We are finally moved!
5 years ago I started Ascent Dental from scratch with a vision. I selected a great space for that long term vision and began my journey. Fast forward 5 years and here we are, at a brand new facility. Why the move? My 5 year contract expired and renegotions began, unfortunately a deal was not reached. Life goes on. I found another great space and I started over with building a new practice at a new location. (not very far from the old location) This time I got to build it completely from the ground up and exactly how I wanted (the last space was retrofitted). My contractor did an amazing job with helping me get to this point and would like to thank her. (Jo Temmer – Northstar Construction). Be assured we will be here a while (as I signed a 10 year deal. Moving has not been fun (is it ever?), equipment has been minorly damaged and the stresses of construction / moving got between my office manager and I. (she resigned last week) All aside we are back up and running! I look forward to being in this office and treating you. I am assured you will find the new office an improvement and will enjoy it. Thank you for all your patientce. See you soon -Dr. Johnston Here are some pictures of the new space
Bonnie and her Steak
Meet Bonnie- Bonnie came to us for a crown that fell out. Upon the exam, it was discovered the she had multiple teeth that needed to be removed. At the consult, she was surprised at the treatment plan of removing her teeth. She was told we could replace the teeth with dental implants. Again, she was surprised at the cost and considered not doing them and just removing the teeth. We removed 4 very importnat teeth (2 on each side) and put her in a partial denture. We bone grafted the extraction sites, which take 4-6 months to be ready for implants. She did not like that partial dentures and elected not to wear them. 4 months went by and we placed the implants. At this appointment she asked me when she was going to get to eat steak. We then had a few more follow up visits on the implants and again she asked me when she was going to be able to eat steak. The time came for the implants to be restored with teeth on them. I again heard about the steak. The day we placed the teeth, I had aranged a steak dinner in our consult room. We placed the teeth and I led her into the consult room to show her, her steak. This was one of the top rewarding moments in my career. To see the smile on her face and her surprise. I had to return to other patients, but was told she didn’t leave a crumb on that plate! Here’s to Bonnie and her Steak!!! – Dr. Johnston
Press Release #1 – Cerec
Local Colorado Dentist Utilizes CEREC Technology to Execute Simplistic and Efficient Dental Appointments for all Patients Dr. Jeff Johnston, dentist in Cherry Creek, is pleased to announce that his practice is able to utilize CEREC technology to create crowns, fillings and veneers in just a single visit. This technology allows Dr. Johnston to offer superior dental service to his patients in the Denver and Cherry Creek area. Denver, CO (1888PressRelease) October 09, 2012 – CEREC allows the practice to offer a tremendous level of service to all patients. Instead of taking two or three weeks to create and implement a crown, Ascent Dental is able to do so in a single appointment. The patient will be able to leave the same day with a fully constructed dental crown(s). The practice will continue to use CEREC to successfully treat the patients. Prior to CEREC in Colorado, receiving a dental crown was much more complicated. To do so, a dentist had to take a muddled impression of the tooth and then send it to a dental lab. During the two to three weeks in between appointments, patients would wear a temporary crown before the permanent crown would be attached at times causing it to be uncomfortable or to become dislodged. CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic. CEREC uses special imaging technology to get an accurate digital representation of the patient’s tooth. Using specialized software, Dr. Johnston then is able to design a crown that will fit perfectly within the patient’s tooth. An on-site milling machine is then used to physically create the crown, allowing Dr. Johnston to permanently attach to the patient’s tooth. The ceramic material used to create the crown or filling expands and contracts as natural teeth do. Because of this, there is no danger of cracking. Furthermore, they are neither too hard nor too soft. There is no undue wear and the patient will not need to replace them time and again as one might with older crown or filling technology. They also accurately represent the visual aesthetic of natural teeth. The crown is ready for placement in as little as 15 minutes and the results can last years. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Johnson, patients can call (303) 975-6987 or use the online appointment request form www.ascentdental.com . To do this, patients simply have to enter in the date, time and a few words detailing the nature of their appointment into the online form. Shortly after, the practice’s scheduling coordinator will follow up with a confirmation email. About Dr. Jeff Johnston: At the age of 12, Dr. Johnston’s life goal was to be a dentist. Dr. Jeff Johnston, Denver Dentist is a member of several professional organizations, which he chooses on the basis of whether they contribute to the overall wellbeing of patients and the profession. He is currently pursuing the Fellowship Award to the Academy of General Dentistry, which is earned through continuing dental education on the many different fields of dentistry. Other organizations include: American Dental Association, Metro Denver Society, Texas Tech Alumni, Biking Club of Colorado and the NRA. Dr. Johnston is always striving to be the best dentist when it comes to serving the Colorado dental industry. Ascent Dental is a full-service dentist office, providing general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry services to the Denver-area patients. This includes such services as: • Dental hygiene and teeth cleaning • Family dentistry • Dental crowns while you wait • Endodontics (root canal) • Porcelain veneers • Tooth whitening • Dental implants • Porcelain fillings Affordable dental treatments that alleviate any worry or fear of going to the dentist can be completed in one day. The advancement in technology at Ascent Dental is immediately available to all new patients. To learn more about Dr. Johnston, his staff or any of the services that are offered at his practice, patients are encouraged to visit his practice’s comprehensive dental website at www.ascentdental.com .
