Oral Health and Leaky Gut: The Surprising Connections

Posted on July 23, 2021July 12, 2021 by Karen Thomas MSc, CNS®, LN, ND, RDH BS, FDN-P, CHHC

Helping dental professionals recognize the interconnectedness between oral health, the gastrointestinal (GI) system, and overall wellness is my passion. As dental clinicians, it’s imperative to understand these connections because what happens in the mouth doesn’t stay in the mouth. Numerous health issues can be detected by educated and observant dental professionals—thus alerting patients to avoidable negative health consequences down the road. Does bad oral health affect the rest of the...

American Academy of Oral Systemic Health: Collaboration Cures

Posted on June 18, 2021June 9, 2021 by Tom Levine DDS

As a young dentist, you are faced with career decisions. Joining the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH) has been one of the best decisions I have made in my career. This organization and its mission, connecting medicine and dentistry to save lives, has encouraged me to look beyond the teeth by making me more aware of the importance of cardiovascular, metabolic, gut, and airway health. Connecting the dots between a patient’s oral and systemic health is where the next frontier i...

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...

Part 2: Build the Microscopic Army in Your Mouth to Fight Oral Cancer and Improve Dental Health

Posted on May 7, 2021May 20, 2021 by Cass Nelson-Dooley MS

Last week in part 1, oral cancer was defined with a potential cause being oral dysbiosis identified. This week, I will give supporting evidence of this connection along with strategies to avoid this dysbiosis. When we talk about an unhealthy microbiome, we often use the word, “dysbiosis.” Oral dysbiosis is a mouth that is unhealthy because the microorganisms are out of balance. An imbalanced microbiome may lead to symptoms or disease. Symptoms of Oral Dysbiosis: Bad breath Blee...

Part 1: Build the Microscopic Army in Your Mouth to Fight Oral Cancer and Improve Dental Health

Posted on April 30, 2021April 30, 2021 by Cass Nelson-Dooley MS

Oral Cancer Is No Match for a Healthy Oral Microbiome Fostering a healthy oral microbiome can fight oral and other cancers. That’s nothing to say for its benefits on cavities, root canal infections, and gum disease. Your friendly bacteria protect you from disease, fight tumors, cool off inflammation, and boost your immune system. Who wouldn’t want this army of microscopic warriors on their side?! In this two-part blog, you will learn that cancers can be caused by bacteria, viruses, ...

Ask Why? Medicine

Posted on April 23, 2021May 20, 2021 by Patti DeMatteis, RDH, AS

The balance between health and disease is delicate. When disease begins, restoring health may be a difficult journey. One strategy is to find the root cause(s) versus treating the symptoms of the disease. Defining the problem(s) and collecting the appropriate data will assist in identifying the cause. Prioritizing the cause(s), rather than the symptoms, will help implement necessary changes to re-establish health. It is easy to struggle with your health, especially when there is...

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 ...

Interview with PDS South Bay Joan To, DDS

Posted on March 12, 2021May 20, 2021 by Joan To, DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you heard about OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Joan To DDS: Originally, I was introduced to OralDNA® testing through Pacific Dental Services (PDS). However, implementing testing was slow to start until Dr. Shervin Molayem, my colleague and in-office periodontist, helped me. He shared his personal experience and success stories with OralDNA® testing and how he was able to take better care of his patients. I wanted that for my patients. Obviously, his motivation was...

How Do You Speak Testing?

Posted on March 5, 2021May 20, 2021 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...