The Tea(th) – 8th Ed: TikTok Brings Spooky Season to the Dentist

What is ‘The Tea(th)’ you ask? It’s our way of bringing some dental news, current events, and clinical pearls to the palm of your hand. With a little added humor and satirical stanzas, of course! We know your life is busy and no one has time to read a newspaper nowadays, so we aim to make this brief yet informative, and above all piping HOT!

In this week's edition: TikTok Brings Spooky Season to the Dentist, Dentists Steer Clear of ‘Ms. Rona’, Bob thinks he can Hoodini his dentist with his plaque problem, Crown Prep Goals and Brownie Batter...Burs, and more!

TikTok Brings Spooky Season to the Dentist

We honestly don’t know why we must keep belabouring this point and why the mass public has such difficulty understanding it, but DO NOT turn to TikTok for dental advice. In the most recent (stomach churning) trend, users have been seen posting videos of themselves super gluing (yep, you read that correct) Halloween costume fangs to their teeth. Contrary to popular belief, dentists don’t actually use super glue when working on your teeth and there are negative side effects of doing such. But we digress and take a deep breath as we wait for the next idiotic trend to appear on the Tok for us to warn you about.

Dentists Steer Clear of ‘Ms. Rona

The ADA’s Health Policy Institute (HPI) released a new study showing that as of June 2020 dentists had less than a 1% infection rate for contracting COVID-19. Obviously there were limitations to the study and it is not comprehensive of data over the last 4 months, but it’s still reassuring that dentists have been doing their due diligence to properly Mask/PPE-Up. *We’re kind of a big deal I guess you could say.* Don’t get ahead of yourselves though people and use this as ammunition to continue to fight the good fight within your offices and school clinics as we head into ‘cold and flu season.’

Entertainment

UNTOLD STORIES OF BOB & JEAN

Real patients, real stories, fake names.

Bob was a patient of mine in dental school that took nearly ALL of 3rd AND 4th year to complete the treatment he required. The guy undoubtedly helped me reach my graduation requirements, but no matter how many times I preached OHI to him it just never stuck. Legit, I swear I prescribed a tube of Prevident5000 every appointment. After extensive treatment consisting of extractions, transitional partial, SRPs, operatives, survey crowns, and RPD I finally finished up Bob’s work just before COVID struck and turned our lives upside down. I never got to say bye though before *virtual* graduation.

So recently when talking to an underclassman friend I was happy to learn they were assigned to be Bob’s new provider. They told me how he enjoyed the time we spent fixing his smile. However, he once again needed more work and when they removed the RPD from his mouth it had plaque caked on the intaglio like white frosting on a wedding cake. I told them I wasn’t surprised and to get ready for OHI at every appointment. They said the icing on the cake (no pun intended) though was that when they showed Bob the plaque, he accused them of “putting that white stuff on there” because “he knows it is perfectly clean every time he takes it out of his mouth.” I nearly dropped my phone laughing, c’mon Bob you know you can’t fool us and Hoodini your way out of this.

Pearls

Crown Prep Goals and Brownie Batter...Burs

The most horrid thing to see after you finish prepping a tooth for a crown is the upset look on your patient’s face when they see what your shade D3 block carved provisional looks like. Just kidding, it’s when you proceed to scan or pour up the impression and bear witness to sharp line angles, irregular finish lines, and unsmooth axial walls. (Not in that order obviously.) But have no fear, [chocolate chip] brownies are here! Next time you prep a tooth for a crown, before making the temporary and impressing/scanning, take a slow speed brownie polisher and gently run it around the axial walls, line angles, and finish line. Not only will this make for a more aesthetic and clean look, but it will help your lab to fabricate a better crown and produce far greater clinical outcomes when it comes to bonding protocols and procedures. Plus you get to telly our patient, “Yea, this brownie is actually ~*good*~ for your teeth.”

meme of the week

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