Omnicam
Sirona Dental Systems, based in Germany, has just released Omnicam. The first intra-oral camera of its kind for CAD CAM sytems. This is a 3D/2D intraoral camera. They have also released thier CAD CAM software to be in color, not just stone looking models. I was at the release in Las Vegas in August. They spend a fortune on the meeting, with over 4,000 dentist. This is a game changer in CAD CAM and patient care. We have a little ways to wait before it can come to Ascent Dental, but looking forward to having this new toy! Dr. Johnston
Product Review: Sonicare Diamond Clean
I was out in Las Vegas for a huge Cerec meeting, where they introduced a new camera technology for the Cerec. I happened to win this Sonicare Diamond Clean toothbrush there. For all my career, I have been a huge fan of Oral B electric toothbrushes. Its been a really long time since I have checked out Sonicare. I tried this Sonicare Diamond Clean brush the other night. I thought it was really good. This brush comes with a USB charging case, great for traveling. It has about 5 different modes on it.Its a bit pricey at $219. But its very high tech. https://youtu.be/ZHCHoqsF138 I look forward to brushing with this brush everyday. I can’t say I am a total Sonicare fan at this point, but its making me lean a little in that direction. I have asked multiple colleagues and dental hygienist what brush they recommend, and there is about a 50/50 split on Sonicare vs Oral B. The majority of the consesus was electrics are better than manual no matter what brand you have. I am meeting with Sonicare later this month. I may start carrying both Sonicare and Oral Bbrushes in the office for purchase. Have a great day!Dr. Johnston
Dental Education
Around 8yrs ago, I graduated from dental school. I was on top of the world, my brain was chalked full of dentistry, and I was ready to become a dentist. Upon the first month of practicing dentisty, I saw patients and cases I have never seen before and that I didn’t know how to treat or even where to start. I also learned very fast, I was slow and in order to survive in private practice my practice speed had to increase without compromising quality. That first year after dental school, I refused to crack a book or sit in a classroom, after all I had been in school the last 20 years of my life. I just wanted to practice dentistry and earn some extra money, being a student and living very frugally for so long, I wanted nothing more than to have some extra spending money. Little did I know at the time, that my dental degree and license was just a ticket to learn, and thats about it. I have owned my own practice for about 4 years now. I have quickly learned that my dental education is a key to being a great clinican. Every case I see if completely different, and dentist who have been practicing for 30 years still seen new cases and seek new ways to treat them. I am from Texas, and in Texas, the state requires 16 hours of dental continuing education (CE) over anything you want to go learn about related to dentistry. Practicing in Colorado, the state requires 0 hours of CE. I found this to be odd for the state not to require its clinicians to not learn anything new and be able to practice! Dental education is not cheap. Some classes out there can cost as much as 5-10k a weekend plus travel! I find it baffling the cost that is associated with CE. I used to think dental school cost a lot, it is nothing compared to advanced education after school. There are dental courses going on around the world daily from various sources. Picking and choosing who you want to learn from and what you want to learn is that hard part!. I tend to go learn topics that I see frequently come in the practice. Each demographic can see more of a certain type of case than others. In summary, education is a huge part of practicing dentistry. More than ever, todays changes in technology, materials, and equipment make learning an essential part of being a dentist. Jeff Johnston DDS
Cerec Mentoring
