How Do You Speak Testing? with Judith Nwagwu RDH

Posted on January 6, 2023January 5, 2023 by Judith Nwagwu RDH

Patient Bio: Your female patient, age 63, struggles as she enters the operatory. You have been seeing her for 4 years. Her wheezing and appearance of being out of breath are due to her new diagnosis of COPD. She is recently widowed. How would you introduce therapy including Alert 2™ testing to this patient? Welcome to our office where we are big advocates of the Mouth Body Connection™. We are not just here for your teeth and gums, but also your overall health and wellness. We would love to h...

The Oral Systemic Connection: A Risk Reduction Approach

Posted on December 2, 2022November 18, 2022 by Anne O. Rice

I have greatly enjoyed being a dental hygienist for over 30 years. Something that still fascinates me is the oral health and whole-body health connections. As a constant student, I have studied bidirectional and causal relationships amongst oral pathogens and a host of chronic diseases. In fact, over two decades ago, the surgeon general spoke about periodontal disease effects, and we now know there are established associations to 57 adverse health conditions, associated with periodontal dise...

Oral Hygiene and Cognition By: Ram Rao, PhD

Posted on November 11, 2022November 10, 2022 by Rammohan Rao PhD

A nice, friendly smile is visually attractive and is also a sign of good oral hygiene practice and cognitive health. Numerous studies have found a close connection between poor oral hygiene and dementia. Studies have found that those with poor oral hygiene practices are at higher risk for dementia, and dementia patients are at higher risk for developing gum disease. Poor oral hygiene and inadequate nutrition are likely the primary drivers for the risk of gum disease in dementia patients, par...

Words of Wisdom with Kary Helmer RDA

Posted on October 7, 2022September 12, 2022 by Kary Helmer RDA

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, to share their insight. When we asked Kary Helmer from Growth Mindset Dental Consultants to respond to “I hate the dentist,” here is her approach. We are all accustomed to hearing the dreadful words “I hate being here, or I hate coming to the dentist” in dai...

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

Posted on September 23, 2022September 6, 2022 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 ...

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

Posted on September 16, 2022September 6, 2022 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...

Words of Wisdom by Kim Miller, RDH

Posted on August 26, 2022August 17, 2022 by Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH

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, to share their insight. When Kim Miller RDH with Inspired Hygiene was asked to address “I need to think about it” or “I need to talk to ____ (my husband, wife, etc.) about it,” her response included the following: “I completely understand. I’m sure you weren...

Computer Security and You: Part 2

Posted on July 29, 2022July 25, 2022 by Rob Schuldt

Last week in Part One, common breaches were defined, and remedies explored. After reading Part 2, your objectives will be to comprehend the complexity needed for passwords and to enable two-factor authentication for your OralDNA® Labs account. Passwords are another significant risk with online accounts. A common practice is that people use the same username/password on multiple websites. The problem with this practice is that when a site gets hacked exposing your username/password, now a ...

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

Posted on July 15, 2022July 14, 2022 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...

Words of Wisdom with Doug Thompson DDS

Posted on July 8, 2022June 24, 2022 by Doug Thompson 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. Doug Thompson from Wellness Dentistry Network to respond to “But it doesn’t hurt” (when diagnosing periodontal disease), here is his approach. This is one of the most difficult reali...