Dentistry in the News – Charlotte Dentist | Cosmetic, Laser, Family Dentistry

Why Do Dentists Still Use the Drill & Shots?

If you had to name 2 reasons why people hate getting dental work done, there's no doubt that the drill and the shot would be in the top 5, if not Number 1 and 2. Even as a dentist, I completely understand this; in December 2015, I had 3 fillings done and 1 tooth extracted (separate visits), and I didn't like the sound of the drill or the zing of the shot either, nor did I like being numb for hours afterwards. So why is it that, even in the year 2016 with all of the amazing technology available to us, dentists still use the drill to work on teeth and shots that make you numb for hours? BTW - We Don't Use Novocaine Any More This is one of those little pet peeves that I'm going to mention quickly, not that I expect it to make a difference. :-) If you were born after 1980 or so, you have never ever EVER had novocaine. Not once. I don't care what you think - you haven't. How can I be so sure? Easy - it was discontinued in the early 1980's. My fellow blogging dentist Dr. Nicholas Calcaterra wrote more about the evolution of dental anesthetics in his excellent article Dental Mythbusters #4: Dentists Still Use Novocaine if you'd like to know more. But you CAN still watch the Steve Martin film if you really want some Novocaine. :-D Those Dang Nerves Aren't On the Surface It's an unfortunate fact of anatomy that the nerves that give our teeth sensitivity to temperature and pressure are deep inside the gums and bone where we can't easily reach them. Honest-to-goodness, we have to give shots of numbing anesthetic [...]

A Lion, a Dentist, and an Internet Lynch Mob

Oh boy, what a week it's been for the profession of dentistry. You do know what I"m talking about, right? Cecil the Lion was killed by an American hunter who happened to be a dentist. And while the outrage about the shooting of a lion is IMO certainly justified given the circumstances under which it happened, I have been shocked at the level of vitriol and hatred that has been unleashed in the media and across social media at my profession. But really...why are they even connected? I Only Shoot With a Big Camera You may have heard the saying that "Photographers are cruel people: first they shoot you, then they frame you, then they hang you on the wall." It's all said in good fun though, and as a photographer who would LOVE to go on a photo safari to "shoot" lions (from a very long distance away with a really big lens that just makes it look like I'm close), I laugh at that, too. But hunting with weapons isn't my thing. Last time I picked up a gun was a .22 rifle with my grandfather about 33 years ago for shooting at paper targets. I have no interest in shooting living animals, and to tell the truth, I find trophy hunting morally disgusting. Interestingly, however, I understand that there are some benefits to it, in that restricted hunting has been used to raise huge sums of money for conservation purposes. My colleague in Florida, Dr. Michael Barr, provides some thought-provoking background on how this works in his own response, which you can read here. Whether you agree with him or not, I believe his points have merit and must be considered. I am [...]