Dentaltown May 2013 - (Page 88)

do good feature by Michael A. Kincaid, DDS Big deeds are not always done by national or international organizations. Case in point: see EODDS, helping thousands right in its own backyard. W hether you have experienced it, everyone knows how uncomfortable life can be with dental pain. Pain caused by infection, mobility, malocclusion and TMD issues or embarrassment from missing teeth can make daily living miserable. Now, imagine not being able to do anything about these disorders because of physical, mental, emotional or financial challenges, challenges that trump any possibility of restitution. With nowhere to turn for help, these people are often led down the path toward complete despair. This nightmare is reality for many. Like every other state in the United States, Oklahoma has its share of these unfortunate people. When this agonizing scenario infiltrates the lives of compromised victims trying to cope with their maladies, most state and local agencies are ill-equipped, unable or unlawfully allowed to intervene. These individuals often end up in a hospital emergency room for relief or simply suffer without treatment. 88 MAY 2013 » dentaltown.com In April of 2003, Pamela Beard and Margaret Lippert, two benevolent and altruistic women, came before the Executive Board of the Tulsa County Dental Society with a plea to protect and preserve the Tulsa branch of an existing donated dental service program (D-Dent) in Oklahoma City. Pam’s and Margaret’s efforts to provide local citizens with the care they so desperately needed were conflicted by those higher up in the system. During the next couple of months as then-vice-president of the Tulsa County Dental Society, I put together a task force committee to study the feasibility of forming a local organization supported by local agencies that would provide donated dental service to locals without the resources or opportunity to receive dental treatment. Dr. Steven Lusk chaired the committee and later became the first president of the EODDS Board of Directors. He discovered that the need for Tulsa-area dentists to provide donated services was substantial, actually overwhelming. http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown May 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Is Dentistry Getting Too Easy?
Professional Courtesy: High Tide for High Tech
Continuing Education Update
Industry News
Second Opinion: The Stainless-Steel Crown for Primary Molars
Special Second Opinion: Prevent a Tulsa Repeat
Simple Two-implant CT Guided Case
Does Your Staff Ask for Referrals?
Your 2013 Website Optimization Starts Today
I Attended Your CE and All I Got Was This Crappy Notebook
Dentaltown Research: CAD/CAM
New Products
DIY Finance, Part VI: Red Flags and Scams
Employee Working Interviews: They’re Legal, Aren’t They?
The Sleeping Giant in Your Practice
What’s on My Tray? Prep and Impression, Crown and Bridge
Continuing Education: Articaine and Paresthesia in Dental Anesthesia: Neurotoxicity or Procedural Trauma?
Concentric Circles Dentaltown’s annual focus on the charitable side of dentistry
All the Things Money Can’t Buy
Taking on Pro-bono Cases
Doing Good and Doing Well
Global Dental Relief
Giving Thanks, One Smile at a Time
Big Help on a Local Level
Oral Health America
You Should Know: Climb for a Cause
In This Issue: Where Should Prevention Begin?
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health Prada or Prevention: A Look at Public Health and Oral Health
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown May 2013