I wanted to take a second and share my weekend with you. This past weekend (Jan 27, 29 2012) I headed out to The Scottsdale Center for dentistry in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Scottsdale Center for dentistry is a world renowned dental teaching facility and is one of the top teaching facilities in the United States. The Scottsdale Center is also a Cerec training capital. As a mentor of Cerecdoctors.com (a online website and forum dedicated to Cerec education) we have the opprotunity to go to the Scottsdale Center and help with classes. These classes usually consist of a lecture and a lab component. While dentists are in the lab, mentors walk around and make sure they are doing ok, answering any questions they may have. This was my first experience teaching postition. Getting asked about 100 questions a day and looking at different situations on the Cerec machine from others really allowed me to display my knowledge of Cerec. I have to say I was impressed with what I knew and have learned, especially in the last year. Dentistry is like peeling an onion, there are many many layers. Great dentist spend their lives learning. Technology today is moving very fast and it can be challenging to keep up with its pace. The future is really bright and I look forward to the challenge of a lifetime of dental education. A wise man once said, once we stop learning, we stop living. Till next time Dr. Jeff Johnston
Reasons to Have Your Old Metal Fillings Replaced
Reasons To Have Your Old Amalgam Fillings Replaced With Natural-Looking Composite Fillings If your mouth is still full of those old, metallic fillings that were inserted into your teeth years ago, then you may want to consider making the switch to more natural-looking composite fillings. It’s been shown in studies the average life of a metal filling is 8-15 years. If your fillings are older than 15 years, you may want to consider having them updated. Here are some great reasons to upgrade your old amalgam fillings: 1. Hidden Decay A metal filling can have fractures or weak margins allowing bacteria to enter the tooth beside the filling, ultimately causing decay under or around the filling. This cavity can not be detected in the dental x-ray, as the metal filling will mask it. The only way its detectable is to remove it and look under it. 2. Increased Strength Since composite fillings are actually bonded into the matrix of the tooth structure, they can slightly strengthen your teeth and help hold the tooth together. If an old metal filling is large and little natural tooth structure exists, a crown may be the best way to update and strengthen the tooth. 3. Steady Size Silver fillings expand or contract due to temperature change. If your fillings change size whenever you drink hot or cold beverages, then your teeth may develop cracks. Since composite fillings aren’t made of a metal that expands or contracts in such a manner, you will have less potential for tooth damage. 4. Less Invasive If you are terrified at the thought of somebody drilling holes in your teeth, then you should definitely choose natural-looking composite fillings over amalgam fillings. Although the removal of some of your tooth is necessary because of the cavity, much less of the tooth will need to be removed, which means more conservative drilling is involved. Composite fillings don’t need the same depth, thickness and mechanical retention to be stable, unlike metal fillings. 5. Natural Appearance For most people, this is the biggest benefit of composite fillings. Instead of having a mouthful of silver fillings, your teeth will look all-natural, and after a while, you probably won’t even remember which teeth have fillings! 6. Metallic Taste Some get a metallic taste in their mouths from having metal fillings. By getting rid of them, we can eliminate this metallic taste which can allow foods to taste better. Micro metal wear and fatigue occur during chewing. 7. Potential Health risk While the FDA and the ADA do not claim metal fillings pose health risk, there are studies out there that show different conclusions. While I am not legally able to say metal fillings pose a health risk, I do feel there has to be some small merit in these studies. I let people make their own decisions about this subject, and don’t recommend people to remove metal fillings based on this reason alone. Have a great day.
