In this edition:

• 🦷 Big cats require big dental procedures

• 🏋️‍♀️ Partnering with local gym to attract patients

• 🏷️ Current trends for buying a practice

• ℹ️ Confidence in treating autistic patients

• And more!

Big cats require big dental procedures

Two big cats at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio were discovered to have dental issues that required root canals to save their teeth. An 8-year-old Malayan tiger named Zero and a 5-year-old cheetah named Barafu both needed root canals after undergoing physical examinations by Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden veterinarians.

The dental procedures were performed by Jamie Berning, DVM, DAVDC, a veterinary dental specialist at Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery of Ohio in Columbus.

Barafu the cheetah required 2 extractions in addition to the root canal, and Zero the Malayan tiger needed root canals on 2 canine teeth.

Both cats recovered well post-op and are back to their normal routines.

Partnering with your local gym to attract patients

Are you looking to expand your dental practice and connect with a community that values health and wellness? Partnering with your local gym could be the key.

This collaboration offers a unique opportunity to attract health-conscious individuals directly to your practice, enriching your patient base with engaged, proactive members.

Current dental practice sale trends

Buying your own dental practice is no small feat. Many factors must be considered, which is why having help from a broker or lawyer is extremely important.

Purchasing office space is a demanding and expensive process so don’t rush into it – even though you may feel like you should. Seek help from a financial advisor for assistance along the way to see what timeline works best for your circumstances.

When looking at the average age of selling a practice among dentists, most don’t plan to sell until they are aged 60 years or older. Just like purchasing an office space, selling one can be a time-consuming process where a specialist’s help is invaluable.

Even if you don’t plan on selling or retiring for a few more years, we recommend reaching out to your practice’s legal and finance teams well in advance so you can begin preparations and ensure a smooth transition.

Assessing dental hygienists’ confidence in providing care to autistic

A cross-sectional study examined the willingness of dental hygienists to provide dental hygiene care to autistic dental patients based on whether they felt confident in their ability to do so, according to a report published in PracticeUpdate.

In the study, investigators used a qualitative survey to explore the factors that may affect the self-efficacy of dental hygienists to provide dental care to autistic individuals by assessing the education, autism knowledge, training and experience of dental hygienists in treating this population.

After reviewing the results from the 82 dental hygienists who completed the survey, the investigators found that the self-efficacy scores had the greatest impact on the intention to provide care for autistic dental patients.

“This study showed that dental hygienists’ self-efficacy and support from dental offices to create a sensory-adapted dental environment were the biggest factors in their intention to treat individuals with autism. A greater emphasis on applied autism training within entry-level dental hygiene programs, professional training/experience and continuing education courses is needed,” concluded the investigators.