Dr. Ronni Brown

As dentists, the quality of our work and the success of the restorations we place often comes down to the “margin”- the interface between the restoration and the tooth. The margin must be closed and sealed to prevent entry of cariogenic and periodontal pathogens, but it also needs to be well-contoured to prevent irritation and damage to the periodontium. But as dentists, is the restorative margin the only margin that defines our success or perhaps our failure? Last week, while …

Make no mistake about it…I am not Oprah! But I must admit that at the beginning of every holiday season, I enjoy looking at Oprah’s list of “favorite things”- many of them whimsical, fun, and unique. I decided to share with you My List of Dental Favorites…instruments and materials that have simplified my dental procedures. Look and even gift yourself this holiday season a more enjoyable practice of dentistry. Troll Foil This is the thinnest (4.5 microns) articulating foil on …

Being uncomfortable is just that uncomfortable, whether it is being in a room full of strangers, speaking in front of a large audience, or addressing the aspects of our patients’ lives that are impacting their oral, mental, and systemic well-being. Being uncomfortable is just that uncomfortable. Many of our patients are presenting to our offices with substance-use disorders. We see the oral manifestations, such as hyposalivation, blackened caries, and periodontal disease that confirm our suspicions but still leave us uncomfortable not …

Thank you Andrew for inviting me to return as a guest on A Tale of Two Hygienists Podcast! In this fascinating episode, Andrew and I tackle the hard conversations clinicians must have with patients with substance abuse conditions. You will learn how to create a gameplan for excellent communication in sometimes extraordinary circumstances. Listen below or visit A Tale of Two Hygienists website ≫

When wrapping up a restorative case, clinicians are looking for a nice finishing touch to the procedure and to send the patient off feeling good about the appointment. If the articulating product step gets messy or time-consuming, both the patient and the provider can start to feel stressed out and possibly end the procedure feeling dissatisfied. Noting that the product category is “not super sexy,” Dr. Brown was unsure just how much she could report about testing TrollFoil, or just …

The uncomfortable reality is this, no matter how many years you have practiced dentistry, no matter whether you are in private practice or public health setting, and no matter the race, gender, culture or socioeconomics of your patients, we all have patients with substance-use disorders. But how much do we really understand about substance-use disorders and its impact on the oral, behavioral and physical health of our patients? Read my full article “Blackened, broken, decayed teeth: Understanding and treating patients …

Dr. Ronni Brown joins Andrew Johnston, host of the podcast A Tale of Two Hygienists, to discuss the impact of methamphetamines on your patient’s oral health. Episode Highlights will include: Brown’s background What is Meth Mouth How is it different from sugar decay? Addiction stages Signs and symptoms Pharmacology Treatment planning This episode has FREE CE! Be sure to view your state guidelines to ensure this CE is applicable in your State.  

I must admit that I love to play games. One of my favorite dinner table games is 20 questions. In this game, a player picks a secret object from one of 4 categories (person, place, thing or animal). The other players have to guess what the secret object is by asking no more than 20 questions. Whoever guesses correctly, then selects the next secret object for the game. Each question asked should build upon what is known about the secret …

A few years ago, I was a guest on a dental podcast discussing and fielding questions from the interviewer about the oral effects of methamphetamine. Prior to the “live” podcast, we had discussed questions in advance, which I thought I had adequately prepared for. But then came that moment, that pregnant pause, when I was asked a question, that stumped me, but not for the obvious reasons! The question was not difficult in terms of its embedded content but the …

One of the biggest challenges that we face as dental professionals is treating patients with substance-use disorders. Addiction is a sensitive topic that is easily misunderstood, extremely sensitive and sometimes extremely personal! Although national statistics estimate that 1 out of every 10 Americans has a substance-use disorder…which means 1 out of every 10 of our patients…very little time is spent in pre-doctoral education training dentists on substance-use and dependency. (Substance use and dependence education in predoctoral dental curricula: results of …