In this era of trying to differentiate yourself from the provider down the street, a simple solution is incorporating OralDNA® salivary testing services. Imagine a patient who has had periodontal disease and has seen several dentists and periodontists in the past. They may have been told they have pockets, but what do pockets mean to a patient? Perhaps a lot, but only if they have been properly educated about the consequences of a pocket deepening.
Let’s look at this from another perspective. Does the patient understand the disease process? For most, the answer is a clear “No.” Even if the clinician explains the disease process, the patient often has the question, “Why am I getting the disease in the first place?” followed by “Why am I getting the same problem again and again and again?” With a simple 30 second swish and gargle to collect a saliva sample, we may be able to provide an answer to these types of questions.
MyPerioPath® results, obtained from lab analysis of the saliva sample, are presented in an easily readable graph that makes sense to patients. The test screens for 11 oral pathogens and groups the pathogens by risk, portrayed by the colors red, yellow (orange), and green. Patients can intuitively relate the color of red as danger, and yellow as caution.
The MyPerioPath® lab report can create an “Aha Moment” for the patient. They might think, “Oh, now I see why I am getting the disease. I have a bacterial infection. Will that respond to an antibiotic?” Now the patient is engaged and asking questions. A potential response from a periodontist could be, “Yes, part of it will respond to an antibiotic because some of the bacteria are in your gum tissue. But to address the bacteria on the root surfaces, antibiotics won’t be effective, and scaling and root planing will be required.” For the general dentist, you may be limited in what you can do as traditional scaling and root planing is successful only to a depth of 4 mm. below the gingival margin. If your patient needs more help than that, a periodontist may be a good choice for that patient.
Securing MyPerioPath® results is something you can do that no one else has likely ever done for the patient. Offering OralDNA® testing is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from other practices and increase treatment acceptance. There is no investment in equipment, only the desire to increase your level of diagnosis and effectively treat the patients’ periodontal disease. When a patient asks “Why?” you can provide answers with OralDNA® salivary tests and do something no one else has done before.
For more insight from Dr. Sheldon, visit The Institute for Dental Specialists page of our Protocol Directory.
We hope you enjoyed the throwback blog. This interview originally posted 09/27/2019.
He was the Chairman of the dental department at Holmes Regional Medical Center. He has chaired the Brevard Study Club since 1995, bringing dental continuing education to Brevard County dentists. As an associate clinical professor in the University of Florida College of Dentistry’s graduate department of periodontology for over eight years, he helped train periodontists of the future. He, along with our office manager, Danyel Salmela, are founders of the Institute for Dental Specialists. They have lectured at national and regional periodontal meetings in nearly every area of the U.S.A.
Dr. Sheldon was the first dentist from central Florida to use computer-guided surgery for implant placement. He was also the first to use the dental endoscope to assist in the effective nonsurgical treatment of gum disease. These innovations have led to the Solid Bite concept, providing beautiful, functional and efficient dental restorations.
As an author, Dr Sheldon has answered questions such as “Do you feel that there are no dental answers for you?” "The Ultimate Mouth Manual,"is authored by Drs. Sheldon, Sheldon, and Furtado and the book available in book stores, which contains information patients need to make dental decisions in the 21st century!
Dr. Sheldon is also a regular contributor to the column, “Focus on Seniors,” in the Senior Scene Magazine. His topics range from dental care to overall health care. He is also a regular panelist on the Focus on Seniors programs on radio and television, as well as a sought-after speaker on health care and nutritional topics.
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