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Biomedical subjects

Gordon J Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to Gordon J Christensen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

I have had enough!

I apologize for making some of you nervous, and perhaps even resentful, but I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! I do not like the new unethical face of my profession, where incessant seeking of more money has replaced service to the public, honesty, and self-respect. Numerous areas of major ethical concern in dentistry are identified in this article. The ongoing, if not accelerating, degeneration of professional ethics in dentistry is clearly evident to even casual observers. Improvements in professional ethics are necessary to regain our self-respect and the respect of the people we serve. All of us need to improve, including practitioners, speakers, dental schools accomplishing research, manufacturers, editors, and evaluating groups. It is time to return to honesty and to dealing with our fellow men and women in the way we would want to be treated ourselves. I do not think it is too late.

Advertising↗
PubMed2004

Gifts to give yourself for the new year.

Dentistry can offer its dedicated practitioners a wonderful, productive, service-oriented life, with an acceptable income. However, numerous circumstances can turn what could be a happy life into a nightmare of frustration and negative feelings. This article has identified several of the challenges facing practitioners. If these challenges are faced and solutions implemented, the possibility of the practitioner's maintaining a happy life is greatly improved.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

Defining oral rehabilitation.

"Oral rehabilitation" is a phrase that is used to encompass several levels of oral therapy. Usually, dentists think of an oral rehabilitation as meaning restoration of all of the teeth in a given mouth. However, when only the defective teeth in any mouth are restored, that too could be defined as an oral rehabilitation. The advent of esthetic dentistry has encouraged oral rehabilitation for esthetic reasons only. This article suggests that such oral rehabilitations should be preceded by thorough informed consent and education about other, more conservative, therapies. Patients should have full knowledge that such rehabilitations are not required, and that they may require frequent re-treatment at significant cost. Qualified specialists or experienced general dentists are capable of treating all levels of oral rehabilitation, and completion of courses at specific commercial institutes is not necessary.

Dental Restoration, Permanent↗
PubMed2004

Improving quality and speed in providing fixed prosthodontics.

American dentists should be pleased with the level of care they provide to their patients in the area of fixed prosthodontics. The American public is served with good, competent care at a moderate cost. However, this article has addressed the potential for increasing the quality level of care, increasing the speed of treatment and maintaining the moderate cost by delegating some of the clinical tasks to qualified staff members. In my opinion and experience, these results are achievable by delegating up to one-half of the time involved in fixed prosthodontic clinical tasks to qualified, educated, supervised non-dentist staff members, where such delegation is legal.

Crowns↗
PubMed2004

The light-curing mania.

In the approximately 25 years that dental restorative resins have been cured by light, there has been constant evolution of and improvement in the curing devices and the resins they cure. During the past decade, curing lights have become very effective. Dentists who have functional halogen, fast halogen or PAC lights may wish to compare their current lights with the new generation of LED lights that are dominating the commercial dental advertising at this time. If the new LED lights offer more than the current light they are using, they might consider changing to an LED. If their current light offers about the same characteristics as the LED light being considered, I do not recommend changing. I anticipate that continued upgrading and improvement in LED lights eventually will make this concept the most used method for curing restorative resin.

Dental Restoration, Permanent↗
PubMed2004

Is occlusion becoming more confusing? A plea for simplicity.

It is not difficult to observe and record patient occlusal characteristics before starting simple or complex occlusal rehabilitations. If this is done, and if the subsequently placed crowns and fixed prostheses are constructed in observation of similar characteristics, clinical success usually is the result. Deviations from the suggestion to duplicate the "normal" occlusion should be made when the original natural occlusion had caused overt pathosis, or when all teeth or one arch of the teeth is being restored at one time. If this is the case, centric relation occlusion is more reproducible and easier to develop than occlusion with a shift from centric relation to centric occlusion. Peculiar requests of patients relative to occlusal positioning, or routine dependence on various devices to predetermine occlusal characteristics for rehabilitation (as is currently popular in some groups), should be considered, but they should be tempered with careful observation of preoperative occlusal characteristics.

Centric Relation↗
PubMed2004

Continuing education: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Dental CE is mandatory for ongoing competency in dental practice. There are numerous methods of obtaining CE, some of which are highly successful and others that are of minimal value. In this article, I have described and prioritized the various methods of obtaining CE according to their effectiveness as I perceive it. CE in dentistry can be enjoyable, will allow dentists to serve their patients at a higher level of competency and will keep practitioners mentally stimulated as they learn new concepts and techniques.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2004

Post concepts are changing.

Use of post-and-core restorations has changed markedly in the past several decades. Current use and research supports techniques using tooth-colored, fiber-reinforced resin-based composite posts or titanium alloy posts cemented with resin cement, followed by resin-based composite build-ups. Although fiber-reinforced resin-based composite posts appear to be very promising, long-term clinical observation is needed. I have made suggestions about when to use posts, what type of post to use and how to use them.

Composite Resins↗
PubMed2004

New directions in dentistry.

Dentistry is growing and serving the public better than ever before. In this article, the various divisions of dentistry have been considered, observing the current state of the art in each one and making predictions about the changes that are coming in the near future.

Dentistry↗
PubMed2003

Direct restorative materials. What goes where?

The many tooth-colored restorative materials available today present a confusing array of products. However, they are the best group of tooth-colored restorative materials available in dentistry to date. Dentists are advised to learn the characteristics of each category of tooth-colored materials and to base their judgment of which type to use on an in-depth consideration of the many products available.

Compomers↗
PubMed2003

What is the role of specialties in dentistry?

Dental specialties have an important, positive role in improving education and practice, stimulating research and defining quality expectations in their areas of expertise. However, it is well-known that general dental practitioners accomplish a significant portion of the dental therapy that commonly is classified as being within the scope of the respective recognized specialty areas. In this column, I have made suggestions about methods for improving the interaction between specialists and generalists and a call for better acceptance by each group of the capabilities of the other.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2003

Magnification in dentistry: useful tool or another gimmick?

In spite of their significant cost, the relatively long learning curve associated with their use, frustrations during use, their occasional need for being replaced and their peculiar appearance to patients, magnifying loupes assist all types of clinical dentists in producing higher-quality dentistry. Seeing better also means decreasing operating time. Properly fitted loupes also can improve posture during operating and reduce muscle pain in the shoulders, neck and back. Working under magnification is useful, and clinicians should give strong consideration to adopting the concept.

Dental Equipment↗
PubMed2003

The best way to bring a dentist into your practice.

Solo practice is the most common practice mode in dentistry. It probably will remain so for a long time to come. However, numerous advantages and some disadvantages are present for those dentists wanting or needing to have another practitioner in their practices. Finding the right employee dentist, associate or partner is a difficult task, but the success of many multidentist practices has shown that it can be done. Also, having another trusted dentist in the practice can facilitate exiting from the practice at retirement, allowing the retiring dentist to turn over his or her patients to the other dentist without the worry or anxiety of selling to an unknown party.

Humans↗