Dental Hygiene: Looking Beyond

Posted on November 4, 2022November 2, 2022 by Barbara Tritz RDH

Dental health has never been more important. We know the mouth plays a critical role in systemic health. It is a bellwether for what is really happening deep within the body. The mouth is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine.” The infections we see clinically are symptoms of bigger problems, and vice versa; inflammation in the mouth affects the entire body. We know: 50% of the US population has some level of gum disease.1 Dementia affects 55 million people worldwide, and this n...

Unlock the Secret to Successful Medical – Dental Collaboration

Posted on October 28, 2022December 1, 2022 by Geralyn Beers RDH BS FAAOSH

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is on the rise in the United States. Until now it has been thought to be a terminal disease with no cure. However, all that is changing with the development of a precision medicine method called ReCODE (Reversal of COgnitive DEcline). This cutting-edge method has been taught around the world to physicians & health coaches and now the dental team has an exciting opportunity to get involved. As the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., AD is the most common type...

Active Periodontal Disease with Multiple Medical Complications

Posted on October 21, 2022October 20, 2022 by Brie Eickhoff RDH

Challenge: A patient with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and active periodontal disease, most recently was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, will receive periodontal therapy. Currently, proper home care is limited to the physical difficulties of MS. Background: A 58-year-old female presented on 4/17/2018 with a chief complaint of xerostomia and physical difficulties challenging a proper home care regimen. Due to living with MS for several years, the patient has partial left-side paralysis resulti...

Interview with Dr. Caleb Robinson DDS

Posted on September 9, 2022August 29, 2022 by Caleb A. Robinson DDS MBA

Dr. McGlennen: You have been using our testing services for over 13 years. Do you have a different approach today than your approach 10+ years ago? Caleb Robinson DDS: Without a doubt. In retrospect, our treatment from many years ago really seems like a “shot in the dark” against disease. We originally implemented salivary diagnostics as a helpful guide prior to treatment, to help us tailor the treatment to each patient’s specific case. Over the years we have progressed even further – now...

Probiotics Combined with Antibiotics Can Help

Posted on September 2, 2022August 29, 2022 by Ellie Campbell DO

Almost all of us will be faced with the need to take an antibiotic at some time. Certainly, they are overused in many instances, but can also be lifesaving. Besides killing the bacteria that are causing the infection, antibiotics can also wreak havoc with the gut microbes. If you think of your gut flora like a tropical rainforest with vast diversity, think of antibiotics as a slash and burn therapy that does not discriminate between friendly probiotic strains and pathogenic invaders. It i...

Inflammation is Key!

Posted on August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 by Susan Wingrove RDH, BS

It is now widely accepted and confirmed through research that there is an oral-systemic connection. The link between oral infection and certain systemic diseases has taken center stage, and inflammation is the key! Dental plaque/biofilm formation added to the inflammatory process can lead to periodontitis, peri-implantitis or other oral infections. It can reach an acute phase, initiating the inflammation cascade. Once inflammation is initiated around a natural tooth or an implant, tissue can ...

Sick and Tired of Patients Being… Sick and Tired?

Posted on July 1, 2022June 1, 2022 by Machell Hudson RDH

Me too! Day after day, patients dismiss their oral health, writing it off as “My gums have always bled.” Inside, my head was exploding, but outside my heart was opened. I knew that I had a chance to educate my patients to a whole new level of health. One where their energy would be boosted, risk to coronary heart disease would be lowered, and the chance of them developing diabetes would be significantly reduced. I became a hygienist on a mission. I instinctively knew that if things were g...

Periodontal Disease, Sleep, and a Water Bottle – What’s the Connection?

Posted on June 17, 2022June 1, 2022 by Jennifer Rooney, BSDH

Would you say that periodontal disease and sleep quality are related? The potentially toxic protein, beta amyloid, associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, disrupts the communication between brain cells, leading to cognitive dysfunction. One cause of beta amyloid plaque formation is the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) bacteria, Pg crosses the blood brain barrier in periodontal disease. This pathogen along with ten other bacterial strains are easily detectable with MyPerioPath®...

Everyone Has a Story

Posted on May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 by Kriston Reisnour RDH, BSDH, CCSH, COMS

Every patient that sits in your dental chair has a story. All stories have a beginning, middle, and end, as does life. We have the wonderful opportunity to help our patients be able to live a long and productive one. Jumping to the middle of my story, my mom died at the age of 58 and my dad at age 60, both from end stage vascular diseases. They didn’t get a chance to enjoy their children into their adult years, get time with their grandchildren, or even meet their great grandchildren. I, like ma...

How Do You Speak Testing? With Katherine Gutierrez RDH

Posted on April 22, 2022August 14, 2024 by Katherine Gutierrez

Patient Bio: Your patient is 34 years old, and she is new to your practice. She recently moved back to the area to be closer to her father who was recently diagnosed with dementia. Her partner and two children will also be joining your practice soon. She is not taking any medications and her last dental visit was before she moved about 9 months ago. She presents with these clinical signs. How would you introduce therapy including MyPerioPath® to this patient? In our practice, the doc...