Taste of My Own Medicine
Today, I went to the dentist to update my fillings. I need to admit, I had a horrible love with candy during my teen years, which led to having many fillings completed in my adolescent years. (Being in the dental office so much interested me in becoming one – so its not all bad!) What got me was braces, braces and candy don’t mix. You can’t floss very easily with braces, so I decided brushing would be enough. In college, some of these metal fillings had cracked and needed to be replaced. So in college, I had another round of metal fillings. After college and into dental school, I became and still am, a dental mutt. I had a filling or two done in dental school by other students and teachers. When I graduated from dental school, I had several other dentists I worked with do fillings on me. Two years ago I had a small laser gum surgery at a laser course as a demonstration! So, in my goal book this year, I wrote down to get my routine dental work updated. So today, I went to a dentist I met in a conference in Scottsdale, AZ, who practices in Lafayette, CO. His name is Dr. Greg Keene of Keene Smiles. Last night (the night before the appointment, I was nervous. I thought about shots, drills, feeling the pain, etc. This morning on the drive to the appointment, I was also nervous. I had to tell myself everything would be ok! However, I was going to a new dentist I have never gone to before, trust is huge, other than knowing Dr. Keene at dental courses, I did not know what he was like as a dentist. This morning he replaced 8 metal fillings on my upper right and lower right side. I replaced them with composite and porcelain onlays. My teeth were not bothering me, I just knew that it had been over 13 years since those fillings were placed. I know that fillings can leak and decay can set up under them and go undetected, even with dental x-rays. I was right, some of my fillings, had decay under them. I have had excellent hygiene, a fairly good diet, and received professional cleanings every 6-8 months the last 10 years of my life too! So, today, I felt the needles, drill sounds and vibrations, was opened for long periods of time, numb lip, bad tastes, etc. Was the work totally comfortable? No, but it wasn’t bad at all. Dr. Keene did a great job! I am so proud of myself today that I took care of this and know my teeth are in much better shape. I have one more round on the left side and my teeth and fillings will be up to date. I now have a thorough understanding and appreciation of the drilling noises, vibrations, needles, taste, numbing feel, etc. During the appointment, I thought about all my future patients and what I can do to make it more comfortable for you all. I want to give a big thanks to Dr. Greg Keene of Keene Smiles in Lafayette, CO for all the work he did on me today. In conclusion, I wanted to share with you, that today – I received a dose of my own medicine.
Top 11 Reasons Cerec is Better..
(For those of you who don’t know what a Cerec Machine is….please see our webpage over here here) This past weekend, I attended the Cerec 3rd Annual Symposium, in Scottsdale, AZ at the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry, a premier leader in Cerec Education. Many Topics were covered over the weekend and we even met the software designers from Germany. They presented us the new Cerec software coming out next month, version 4.0, which is one of the best software improvements of Cerec over their 25+ year history. We heard from independent dental material researchers,dental lab technicians, and top clinicians. I took home many things from this meeting, but mainly the confidence that Cerec is the best way of making dental restorations. Here are reasons why Cerec is better than traditional dentistry (presented to us again by top researchers and lap technicians in the world). 1) No Temporaries / One Visit – Temporary restorations can break, fall off, or not last during the 2 weeks needed to fabricate a crown at a lab. Teeth can be sensitive, micro-shift and drift, etc. that can allow the crown from the lab not to fit well or damage to the unprotected tooth. 2) No lab remakes – A lab presenter from a major dental lab stated on average crowns remakes range from 6-10% of the time. This means a crown could take up to 3 maybe even 4 visits! 3) Machine Made Materials – Traditionally porcelain is stacked from a powder liquid technique allowing for weak micro space in the porcelain. Regulated, precise, machine made porcelain is precise and uniform, allowing for a consistent, strong and predictable material. 4) Accurate Impressions – Digital scans are shown to be up to 20-40% more accurate than traditional impression material. Traditionally, a impression is made, sent to the lab and poured up in stone. There are about 20-40 inconsistencies / distortions that can occur in this traditional step. Materials can shrink, expand, get to hot or to cold during shipping, etc. This more accurate scan leads to a more accurate fit and seal with the tooth. 5) Better Bonded Strength- Traditionally, dental crowns are cemented. Cerec crowns are bonded to the tooth vs cemented, using stronger, high sealing, long lasting bonded materials. 