{"id":5205,"date":"2019-07-26T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T17:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/?p=5205"},"modified":"2021-05-20T14:55:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T19:55:21","slug":"interview-with-ben-mendoza-rdh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/2019\/07\/26\/interview-with-ben-mendoza-rdh\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ben Mendoza, RDH"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> Please tell me how you use OralDNA\u00ae salivary diagnostics in your practice.<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> OralDNA\u00ae salivary diagnostics is the most applicable tool we use at Dr. Katherine Brown\u2019s practice in order to guide our patients toward optimal oral care as well as total health well-being. We use this testing to help identify, confirm, and convey both the risk and presence of bacterial pathogens that increase patients\u2019 potential for tooth decay and gum disease, as well as any negative impacts concerning their overall health.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> What are the top two things you consider when selecting a patient for testing?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> I truly feel that all patients, not just a select number, are eligible for testing because it helps us detect potentially harmful bacteria, which upon identification can lead to the implementation of preventive care measures. I say that all patients are candidates because we don\u2019t know the makeup of one\u2019s oral biofilm based on observing traditional clinical signs. If you use traditional clinical signs, the disease has usually progressed to the point that bone and supporting structure is damaged.<\/p>\n

By employing this method of testing with patients early on, as we do in our practice, we can begin to shift from dental care that is reactive to one that proactively applies true preventative measures.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> What do you see as the biggest benefits to using salivary diagnostics in your practice?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> I always tell each of my patients that when it comes to their health, they are the C.E.O. and I am merely one of the managers they have employed to help oversee their best care. Therefore, salivary testing allows each \u201cC.E.O.\u201d to take ownership as active participants in their care. Test results provide the biggest benefit of personally witnessing bacterial pathogens that may be active in their saliva. Observing such, offers patients a tangible representation of one of the risks that can affect both their oral and overall health.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> What is your favorite part of the MyPerioPath\u00ae results report? Why?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> The clear, concise MyPerioPath\u00ae result report and how it helps give our patients an unbiased opinion on what has been detected. Additionally, the lab results back up the language we use in our practice: \u201cWhat is seen within the mouth has a direct effect on the rest of the body.\u201d This becomes an epiphany moment for our patients and is a great primer in helping them understand that the recommended care is the most paramount measure for their personal case.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> How do your patients respond to this technology?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> From my experience, patient response to salivary testing has been incredibly positive. It builds an additional layer of confidence in the care they receive from our practice. Patients are amazed that this type of technology exists and a common (albeit unanswerable!) inquiry they often pose is, \u201cHow come my former dentist never offered this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> What is your biggest challenge? How do you overcome that obstacle?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong>\u00a0 Several patients have concerns with the cost. It is my philosophy to never try to sell a patient on the service; I simply provide the facts and allow them to choose for themselves. I have found that in-depth provider\/patient communication is what breaks down any trepidation associated with \u201cthe unknown.\u201d Once a patient and I have a detailed conversation about the process and benefits of this particular testing, in addition to how valuable its results are for their subsequent treatment, the dialogue begins to shift and in the majority of my cases, they agree to it.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> If a new OralDNA\u00ae provider were to ask you for advice, what would your best tip be?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> My primary recommendation would be to not hesitate in offering this service to their patients and to have that open and detailed conversation with them; the worst they can say is \u201cno.\u201d However, when the time is taken to educate them with the proper information, most patients\u2019 responses will result in a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

A secondary bit of advice would be to never pressure anyone to commit to the testing, and to support them in their decision, regardless of what it may be. This form of affirmation may change the outcome of any succeeding conversation regarding salivary diagnostic testing, or any other recommended testing and\/or treatments to come.<\/p>\n

Dr. McGlennen:<\/strong> Where do you see salivary diagnostics in 3-5 years? 10 years? What would be the impact on your practice\/patients?<\/p>\n

Ben Mendoza RDH:<\/strong> I believe the correct inquiry is: \u201cWhere won\u2019t we see salivary diagnostics in 3-5 years\/within the decade? Moreover, how can we not make use of this effective tool when it makes room for such vast advantages in caring for our patients?\u201d I affirm that this type of testing allows oral healthcare providers to offer the apropos 21st century care in an industry that seems to be flooded by a sea of not-so-current methods. To further articulate this point, most of the treatment options currently available are what I consider to be \u201cbroad spectrum.\u201d Take for example the existence of pocketing or clinical attachment loss, the reactive \u201ctreatment\u201d response tends to be something relative to: \u201cWell, let\u2019s do a round of scaling and root planing and see if that helps.\u201d However, because of the avail of salivary diagnostics, what we know now is that these damages can be stimulated by other factors: Is it bacterial, genetic, or systemic? Is it bite force related or due to lack of personal care? Or, is it a combination of all the aforementioned? Clearly salivary testing assists us to centralize the causative factor(s), and based upon those findings, we can construct a more specific evidence-based treatment plan of action.<\/p>\n

In sum, OralDNA\u00ae salivary diagnostics is the future of the dental healthcare industry\u2019s present. No longer will we be forced to rely solely on conventional clinical signs that reveal an existing disease process already causing irreparable damage. Ultimately, salivary testing greatly assists oral healthcare providers in executing authentic proactive and preventive care for the benefit of patients\u2019 overall comprehensive health.<\/p>\n

For more information on how to become an OralDNA Provider \u2013 scan HERE:\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My primary recommendation would be to not hesitate in offering this service to their patients and to have that open and detailed conversation with them; the worst they can say is \u201cno.\u201d However, when the time is taken to educate them with the proper information, most patients\u2019 responses will result in a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":5642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[57,10,110],"tags":[76,3],"class_list":["post-5205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oral-systemic","category-periodontal-disease","category-salivary-diagnostics","tag-periodontal-disease","tag-salivary-diagnostics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/KATHERINE-A.-BROWN-DDS-LOGO.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7W16z-1lX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5205"}],"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\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5205"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7719,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5205\/revisions\/7719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}