Class II Periodontitis and Mouth Breathing

Posted on by Annie-Laurie Harris, BSDH, RDHMP
Challenge: To establish health through periodontal intervention per JP Institute protocols. Background: A female with ADHD and panic disorder appointed to the office in early 2016. A referral to a periodontist was given resulting in the consultation recommendation of surgery for the extraction of all third molars with a fair prognosis. The patient scheduled, but later canceled the surgery and denied extraction of all third molars. In Spring 2017, at age 25, the female returned to the o...
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Interview with Charissa Wood, RDH

Posted on by Charissa Wood RDH
Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Charissa Wood RDH: At Atlanta Dental Spa, we utilize OralDNA® salivary diagnostics to help our patients achieve optimal oral health. We take a complete health approach to our patients’ care and salivary diagnostics helps us assess our patients’ genetic predispositions to inflammation as well as the perio-pathogen load levels. OralDNA® lab reports allow us to truly tailor patient care based off the information we get from test...
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Class II Generalized Periodontitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Requesting Implant Placement

Posted on by Patricia Lugo DMD
Challenge: To establish periodontal remission by addressing the clinical manifestations of periodontal disease and altering the oral flora in order to lower the incidence of periodontal disease relapse. Bacterial management will eliminate a source of total body inflammation and increase success of implant placement. Background: The patient is a 66 year-old-male with rheumatoid arthritis, taking Lisinopril and is a potential candidate for implant to restore #19. Patient’s daily home care r...
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I Don’t Need That, We’re Already Getting Good Results

Posted on by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS
The enemy of optimal patient care is complacency. Why would anyone settle for good results when optimal results are so easily achieved?   Put yourself in your patient’s place in the exam chair: would you then want only good enough? Patients trust their dental professionals to provide the voice in decision regarding their care. If given the choice between practicing blindly, with no information about the specific bacterial cause of their individual case of periodontal disease, and having the ...
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Identify & Destroy! Synergistic Pathogenic Biofilm Management

Posted on by Karen Davis RDH, BSDH
Synergy is the combined effect of two things being greater than either one independently. As a veteran of managing periodontal diseases, that is how I view salivary diagnostics and Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT).   With salivary diagnostics I can identify specific pathogens thriving in my patient’s biofilm, and through the process of GBT I am able to dismantle and destroy those pathogens.  This is synergy at its best. Quick review of pathogenic biofilm, then we can focus on GBT and salivary...
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Relapsed Periodontal Maintenance Patient with Breast Cancer

Posted on by Maria Teague RDH
Challenge: A periodontal maintenance patient of record presented past due for recare. The initial exam revealed signs of active periodontal disease indicating that the patient is no longer in periodontal remission. Medically, the patient is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Background: A 54-year-old female patient of record, with history of successful periodontal therapy, has relapsed due to missed recare and decreased oral home care. A diagnosis of breast cancer in Spring 2019 has ...
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Systemic Inflammation, Elevated hs-CRP, and Oral Bacterial Pathogens Decrease After Two Years of Natural Dental Health Treatments: A Case Study

Posted on by Cass Nelson-Dooley MS, Ellie Campbell DO
Heart Disease Begins in the Mouth High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is the most clear, quantifiable, and readily accessible marker of the oral-systemic connection. We present a case study of an otherwise healthy 62-year-old woman with elevated hs-CRP who had abundant numbers of pathogenic oral bacteria. A natural dental health treatment over two years lowered hs-CRP and lowered oral pathogens. Given the links between oral disease, inflammation, and heart disease, it is wise to ...
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How do you speak Joint/Musculoskeletal Health and Periodontal Disease to your patients?

Posted on by Jill Wade DDS, MAGD
Dr. McGlennen: Like periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition.  But unlike periodontitis, where the genesis of the inflammation is the complex infections in the gingival sulcus, the cause of RA is unknown.  Recent studies, however, provide insights that, in part, oral bacteria play a role in evoking an abnormal immune response that then leads to joint disease.  In a recent meta-analysis of 21 separate studies, there was a significantly increased risk of per...
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The Doctor-Hygienist Hand-Off

Posted on by Jeanette Kern DDS
As a formerly practicing hygienist and now a dentist, I am respectfully sensitive to the time constraints and importance of the information exchange during a periodic exam in the hygienist’s treatment room. My team and I developed, practice, and teach this exchange for thoroughness, patient benefit, and emphasis of our professionalism. When the doctor enters the hygienist’s treatment room, the hygienist is to highlight and summarize her findings in the most efficient and effective verbiag...
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Interview with Jessica Clarke, RDH

Posted on by Jessica Clarke RDH
Dr. McGlennen: Let’s talk about how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics in your practice. Jessica Clarke RDH: We are currently using the OralDNA® MyPerioPath® test as standard protocol for all active non-surgical periodontal treatment in our office. Dr. McGlennen: What are the top two things you consider when selecting a patient for testing? Jessica Clarke RDH: We stick with the traditional signs of periodontal disease (PD) such as bleeding gums, and when we review the patient’s m...
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