6) Every step can be controlled by the dentist – From Start to Finish, the whole CEREC procedure is controlled by the dentist. You can tweek everything about the crown such as bite, tooth contacts, anatomy, width, etc. 7) You can copy– With Cerec, existing Teeth can be copied. This means we can let you keep the exact shape you are used to. This cannot be done with a dental lab. We scan, prepare tooth, copy the scan onto the prepared tooth and give you exactly what you were used to. 8) No 2nd Numbing – many times you need to get numb again to take the temporary off. Not a concern with Cerec single visit porcelain dentistry. 9) In office custom staining and glazing – Traditionally if the crown color we got back from the lab isn’t correct, we had to send it back or you had to go to the dental lab. With Cerec, we can re-stain and glaze the custom color right here in the office. 10) Crown is saved – If you happen to break or fracture a crown make with Cerec, we have the crown stored in the computer. We hit mill and make you a new crown instantly. 11) Environmentally friendly – Instead of delivery trucks to send the case to the lab, we can now email the precise scan to a lab, and the lab can fabricate the crown. You also don’t have to come here twice, so that also saves gas. No need for impression materials, stone, temporaries to go into landfills. Have a great Day
Attitude is Everything
About 4 years ago, I went through a very bad business situation while working for another dentist/dental practice. This led me to having a negative attitude and outlook. The last few years of my life, I have been mentored, coached, counseled and have read many books about attitude. What exactly is attitude and why write a blog about it on your website about dentistry? https://youtu.be/KLn6OOicCz0 Attitude is a noun that is defined as: 1. a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes. 2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude. Now that we know what attitude’s definition is, lets look at my definition. To me, attitude is a mindset, that is naturally developed over time, through experience and learning. It comes in two forms, positive and negative. Positive attitude is a mindset, where things, situations, etc. are going to be okay to good. A negative attitude is a mindset where its believed things are going to go wrong or not work out for the best. Again, these mindsets can come from experiences over time, which develop into beliefs which effect attitude. So, what does this have to do with dentistry? Everything! Lets look at a positive patient attitude verses a negative one: Positive attitude when going to the dentist: Everything is going to go great, It’s not going to hurt, I am glad I am taking care of this and myself, I am in good hands, This is a good investment, etc. Since learning about attitude and how it works, I constantly work on a positive attitude. A positive attitude attracts others with positive attitudes, allowing for successful situations. Negative attitude when going to the dentist: Its going to hurt, Why am I here? This sucks, I could be doing better things with my time and money)It works the same way for patients. When I get in the dental chair, I need a dentist with a positive attitude. This helps put me at ease, knowing two positive attitudes are coming together. I know two is definitely better than one! I see this first hand, patients come in with positive attitudes, it rubs off on the office, so our attitude gets better, which leads to a great visit. I truly feel that positive attitudes lead us down a great path in life. People want and need to be around other positive energy. Is it always easy to have a positive attitude? No, our mind wants to go negative very quickly. I work on my attitude daily, and if my attitude is not where it needs to be, I tell people to let me know about it. My staff, wife, friends all are quick to help make me aware of my current attitude. My 9 month year old daughter is the best detector of my attitude each day. Here are some books that I have read on attitude: Attitude is Everything: by Keith D. HarrellAttitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. MaxwellThe Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success by John C. MaxwellLittle Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS by Jeffrey H. Gitomer There are many great books out there on attitude. They all stress what this blog does. Have a great day.
Oral B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 Kit Now Avaliable!
We are now selling Oral B’s best electric toothbrush. Oral-B’s most technologically advanced toothbrush, ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 with SmartGuide provides Oral-B’s most advanced cleaning technology for ultimate plaque removal and also features a wireless SmartGuide. Separate, wireless SmartGuide helps maximize brushing performance Deep Clean mode removes up to 99.7% of plaque from hard-to-reach areas* Pressure sensor stops pulsations when brushing too hard Gentle on teeth and gums Improves gum health better than Sonicare FlexCare Offers outstanding whitening and polishing in 3 weeks** 5 modes: Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whitening, Massage, Deep Clean Oral-B is the #1 dentist-recommended toothbrush brand worldwide Also includes Crest Bag, Toothpaste, Rinse and Floss We are selling these for $125 and it comes with a $15 mail in rebate so your price is $110 total. Compare this to 159.99 at Target.com. We feel this is a great deal and toothbrush. Give your mouth the clean it deserves!
