After
caring for his patients' preventive and restorative needs for over 8 years, Dr.
Bruce Howell has decided to no longer practice at Longmont Dental Health - now
known as Dental Health Colorado Longmont (please read the
Google
&
Yelp
Reviews ).
In Dr. Howell's opinion, dentists are expected to
use their experience and clinical judgment in decisions about patient care.
During his 35+ year career as a practicing dentist and as an associate
professor at the University of Texas Dental School in Houston, he has been
dedicated to staying at the forefront of new dental technologies and techniques
when caring for his patients. Although he is familiar with and trains on new
technologies, from his experience, new technologies should never serve as a
substitute for a dentist's clinical judgment and should never dictate a course
of treatment.
In short, Dr. Howell refuses to drill on teeth based solely on
indications from a technology, including laser fluorescence.
The
Longmont Dental Health office recently purchased two Sopro cameras that are
based on laser fluorescence. This technology purports to assist in the early
detection of surface cavities (called occlusal caries). Quoting this
article,
"experts say the new devices are easily abused, and can lead to filling teeth
that are not decayed". Click
HERE for more
information on this laser technology. Depending solely on this technology can
result in over-diagnosing and over-treatment.
The Longmont Dental Health
office, where Dr. Howell formally cared for his patients, is part of a Boulder
based dental group.
Throughout the years, Dr. Howell has been aware that this group has
tried concepts including counting taste buds, taste testing, pH testing
saliva, and something called
Coda Kitchen. In Dr.
Howell's opinion, these are not mainstream concepts in the practice of
dentistry.
A recent concept adopted by this group is called "ProBiotic
Dentistry" which is marketed as helping patients to rid their mouths of "poo."
Dr. Howell does not agree with this marketing approach. He does not believe
that "ProBiotic Dentistry" is effective, but believes it is similar to other
non-mainstream concepts that the group has previously embraced.
Because
of Dr. Howell's objections to these concepts and other philosophical
differences on patient care, he ended his relationship with the group.
Dr. Howell is very happy to announce that
he has accepted a full time practice opportunity with the
Smile Generation Dental
Group (Pacific Dental), with office locations
throughout Colorado. He will again be able to provide same day crowns, onlays
and veneers using
Cerec
® CAD/CAM technology. Additionally, the group
has in-house specialists to take care of all your dental needs including an
orthodontist (for braces & Invisalign ®), a periodontist (who places implants and treats
advanced gum disease), an endodontist (who does root canals) and an oral
surgeon (for removal of wisdom teeth and other surgeries).
Please
check this site for updates as to when and where Dr. Howell will be available
for appointments. You can also call him on his personal cell phone at
303-641-7059. If you are
having a dental emergency, the Longmont location,
Longmont
Modern Dentistry in the heart of The Village at the Peaks, can help
you.
Dr. Howell's new website is
www.BruceHowellDDS.com
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