Reduce your Medical Costs By Seeing Me

The oral-systemic link between dental disease and other medical disorders was further solidified this year in health science research. In March, dental researchers convened in Tampa to share findings. The paper can be found here.  It was found that diabetics who sought dental care for periodontal disease reduced their overall number of hospital or medical visits, thus reducing their overall healthcare spending.

Periodontal disease and diabetes are inextricably linked. The nature of the inflammatory pathways in gum is to disrupt the body's ability to manage the processes of glucose control, insulin and glucagon production, and metabolism of sugars.  Chronic inflammation from any infection also inhibits the ability for a body to heal or perform optimally in countless ways.

With the constantly evolving demands of patient access to care, the model of caring for your mouth to care for your body really means more. There's only so many medical facilities to supply the ever-expanding demand for a clinic when patients need it.  So if seeing a dentist can reduce medical visits, it ultimately creates a win-win-win: Win 1: patients can be healthier. Win 2: doctors and hospitals can reduce their labor and equipment costs. Win 3: medical insurers could potentially reduce policy premiums as healthcare utilization is reduced, and policy holders benefit.

SO, I say call our office and get an appointment reserved today!

Th New Paradigm for Periodontal Disease Control, Part 3

Dentistry has found ways to manage these infections beyond cleaning up the biofilms in the past 10 years. Routinely altering the patient's susceptibility (shifting it towards being more resistant to disease) helps them keep their teeth longer.

Shifting a patient's inflammatory response can be done with unique medications (Periostat, Oracea). These medications suppress an enzyme that is critical in creating inflammation.

Probiotics like Evora Plus have been engineered to displace the bad bugs in the biofilms with a specific group of bacterial species. Just as we see Activia yogurt commercials showing how we can add good bugs to our gut, we now see how oral probiotics shift the prevalence of oral bacteria that promote periodontal disease. 

Achieving excellent diabetic control is another way to improve a patient's threshold for infection.

Autoimmune disorders, such as diabetes, are complex and numerous. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, HIV--just to name a few--are all diseases that, when well-controlled, influence the outcome of teeth in periodontal disease patients.

Smoking cessation, stress reduction, creating healthy work environments, behavioral therapy, proper diet and managing alcohol intake, consistent exercise--all of these are lifestyle changes that make a difference.

Most people don't realize that periodontal disease is a bug problem AND a bite problem. Balancing a bite with orthodontics, wearing bite guards, and anchoring or stabilizing teeth are dental solutions to treating periodontal disease. And the last resort, of course, is to remove teeth that have contributed to the constant pileup of biofilms.

The New Paradigm In Periodontal Disease Control, Part 2

Last entry discussed how biofilm is constantly occurring and attacking at-risk patients. So this entry will focus on how a patient has to be susceptible to inflammatory problems like periodontitis. There are genetic, dental, and medical reasons that influence how a patient contracts the disease.
  
Biofilms affect all of us, but they affect each of us differently. In fact, about two-thirds of patients who have periodontal disease only contract a mild form of it. The other third have serious and complex infections. There are things in people's lives that tip the scales in the direction of severe disease. Patients' genetics, lifestyle, and medical health influence their thresholds for infection and damage. The big categories are:

1) Genes for highly sensitive inflammatory response, or a family history of the disease.
2) Medical conditions that alter the immune response or inflammatory response.
3) Smoking habit.
4) Chronic stress in any form.
5) Bite problems, including clenching, grinding, or unbalanced bites.

Even if we remove biofilm when patients have infections, they may still get recurrent infections because of the above factors. Since biofilms never take a day off, patients with one or more of these above risk factors need to constantly manage their disease issues with their dentists and specialists. Shifting the patients' responses to inflammation means getting rid of biofilm regularly, but also treating  the risk factors. Until the those are managed the right way, the periodontal disease will hang around, and the chances of losing teeth go up.

Diabetes, heart disease, chronic inflammatory lung diseases, apnea, autoimmune disorders, obesity --these are all disorders that raise the level of body-wide inflammation and reduce the body's ability to heal.And periodontitis works to complicate these diseases too.

Smoking introduces toxins that depress the immune system's ability to fight infection, and also stimulates the release of a number of inflammatory proteins in the body.

Chronic stress, be it physical or psychological, will alter the body's threshold to infection. Chronic pain induces the same inflammatory proteins as smoking in some cases. Depression has been shown to alter physical health and immune response.

Diabetes Testing--in a Dentist's Office?

Periodontal disease is a major health issue. Coincidentally, so is diabetes mellitus. Both of these disorders are reflexive in that they can create complications for each disease. Having a chronic infectious disease or inflammatory disorder like periodontitis can make glucose control difficult for diabetics. And the presence of diabetes makes a patient more likely to suffer periodontal disease; diabetes reduces the body's ability to properly regulate inflammatory responses and can delay or complicate healing.

It is rare that a patient comes to us being fully aware of a diagnosis for periodontal disease. WHen we diagnose the disease, we make sure we have discussed how influential diabetes can be in the process. If a patient has a family history of diabetes or cardiac disease, is overweight, has cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or all of the above, we are concerned that they do not suffer diabetes themselves.

Part of our dental examination may include a preliminary screening for blood glucose imbalance. A simple test can be done in our office to measure blood glucose and better inform the patient about a larger risk for diabetes. The test includes a tiny prick on the finger to acquire a drop of blood to place on a test strip that can be analyzed for blood glucose. If it is out of balance, we can then refer patients for proper diagnosis of blood glucose disorders like diabetes.

Performing this test in our office can not only help save a patients teeth, but it may lead to successfully managing undiagnosed diabetes. That alone can save lives.

Periodontal Disease is a dangerous medical condition!

Several years ago, I realized the impact periodontal disease has on overall health. It is connected to several of the top ten causes of death in our country: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a few others. Oral bacteria from periodontal disease is the link in these killer diseases.



The good news? We developed a successful program several years ago for treating periodontal disease. We work with your physicians and medical specialists to make sure this disease is managed the right way.



Periodontal disease is also a chronic inflammatory disease. And inflammatory diseases can complicate several other diseases, including chronic pulmonary disease, arthritis, pneumonia, and diabetes. Not only is periodontal disease a confirmed factor in these problems, but there is current research being conducted to prove how it can trigger or influence more diseases, like pancreatic cancer and Alzheimer's.



This problem is a double-edged sword--problems with oral health can create problems with your medical health, and vice-versa. But we have experience solving these issues directly with your physician. And that results in reducing your risk.

Open this link for more information on the medical importance of good oral health. Contact us for an appointment today!