2025 Updates in Clinical Dentistry - Orange County, CA

For those of us on dental teams practicing non-surgical periodontal therapy, we have an array of tools at our disposal—some of which have remained unchanged for centuries, while others are brand new. With the rapidly evolving patient demographics and an even more quickly changing dental workforce, it is essential to find ways to make this vital service easier for both our team and our patients. 

Air abrasion has been used since the 1940s. In 2011, the introduction of sugar alcohols for cleaning teeth marked a significant advancement. This innovation allows us to clean sub-gingivally, as well as on root surfaces and implant surfaces, effectively altering the biofilm and significantly improving our patients' health. 

The changes in the biofilm not only decrease the risk of oral diseases but also reduce the risks of pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.

Addressing the Future of Those Who Have Come Before Us

According to the Retirement Income Institute at the Alliance for Lifetime Income, more than 11,200 people turn 65 every day in the United States, or over 4.1 million every year, from 2024 through 2027. This includes 10,000 baby boomers who are reaching retirement age every day.

As our medical system advances, patients are living longer than ever before. Unfortunately our ability to extend the human lifespan has created a new subset of problems for dentistry. That means for many people, the medical system has now extended patients’ lives but has also exceeded our ability to truly provide ‘quality of life’ for a huge number of individuals.

The question has become “how do we care for those who struggle to care for themselves?” The numbers of people over the age of 65 continues to increase at near exponential rates. How do we provide dignity and care for those upon whose shoulders we have stood to reach our current levels of advancement?

Maintaining effective infection control practices within all dental clinics is vital to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both patients and the dental team. This presentation will provide a comprehensive review of the current CDC’s infection control recommendations, focusing on hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), instrument sterilization, environmental disinfection, and dental unit waterline safety. Participants will learn practical implementation strategies, focus on opportunities to align their respective clinic’s infection control practice policies to that of the published CDC guidelines. By applying these evidence-based recommendations, dental professionals can enhance patient care while maintaining a safe and compliant clinical environment.

Reconstructing the Eroded dentition with bonded ceramics.

The prevalence of eroded dentition can vary anywhere from 29~100% in adult population with 3% showing severe signs of erosion. When patients display signs of occlusal dysfunction in addition to dental erosion, the treatment prognosis can become unpredictable. This can lead to restorations breaking prematurely, unsatisfied patients, and frustrated clinicians. This lecture will point out the risk factors in treating patients with eroded dentition and lay out the treatment planning process and bonding protocols to reduce restorative failures.

Acknowledging safe dental unit water as a fundamental standard of care marks a critical evolution in dentistry. This presentation addresses this emerging imperative, underscoring the necessity for dental practices to elevate their protocols to meet these minimum standards. It outlines the essential steps for ensuring water safety, including proper testing, treatment, and shocking procedures tailored for dental settings. This presentation stresses the importance of designating an infection control coordinator to spearhead these initiatives, ensuring that dental care providers not only meet but exceed the expectations in patient safety and care.