Gratitude Beyond the Feast

Posted on November 24, 2023November 22, 2023 by Abby McMillan

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday marked by a feast. The Thanksgiving season invites us to pause, take a breath, and acknowledge the blessings that often go unnoticed in our day to day lives. Our team at OralDNA® Labs is grateful for each and every one of you and for your dedication to advancing patient care through salivary diagnostics. This Thanksgiving, we want to extend our thanks for your trust in our services and for allowing us to be a part of your commitment to your patients’ ...

How Do You Speak Joint/Musculoskeletal Health and Periodontal Disease To Your Patients?

Posted on November 17, 2023August 14, 2024 by Jill Wade DDS, MAGD

Dr. McGlennen: Like periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition. But unlike periodontitis, where the genesis of the inflammation is the complex infections in the gingival sulcus, the cause of RA is unknown. Recent studies, however, provide insights that, in part, oral bacteria play a role in evoking an abnormal immune response that then leads to joint disease. In a recent meta-analysis of 21 separate studies, there was a significantly increased risk of period...

Interview with Robert Benavides DDS

Posted on November 10, 2023November 10, 2023 by Robert Benavides DDS

Dr. McGlennen: What are the top two things to consider when you select a patient for testing? Robert Benavides DDS: It's crucial to evaluate both the Dental and Medical histories to understand their intricate interplay in the Mouth-Body Connection®. Our goal is to analyze how these histories manifest in our patient’s tissues. Utilizing objective testing data helps us discern deeper insights and offer more accurate and personalized treatment. Dr. McGlennen: What are the biggest benefits to usi...

OralDNA® Labs’ Consultation and Clinical Coaching Services

Posted on November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 by Amanda Seaton, B.S.

With our network of OralDNA® providers growing every day, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce our Director of Clinical Education, Diane Larson, RDH, BSDH to our new providers. Diane is an essential asset to our team and has a wealth of knowledge to share. She has over 20 years of dental experience and is a member of the ADHA and MnDHA. Although she is no longer providing patient care chair side, her passion is helping clinicians provide a higher quality of care for their patients ...

The Journey to Becoming a Complex Care Hygienist

Posted on October 20, 2023December 20, 2023 by Sandy Sheffler RDH

My name is Sandy Sheffler, and I have been a registered dental hygienist in the State of Maryland since 1973. For the last 45 years, I have been very fortunate to work in very progressive dental offices. In 1988, I was introduced to Dr. Paul Keyes, dental researcher and director of the National Institute of Dental Research and the developer of the Keyes Technique – a 7 step system to periodontal health. He was among the first dentists to associate pathogenic bacteria with dental diseases. Th...

An Introduction to the History of Clinical Laboratory Testing

Posted on October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH

Clinical laboratory testing isn’t something newly developed in the era of the COVID pandemic. You have been a patient throughout your life, and I can guarantee there has been a laboratory test performed on you at least once, if not every time you are seen by a medical doctor. Hippocrates, in early 300 BC, was noted to use rudimentary tests on human fluids. However, just over a century ago the first clinical laboratories appeared in modern countries such as the United Kingdom and the United S...

The Transformative Power of Salivary Diagnostics in Dentistry for Personalized Care in the Mouth-Body Connection Era

Posted on September 15, 2023September 13, 2023 by Robert Benavides DDS

There's an age-old saying, "Change is the only constant." In the field of dentistry, we've seen many evolutions, from the tools we use to the methods we apply. One such evolution that had a deep impact on our practice is the introduction of salivary diagnostics. At first glance, like many others, we considered this technology to be disruptive. Yet, upon deeper reflection and application, it has woven seamlessly into our clinical culture, enhancing patient care and experience. Periodontal dise...

Salivary Diagnostics: The Frontier Uniting Medical and Dental Professionals

Posted on September 8, 2023September 7, 2023 by Jamie Dooley RDH BIS

Your saliva has a story to tell about your health. The oral microbiome can alter the balance between health and disease, locally and systemically. Within the oral cavity, bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, and viruses may all be found, each having a particular role, but strongly interacting with each other and with the host, in sickness or in health. Early diagnosis of disease, quantification of disease, and prognosis of the treatment are vital steps in controlling and preventing the diseas...

Be the Guide, Not the Hero

Posted on September 1, 2023August 28, 2023 by Debbie Ozment DDS MS, NBC-HWC, ABAAHP

We care deeply for our patient family and are oral-systemic experts. Because we have invested enormous amounts of time and money in quality education, we know best what people need for strong teeth and a long health span. Our patients appreciate this and always listen intently to what we tell them they need to do. They happily reach into their wallets and hand us their credit card. Right? In my 34 years of clinical experience: Wrong! People buy what they want, not necessarily what they nee...

How Do You Speak Testing? With Karina Diaz, BASDH, CRDH

Posted on August 25, 2023August 14, 2024 by Karina Diaz BASDH, CRDH

Patient Bio: A new patient, female, age 41 appointed to your practice. Upon medical history review, she is currently not taking any medications, only nutritional supplements recommended by her dietician. Her family history revealed her father has cardiovascular disease and sister has Type 2 diabetes. Completing the periodontal assessment identified: How would you introduce therapy including MyPerioPath® to this patient? (Patient) we understand that the health of our mouths and the heal...