Congratulations on a job well done. Gary J. K aplow itz, D.D.S., M.A., M.Ed. S ea ttle C A P R IC IO U S L IC E N S IN G SYSTEM
I cannot th an k you enough for your courageous call for action on licensure by credential. Such change is long overdue. How m any more lives need to be altered forever because of our capricious licensing system? A system th a t can deny dental licenses to some of the best students graduating from our dental colleges while granting licenses to lesser students. How m uch longer are we to allow the state boards of den tistry to practice obvious re stra in t of trade under the guise
of providing quality dentists for th eir citizens? Is it reasonable th a t a dentist is competent to practice in one state, but not in a state th a t boarders it? I’m sure th a t m ost state dental exam iners are honorable, well-intentioned people. F urther, when dental practi tioners were trained in barber shops by other “professionals,” perhaps such exams m ade some sense, but we no longer exist in those pioneer conditions. In addition to the basic fairness concerns th a t cry out for redress, we should consider how m uch more valuable all of our established practices would be if they could be offered to all dentists. As it is, we are lim ited to the small num ber of dentists who are licensed in our state. O ur present system m akes no
sense. It does not stand up to objective analysis. It should be changed for all of us, the dentists and the public. C. S tep h en B u rgn er, D.D.S. B ou rb on n ais, 111. LO C A L A N E S T H E T IC FA IL U R E
I ju st read the article, “Reasons for Local Anesthetic F ailure” (January). The article was excellent but one statem ent seemed grossly inaccurate. Assuming there are 100,000 dentists in the U nited States and four million adm inistrations of local anesthetic, th a t is 40 a year per dentist. Forty a week m ight be more accurate. This would be 200 million annually. D on ald R. M iller, D.D.S. Spring, T exas
O r a je l For smiles of relief from minor mouth pain For Denture Pain Denture Orajel®
For Toothache Regular or Maximum Strength Orajel®
For Painful Mouth and Up Sores Orajel Mouth-Aid®
• Rapid tem porary relief of denture “hot spots” • Special alcohol-free form ula for fast absorption and long duration Denture • Clinically proven efficacy
• Highly effective pain relief before and after dental visit • Works up to 30 minutes faster than internal I analgesics • Gel and liquid
• Unique triple-acting form ula for maximum strength pain relief •H e lp s dry up the sore • Kills germs that cause infection
ONLY FROM ORAJEL-THE MOUTH PAIN SPECIALIST A specific formula for every kind of minor mouth pain
•G e l and liquid © 1991 Commerce Drug Co.
I cannot th an k you enough for your courageous call for action on licensure by credential. Such change is long overdue. How m any more lives need to be altered forever because of our capricious licensing system? A system th a t can deny dental licenses to some of the best students graduating from our dental colleges while granting licenses to lesser students. How m uch longer are we to allow the state boards of den tistry to practice obvious re stra in t of trade under the guise
of providing quality dentists for th eir citizens? Is it reasonable th a t a dentist is competent to practice in one state, but not in a state th a t boarders it? I’m sure th a t m ost state dental exam iners are honorable, well-intentioned people. F urther, when dental practi tioners were trained in barber shops by other “professionals,” perhaps such exams m ade some sense, but we no longer exist in those pioneer conditions. In addition to the basic fairness concerns th a t cry out for redress, we should consider how m uch more valuable all of our established practices would be if they could be offered to all dentists. As it is, we are lim ited to the small num ber of dentists who are licensed in our state. O ur present system m akes no
sense. It does not stand up to objective analysis. It should be changed for all of us, the dentists and the public. C. S tep h en B u rgn er, D.D.S. B ou rb on n ais, 111. LO C A L A N E S T H E T IC FA IL U R E
I ju st read the article, “Reasons for Local Anesthetic F ailure” (January). The article was excellent but one statem ent seemed grossly inaccurate. Assuming there are 100,000 dentists in the U nited States and four million adm inistrations of local anesthetic, th a t is 40 a year per dentist. Forty a week m ight be more accurate. This would be 200 million annually. D on ald R. M iller, D.D.S. Spring, T exas
O r a je l For smiles of relief from minor mouth pain For Denture Pain Denture Orajel®
For Toothache Regular or Maximum Strength Orajel®
For Painful Mouth and Up Sores Orajel Mouth-Aid®
• Rapid tem porary relief of denture “hot spots” • Special alcohol-free form ula for fast absorption and long duration Denture • Clinically proven efficacy
• Highly effective pain relief before and after dental visit • Works up to 30 minutes faster than internal I analgesics • Gel and liquid
• Unique triple-acting form ula for maximum strength pain relief •H e lp s dry up the sore • Kills germs that cause infection
ONLY FROM ORAJEL-THE MOUTH PAIN SPECIALIST A specific formula for every kind of minor mouth pain
•G e l and liquid © 1991 Commerce Drug Co.
