I meet new patients everyday at Falcon Park Dental Group in Highlands Ranch, CO. Each person is different with different medical conditions, dental history, and social factors. When I complete an exam, I am not just looking at someone's mouth. Blood pressure, medications, lifestyle, and any concerns for bad breath, bleeding gums, and pain all join together to complete a full picture of my patient. I take x-rays and complete other diagnostics including periodontal probing and combine this information with the medical and social histories of my patients to determine the best treatment. Sometimes my patients have no symptoms of infection, but when I see deeper probing depths, bone loss on x-rays, and observe bleeding gums, I know that there is infection. We just have to determine what is causing this infection. Most importantly, we need to know what bacteria are present and how they can affect the rest of the body. You don't have to have symptoms, pain, or feel that anything is wrong to have a gum infection. Anyone from children with braces, pregnant women, someone who brushes and flosses 3 times a day, to the person who hasn't been to the dentist in 5 years can all have some degree of gum infection. It is my job to use the diagnostics and medical training that I have to detect this and treat it before it gets worse and causes more damage both to your mouth and the rest of your body.
Now, when I have a patient who has any of the above clinical signs, I go to OralDNA testing to make sure I am treating the Total Body Health of my patient. Recent studies report that 80% of what is occuring in the rest of our bodies starts in our oral cavity. Out of over 600 strains of bacteria that exist in our mouths, scientists have been able to identify 13 strains of bacteria that are the most common pathogenic bacteria that cause gum disease. (Dent Today. 2010 Jun;29(6):53-4, 56, 58-60) These bacteria are also directly related to other conditions in our bodies including heart disease, pre-term births, diabetes, and even some cancers. Study after study exists on the relationship between periodontal disease and other serious conditions. Medical advancements like OralDNA testing provide us the tools to identify these harmful bacteria and to pinpoint our treatment toward the specfic "bugs" that are present. I no longer am guessing what I am treating, but rather customizing each individual treatment toward what I know is present. This is something that a clinical exam alone will not accomplish and could potentially miss in less severe cases of infection. Furthermore, an OralDNA retest following treatment allows me to confirm whether we have effectively treated the infection, or if further treatment is necessary. I continue to disturb the bacteria until I can get it to a healthy threshold that will not be harmful to the body. Once I get it there, then I determine what maintenance protocol is necessary to prevent re-infection.
I have committed myself and my practice to treating Total Body Health. The knowledge that I have gained from collaboration with cardiologists, general practitioners, and integrative medicine specialists all confirms that our mouths are the gateway to the rest of the body. I have promised myself and my patients that I will continue to gain more knowledge on the mouth-body connection and I will utilize the medical advancements and latest technologies to treat my patients as a whole rather than just their mouths. Falcon Park Dental Group is establishing a community of like-minded physicians and other providers to help our patients gain more knowledge on Total Body Health and to ensure they receive the comprehensive care they deserve.