How Do You Speak Testing? With Donna Shook RDH

Posted on October 29, 2021October 21, 2021 by Donna Shook RDH

Patient Bio: New patient is a 66-year-old female. Per her records, her last active periodontal therapy was over 10 years ago. Her previous dentist just retired, and she is looking for a new dental home. Her home care consists of brushing twice a day with occasional flossing. The patient started smoking at age 18 and currently smokes 1 pack per day. She has expressed an interest in quitting. Medical history includes osteoporosis. How would you introduce therapy including MyPe...

Interview with Kristen King RDH

Posted on October 1, 2021October 12, 2021 by Kristen King BSDH

Dr. McGlennen: Tell our readers how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Kristen RDH: We recommend OralDNA® saliva testing on all patients that have bleeding/inflammation regardless of probe depths. We utilize MyPerioPath® for these patients to customize treatment plans and target the cause of the inflammation. We utilize a post MyPerioPath® test, called MyPerioProgress®, to measure the effectiveness of the therapy we provided. It is awesome to use an approach where we can have objective ...

How Do you Speak Testing? With Becky Comstedt RDH

Posted on July 30, 2021July 16, 2021 by Becky Comstedt RDH, BS

“How Do You Speak Testing” provides insight into how to talk with your patients about optimal care. The guest author has been given a fictitious patient with background information and clinical signs along with a randomly selected test result(s). The guest author will share their expertise in communicating OralDNA® Labs testing with patients. Hypothetical Patient Bio: An 82-year-old female patient has been seeing you for periodontal maintenance. She has cardiovascular disease, takes lisinopri...

Interview with Michael Carter MD

Posted on June 25, 2021June 29, 2021 by Michael Carter MD

Dr. McGlennen: Who/what introduced you to OralDNA® Labs’ services? Michael Carter MD: I was introduced to OralDNA® Labs testing during an oral health summit about 3-4 years ago. As I listened to Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen express how important testing for periodontal pathogens is, I became inspired to learn more about the oral microbiome and the oral connection with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritic conditions, and neurodegenerative processes. Many people think b...

Interview with Brittany Blue DDS

Posted on June 11, 2021June 8, 2021 by Brittany Blue DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Brittany Blue DDS: We use MyPerioPath® to determine the levels of aggressive periodontal pathogens present in our patients’ oral flora. Traditional periodontal therapy will not be as effective and is certainly more prone to relapse if these harmful bacteria remain in the mouth. The bacterial diagnostics allow us to target the specific harmful bacteria with the specific systemic antibiotic that will help control the level of i...

How Do You Speak Testing? With Janice Kaeley DDS, MSD

Posted on June 4, 2021June 3, 2021 by Janice Kaeley DDS, MSD

Patient Background: A 41-year-old female patient is seen for a new patient exam. Her last dental appointment was 10 months ago. Today her primary concern is occasional bleeding gums with brushing. Currently, there are no medical conditions reported and no medications or supplements reported. The patient indicated she may be experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms, but this is not confirmed by a medical doctor. Upon dental examination, generalized 4mm to 6mm pockets were revealed with generaliz...

Interview with Rosie Jimenez RDH

Posted on May 28, 2021May 28, 2021 by Rosie Jimenez RDH

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Rosie RDH: Let me begin by sharing; I have been very fortunate to work in practices that support my passion for treating periodontal disease. My patients have benefited through the communication, assessment, and treatment I provide. I know there are hygienists who work under different conditions. My advice: stay strong, keep educating yourself on new technologies and keep asking to use these technologies. Our patients deser...

Ask Why? Medicine

Posted on April 23, 2021May 20, 2021 by Patti DeMatteis, RDH, AS

The balance between health and disease is delicate. When disease begins, restoring health may be a difficult journey. One strategy is to find the root cause(s) versus treating the symptoms of the disease. Defining the problem(s) and collecting the appropriate data will assist in identifying the cause. Prioritizing the cause(s), rather than the symptoms, will help implement necessary changes to re-establish health. It is easy to struggle with your health, especially when there is...

Re-assess and Re-focus in 2021

Posted on March 19, 2021May 20, 2021 by Jeanette Kern DDS

When it comes to your profitability and production for 2021, how are you doing so far this year? Are you on track to do what you hoped? And most of all, have you determined what improvements you want to incorporate into your practice for 2021? Many of us had the feeling that a giant pause button was pushed during our COVID lockdowns. How did you use that time? Did you take time for yourself? Did you reprioritize your relationships? How about your health, did you do any self-love or was it...

Interview with PDS South Bay Joan To, DDS

Posted on March 12, 2021May 20, 2021 by Joan To, DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you heard about OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Joan To DDS: Originally, I was introduced to OralDNA® testing through Pacific Dental Services (PDS). However, implementing testing was slow to start until Dr. Shervin Molayem, my colleague and in-office periodontist, helped me. He shared his personal experience and success stories with OralDNA® testing and how he was able to take better care of his patients. I wanted that for my patients. Obviously, his motivation was...