistry

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Each fall dentists from around our nation gather to attend the Annual Meeting of the American Dental Association.  Most years the meeting centers around improving the quality of our care.  Hundreds of continuing education seminars along with tremendous displays of new products, equipment and techniques keep the average dentist busy for...

If it sounds too good to be true….

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Spend time on Facebook or any other website for that matter and you will see advertisements for do-it-yourself dentistry. Just today I was solicited for mail-order orthodontics and do-it-yourself veneers. No dentist needed.  These might seem like a great way to save money and get a nicer smile – but there are plenty of pitfalls. Some of...

Business before pleasure

New bill limits insurance companies ability to take back benefits By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times When trying to decide what to name this month’s column I was stumped for awhile. Yet it seems that we are going to spend a small time talking about the current state of healthcare legislation and then laughing at the lastest fad. The truth is that what I am going to share...

Was your dentist there?

Continuing education allows your dentist and their staff to stay up to date By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Two weeks ago I attended the 30th annual Greater Philadelphia Valley Forge Dental Conference. This annual meeting of the dental community is primarily focused on continuing education. As a member of the organizing committee I had a chance to speak with dentists, vendors...

For your dental office, it’s like a month of Black Fridays

Between the holiday rush and end of benefits year, your dentist may be oversubscribed By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times It’s holiday time. Just in case you missed the catalogs stuffed in your mailbox. The thousands of emails with “extended black Friday savings” or the sparkling Christmas trees, waiting to replaced by valentine hearts on December 26th. Yes, the year is...