Dental Photography: Are You In Focus?

 

Dental Photography: Are You In Focus?

Despite having innumerable hours of experience with shooting I have met many dentists who pursue dental photography in the AUTO mode.

I have nothing against the use of AUTO mode but I feel there is a HUGE need for the dentists (AND OTHER MEDICAL EXPERTS) to understand that by using the camera in auto mode one fails to realize the true potential of ones DSLR (or other camera) The AUTO mode is nowhere close to what a DSLR camera can really achieve.

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It’s actually like a monotonous robot who fails to have a mind of his own.NO creativity, No BRAIN, NO Ambition and NO experimentation … what a dull life.

Despite being a boring mode to shoot in the AUTO mode has innumerable drawbacks one of the greatest drawbacks being the loss of freedom to choose the right focus point.

This post shall be helpful to all the beginners in dental / medical photography who want to understand WHY despite innumerable attempts they do not get a sharp image in any particular situation”

It’s invariably important to have a rough idea of the composition of an image in your mind, not a difficult job for a dentist considering we have few options for standard type of photography. (Of course if you would like to be creative Sky is the limit … but that’s not the point for this post)

 

We now have a set composition and a magnification to shoot at. We know the settings to shoot at.

 

The Next step is to focus accurately.

 

In semiprofessional cameras there is a box (actually meant for face recognition) to help you focus on the area of interest.

 

In AUTO mode this box tends to change place and even before the dentist knows the box shifts to a place which the camera feels is the desired region for focus and the result is a blurred image.

The reason for this is that the camera will focus on the easiest spot as soon as possible and this usually is a well-lit area with high contrast (be it intra oral or extra oral photography) this area need not be the area where the dentist wants to focus.

So is there a way the dentist can change the focus spot? The answer is yes

In semiprofessional cameras too you can switch to manual focus and manual mode of shooting and shift the box to where exactly you would want to focus.

Remember SMALLER the box … greater will be the accuracy of the spot where you would like to focus.

Speaking about DSLR we have a much professional way to solve the issue

Every DSLR has specific focus points (Number of focus points - 9, 11, as many as 100 or more)

A dentist can pre-select the focus point of choice based on the composition of the image in his/ her mind.

 

For e.g., selecting the top focus point instead of the center focus point might give greater sharpness to the central incisors which are the subject of conversation in the image.

The focus point can be easily selected using the main dial in Canon cameras. The focus point selected turns RED in the optical viewfinder and also on the LCD screen.

The only thing left NOW is to shoot … hey but wait a minute … we have still not finished actual focusing.

It is always a good choice to set magnification first in the camera and set the lens and camera to manual mode and manAnchorual focus.

Before pressing on the shutter release button one has to make sure that the desired spot is accurately in focus in the optical view finder

If it is not in focus at the desired magnification it is ALWAYS recommended to move your own position rather than change rotate the lens for focusing because that will again change the magnification ratio.

In canon cameras once we achieve accurate focusing the camera gives out a small beep and the focus point flashes red again when we HALF CLICK

(Half clicking is a very good habit that needs to be cultivated because this will tell us if we are correctly focusing or not)

I used a Nikon camera and surprisingly Nikon camera did not give out a BEEP in manual mode during half click – I was a bit uncomfortable with that.

Lastly we need to understand that Focus point is the center of an imaginary sphere (of focused area) Maximum sharpness is in the center and focus reduces as we come towards the periphery.

Hence we should always focus in a spot in between the desired area of depth of field

E.g If we want the entire upper arch in focus it is a good idea to focus on Canines rather than the incisors to avoid wastage of the sharpness in depth of field

Source : DentistFriend

How To Deal With Patients Who Refuse To Pay?

 

How To Deal With Patients Who Refuse To Pay?

It’s not new in India that some patients get their complete treatment done and then refuse to pay the treatment charges or the pending treatment charges remaining at the end. I feel sorry for such patients and their thought process who consider that all doctors are always behind money. These patients account for around 1-5% of the total footfalls in your clinic but leave a very negative and a discouraging impact on you as you could do nothing but let that patient walk away freely and subsequently you start losing trust and suspecting your loyal and genuine patients too and become overcautious and strict regarding the payment protocol which can make some of your patients believe that you are a complete money minded person worsening the already deteriorating doctor patient relationship..

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Why should I feel embarrassed about making money, as it’s an important factor for enhancing self worth and only when I’m secure, I can give back my 100% to my profession. No, I have not forgotten that I am in one of the Nobel professions but does that mean that I should mix Nobility with Financial Returns.? Something to ponder upon...

 

Now How To Deal With Such Patients Legally?

