Author: Adam Thomas

Global supply chain issues have been effecting a lot of people over the last several months, causing price increases and product shortages. This has had many concerned for the future of the economy. Recently, however, an International Chamber of Shipping chair, Esben Poulsson, shared some encouraging news.

THE WORST IS OVER

In a November 23rd appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia, Poulsson said that retailers made a “significant level” of pre-orders which should help ease some product shortages. He also said that new container ships have been built and will slowly add to capacity over the next few years. Take a look at that interview here:

The Wall Street Journal also reported that the supply chain problems show signs of easing, claiming that costs for transporting ocean freight have come down from record-level highs.

PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST

Some of the issues that caused the crisis to begin with still persist. For example, regional COVID outbreaks, strong consumer demands, port congestion and truck driver shortages are all problems that still plague the system. Another issue that Esben Poulsson touched on in his interview is mandatory vaccines for travel have made it difficult for some ship crew members to travel to the ports where they work.

Another blow to the recovery would be if the global response to the new Omicron variant is as stringent as the response to the Delta variant. Per Hong of Kearney, a global management consulting firm, told CNBC, “A lot of unknowns, but Omicron is certainly setting up to be yet another test of resilience for global supply chains that were already under stress and in the midst of a lengthy healing process.”

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As I perused through some news, I ran across a headline from Delta Dental that stated “sugarless gum can be good for teeth.” Oh? I like sugar-free gum. Tell me more!

I began reading through the part of the article with detail about the origins of chewing gum and how gum sweetened with sugar isn’t so good. The first point about how sugarless gum can be good for your teeth focuses on the sweetener, xylitol.

XYLITOL

Sugar-free gum uses a variety of artificial sweeteners. One of the more popular sweeteners for sugarless gum today is a natural sweetener called xylitol. Delta Dental states that “xylitol has been proven to be an effective weapon fighting oral diseases.” In the statement, there is a link to another article by Delta Dental all about xylitol products.

Reading through the linked article, I found out how xylitol is extracted from plants, contains one-third of the calories as sugar and “has been proven to effectively prevent cavities when added to chewing gum… and other oral care products.” Great! Sign me up!

But wait, it takes about 20 grams of xylitol (or 20 sticks of gum) per day to work? Um, that seems a bit excessive. Who in the world would chew on 20 sticks of gum per day? Oh, and apparently xylitol can cause diarrhea and gas when consumed in excess. And, by the way, since “long-term side effects haven’t been extensively studied,” Delta Dental recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding women avoid xylitol.

So, basically, xylitol has been proven to prevent cavities in large quantities. However, large quantities of xylitol can cause unwanted health issues and pregnant or breastfeeding women should steer clear of it.

IS SUGAR-FREE GUM GOOD FOR TEETH, OR NOT?

Maybe. But, it’s unclear if the sweetener alternative, xylitol, really contributes to its perks. It’s more likely that the act of chewing any sugarless gum provides the most benefit. In the original article, Delta Dental writes:

“Chewing any sugar-free gum can greatly increase your flow of saliva, which may prevent tooth decay. That’s because the stronger flow of saliva removes sugars and neutralizes acids on your teeth. Increased saliva flow also reduces your risk of cavities because it contains calcium and phosphate that strengthen your teeth. In addition, increased saliva flow can temporarily improve effects of cavity-causing dry mouth, including bad breath.

If you chew sugar-free gum, it’s best to chew for 20 minutes after meals and snacks when the increased flow of saliva is most needed to help clean your mouth. Chewing sugar-free gum may also reduce stress, likely because of changes in brain chemicals as you chew. Stress is a factor in several oral health issues, including teeth grinding and clenching, mouth sores and gum disease.”

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Introducing the newly-redesigned EvoSALES mobile app, version 13.0, from Atlanta Based Systems. EvoSALES mobile app is the premier mobile CRM, ideal for salespeople or customer service representatives on the go. This app is available for all Android and Apple smart phone or tablet devices.

EvoSALES 13.0 can be used for adding notes for doctors or their cases, seeing sales details for an account based on departments and even by individual product, viewing invoice information and even seeing case details for those cases that are currently at your laboratory.

