Archive for the ‘Ask the dentist’ Category

Then and Now

In the early years of my practice, i worked for an older dentist that people loved. Patients loved him even though their dental work needed to be replaced often. I realized there were serious quality issues and decided my future practice would be different. In 1990, I moved into a new office and developed […]

Thursday February 7th, 2008 in Dentistry as a fine art, Ask the dentist | Leave a Comment

A Shot Without Pain

Many patients come to our office requiring dental gum treatment. To ensure patient comfort and allow me to be thorough, I commonly numb up the area I am working on. Many patients have a fear of the shot because of their previous experiences. They describe a horrible past experience that was […]

Monday January 28th, 2008 in Ask the dentist, Gum | Leave a Comment

Going Above and Beyond

Normally, when I take a phone call from a patient who has a toothache I get as much information as possible. Just recently I took a brief phone call from a patient who was confident that she only needed the doctor’s advice about her situation and declined an emergency appointment. As for most patients who […]

Wednesday January 23rd, 2008 in Ask the dentist | Leave a Comment

MAXIMIZING DENTAL INSURANCES AND MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

“Pre-tax” savings accounts have become a powerful employee benefit. However, it is amazing how many people are unaware of this benefit or hesitate because of the paperwork. We have assisted many of our patients wit setting up and utilizing their “Pre-Tax” spending accounts by sharing our knowledge about their employers plan and by helping with […]

Wednesday January 16th, 2008 in Ask the dentist, Insurance | Leave a Comment

How do we put an implant in? (Ask the dentist)

How do we put an implant in? (by Kirk Donaldson, DDS)
There are several approaches. My most common way is to have my patient lightly sedated, so they are relaxed. After thorough numbing, I open the gumline so I can see the bone clearly. This helps me choose the precise orientation and height of my […]

A history of implant dentistry (Kirk Donaldson DDS MS)

A little history:
I (Kirk Donaldson DDS MS) have participated in implant dentistry since the current styles were first introduced to North America in 1982. As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, I listened to the Swiss research team present their material to U of M. They wanted Ann Arbor to become […]

Wednesday October 10th, 2007 in Ask the dentist, Implants | Leave a Comment

Alternatives to root canals

Dear Cathy,
Thanks for your inquiry about alternatives to root canals. I took the liberty to watch a Mercola video to learn where he was coming from.
Your tooth has a big filling. That means the tooth is weakened a bit because a traditional filling does nothing to reinforce the tooth. Teeth like that often […]

Thursday July 5th, 2007 in Root canals, Ask the dentist | Leave a Comment