We can definitely take legal action against a patient who refuses to pay the due amount after the completion of treatment. To start with the proceedings...we all know that our judiciary relies only and only on evidences.

 

So Before You Proceed; Make Sure You Have Enough Evidence To Prove That...

1. PATIENT HAD AGREED TO TREATMENT PLAN AND TREATMENT CHARGES

You must have evidence like records and documents of the patients work done as per the scheduled appointments..Valid consent form, fitness certificate in case of medically compromised patients..pictures taken during the course of treatment..CCTV record or an audio record of the time when/where patient agreed to payment plan along with his sign on the proposed payment plan....

The more you have the listed above evidences with you..the more stronger your case becomes and lesser will be the loopholes that the patient can find to contradict you..

 

2. YOU HAD REMINDED THE PATIENT MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT PENDING DUES

Always before filing a legal suit you should have evidences to prove that you had reminded the patient multiple times which should not be by verbal warnings which can't be produced in court of law but by calls (better if they are recorded) messages & mails or post sent through your mobile or the clinic system.

 

3. YOU HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONSIDER PART PAYMENTS:

You should have evidences to prove that attempts have been made by you to consider part payments if patient have any genuine financial problems.

 

4. YOU HAD GIVEN A TIMEFRAME TO MAKE DUE PAYMENTS:

You should have evidences in the form of mail or message or document that can be reproduced in court to prove that you had given deadline to patient to pay the amount and have even informed the patient that failing to which you will file a law suit against him.

This evidence holds a greater importance and makes your stand stronger.

 

What If Patient Does Not Pay Even After Above Exercise? 

Then Here’s The Legal Treatment Plan:

The first and foremost thing is to present all the documents and records regarding his treatment procedure to the nearest police station with a sincere request to file an FIR. The police officials will take down your complain and will first try to help us out and solve our problem. They might send their junior staff or the beat Marshall who patrols that particular area to the patient and would bring him in front of you.

Most of the times patient falls to this and will pay remaining treatment charges as sight of a police man coming to his home and taking him to police station with neighbors looking upon is not a good sight for any person. So your matter is sorted out without filing a lawsuit against him...

 

Now What If The Patient Doesn’t Pay Even After Police Interference...

Police however has no right to extort money from the patient. Then they will file an FIR and will tell u to draft a complaint with the Small Claims Court in your area or Civil Trial Court based on the money to be recovered.

In Small Claims Courts quick decisions are taken at nominal charges whereas Civil Trial Courts are time consuming and relatively expensive as you will require a lawyer to handle your case and multiple trails to follow...

Remember in any of the scenes you must have valid evidences that I have mentioned earlier.

 

At last, I Would Say Prevention Is Better Than Cure. Better Not To Place Yourself In Such Situation…

Asking complete advance payment is legally right but not completing the treatment due to nonpayment is legally wrong on your part...

Also the amount of money in question matters...whether it’s worth enough to go ahead and file a suit or learn from your mistakes and move on...
 

Source : DentistFriend

5 Things To Consider Before Joining Courses At Any Dental Academy

 

5 Things To Consider Before Joining Courses At Any Dental Academy

Now a days as the level of Dental Education in some Indian Dental Schools is all time low.  There are some responsible experienced dental professionals who have come forward to guide young dental graduates. But unfortunately not many are able to stick to the original motive of imparting dental education and it is becoming more of a kind of business.

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Irony is that these days one has to take coaching for cracking premedical entrance exams to become a doctor and later they have to again take coaching even after graduating as Dental Surgeons.

 

If you go to any dental event or dental conferences and you will find some people standing at the entrance of venue distributing leaflets of various Dental Academies. The most funny/sad part is that some of these academies are being run by freshly pass outs and they are teaching subjects which need vast experience of over the years to master. PLEASE BEWARE OF THEM.

 

For example, How come you expect to learn Oral Implantology from someone who himself has not placed even 100 implants? Does he know the failures? As they say, Master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. 

 

My point of writing this blog is to share my personal experience that may help you in deciding from which right place to learn. Definitely we all need to learn and upgrade ourselves from time to time. So, here are the top 5 points to consider before joining any academy:

 

1.  Get reviews from your friends, college teachers, internet and check yourself which one is most liked and reasons behind it and then only make a decision. Never make a decision to join any academy considering your convenience rather give priority to best learning experience. Learning will never come easy, be always ready to leave your comfort zone, no matter even if you have to travel PAN India.

 

2.  Don't join academies mentored by any Novice. A novice can teach in right fashion and may know the Ideal work but he won’t be able to teach you the failures for sure as he himself is not aware as have not encountered many in his short tryst with the subject.

