salivary diagnostics

Interview with Jessie Jones RDH, MSDH

Posted on by Jessie Jones RDH MSDH
Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you were introduced to OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Jessie RDH: A fellow hygienist and friend of mine had used salivary diagnostics in her practice and she introduced me to the concept a few years ago. She knew how tuned in I was to the concept of the oral- systemic link, so I was immediately excited when she told me about OralDNA® Labs’ testing. I felt it was important for me to learn more because I wanted to do the best for my patients. Providing salivary di...
Read More

Is A Medical Model Right for Your Practice? Part 2: Two Visit New Patient Appointments

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
Last week in Part 1, I introduced telehealth as an option to build value into your diagnosis and treatment plan. Since a one-visit new patient system presents some challenges, other than for patients who are very healthy, here is another option to consider. A two-visit new patient process similar to the medical model, especially for patients with more involved issues. This is the model most hygienists and dentists were taught in school. It’s only in private practice that the one-visit model ...
Read More

Is A Medical Model Right for Your Practice? Part 1: Telehealth

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
When you go to a primary care physician for a routine examination, chances are you’ll get weighed, have your “vitals” (blood pressure, temp, pulse) taken, have your lungs and chest listened to, ears, nose and mouth explored. Perhaps they’ll take an EKG to monitor your heart. Lastly, they’ll ask you to provide a urine sample and have blood taken so some lab tests can be run. What happens afterwards? Since the results of your urinalysis and blood work take several days to get back, ther...
Read More

Interview with Dr. Caleb Robinson DDS

Posted on 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...
Read More

Neglected Active Periodontal Disease

Posted on by Chelsea Gonzales DDS
Challenge: A new patient, 59-year-old male, presents to our office with no specific concerns. However, a previous provider recommended a “deep cleaning.” This “deep cleaning” treatment was never completed. Patient has 4 fully erupted wisdom teeth that are difficult to access for daily cleaning. Background: Age 59 Sex: Male Medical History: High Blood Pressure but is taking medication Last Dental Exam: 2019 Home Care: Manual toothbrush 2x daily, baking soda with peroxide, ...
Read More

What’s a “Hygiene Visit” Worth? With Dr. Michael Goldberg

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
Price becomes an objection when a patient does not perceive “meaningful value.” Without such a value-based context, people use money as a benchmark. Is your hygiene visit worth $39, $59, $99 or more? Or is it only worth it if the “insurance will cover it?” And now that the new hygienist you just hired is making 20% more than the previous one, how does that figure into the profitability of the practice? We are in complex times, made more intense by the pandemic-effect, which acceler...
Read More

Words of Wisdom from Dr. John Kempton

Posted on by John Kempton DDS
Every patient is different. Overcoming a patient’s obstacles to treatment may take some finesse. The diagnosis and treatment plan are typically the easier task. In this series, we have asked the experts from our Protocol Directory, “How would they help the patient overcome their obstacle(s)?” When we asked Dr. John Kempton from LAUNCH Oral Systemic Health to respond to “That’s more than I was expecting,” here is his approach. When patients respond to our consultation with “That’s more than...
Read More

Oral Systemic Links Through the Eyes of a Gen Z

Posted on by Kavya Kadakia
My name is Kavya Kadakia and I am a 9th grade student in Southern California. As a freshman, I got a wonderful opportunity to execute a science fair experiment. I pondered upon topic ideas for my science fair project for a while. My mom, a dentist, talks about her dental work within the house including patient struggles, small discoveries within the dental community, and many talks about the Mouth-Body Connection®. Ironically, I never considered dentists real doctors. Yeah definitely, a smart mo...
Read More

Who Guides Your Patients To Their Destination? with Dr. Michael Goldberg

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
In my last blog, I discussed the value for, and the tactics involved in trying to discover a patient’s WHY. Recent events and the effect that inflation has, and will continue to have, on all our lives for the foreseeable future, makes this exercise of utmost urgency in your practice. In light of this new reality, I would like to propose that you consider reframing each and every role in the dental practice. If your treatment is not presented in the right light, towards a patient-relevant bene...
Read More

Why? What? How? with Dr. Michael Goldberg

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
WHY?…WHAT?…HOW? This is a philosophy that is often taught in dental and hygiene schools: Diagnose, Treatment Plan, then Treat. And yet, immediately after this is taught, a focus is placed on learning treatment, or the HOW. And then upon graduation the focus also becomes on treatment and production. The diagnosis (WHY) and planning (WHAT) become secondary. They’re only an avenue to an end…Production, a means to an end. That’s where the money is. In a nutshell, that’s the problem with...
Read More