When you have a major illness or injury, think about what has to happen to get better: you go to the doctor, the doctor may take some blood, orders specific tests. Those tests identify certain facts about your problem. Then the doctor uses these facts to decide how to help you.
The same methods are now being applied in dentistry for periodontal disease. Specific tests are important for identifying the presence of infection, the effects of infection on your body, and the presence of genes that put you at greater risk for the disease.
In our office, we see many patients have medical complications as well as conventional dental problems. But when we review their medical history, and find risk factors for periodontal disease, we work with the patient's doctors to run specific tests. These tests can detect harmful bacteria, identify abnormal inflammation, find the gene for gum disease, or identify when other medical conditions are liable to cause problems with oral health. With that specific information, we can treat them using the proper procedures. We also use medical testing to confirm that patients are recuperating after we treat them.
There is a service, called OralDNA Labs, that is now doing many of these tests for patients at the dental office instead of going to their physician. For more information about these tests, visit www.oraldnalabs.com. To discuss how we can help you treat periodontal disease or medical evaluations for your oral health, call us today!
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