{"id":28009,"date":"2025-06-20T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/?p=28009"},"modified":"2025-09-04T08:57:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T13:57:45","slug":"saving-teeth-avoiding-implants-dr-lee-sheldons-strategic-approach-to-aggressive-periodontitis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/saving-teeth-avoiding-implants-dr-lee-sheldons-strategic-approach-to-aggressive-periodontitis\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Teeth, Avoiding Implants: Dr. Lee Sheldon\u2019s Strategic Approach to Aggressive Periodontitis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/directorofdentistry.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25917 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IDS_Logo_main.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"441\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IDS_Logo_main.png 1165w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IDS_Logo_main-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IDS_Logo_main-1024x615.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IDS_Logo_main-768x461.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a 41-year-old woman came into Dr. Lee Sheldon\u2019s office complaining of loose teeth and pain on both sides of her mouth, many would have jumped straight to extractions and implants. But Dr. Sheldon took a different approach: practical, conservative, and rooted in restoring function\u2014not just filling spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is not just about saving a tooth,\u201d says Dr. Sheldon. \u201cIt\u2019s about reversing the stresses\u2014bacterial, occlusal\u2014and giving her back long-term function without implants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon clinical and radiographic evaluation, tooth #5 showed class II mobility with significant bone loss. While many would consider immediate extraction, Dr. Sheldon noted, \u201cThere\u2019s good mesial bone support. Let\u2019s build on that rather than replace it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tooth #19 presented a similar challenge. Despite severe distal bone loss, the mesial root had solid support. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to sacrifice good bone,\u201d he explains. \u201cImplants shouldn\u2019t be the default when we still have natural options.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The patient\u2019s occlusion played a major role. Teeth #6\u201310 had no contact, leaving tooth #5 to bear lateral forces. Dr. Sheldon\u2019s fix? Add a simple, no-drill lingual composite to tooth #6 to reestablish canine guidance. \u201cNow, tooth #6 and #27 share the load. It\u2019s a small step that makes a big difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His treatment plan included:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>OralDNA\u00ae testing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to guide antibiotic therapy for what he classified as likely aggressive periodontitis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Occlusal adjustment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and composite bonding to redistribute forces<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>A cost-effective nightguard<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to reduce nocturnal stress<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Periodontal endoscopy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with PrefGel\u00ae to achieve pristine root surfaces<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Follow-up OralDNA\u00ae testing and re-evaluation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at six weeks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cImplants in a periodontally compromised patient are more prone to peri-implantitis,\u201d Sheldon warns. \u201cIf we can keep her functioning with her natural teeth for another 5, 10, or even 20 years\u2014we\u2019ve done our job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This case shows what\u2019s possible when you slow down and look for the salvageable. Watch the full video below for Dr. Sheldon\u2019s full treatment rationale and step-by-step approach. It\u2019s a masterclass in conservative periodontal care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9MY24CafPVs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/get-started\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25260 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/joinoraldna.png\" alt=\"Join OralDNA\" width=\"774\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/joinoraldna.png 1404w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/joinoraldna-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/joinoraldna-1024x292.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/joinoraldna-768x219.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a 41-year-old woman came into Dr. Lee Sheldon\u2019s office complaining of loose teeth and pain on both sides of her mouth, many would have jumped straight to extractions and implants. But Dr. Sheldon took a different approach: practical, conservative, and rooted in restoring function\u2014not just filling spaces. \u201cThis is not just about saving a <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/saving-teeth-avoiding-implants-dr-lee-sheldons-strategic-approach-to-aggressive-periodontitis\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":28209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,257,10,110],"tags":[9,48,61,156,16,112,194,76,3,46],"class_list":["post-28009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-implant-periimplantitis","category-myperiopath","category-periodontal-disease","category-salivary-diagnostics","tag-bacterial-testing","tag-bleeding-on-probing","tag-case-study","tag-dental-implants","tag-dental-test-for-bacteria-in-the-mouth","tag-patient-education","tag-peri-implantitis","tag-periodontal-disease","tag-salivary-diagnostics","tag-salivary-testing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IDS-Logo_Featured-Image.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7W16z-7hL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28009"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28032,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009\/revisions\/28032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}