Let’s face it: It can be hard to get away from the office to get to a dental exam. Plus, with so many adult Americans suffering from odontophobia (fear of the dentist), a lot of people simply don’t make it a priority. But what if you didn’t have to leave the office to get your dental exam? What if your dentist dropped by for a work-based house call and came to you? Well, the future is here and so is the dentist at a new startup that’s sending dentists to business offices to do in-office exams and cleanings for employees. The startup follows other oral health startups like those braces-by-mail companies. It offers dental exams and cleanings in the comfort of your own workplace, usually in an empty office or conference room. Great idea, right? Wrong! So, what’s the problem with in-office oral health? After all, it is a timesaver and would solve a big problem for many people. But there are bigger problems created by this type of dentistry. First of all, getting your teeth cleaned and scraped – something that can cause bleeding - is not something to do in a conference room where you just had a board meeting and celebrated Bob from HR’s 46th birthday. Dental offices are sterile environments that are cleaned thoroughly between patients. All materials used are either disposed of properly or sanitized properly. Most office conference rooms don’t have an autoclave sanitizer or proper disposal system for materials containing bodily fluids. Next, think about how your job makes you feel. Even if you love what you do, it can get stressful. Do you really want the stress and tension of being in the office added to the stress of being at the dentist? How can you relax if you spend your entire cleaning worrying about that big report that’s due in three hours? Most dental offices go the extra mile to make patients feel comfortable and relaxed during your visit. Finally, think about what may be required at your exam. Do you want your boss to see you in bitewings? Your HR person to hear you under nitrous oxide? Probably not. While in-office dentistry seems to have its heart in the right place, dentistry is one field that’s better left in-office: a dental office. To schedule an appointment with Dr. George, please call 724-220-2347.

Believe it or not, 2019 is just around the corner - yes, really! - which means it's time to tie up loose ends from 2018. For some, this means using up the remaining money in their flexible spending account before that money is gone on January 1, 2019. But what do you spend it on?

 As we age, it’s normal to experience many changes to our face and bodies that, let's be honest, aren’t too desirable. We slow down physically, our hair turns gray, and as our skin loses collagen, it becomes thinner and less elastic. Thankfully there are many options out there to help stave off the ravages of time for as long as possible. Staying physically fit can help keep us active long into our senior years, and a relaxing trip to the day spa can rejuvenate our spirits while it corrects our hair color. We can even eat a low-sugar diet, wear lotion with an SPF or get cosmetic treatments like Botox or fillers to help maintain a youthful glow. But sometimes these preventative measures just aren’t enough.

Sedation Safety Week. Admittedly, it probably doesn’t sound that exciting. After all, it’s a week about being sedated. Theoretically, it probably shouldn’t be exciting - but it should be informative, and that’s exactly what the 10th annual Sedation Safety Week was.

Here in Pennsylvania, our football team may be No. 1 (Go Eagles!), but, according to WalletHub, our oral health is seriously lacking. That’s because out of a study of all 50 states, the Keystone State ranked a dismal 29. That’s the bottom half of the nation’s oral health, and it means that 28 states are doing a better job with their oral health than we are. That’s nothing to smile about.

It’s hard to believe, but just 50 years ago, the idea of a female dentist was almost unheard of. In fact, according to the American Dental Association, in 1968 only 1 percent of dental students were women. Today that number hovers around 48 percent, or nearly half, but the number of practicing female dentists in America has yet to catch up. So, what’s behind these numbers, and what more can be done to encourage young women to enter the dental field?