How Do You Speak Testing? With Janice Kaeley DDS, MSD

Posted on June 4, 2021August 14, 2024 by Janice Kaeley DDS, MSD

Patient Background: A 41-year-old female patient is seen for a new patient exam. Her last dental appointment was 10 months ago. Today her primary concern is occasional bleeding gums with brushing. Currently, there are no medical conditions reported and no medications or supplements reported. The patient indicated she may be experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms, but this is not confirmed by a medical doctor. Upon dental examination, generalized 4mm to 6mm pockets were revealed with generaliz...

Interview with Rosie Jimenez RDH

Posted on May 28, 2021May 28, 2021 by Rosie Jimenez RDH

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Rosie RDH: Let me begin by sharing; I have been very fortunate to work in practices that support my passion for treating periodontal disease. My patients have benefited through the communication, assessment, and treatment I provide. I know there are hygienists who work under different conditions. My advice: stay strong, keep educating yourself on new technologies and keep asking to use these technologies. Our patients deser...

Why Join the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH)?

Posted on May 21, 2021May 19, 2021 by Susan Maples DDS

The length of my dental career has been shadowed by the declining health of our population. With great sadness, I have witnessed my patients arriving with new lists of lifestyle-related diagnoses and an assortment of medications, prescribed as “band-aids” for those ailments. In congruence, the ever-increasing prevalence of oral disease (caries, periodontitis, oropharyngeal cancer, and occlusal disease) has not surprised me. As a dedicated friend to my declining patients, I started looking fo...

Light the Flame of Awareness

Posted on May 14, 2021May 5, 2021 by Brittany Hill RDH

Incorporating OralDNA® testing into our practice has been a game changer. It finally gives us, the clinicians, an advantage when getting ahead of this progressive disease--periodontal disease. The research is mounting, periodontal pathogens do not just exist in your oral cavity; the bacteria can enter the bloodstream through inflamed periodontal tissue. Hence, the mouth is connected to the body and so are the pathogens. It is all linked. Now with MyPerioPath® results to show what periodontal...

The Co-management of an Esophageal Cancer Survivor

Posted on April 16, 2021May 20, 2021 by Camille Luke RDH MSDH

Background: The patient is a 75-year-old female with a history of esophageal cancer in 2013. The origin of the cancer was determined to be lichen planus. Surgical removal of the lesion occurred, and no reconstructive surgery was needed. However, post-surgery to present date, the patient experiences severe acid reflux and sleeps with her head elevated. She has great home dental care and follows a 3-month periodontal maintenance. During the head and neck exam, no significant findings were disc...

How Investing in Your Staff Pays Off in a Big Way

Posted on April 9, 2021May 20, 2021 by Reza Sanjar DMD

Payroll is one of the biggest expenses for any dental practice owner, taking up 24-28% of a standard practice’s income.1 If you are trying to increase your income and reduce your costs, you might be tempted to achieve this by hiring lower wage dental staff. While this notion might look great on paper, it does not work out as well in reality. In fact, it is likely to cost you more money overall. Instead, you should consider investing in quality staff to boost your practice’s revenue. No...

Interview with Eniko Loud DMD

Posted on April 2, 2021May 20, 2021 by Eniko Loud DMD IFMCP

Dr. McGlennen: Thank you for becoming an OralDNA® provider in 2016. What was the catalyst for bringing salivary diagnostics to your patient care? Eniko Loud DMD: I have taken courses in oral systemic health and functional medicine, then became familiar with the importance of the oral microbiome on the holobiome. The holobiome is the sum of all bacterial, fungal, viral populations that live inside and on the body - like the lung flora/biome which is secondary to the biome of the mouth and ...

Rule In or Rule Out — How to Add a Test

Posted on March 26, 2021December 14, 2022 by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH

The OralDNA® Labs preserved oral rinse collection kit comes at no cost to you and works for all tests on our test menu, with the exception of OraRisk® COVID 19 RT-PCR. The collection technique of a vigorous 30 second swish and gargle is efficient and effectively captures various DNA - bacterial, human, viral and fungal. The collected DNA from the oral cavity is analyzed to produce lab reports that help you make patient care decisions. When Alert 2™, MyPerioID® IL-6, or Celsus One™ are ord...

Re-assess and Re-focus in 2021

Posted on March 19, 2021May 20, 2021 by Jeanette Kern DDS

When it comes to your profitability and production for 2021, how are you doing so far this year? Are you on track to do what you hoped? And most of all, have you determined what improvements you want to incorporate into your practice for 2021? Many of us had the feeling that a giant pause button was pushed during our COVID lockdowns. How did you use that time? Did you take time for yourself? Did you reprioritize your relationships? How about your health, did you do any self-love or was it...

How Do You Speak Testing?

Posted on March 5, 2021August 14, 2024 by Leslie I. Bautista RDH

A common question of everyone doing something for the first time is “How?” Clinical laboratory testing is standard of care in the medical profession and while completing their degrees, our medical colleagues learned the “How.” For dental professionals, clinical laboratory testing is a newer concept. Clinical lab testing in dentistry marks a paradigm shift. We hope this series “How to Speak” provides insights into how to talk with your patients about optimal care. The guest author has...