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COSMETIC TRIBUNE The World’s Cosmetic Dentistry Newspaper · U.S. Edition April 2010 www.dental-tribune.com Vol. 3, No. 4 g CT page 3BLet’s face it: For many patients, going to the dentist can be — shall we say — a bit stressful. Even if they are coming in for a cosmetic proce- dure, such as veneers or teeth whit- ening, many are apprehensive about looming pain, real or imagined. With that in mind, Dr. Hamid Nassery, a cosmetic dentist with a thriving practice in Miami called the Miami Beach Dental Institute, offers massages to his patients. He says the massages are a great way to relax his patients, improve dental procedures and even treat temporomandibular disorders. “Going to the dentist should be a relaxing experience that makes people feel good about their teeth, their body and their overall health,” says Nassery, who is able to offer the massages to his patients through an arrangement with Love Life Mas- sage, a local spa. “Not only can mas- sage improve the dental experience as a whole, but it also treats condi- tions such as TMD, which causes pain in the jaw and face.” Nassery says the idea behind the added benefit to patients is to make people comfortable. The benefits of dental massage include stress relief, reduced pain, quicker recovery and an improved sense of well-being and body awareness, he says. “With these new massage servic- es, we’re moving toward stress-free dentistry that works to put patients at ease in the dentist’s chair as well as improve their dental health,” he says. Patients can receive a massage at the Miami Beach Dental Institute before and after their dental proce- dure. A therapist tailors each mas- sage based on the patient’s specific needs and concerns. The massage therapists at Nass- ery’s office also specialize in tem- poromandibular joint (TMJ) mas- sage, which focuses on eliminating pain to the jaw by treating the chew- ing muscles and releasing tension in the jaw, neck and face. Patients who suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) benefit from therapeutic massage, especially when scheduled with regular den-By Fred Michmershuizen, Online Editor Shade tab placed in the same plane as teeth, ensuring the tab and cor- responding shade num- ber is in the photo. (Photo/ Provided by Laura Kelly and Dr. Jeff Morley) ‘Would you like a massage while you wait?’ g CT page 2B By Laura Kelly, AAACD You can’t always get what you want (unless you clearly ask!) Let’s be honest: There are times when your laboratory technician sim- ply doesn’t deliver what you envi- sioned so clearly in your mind. A bit more translucency or a specific gingi- val color; a minor mesial rotation on that bicuspid or an occlusal table that’s just a little too wide. Twenty years ago, when I began my career as a laboratory technician, we had only a few tools at our disposal. Hastily made sketches on the back of prescription pads, a few colored pencils to indicate body shade, incisal level or some other specific instruc- tion; and sometimes pre-op models were sent. Looking back, I’m amazed at what we pieced together given such limited communication tools. Yet that was the best the dentists could provide to the technician, and we had to work from what we had. It was challenging to cre- ate the specific results for, say, a single unit anterior crown. Often there were trips between the laboratory and the practice or extra meetings — not to mention costly remakes for everyone. As we got bet- ter, we pulled it off, but it wasn’t easy. Fast forward two decades to the era of digital camera, e-mail and Skype and the way we work together is instantly and forever transformed. No longer must we guess, imagine or try to convey with facsimiles or mere words. These tools have totally changed the way the dentist and labo- ratory technician collaborate on their work, and everyone — the patient included — has been the beneficiary of this technology. Imagine if you had to work without a digital camera today: Film. Develop- ing. Printing. Waiting. Time. Out of focus. Do it again. Wait some more. With today’s digital technology, the clinician can instantly determine whether the information in the pho- tograph will adequately convey every- thing necessary to the technician. Many cases require more than a shade tab number written in the shade box on the prescription, and taking full face, retracted and lateral views make all the difference to the technician working on your cases. Once the image is captured, e-mail can transfer the information virtually instantaneously, permitting the dentist to choose a technician anywhere in the country. This allows the dentist to work with a technician with whom he or she can work best, regardless of geography. The technician, in return, can send preliminary images of his or her wax up and bisque bake along with the final stage images for the den- AD CASEFILE Communicatingshade Florida cosmetic dentist wants to rub the stress away for his patients