How the Internet is Helping Dentist Learn
Dentists, like all people, have the world at their fingertips with the internet. Today, more than ever, people are relying on the internet for many different things. You can do just about anything you want on the internet. I wanted to share with you how the internet is helping dentist help you with your treatment. There are several ways the internet is helping dentist to stay up to date. 1) Online forums. Dental forums are websites that allow people to post questions, cases, learning videos, research, results, techniques, materials, practice management, marketing ideas, to other dentist. Thousands of dentists from all over the world can help us with ideas and opinions on ways to provide the best treatment to our patients. I have belonged to dental forums for about 6 years now. I think dentists who don’t participate in forums are really missing out on learning new things and innovative treatment ideas from others. As a dentist, the more tools I have in my toolbelt, the better. I really enjoy learning from others on forums. 2) Webinars Webinars are live shared internet meetings. Much like skype, webinars allow us to hear a speaker or take a course from our home on the computer. So we don’t have to travel to hear the speaker, the speaker comes to us through the computer. I participate in a local study club, where about 50 dentists get together and watch a webinar. This one allows us to interact with the speaker if we have questions. It also connects dentists from around the world! Very cool. 3) On Demand Courses / Online CE There are thousands of online continuing education videos and courses out there. Each major dental materials company is now providing videos to help us learn their techniques and products. You can watch these at anytime anywhere to earn continuing education credit or just to learn. There are also slideshows, powerpoints, and PDF articles to read and view. At the end of most of these courses, you are required to take and pass a test to earn your education credits. 4) Podcast There are also podcast and audio files you can download and listen to. In conclusion, dentists have a vast amount of educational resources at their fingertips today that should be utilized. My wife says I spend too much time on the computer, this is why!
Online Reviews
Practicing dentistry in 2011 is not like 5-10 years ago. The presence and focus of online reviews and review dedicated websites, leaves the door wide open for people to say anything they want about you or your practice to the whole word instantly. However, when you own the dental practice, there is a fine line between the practice review and/or it being considered a personal attack on you. Its my belief, that every time I sit down with a new patient, I know in the back of my mind a few things: 1) They probably found the office and are there due to my online reputation. (what others have said about us) 2) Online reputation can lead to higher expectations that I have to live up to. 3) If the patients higher expectations were not met, my office and myself are subject to online criticism, that the whole world can see. If you are the consumer or patient, online reviews are a GREAT thing for you. You know that you have rights, and you know that we know that if we don’t treat you to your comfort level and/or exceed your expectations, you have the power to let the whole world know, instantly. Ultimately, this is increasing customer services levels in every arena. Yes, when I am on the the consumer side, its a beautiful thing. Negative reviews…..for me if I get a negative review, it effects my practice dramatically. For example, on Yelp I was given a 1 star review when I was at a 5 star with a total of 4 reviews. For two months that review took my overall review rating to 3 stars. Those 2 months, my page views went from 70 a month to 20. So what do you do as a business owner? I emailed the reviewer and thanked her for her honesty. Mostly, I felt the review was a misinterpretation from the patient. Still, it was her interpretation. So the next strategy is to learn from it and to do my best daily and work to achieve good reviews to drown out the bad reviews. I am on yelp and I review businesses. Being on both sides of reviews, I give reviews with constructive criticism and ideas to help their business. If they try to contact me about the review, that means they care and I can respect, usually giving them another chance. What does the future of online reviews for dentist hold? Every dentist will have good reviews, its the negative ones people look at and judge just how bad of negative it is. I do believe we will see lawyers enter this realm of the internet, as some people will want revenge from “persona” attacks. In summary, I am aware I am not going to meet everyone’s expectations and my practice philosophy will not agree with some. (I am also in a field where everyone states they hate me before I get to know them). All I can do my best to exceed peoples expectations and to treat others how I would want to be treated. (Following the Golden Rule) My how times and things have changed..