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Dentistry

Saving lives and improving the overall health of our patients

Oct. 4, 2017

Dr. Stacey Simmons, editorial director for Breakthrough Clinical: "To the majority of the general public, we fix, drill, and yank out teeth. Right? Here’s the deal: While we may not be general practitioners or heart surgeons, we are doctors, and what we do clinically can have an impact on our patients' overall health, and—yes—we can even save lives."

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS, Editorial Director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical e-newsletter

To the majority of the general public, we fix, drill, and yank out teeth. Right? Here’s the deal: While we may not be general practitioners or heart surgeons, we are doctors, and what we do clinically can have an impact on our patients' overall health, and—yes—we can even save lives.

Editor's note: This article first appeared in DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Find out more about the clinical specialties newsletter created just for dentists, and subscribe here.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, SAVING PEOPLE'S LIVES AND IMPROVING their overall health and well-being are things not associated with dentistry. To the majority of the general public, we fix, drill, and yank out teeth. Right?

Here’s the deal: While we may not be general practitioners or heart surgeons, we are doctors, and what we do clinically can have an impact on our patients' overall health, and—yes—we can even save lives. That’s what this month’s articles drive home.

Exactly how can new dental imaging have the potential to screen for diseases and subsequently save a patient’s life? Radiologist Dr. Oksana Bandura explains how this technology has the potential to do just that.

Can changing the occlusion open the airway enough to impact the health of patients? How does this correlate to sleep apnea? You have to read the article to find out! It’s a fascinating case report about occlusion, sleep apnea, and how marrying it all together can give everyone a better night’s sleep.

A patient noticed a white lesion under her hybrid All-On-4 prosthesis. The area had been biopsied five years earlier for a similar lesion that had been diagnosed as precancerous. Try your hand at this pathology case ... I dare you!

Just when you get comfortable with your day-to-day workings at the practice, I throw all this at you! Well, that’s my job and what I like to do. Here’s to keeping it real, my friends!

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS
Editorial Director, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS

LAST MONTH | 900-plus dental implants, 1 radiograph, and a case of the 'cat got your tongue'

For more articles about clinical dentistry, click here.

Editor's note: This article first appeared inDE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Find out more about the clinical specialties newsletter created just for dentists, andsubscribe here.

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS, is in private practice in Hamilton, Montana. She is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry. Dr. Simmons is a guest lecturer at the University of Montana in the Anatomy and Physiology Department. She is the editorial director of PennWell’s clinical dental specialties newsletter, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS, and a contributing author for DentistryIQ, Perio-Implant Advisory, and Dental Economics. Dr. Simmons can be reached at [email protected].

For the most current dental headlines, click here.

About the Author

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS | Editorial Director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical e-newsletter

Dr. Stacey Simmons grew up in Hamilton, Montana. She did part of her undergraduate work at Purdue University and then received her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Utah. After applying to both medical and dental school, she decided that dentistry was her career of choice. She received her DDS degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2004. In private practice, she focuses her care on prosthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. She is a guest lecturer in the Anatomy and Physiology Department at the University of Montana. Outside the office, she trains for triathlons and spends time with her family. You may contact Dr. Simmons by email at [email protected].

In 2015, Dr. Simmons became the editorial director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS, an e-newsletter focused on breaking through plateaus in clinical practice. Subscription information may be found here.

Updated May 4, 2016