bacterial testing

Things I Wish Were Different About Dentistry

Posted on by Tim Donley DDS
It is time to change.  It is time to leave behind the limited image of the dentist as the senior member of the oral hygiene police with the dental hygienist as the loyal foot soldier in the war against plaque.  It is time to stop admonishing patients that if they do not floss their teeth will fall out.  It is time to get more serious about dentistry. Helping people keep their teeth was a justifiable goal for dentistry 50 years ago.  Even a conservative interpretation of the available evid...
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The Whole Health Approach of Fairlington Dental

Posted on by Sally DiCesare RDH BS
OralDNA® Labs’ salivary diagnostics offers many ways to support our patients. At Fairlington Dental, we started using the diagnostics as an adjunct to our non-surgical periodontal therapy. We quickly discovered, when you know what pathogens you are dealing with, you can create a better plan. MyPerioPath® provides an abundant amount of information; The systemic antibiotic option is one benefit among many. This blog will highlight the oral-systemic benefit. Our whole health approach to patien...
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Doctor-Patient Communication: Basic Expectations and Principles

Posted on by Vicki Moto
«The patient will never care how much you know until they know how much you care. » - S.Terry Canale, MD Compassionate and effective doctor-patient communication is a key factor influencing therapeutic relationships. Today’s doctors face numerous challenges that impede patient-doctor relationships. For example, they must maintain clinical productivity while effectively treating their patients. Can they afford less time with each patient while doing so? Effective doctor-patient commu...
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Interview with Shira Newman RDH

Posted on by Shira Newman RDH
Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Shira Newman RDH: Testing establishes a baseline for every patient's overall oral health.  I cannot imagine practicing without it. Dr. McGlennen: What are the top two things to consider when you select a patient for testing? Shira Newman RDH: Honestly, I would test everyone if they are willing.  A person could present looking perfectly healthy: no bleeding on probing, no buildup, nice firm pink gum tissue, but still h...
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A Progressive Oral Wellness Center in Rural America

Posted on by McCreight Progressive Dentistry Team
In our rural practice (McCreight Progressive Dentistry) in Northwest Colorado, we see periodontal disease on average in about one of every two patients, or around 46%. This is representative of the CDC statistic as posted in the May 2015 Journal of Periodontology. Whenever we read these statistics, we are puzzled. In an industrialized nation where home care tools and dental technologies are readily available, how can there be so much disease? Here are some measures (newer technologies) we ha...
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Root Canal Therapy

Posted on by Kelly Blodgett DMD
“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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Critical Thinking: The Systemic Antibiotic Option

Posted on by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH
The MyPerioPath® test provides a wide variety of valuable information for the clinician to consider in the care of their patients. In one example, the Treatment Consideration section of the report provides a recommendation for a regimen of oral antibiotics when the test results show bacteria levels greater than the black lines, called the therapeutic threshold.  Where did this recommendation come from?  This choice of drug, along with the recommended doses, are based on published research of...
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Interview with Brooke Armour, RDH

Posted on by Brooke Armour RDH
Dr. McGlennen: Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Brooke RDH: I use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics to test new patients, patients that have clinical signs of periodontal disease, or patients with a complex medical history. Dr. McGlennen: What are the biggest benefits to using salivary diagnostics? Brooke RDH: The benefits of salivary diagnostics are being able to quantify periodontal disease, having something to physically show the patient about their periodontal dise...
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How do you speak Pregnancy and Periodontal Disease with your patients?

Posted on by Nancy Wahl RDH, BS MC
Dr. McGlennen: The oral microbiota changes when women become pregnant, and levels of periodontal pathogens increase1. During pregnancy, periodontal inflammation worsens, mostly due to increased levels of A.a., P.g., F.n. and P.i.2. Among these oral pathogens, there is a marked risk of infection of the maternal blood and the placenta, which leads to an increase in pre-term labor, lower birth weight and even the chance of fetal loss due specifically to the bacteria P.g. and F.n.3,4. Further, the...
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Interview with the Searcy Dental Team

Posted on by Searcy Dental
Dr. McGlennen: Please tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics in your practice. Searcy Dental team:  We use salivary diagnostics as standard protocol in our periodontal therapy program, especially MyPerioPath®. These results help us, and patients, understand exactly which pathogens are present and at what levels.  When a patient has responded to our applied therapy, we are able to measure the amazing results by post treatment testing. Dr. McGlennen: What are the top two thing...
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