As we all begin to live out the new normal triggered by the current pandemic, one thing that will never go back to normal is peoples’ views on the importance of health. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for many. There is a collective sense of the need to assess health, contemplating areas and practices we can improve and what we can do to prevent illness and disease in our bodies. As dental providers, the timing is right to capitalize on this movement towards health and wellness.
Now is the time to begin the discussions about how your oral health impacts overall health, and that you cannot be truly healthy if your mouth is in bad shape. Additionally, it’s important to make it clear that anyone with perfect homecare can still have these highly pathogenic bacteria lurking below the gumline, just waiting for the opportune time (when your immune system is weakened) to strike. Therefore, it is crucial for every person to know their bacterial baseline.
- What bacteria are they harboring?
- Are these bacteria currently impacting their overall health?
- Do they have a family history of heart attack, stroke, or Alzheimer’s?
A patient’s MyPerioPath® lab results, from a simple oral rinse collection, could prove invaluable in the prevention of future disease because we are able to address the issue now. Knowledge is power, and once you as a provider know what you are dealing with on a bacterial level, you can give your patients the necessary adjunct therapies and tools to better manage the bacteria which are part of the oral microbiome.
This pandemic is the perfect facilitator for meaningful health conversations to be had. Do not miss this opportunity. The time is now to be a partner in your patients’ journey to health and wellness. Many dental professionals are afraid to step up to the plate and be a warrior for oral-systemic health. Gone are the days when hygiene appointments are just about scraping and dental appointments are just about fillings. We are no longer selling treatment. We are selling an outcome where the ideal is a lack of chronic inflammation, and a healthy oral microbiome. Dental providers play an integral part in a patient’s overall health. The time is now to advocate for tests such as the services of OralDNA® Labs. After all, this could be the test that changes someone’s health trajectory forever.
If you are seeking guidance to help your practice achieve this level of care, please visit the Protocol Directory, and discover more about Growth Mindset Dental Consultants.
For more information on how to become an OralDNA Provider – scan HERE: 
- The Time is Now: How COVID-19 has Awakened a Desire for Wellness - December 4, 2020
- Interview with Shira Newman RDH - August 7, 2020