Interview with Dental Creations Dental Hygiene Team

  Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how OralDNA® salivary diagnostics fits into your practice. Dental Creations RDH team: We encourage MyPerioPath® testing for all patients that have 5+ mm pockets and 8 or more areas of bleeding on probing. We explain to the patient that our goal is to identify any pathogens that are detrimental to the whole body, but also to be able to treatment plan according to those specific pathogens to manage them. In addition, we explain these measures are to avoid the ...
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A Higher Standard of Care

For many years now, research has shown that there is a mouth body connection. In other words, what is happening in the mouth can impact what is happening with the body! In order for someone to have good health, they need to have good oral health. Unfortunately, periodontal disease is silent, as it does not hurt until it is severe. The minimal pain factor as periodontal disease develops may be why 80% of the United States population is suffering from periodontal disease. In the next paragraphs ...
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MOUTH-COVID CONNECTION

Researchers around the world are combining efforts to increase our understanding of SARS- CoV-2, and recent findings point to the potential role of cytokine storms in the severity of this viral infection. High Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels have been linked to significantly higher risk for pulmonary complications and increased need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients. As dental professionals try to establish a new normal in their practices, they play a significant role in decreasing t...
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Where Do I Start?

When health care professionals finish their schooling, they take a professional oath before beginning the practice of their chosen field. The words in each oath may be different, but the premise is the same. For example, in the dental hygiene oath, there is a pledge to continually improve my professional knowledge and skills and to uphold the highest standards. I worked in private practice dental hygiene for 7 years and through continuing education seminars, I realized I was not stepping ...
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Interview with Dr. Kusek DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Thank you for your continued support of our testing services. You have been a legacy provider since early 2011. Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Edward Kusek DDS: Most of my testing consists of MyPerioID® IL-6 to pre-determine if patients have a susceptibility to periodontal disease and may be at higher risk for implant placement.  In the past, MyPerioPath® provided an objective measure to aid in a study I was conducting for the use of laser detoxication o...
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COVID-19 RT-PCR testing in dentistry

As a dentist, seeing patients during this pandemic of COVID-19 is a challenge. The measures put forth by the CDC and updated guidelines for infection control have added a sense of security for the entire team, along with present and future patients. Personal protective equipment (PPE) aids in protecting the clinical team. However, we now know that the droplets generated from aerosol-generating procedures (AGP), which are inherent to dentistry, stay in the room for longer than originally thou...
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Reduce Dental Benefit Hassles and Help Your Patients Say “YES”

  Wouldn’t it be great if you never had to deal with a denied claim again? One way to help prevent these hassles is by having more diagnostic information from the beginning! The quantitative results that you receive in a salivary diagnostics report gives you a measurable overview of a patient’s bacterial profile as well as risk level—both of which provide crucial evidence for your best chance at insurance coverage. (You’ll also have a great baseline from which you can assess the effi...
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Take Control & Sense of Security

As your dental practice opens its doors, answering questions of safety can be one of the many stressors on your mind. This blog will highlight ways to help take control and provide a sense of security. For example, during the mandated shut down dental practices were diligently working, securing limited personal protective equipment (PPE), and studying the ever-changing guidelines. Obtaining the appropriate PPE and conducting necessary training is one way of taking control and providing a sen...
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Connecting the Mouth and the Brain Through Bacteria

There are many diseases that people never want to hear they have. Cancer is a gut-wrenching diagnosis and with it comes images of enduring chemotherapy and/or radiation. For many decades having cancer meant a probable death. Medicine has come a long way in cancer treatment and many who receive treatments become survivors. In addition to better survival rates from certain types of cancer, deaths from heart disease and stroke have also been reduced in recent years. One diagnosis that has no...
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COVID-19: A Primer for the Dental Professional Part 1

The pandemic caused by the virus, SARS-CoV-2, has descended upon us with a speed and seriousness unprecedented in our modern history. The virus causing the disease called COVID-19 has been revealed to be both stealthy as well as terribly dramatic. The virus and the disease have taken not only the health and lives of many in our country, but also, in the effort to stem the pandemic, our economy as well. As we look forward to an ebb in the number of newly afflicted persons, it is important to ...
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