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.

February is Heart Health Month!

February is American Heart Health Month. Throughout the month, we are educating patients and bringing attention to the health link of oral disease and heart disease. We know that this is an important concept in your wellness, so we invite you to share in this opportunity.

We are proud of our education and experience over the last 12 years in treating the entire spectrum of periodontal disease patients, from non-surgical disinfection to surgical debridement and tissue regeneration. We have information about how we recognize and treat the disease at our website.

We encourage you to review the enclosed web links that share research on the subject of the oral-systemic link between plaque build-up in the mouth and the effect on the heart. We also encourage you to share any research on this subject with us.

http://www.perio.org/consumer/perio_cardio.htm

http://www.joponline.org/toc/jop/79/8s

http://dentistryhasaheart.com/articles.html

Many patients don’t know they are at risk. A self-assessment tool for you to use is at www.mydentalscore.com. It takes two minutes to assess your risk for disease. If you find you're at risk for heart disease or periodontal disease, we invite you to our office during the month of February for a periodontal disease screening at no cost to you.

Thanks for having a heart!

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!