Making assumptions can have serious consequences, as this cautionary case illustrates.

A hygienist member of Dental Protection contacted us to report that the practice she worked in had received a strongly worded telephone complaint concerning the provision of periodontal therapy, which included the removal of calculus and root surface debridement.

Allocate sufficient time to form a diagnosis & record both the diagnosis and the treatment indicated in the patient’s record.

As a fresh graduate, I started working in the public system in a small country town with another graduate and a mentor/senior dentist who would come by a few times a month to extract wisdom teeth.