Dr. Richard Nagelberg--a dentist with over 30 years of experience--has been featured quite a few times recently on Dentistry IQ. The topic of his choice? Periodontal disease. Nagelberg gently calls out other dentists and their efforts in treating this disease. Is he on to something, or is he off the mark? He may have a point. If you think back to your previous dental cleanings, do you remember anyone discussing periodontal disease with you? Unless it's already an issue, probably not. After all, why should patients with healthy teeth and gums be worried about something they don't have? The problem is that this lack of concern, or education, among patients means that some dentist offices are missing the preventative aspect. Obviously if a patient develops periodontal disease, he or she will be treated accordingly. But Dr. Nagelberg argues that dentists could be doing so much more. Periodontal disease is often measured by probing gum pockets and assessing the inflammation of the gums. However, dentists could go a step further and address not only the signs of disease, but the source: the bacteria in the gums. Take a look:
Maybe the reason more bacterial IDing doesn't occur is because patients want to get in and out of the office as quickly as possible. Or maybe it's because dentists are just used to looking at signs that can be observed in office since the molecular technology used to identify bacteria is relatively recent in the medical world. Today, DNA-PCR testing (a lab technique that can make copies of a DNA section) can be used to identify the specific bacteria causing periodontal disease before symptoms appear! And this testing is severely underutitlized--especially since it is so easy to do. As a patient, you just need to get your cheek swabbed or spit in a cup, and then that sample is analyzed in a lab. Even though there are over 600 million kinds of bacteria in your mouth, this test is able to identify the most common bacteria--like P. gingivalis, E. nodatum, A. actinomyceemcomitans--which cause the disease. Since early periodontal disease is easily treated and there are more than 3 million cases (according to the Mayo clinic), early preventative methods should be a must for everyone. If patients want to forgo testing, they should at least be aware of the secondary conditions that can develop with periodontal disease. The Dental Tribune just released a short sampling of different studies that illustrate the correlation:
Along with Alzheimer's, there's many studies that show a link between periodontal disease and issues like heart disease, respiratory diseases, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and so on. If a quick swab of your cheeks can help you prevent not only periodontal disease but other serious conditions, why not go for it? The post Testing for Periodontal Disease is Easier Than Ever appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Testing for Periodontal Disease is Easier Than Ever
0 Comments
When a person goes in for their annual teeth cleaning, they most likely spend the greater portion of their time with the hygienist. But do a dental hygienst's duties stop at cleaning? According to hygienist Candice Feagle, they certainly don't:
It's pretty disheartening to hear that a professional who has a key role in maintaining people's oral health is so undervalued. Is it because patients are unappreciative? Is it because dentists are unappreciative? Is it because hygienists set themselves short? While this Ms. Feagle is just one hygienist with one opinion, her ideas certainly have some weight in relation to a recent ADHA article:
Maybe hygienists are undervalued not because of people's off-hand remarks about "just being a hygienist," but because the sector hasn't tapped into their extensive education. Not only do they have to take classes in neck & head anatomy, chemistry, biology, etc., but they have to be flexible enough to deal with patients and fill in wherever they are needed in the office. While Ms. Feagle and the ADHA have expressed concerns about the untapped potential of hygienists, researchers in New York have found that when hygienists had expanded roles, preventative dentistry measures improved:
So while it is disappointing to hear hygienists feel undervalued, at least the issue is being recognized and not swept under the carpet. Ideally more studies will be conducted to get a better feel for these state-by-state score differences. The post Expanded Roles for Hygienists Mean Better Oral Care for Everyone Else appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Expanded Roles for Hygienists Mean Better Oral Care for Everyone Else
Many people may think about whitening their teeth around the holidays. After all, you may want to look your best if you are hosting lots of parties or if you want to look nice for a holiday card. Or maybe the cosmetic procedure was in early Christmas gift. Whatever the reason, there are some things you may need to keep in mind. While teeth whitening is certainly one of the safest procedures out there, there are some side effects, like overly sensitive gums and teeth. Some people may be more prone to these issues, but dentists are saying that some patients get them because they overbleach:
You may think that you won't fall into this trap of overbleaching, but keep in mind that many holiday beverages, such as red wine, beer, spirits, and cider can stain teeth more quickly. And although soda-pop, eggnog, cookies, candy, and other goodies don't necessarily stain teeth they are very sugary. Bacteria in the oral cavity can thrive on sugars and in the process eat away at your enamel. When there's enamel loss the yellow dentin underneath can give your teeth a stained appearance. Thankfully, 123dentist.com just released an article that can help you keep your holiday eating and drinking to a minimum. If you are a little more cautious, you won't be tempted to overcompensate with whitening.
