Hormonal Contraceptives and the Oral Microbiome: The Missing First Signal in Salivary Diagnostics

Posted on May 15, 2026May 8, 2026 by Dr. Neusha Najafi

We’re Having the Wrong Conversation The debate around hormonal contraceptives has grown louder and more polarized. Mood changes. Inflammation. Fertility concerns. Some of these concerns are valid. Much is oversimplified. But almost all of it misses the starting point. We are debating hormones while ignoring the environment they enter. We keep focusing on hormones in isolation. Ovaries, cycles, receptors. More recently, the gut microbiome has entered the discussion through the estrobo...

The Mouth Is Talking. Are We Listening?

Posted on May 8, 2026April 17, 2026 by Dr. Valerie Kanter, DMD, MS; Dr. Mary Ellen Chalmers, DMD, IFMCP; Dr. Staci Whitman, DMD, IFMCP

For decades, dentistry has focused solely on what we can see. Lesions, pockets, radiolucencies, and wear patterns have guided our treatment planning and shaped the way we understand disease. These visual cues are essential, but what if the most important data about our patients’ health has been communicated all along through the oral microbiome and revealed through… SPIT? At the Institute for Functional Dentistry (IFD), we teach dentists systems biology and timeline medicine, creating a s...

Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part Two

Posted on May 1, 2026March 19, 2026 by Jonathan Evans

Last week, we explored the awakening that comes from seeing the unseen. This week, Jonathan dives into the hard truth: a technically perfect Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) doesn’t always equal success. We’ll see how embracing an outcome-focused mindset changes not just the approach to care, but the results and the satisfaction hygienists and patients alike experience. The Hard Truth: Great SRP With Bad Outcomes Is Not a Win This is where my mindset truly flipped. I had to admit to myself: ...

Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part One

Posted on April 24, 2026March 19, 2026 by Jonathan Evans

For most of my 32 years as a hygienist, my “success” lived in my treatment notes. How many quads of Scaling and Root planing (SRP) did I do this week? How much calculus did I remove? How clean did those roots look and feel when I finished? If I walked out of a room drenched in sweat with polished roots and detailed charting, I felt like I’d done my job. Box checked. Next patient. But there was always this low-level itch in the back of my mind: If I’m doing such great work, why do...

How Did They Do That?

Posted on April 17, 2026April 2, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

I was at dinner with my friends from OralDNA Labs — Amanda and Diane — talking about stories from my book Undeniable Hospitality. Little did we know, we were about to live one. The setting was spectacular — the kind of architectural beauty you might expect in the Museum of Modern Art. Elegant. Minimal. Intentional. But ambiance alone doesn’t create magic. The servers were polished. Smiling. Attentive. I did notice that no one introduced themselves by name — a miss in my world, be...

The Link Between RA and Periodontal Disease: Bidirectional Cycle/Shared Inflammation

Posted on March 27, 2026February 19, 2026 by Dr. Jinita Parekh

The Challenge: A 29 year old female patient came in extremely concerned with her bleeding gums and wondering if that is also related to her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The Background: Age: 29 Sex: Female Medical History: Elevated Rheumatoid factor and undergoing further diagnosis to conclude diagnosis for RA Last Dental Exam: 2021 Home Care: Manual toothbrush 2x daily, floss occasionally Chief Complaint: bleeding gums, sensitive gums Clinical Assessment: ...

Throwback: Why? What? How?

Posted on January 30, 2026January 29, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

WHY?…WHAT?…HOW? This is a philosophy that is often taught in dental and hygiene schools: Diagnose, Treatment Plan, then Treat. And yet, immediately after this is taught, a focus is placed on learning treatment, or the HOW. And then upon graduation the focus also becomes on treatment and production. The diagnosis (WHY) and planning (WHAT) become secondary. They’re only an avenue to an end…Production, a means to an end. That’s where the money is. In a nutshell, that’s the problem with our...

When a “Hopeless” Tooth Isn’t Hopeless

Posted on January 23, 2026January 21, 2026 by Lee Sheldon DMD PA

A 45-year-old woman arrived in our office in significant pain. The day before, she had seen a dentist for a painful lower left central incisor. The recommendation was straightforward: extract the tooth and then see a periodontist. She refused. Instead, she searched for another option and drove nearly 50 miles to our office. The Clinical Picture She was hitting tooth #24 every time she closed her mouth—and it hurt badly. The gingival tissue was visibly swollen, and the tooth had Clas...

Wellness Dentistry Summit 2025 – Livestream Virtual Ticket

Posted on November 28, 2025November 26, 2025 by Nicki Mackey

December 5–6, 2025 | Virtual Hosted by The Wellness Dentist Institute, the Wellness Dentistry Summit 2025 is your chance to learn, grow, and connect with the leaders driving the future of wellness-focused dental care. Whether you’re advancing your clinical skills, refining your business strategy, or looking to empower your team, this event is designed to equip you with actionable insights you can implement immediately. This sought after event has already sold out for in perso...

When Saliva Tells the Full Story

Posted on October 31, 2025October 28, 2025 by Stephen Quimby, RDH, BSDH, MBA

We all have those patients — the ones who seem to do everything right and still end up battling stubborn periodontal disease. As Stephen Quimby, RDH, BSDH, MBA, writes in his recent Monthly Incisor article, “We’ve all had those patients—the ones who come in with picture-perfect oral hygiene but somehow still develop aggressive periodontal disease. Then, six months later, their spouse shows up with similar symptoms. Coincidence? Not quite.” That’s where salivary diagnostics is changing the...