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, Words of Wisdom, we have asked the experts from our Protocol Directory “How would you help your patient overcome their obstacle(s)?”
Patient: “But it doesn’t hurt!”
Dr. Lee Sheldon: Helping the patient see what might be harming them even though it doesn’t hurt them can be more easily achieved by using a phase contrast microscope. The direct sampling of the patient’s plaque to a slide provides a concrete image that patients can’t ignore. It becomes real. OralDNA® Labs’ MyPerioPath® is the next step necessary to understand the specifics of the microbiology on the slide. Refusal of testing is uncommon. A simple phrase I use is “We’ll need to identify those bacteria so that we know if we need an antibiotic and what the best antibiotic might be.”
For those who don’t have a microscope, intraoral pictures also prove useful to help make the disease real. Here is a phrase I would use: “It feels as if this may be an aggressive disease. I’d like to send a sample of your saliva out to the lab so that we can identify the bacteria in your mouth.”
For more Words of Wisdom from Dr. Lee Sheldon, visit The Institute for Dental Specialists page of our Protocol Directory.
He was the Chairman of the dental department at Holmes Regional Medical Center. He has chaired the Brevard Study Club since 1995, bringing dental continuing education to Brevard County dentists. As an associate clinical professor in the University of Florida College of Dentistry’s graduate department of periodontology for over eight years, he helped train periodontists of the future. He, along with our office manager, Danyel Salmela, are founders of the Institute for Dental Specialists. They have lectured at national and regional periodontal meetings in nearly every area of the U.S.A.
Dr. Sheldon was the first dentist from central Florida to use computer-guided surgery for implant placement. He was also the first to use the dental endoscope to assist in the effective nonsurgical treatment of gum disease. These innovations have led to the Solid Bite concept, providing beautiful, functional and efficient dental restorations.
As an author, Dr Sheldon has answered questions such as “Do you feel that there are no dental answers for you?” "The Ultimate Mouth Manual,"is authored by Drs. Sheldon, Sheldon, and Furtado and the book available in book stores, which contains information patients need to make dental decisions in the 21st century!
Dr. Sheldon is also a regular contributor to the column, “Focus on Seniors,” in the Senior Scene Magazine. His topics range from dental care to overall health care. He is also a regular panelist on the Focus on Seniors programs on radio and television, as well as a sought-after speaker on health care and nutritional topics.
- Nobody Has Ever Done that Before - May 26, 2023
- Words of Wisdom from Lee Sheldon DDS - March 4, 2022
- A Common-Sense Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment Planning: Weekly Case Reviews with Dr. Lee Sheldon - January 15, 2021