If you are worried that your holiday eating is going to sideline your whitening, then it's best to just wait until the new year. If you wanted whiter teeth for family pictures, consider having the pictures edited. You don't want to waste your hard-earned money on tooth whitening if your habits will just eliminate the changes in a couple of months. With good eating and oral hygiene, teeth whitening should last you quite awhile--with only minor touch-ups here and again. The post Keeping Your Pearly Whites, Well, Pearly White Over the Holidays appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Keeping Your Pearly Whites, Well, Pearly White Over the Holidays Thinking About Healthy New Years Resolutions: How to Ace Your Next Oral Exam & Teeth Cleaning12/1/2016 If you were to guess what the top New Year's resolution was for 2016, what would it be? ABC7Chicago says that while the top resolution was "living life to the fullest," the next two resolutions were "living a healthier lifestyle" and "losing weight." Since it's December already and the year is winding down, you may be thinking about your own health goals for 2017. While most people will look toward weight loss, why stop there? If you are always seeing inflamed gums or cavities at your oral exams, you may want to throw a dentistry-related resolution in the mix. While "brushing and flossing" is the go-to answer for oral health, patients can also focus on their diet. And if you are trying to lose weight or improve overall health anyways, a cleaner diet is the way to go. While everyone knows that fruits and veggies are important, a recent blog post does a good job laying out why that's the case:
If you are sick of veggies, be aware that unprocessed carbs (like brown rice and wholemeal bread) are great for both weight loss and oral health. Incorporating these kinds of foods into your menus is a good place to start. But keep in mind that your brushing and flossing habits need to sync up with your eating. For instance, since sugar can react with bacteria in your mouth and cause acid, it's best to hold off brushing for at least half an hour. Otherwise, you could brush those acids into your enamel. But don't just stop with your eating habits; many people find that their diets are more successful when they curb sugary beverages. One site explains in more detail as to why tap water is better (usually) for your teeth and overall health than other options:
As you can see, while the article weighs the pros and cons of drinking water, it pretty much says that any water is a better alternative to soda. The NHS recommends about 8 glasses or 1.2 liters a day. Along with keeping you hydrated and curbing your appetite, staying hydrated will give you the necessary amount of fluoride to help your teeth. You are sure to ace your next oral exam and teeth cleaning if you start making these small changes in 2017! The post Thinking About Healthy New Year’s Resolutions: How to Ace Your Next Oral Exam & Teeth Cleaning appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Thinking About Healthy New Year’s Resolutions: How to Ace Your Next Oral Exam & Teeth Cleaning If you've been smoking for a long time, it's most likely frustrating to be turned away from procedures because of your lifestyle. However, because of bone grafts and advancements in dental technology, smoking doesn't have to be a contraindication for dental implants anymore! Although smoking can certainly lower your success rates, this can be remedied if you stop the habit for a short time before and after your surgery. But why stop there? Trying to quit smoking is undeniably hard, but some patients can use the prospect of implants as a good motivator. For instance, you may know that smoking is inherently bad, but if you also know how it can negatively affect your implants, you may be more keen to stop:
Because healthy gum tissue is imperative for the survival of implants, you can see that this surgery does not go hand-in-hand with smoking. If you plan on smoking a lot after surgery, it may be better to save your money and go with prostheses, like dentures instead. Furthermore, not only does this article point out that smoking is bad, but it makes it very clear that temporary solutions will eventually succumb to the negative effects of smoking:
If you have tried to quit smoking in the past, it can be easy to fear failure again. However, the CDC has some promising data showing that it can be done:
If you really want to quit, this article says that counseling and medication are imperative to your success. Although no one wants to become paranoid about every bad thing that can happen because of smoking, a good dose of reality such as pictures, PSAs, and the like may help you push through hard days and achieve your goal. Let your dentist in on your goals as well. He or she will be happy to have your implants be the springboard to your successful lifestyle changes.