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November 1^st is National Brush Day (NBD). This ad campaign was first rolled out in August of 2012 and was designed to give parents ideas on how to get their kids to brush their teeth for two minutes, twice a day. What better day to discuss the importance of brushing your teeth properly with your children than the day after they consume a pound of sugar? The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives and the Ad Council really nailed the timing of this nationally-observed holiday.

INTRODUCTION

Dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in America. In an effort to try to improve this issue in The United States of America, The Dental Trade Alliance has taken on the responsibility of promoting NBD. This year’s marketing campaign includes National Brush Day awareness. The intent is to spread the word to families about making NBD a family affair. You can find more information about National Brush Day 2021 here.

OPPORTUNITY

Making brushing your teeth a family affair after Halloween this year is a great opportunity to teach your children how important oral health is to their overall wellbeing. It could be a starting point for your kids to develop an essential habit that will help ensure a healthy smile. If your children already have a healthy brushing routine, you could use National Brush Day to help reinforce those habits.

READ MORE…

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Back in March, LMT put out an informative article on how to protect your dental lab from cyber attacks. The piece discusses some of the more common vulnerabilities within your computer network and how to help keep your data from unwanted intruders.

FROM LMTMAG.COM

It was like something out of an episode of 24: Jim Thacker, CFO, Utah Valley Dental Lab (UVDL), walked into the Provo, UT, lab one Monday morning last October and found nearly every computer locked with a chilling message on the screen: “All of your data is encrypted. Your files are safe and will be returned to you after you pay us ransom.”

Fortuitously, UVDL had recently purchased a cyber insurance policy from CFC Underwriting, a U.K. company that specializes in cyber incident response, recovery and liability. CFC’s team took over as soon as Thacker discovered the attack. It negotiated with the hackers, covered the ransom fee and helped—with the assistance of the lab’s IT company—get the company back up and running in a week and a half.

“It was certainly the most mentally challenging crisis we’ve faced, like the stress of nine months of the pandemic crammed into eight days. All financial and case data was encrypted,…

READ MORE…*

*(Please note, you will need an lmtmag.com account to read entire article)

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Monday is the deadline for healthcare workers in New York State to get at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. With just 84% of New York hospital workers vaccinated as of September 22, tens of thousands of unvaccinated workers could lose their jobs and healthcare organizations may face critical staff shortages.

While staff in New York hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies must now be vaccinated in order to do their jobs, there’s no mention in the emergency order of a key group of providers: dentists.

Across the country, vaccine mandates haven’t consistently included dentists and the federal vaccine mandate for healthcare workers does not apply directly to dental offices.

READ MORE…

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Atlanta Based Systems is proud to introduce our newly redesigned EvoTECH mobile app, version 13.0. The EvoTECH mobile app is just one of Evolution’s technician productivity tools and is available on Apple iOS or Android smart phone and tablet devices.

EvoTECH 13.0 can be used by technicians to clock in and out, check cases in and out of their steps, view case notes, images and detailed case information.

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Did you know that one of the National Tooth Fairy Days just passed on August 22nd? Yeah, there’s actually TWO National Tooth Fairy Days. The other one is on February 28th. No one knows for sure, but it’s believed that the reason for a double dose of the fairy-themed day has something to do with American Dental Association’s recommendation of two cleanings annually.

WHAT IS THE TOOTH FAIRY?

Many of you have grown up with fond memories of losing teeth because of the Tooth Fairy. If you’re unaware of the Tooth Fairy, she or he will visit you in your sleep whenever you lose a baby tooth. As long as you leave the tooth underneath your pillow the tooth fairy will take the tooth, leaving a prize (usually money) in its place! I mean, that sounds pretty awesome. What kid doesn’t like receiving a gift or money for something as simple as putting a lost tooth under their pillow?

In the 1920’s fairies were commonly used for different types of health education. These fairies were created to get kids to do things like eat their vegetables, wash behind their ears and get a good night’s rest. In 1927, Esther Watkins Arnold wrote a play about the Tooth Fairy. Schools began to perform the play the following year and kids have been getting visits from the Tooth Fairy ever since.

A WAY TO INSTILL GOOD ORAL HEALTH HABITS IN CHILDREN

“One in three parents agreed that Tooth Fairy visits are a positive way to instill good oral health habits in their children,” according to a survey conducted by Delta Dental.