 

For example: Learn Oral implantology from a mentor who has done more than 1000-1500 implants over 10-15 years. i.e. now he/she is a speaker of International repute. He/She has seen the failures and will be able to teach you how to overcome them.

 

3.  It hardly matters whether your mentor is a BDS or MDS. This should not be your criterion of selection. Count the number of years of their practice and not degrees. Degrees do have a value but they don't matter much in this aspect. Many big names in this field are old time plain graduates who have done unofficial masters in clinical procedures at their own clinics.

 

For instance, one of my good friends is a pioneer in teaching micro-endodontics in a North Indian city near National Capital. He himself is a BDS graduate but has many endodontists in his fan list.

 

4.  Don't go for fancy courses, particularly Orthodontics courses. No doubt a BDS can practice orthodontics but that is possible after proper orthodontic training. Ortho is a very vast science in which prognosis is majorly based on treatment planning & how can you even expect to learn treatment planning in 5-10 days? Which otherwise needs 3 years.

 

I recently met someone who was repenting of wasting his energy and resources for doing a 7 day short ortho course and finally he has to call an Orthodontist for consultation.

 

5.  Lastly and most importantly. Choose the courses in which you have more number of patients to do than just the theory part. You always have Google option for theory and demo Videos.

 

I hope these points will help you in your selection of right course and academy.

 

Please Note: Further inputs from seniors in profession and friends are most welcome.

 

Source : DentistFriend

Communication Tips For Beginners In Implant Practice

 

Communication Tips For Beginners In Implant Practice

A decade back when I started Implant practice, I used to think that implantology is a complex procedure but realized it later that the procedure is simple and not the communication part. Over these ten years I made mistakes, learnt from them and tried to improve myself on both aspects of implantology. Even I faced complications sometimes but trust me 90% of these complications were not related to the implant procedure but the communication with patients. I have observed that, usually doctors become master in implant procedures in short time but they lack the art of communication which is equally or in my words even more important. Unfortunately I was not that lucky to have somebody to tell me on how to communicate and most of the things that I have shared below have been learnt/discovered by myself. 

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Here are few tips for beginners who have started implant practice recently:

1. Instead of trying to convince the patient for implants, always try to explain implants.

2. Even before explaining implants to patient make sure that you are very much convinced that implant is really the best option for the respective patient, then only you can explain it very well to patient.  

 

3. Remember ethical things are always easier to explain for every doctor and are always digestible to patients.

 

4. Never do false promises like "It will be free of complications till you live" etc. Any dental procedure right from RCT to Crown & Bridges or even simple filling may fail. Same way Implants can also fail and there can be many reasons for failure. So be realistic and explain your patients that implants may fail but it's long term success ratio is relatively high in comparison with all other substitute procedures to implants.

Here is how you can deal with some common objections raised by implant patients.

 

Objection 1: Implants are expensive

 

Any treatment which comes nearest to most natural replacement closest to what God has given will be having more cost than any intermediate or short term replacement. 

You should always give option of economical treatments to your patients while informing that they are far away from natural replacement and either intermediate or short span.

 

Objection 2: I don't want to go for surgery

 

Always tell the patient that placement of an implant is 30-60 min procedure with single local anesthesia and it usually do not have any post operative complications.

(In fact I personally feel that it is less complicated than surgical removal of tooth. It really does absolutely no complications if one follow strict sterilization and disinfection protocol)

 

Objection 3: Implants warranty and longevity

 

You can say that it works long term except the prosthesis which might have to be changed and if you follow strict & proper cleaning and maintenance (which in fact required in any body procedure or replacement) then it's almost permanent. You should also suggest the patient that mostly complications come in first few months. Implant companies are giving life time warranties so even if implant fails there is a scope of re-procedure.

 

Objection 4: More implants means more money to be spent (for full mouth cases)

 

You can confirm with the patient if he is looking for long term or short term solution. Explain the patient that if he wants, good aesthetics, mastication and phonetics then definitely implants are the only choices. Implants cost few more bucks but it is still cheap with the kind of health and quality patient gets. In fact all the current replacement procedures like Total Knee Replacement, CABG, Stents, Hair Transplant etc are not economical too.

 

Friends, implants are miracle in dentistry. If you really want to grow your practice then do Implants. The more you place implants, more confident you will get and when you have confidence you automatically get that positive energy to explain. And believe me if you follow these things in your initial days of implant practice; in future you will never ever have to worry about question & answers by your patients. 

 

And lastly don't worry. Do implants!

Money is really By-product...

Don't go for it rather go for EXCELLENCY ..!

Source : DentistFriend