The post How Your Dental Implant Surgery Can be a Springboard to Quitting Smoking Once and for All appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger How Your Dental Implant Surgery Can be a Springboard to Quitting Smoking Once and for All You may have heard recently that the Associated Press looked at over 20 different studies to assess the effectiveness of flossing. Their findings were quite surprising: they said there were little to no benefits! However, many dentists are raising an eyebrow and sharing their take on these studies. For instance, Michigan dentist Susan Maples says that when her patients floss, their gum issues get noticeably better. She says that if you don't floss, then your gums will become a gateway for bacteria to easily infiltrate the bloodstream. You can hear more about Dr. Maples's findings and take a look at both sides of the argument in a Fox 47 news report: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXW0IzdEIgQ[/embed] If the Fox 47 News interested you, you may also want to take a look at a CBS News report:
Just like the Fox report, CBS also invited a proponent of flossing--and big surprise, it was a dentist with numerous years of experience. The dentist--Dr. Steven Glassman--had similar experiences as Dr. Susan Maples: that their patients who started flossing again were able to reduce their oral issues. Since dentistry is a scientific, medical-based field, one has to wonder why there is such a disconnect between these studies and what dentists are actually seeing. Another dentist--Dr. Tim Iafolla--may have some answers. Like Dr. Glassman and Dr. Maples, Dr. Iafolla can also testify that he can tell when an individual does or doesn't floss. He says that news reports are misconstruing the evidence. Just because no benefits were found doesn't mean that they don't exist. Because gum diseases can develop gradually, longer studies may be required for more accurate results. Iafolla also says that there have been smaller studies that have clearly shown benefits if the flossing is done correctly. If a person is sawing back and forth with the floss, they could actually damage their gum tissues--so of course, flossing will only be of benefit to a patient if they're using proper technique. Even though there have been negative studies, The National Institute of Health released a blog post this month that pointed out that there were studies showing that flossing reduced gingivitis:
So if a patient goes in for oral exams and his or her dentist recommends flossing, they may want to heed the warning. Because there have been studies for and against flossing, it could be confusing to know which ones are more sound--but that's where a dentist's experience comes in. And since flossing is such an easy, low-risk habit, it seems that a dentist's recommendation should trump these studies, especially if a patient has oral issues. After all, what do they have to lose? The post Why Dentists Say Their Experience Trumps Recent Flossing Studies appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Why Dentists Say Their Experience Trumps Recent Flossing Studies If your child has missing teeth, you may be wondering if he or she is an ideal candidate for dental implants. The quick answer is “no.” Because children are still growing rapidly, their jaws will change quite a bit, and they wouldn’t be able to support an implant. Other appliances can be used for the […] The post Can Children Receive Dental Implants? appeared first on Dental Oasis Of Orange County. Dental Oasis Of Orange County 7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 894-7700 [email protected] Google My Business Listing Google Map Directions to our office Yelp Page via Blogger Can Children Receive Dental Implants? A good first trip to the dentist can set the stage for a lifelong positive relationship with oral care. Experts recommend that children see a dentist before their first birthday or no more than six months after the emergence of the first tooth. However, the novelty of the sounds, sights, and company in a dental office can unnerve a very small child. Fortunately, parents and dental practitioners alike can help this first visit to be less frightening for the child. A key first step is the selection of a dentist who focuses on the care of children and whose office is welcoming to the very young. Parents may wish to take their child on a visit to the office before the first examination, so that the child can develop familiarity and the parent can ensure that he or she feels comfortable with the environment. At the visit itself, parents can ask to hold the child on his or her lap. The dentist should show the child all instruments before using them and, if possible, should explain or show how they work. Dentists who care for children know that it is also important to offer to stop working if the child shows distress, thus developing trust. The visit is likely to consist of a basic examination as well as history taking with the parent. The dentist should take the time to educate the parent on proper oral care, while establishing rapport with the child. The visit may end with the child's selection of a prize, which further establishes the dental office as an enjoyable place to go. The original post can be seen here: http://roderickgarciadmd.weebly.com/blog/preparing-children-for-the-first-dental-visit |
Dental Oasis Of Orange County
7777 Edinger Ave #232 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 [email protected] (714) 894-7700 Find us online
dentaloasisofoc.com
Yelp G+ Profile Google My Business Google+ Page YouTube Gravatar WordPress Tumblr Delicious Diigo Profile Diigo Library Evernote Public Blog Evernote Public Videos Instapaper Google Drive (Blog) Google Drive (Videos) OneNote Blog OneNote Videos Medium IFTTT Flickr about.me Behance 500px Alternion Flavors.me Paper.li NimbusNote (Blog) NimbusNote (Video) |