Bridging Oral and Systemic Health: Supporting Cancer Care Through Dentistry

At Lake Worth Modern Dentistry, we believe that oral health is deeply connected to overall wellness. One recent case powerfully illustrated how collaborative care between dental and medical teams can enhance a patient’s healing journey—especially during cancer treatment. A breast cancer patient came to us for a pre-chemoradiation dental clearance. Her oncologist and I coordinated closely to ensure her oral health would not compromise her systemic condition during therapy. We agreed to per...
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Flying Blind: A Wake-Up Call – Part Two

In Part 1 of this series, Dr. Michael Goldberg urged dental professionals to return to their scientific roots and rethink their diagnostic habits. Now, in Part 2, he turns his attention to another critical gap in care: what happens once the patient leaves the chair. Diagnosis without follow-through leaves patients—and practices—vulnerable. In this installment, Dr. Goldberg explores how to bridge that gap with personalized care, modern tools, and the right conversations that truly empower ...
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Throwback: Root Canal Therapy

“News flash! All root canal-treated teeth are infected!” If you are a licensed dentist or endodontist, that statement is likely to strike a nerve. Without question, our scientific understanding of bacterial infectious diseases in the oral microbiome has progressed more than ever in recent years. Testing services such as OralDNA® Labs, aid us by analyzing the pathogens living in the oral environment: I would call it a modern wonder. With so much progress in oral health care, it would stand to...
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Flying Blind: A Wake-Up Call – Part One

When I say “Flying Blind” no, I’m not talking about the air-control issues at Newark Airport. I’m talking about how we practice oral health care. Having taught in two universities, I have a pretty good idea of the curriculum dentists and hygienists receive. “Basic Sciences” dominate those early years: microbiology, immunology, physiology, anatomy, and pharmacology. Why? Because understanding the why behind disease matters. So here’s the real question: Why are those sciences all but aba...
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Saving Teeth, Avoiding Implants: Dr. Lee Sheldon’s Strategic Approach to Aggressive Periodontitis

When a 41-year-old woman came into Dr. Lee Sheldon’s office complaining of loose teeth and pain on both sides of her mouth, many would have jumped straight to extractions and implants. But Dr. Sheldon took a different approach: practical, conservative, and rooted in restoring function—not just filling spaces. “This is not just about saving a tooth,” says Dr. Sheldon. “It’s about reversing the stresses—bacterial, occlusal—and giving her back long-term function without implants.” Upon cl...
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An Imbalanced Oral Microbiome Can Cause Throat Cancer, But You Can Prevent It

Every April, there is a campaign to bring awareness to head and neck cancers. What exactly are head and neck cancers? Head and neck cancers affect the mouth, throat, sinuses and nose, salivary glands, or larynx (the voice box). Their hallmark is that they involve squamous cells, which line the mouth, throat, and sinuses—those wet, mucous-rich surfaces. How do head and neck cancers take hold? Cancer cells are damaged cells that can live forever. Cancer requires one or more of these proce...
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Learn Periodontal Precision with Dr. Doug Thompson – Virtual Access Now Available!

We’re thrilled to share an exciting course now available by the Kois Center, providing a groundbreaking step forward in dental hygiene education: The Digital Precision Periodontal Medicine & the Hygienist: A Critical Role for Maximum Health course is now live! This lecture series is now available both in-person (at the Kois Center in Seattle, WA) and virtually, allowing anyone, anywhere, access to resources that can expand their knowledge and transform their clinical practice. Our new...
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Oral Care Probiotics and Periodontal Health: A Clinical Case Study

How ProBiora Probiotics Turned Around a Severe Periodontal Case Periodontal disease can be notoriously difficult to treat, especially when it persists despite traditional and advanced therapies. This case study highlights how oral care probiotics, specifically ProBiora products, helped resolve a severe periodontal condition when other traditional methods failed. Patient Background A 52-year-old patient presented with a history of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Symptoms included b...
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Throwback: Side Effects Support LLC

As I started my first job in dentistry, my mother received a breast cancer diagnosis and suffered horribly with oral side effects from chemotherapy. Her pain from severe dry mouth and mouth sores (oral mucositis) was dismissed by her oncology team as “just part of treatments.” She received no guidance on how to prevent or reduce her discomfort and there were no oral care strategies implemented to prevent long-term damage to her dental health. Through questioning other cancer survivors, I le...
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Unlock the Power of Saliva: Mastering Salivary Testing Comes to Centennial, CO!

Are you ready to take your dental practice to the next level? If you’ve been looking to incorporate salivary diagnostics into your clinical offerings but don’t know where to start—or how to interpret the results—then this course is for you. Join Dr. Katie Lee at the new Collective Education Society on Friday, July 11, 2025, for Mastering Salivary Testing, an immersive in-person course led by Dr. Emily Stein, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Primal Health LLC. Dr. Stein’s expertise in microbio...
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