About half say that the Tooth Fairy visits are exciting, special and fun for their kids. Emily O’Brien, Director of Strategic Communications for Delta Dental Plans Association, says “The Tooth Fairy tradition invites oral health conversations into households in an exciting and fun way…”

THE RISING COST OF BABY TEETH

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll conducted by Delta Dental has tracked how much the tiny fairy is willing to shell out for a child’s lost baby tooth. The average cost of a tooth was around $1.50 in 2001. The cost in 2021 seems to average around $4.70! That’s more than a 300% increase in 20 years. At this rate, our kids (I mean, the tiny, magical tooth fairy) will be paying around 15 bucks for a single tooth in 2040. Is this Tooth Fairy inflation? Well, not exactly.

The Tooth Fairy pricing poll has typically tracked with the economy’s overall direction and closely matched the trend of Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) index. So in 2040 your children (The Tooth Fairies of their time) might be paying around $15 for each of their kid’s teeth, but they’ll likely be paying a lot more most other things as well.

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If you haven’t heard, ABS has developed several mobile applications to work in conjunction with its dental lab management software suite, Evolution. These applications have recently been updated to our latest version, 13.0.

Among these, EvoDRIVER 13.0 is a silky-smooth mobile app that your local delivery drivers can use to manage the stops along their routes. This app gives them the ability to process deliveries and pickups, view and add notes, get directions to the doctor’s address, and even get signature verification.

Give your drivers the ability to know what stops they should be making in REAL-TIME. They can even get text notifications when pickups are added to their routes and see them updated, automatically, within the EvoDRIVER 13.0 application. New functionality within the app allows your drivers to pull up the doctor’s address in maps for step-by-step directions to the location. Another new feature lets the user tap on the phone number for the account to make a quick call to the doctor for any questions or clarification.

Key Features of EvoDRIVER Mobile App

• View doctors for today’s deliveries/pickups
• Pull up address in maps
• Add/view pickup notes
• Process completed deliveries/pickups
• Get signature verification
• Manage multiple routes

On Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021, Jennette’s Pier of North Carolina posted photos of a fish with human-looking teeth. The Facebook post lead to a barrage of mixed comments from a variety of the platform’s users.

FISHING FOR SHEEPSHEAD

Nathan Martin reeled in the 9-pound fish that almost appears to be wearing dentures. He said that he was out fishing with his twin brother on Monday when he pulled up a “mouth full of teeth.” Martin is a regular at the pier and went out that day in hopes of bagging one. “It’s a very good fight when you’re fighting on the line. it’s a really good catch, and it tastes very good,” he told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

The Sheepshead gets its name from its mouth full of teeth that resemble those of Sheep. This omnivorous species use their unique incisors and molars to crush and eat shellfish. And, believe it or not, these fish aren’t rare. They occur in abundance along the Atlantic coasts of the United States and are one of the most valued food-fishes of North America.

The 9-pounder that Martin reeled in is a good size Sheepshead, although they are know to grow up to 15 or 20 pounds. One reason you may not see a whole lot of people catching these is because of their notorious ability to steal bait off of a hook. That, combined with their black and white stripes, have earned Sheepshead the nickname “Convict Fish.”

MIXED REACTIONS

Some commenters confirmed that the fish is, in fact, very tasty, with one person writing: “Yum! Best tasting fish in the sea! Craving some fish tacos now!!”

Other users chimed in with comments like: “Good eating” and “delish!”

There were some who didn’t find the meal to be too appetizing, saying, “Nah, I’m not that hungry, thanks.”

DENTAL JOKES

As you can imagine, there were no shortage of dental jokes mixed in there. Here is just a sampling of some of the best (or worst) takes regarding the animal’s chompers:

“Is this where dentures come from?”

“That fish has better teeth than me”

“He definitely needs a cleaning! Lol”

“Bad dentist. Must look elsewhere.”

And, “Looks like he ate somebody’s dentures.”

EQUIP YOUR LAB FOR SUCCESS

If you’re looking for a dental lab management software that will help your lab create much more aesthetically-pleasing restorations for your doctors and their patients, take a look at Evolution. If you’d like to learn more about the best dental lab management solution available, feel free to contact us to schedule a free demo for your lab.