Do We Really Need Antibiotics for Periodontal Disease?

Posted on September 5, 2025September 4, 2025 by Lee Sheldon DMD PA

When patients receive their OralDNA® MyPerioPath® test results, one of the most common questions is: “Why aren’t we prescribing antibiotics?” After all, the test identifies bacteria linked to periodontal (gum) disease. Shouldn’t antibiotics be the next step? Dr. Lee Sheldon explains that the answer often goes back to the root cause of periodontal disease itself. “Periodontal disease is the loss of support for the teeth. It comes primarily from bacteria that go below the gum line and lo...

Probiotics Combined with Antibiotics Can Help

Posted on February 8, 2019May 20, 2021 by Ellie Campbell DO

Almost all of us will be faced with the need to take an antibiotic at some time. Certainly they are overused in many instances, but can also be life-saving. Besides killing the bacteria that are causing the infection, antibiotics can also wreak havoc with the gut microbes. If you think of your gut flora like a tropical rainforest with vast diversity, think of antibiotics as a slash and burn therapy that does not discriminate between friendly probiotic strains and pathogenic invaders. It i...