DentaltownUK April 2018 - 5

mike gow

column

Dentaltown Message Boards
The press has been awash with concerns
over data privacy in social media, thanks to
the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and many
people have vowed to cancel their accounts. I
use social media to connect and communicate
with colleagues and friends, and I'll continue to
do so (albeit carefully). There are some excellent
Facebook groups with dentists connecting and
sharing cases, techniques and information, and
it would be a shame to lose these.
Dentaltown's forum and message boards
tick all of the above boxes as well, with the
added advantage of being free from data
privacy concerns. (You can even keep your
profile anonymous, if you prefer.) It's also out
of the public eye; access is restricted to dental
professionals, so Townies have more freedom
to discuss cases and professional concerns.
You may have noticed that each issue of
DentaltownUK includes an excerpt from at
least one clinical discussion that's active on the
forum. There are many categories of boards to
post in, and with more than 5 million posts, the
Dentaltown message boards are well established
and full of active dentist members.
It's free to register, so please sign up and
join in the Townie community. I wonder which
of the following boards you'll post in first?

Some message board categories
*

Anesthesiology: Posts include discussions about medications, techniques,
fees, news and education.
Associations and Organizations:
Forums focus on associations and
organizations in dentistry (such as the
British Dental Health Foundation), as
well as large group dentistry and DSOs.
CAD-CAM and Digital Impression
Technologies/Computers and Software:
Forums include general CAD/CAM
topics, Cerec, E4D, and digital impressions with Lava COS 3M ESPE, Itero,
Cerec Connect and 3-D printing.

Cosmetic Dentistry: Forums include
cosmetic dentistry, bleaching and
whitening, and Botox and dermal fillers.
Dental "Pearls": Where dentists weigh
in with ideas that solve everyday
problems in their practices-and toss
questions out to their peers as well.
Dental Students and Residents: Dental
students and residents share cases,
analyze career opportunities, discuss
NBDE and licensure exams, and talk
about student loans and scholarships.
Dentaltown Magazine: Digital editions
of every issue of Dentaltown magazine
published since 2001, and discussions
about the articles that appeared inside.
Dentistry in the News: Discussions
about dentistry-related news across the
world, and interesting "This Day in
Dental History" tidbits.
Endodontics: Forum topics include case
studies, cleaning and shaping techniques
and product selections.
Equipment & Supplies: Forums discuss
equipment, dental supplies, handpieces,
personal evaluations and recommendations, new products and more.
Finance: Forums discuss bookkeeping,
as well as financing for equipment leases
and purchases, financing for practice
acquisitions and expansion efforts,
patient finance plans, personal finance
and taxes.
Radiology (Imaging) and Photography:
Forums in intraoral cameras, transmission of images to payers and providers,
cone beam CT scanning, digital
radiography, photographic radiography
and photography.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery: Townies
share case studies, take online CE, and
ask questions about clinical challenges.
Practice Management: Everything
related to running a practice. ■

by Mike Gow BDS (Gla) MFDS RCPS (Gla) MSc Hyp (Lon) PGCert (Edin), editor, DentaltownUK magazine
dentaltownuk.com \\ APRIL 2018

http://www.dentaltown.com/MessageBoard/ActiveTopics.aspx?s=2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK April 2018