Life & Death and a Saliva Test

Posted on August 10, 2018May 19, 2021 by Chris S Kammer DDS

Sometimes I get so frustrated with the profession of dentistry. Here is my case in point: Five oral originating pathogens have been identified as causative in the development of atherosclerosis by the BaleDoneen™ peer reviewed study published in the British Medical Journal. Wait a minute, so they concluded that these oral bacteria are causative of atherosclerosis? Seriously? Yes!! And in the last one hundred years, atherosclerosis has killed more Americans than any other disease. Atheroscler...

Patient with Dental Pain, Periodontal Disease & High Blood Pressure

Posted on August 3, 2018May 19, 2021 by Ashley Spooner DDS

Challenge: To address the dental concerns to resolve patient’s dental pain. To educate the patient on the connection between dental health and overall health. Background: The patient is a 37-year-old male who presented with a dental pain emergency. The home care is poor and patient has history of only seeking dental care for emergencies. Medically, the patient has hypothyroidism, hypertension, high cholesterol and significant difficulty breathing while asleep. The blood pressure reading o...

Interview with Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha

Posted on July 27, 2018May 19, 2021 by Lisa Marie Samaha, DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Dr. Samaha: OralDNA® testing has been a standard and integral part of our intake of all patients with periodontal disease since early 2007. Our practice is well known for our protocol of diagnosing and treating periodontal disease and increasing total health profiles. Although I am a general dentist, over 95% of our new patients have some form of periodontal disease, from gingivitis to advanced, aggressive levels and we do ...

An Uncontrolled Diabetic Patient – Referred by Physician

Posted on July 20, 2018May 19, 2021 by Mary Kay Carroll RDH

Background: The patient is a 41-year-old female who has not been seen by a dental professional since 2008 (10 years). The patient stated her chief concern as “My doctor said my uncontrolled diabetes could be caused by my mouth.” Other medical concerns are high blood pressure and acid reflux. The home care routine consisted of manual tooth brushing only. Following the periodontal assessment, the patient was diagnosed with active, localized, chronic periodontitis due to the present sub-gingiva...

Simple Strategies to Enhance Oral & Overall Health

Posted on July 13, 2018May 19, 2021 by Erika Spring RDH, MEd

As dental professionals, we all take the responsibility to present treatment cases to patients. Most often, the dental hygienist presents periodontal treatment plans to patients, but in reality, any team member could present this type of case. For example, if a new patient is seen on the doctor’s schedule and periodontal disease is the diagnosis, the dental assistant could have the opportunity to present the case. It is important that with any case presentation, the team is on the same page....

Establishing New Treatment Objectives for Periodontal Disease

Posted on June 22, 2018May 19, 2021 by John Kempton DDS

The principles of leadership that drive achievement have the practitioner state the objectives prior to initiating an action plan. Success is more certain and predictable, while any short falls become measurable and remedies are tied to the metrics of the initial objectives. The traditional treatment objectives for periodontal therapy have revolved around certain soft and hard tissue architectural end points and bleeding on probing. These standards have been in place for about 100 years a...

The Puzzle of Periodontal Disease

Posted on June 1, 2018May 19, 2021 by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH

As children, we are constantly exploring to see how things work. We are given books to explore what others have learned and puzzles help us to see how things fit together. As a dental hygienist, I use the puzzle analogy often when referring to periodontal disease. As oral health care professionals, we are trying to put pieces together to resolve or at minimum reduce the patient’s inflammation. To do so in a timely manner, we need to know as many of the pieces as possible. We all know the fru...

Interview with Dawnie Kildoo, DDS, MAGD

Posted on May 25, 2018May 19, 2021 by Dawnie Kildoo, DDS, MAGC

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how do you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Dr. Kildoo: We perform a MyPerioPath® on every patient with signs of periodontal disease. It gives us a more accurate diagnosis and helps us understand possible risk factors for other systemic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and strokes. Recently, we have been sending the results to the patient’s physician to help them understand the oral-systemic connection, too. Dr. McGlennen: What has been the physician’s ...

Testing and Coding Improving Patient’s Health

Posted on May 4, 2018May 19, 2021 by Patti DiGangi RDH BS

Periodontal disease starts with a biofilm-based infection that creates a wound that in turn, induces the inflammatory cascade responsible for the disease. This wound should be taken seriously! A variety of tests are available to determine risk, genetics, and the specific pathogens involved with periodontal disease. OralDNA® Labs salivary diagnostic testing helps improve oral health outcomes and enables patients to make more informed choices regarding their professional treatment and at-ho...

One Size Does Not Fit All

Posted on March 23, 2018May 19, 2021 by Sandra Lindo RDH

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory, polymicrobial, multifactorial disease that not only affects the periodontium but has also been linked with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. Periodontal disease is a silent disease that affects over 64 million Americans. Most are unaware they have it or possess the bacteria placing them at risk. The use of MyPerioPath® is essential in determining which bacteria are present. It is a key factor in pa...