"Perio Protect works. I have seen the results with my patients."
Sako Ohanesian DDS, FAGD, FICOI, AFAAID values relationships with his patients, as well as continuing education and technical innovation. He has a large general dental practice in Anaheim, CA where he offers restorative and preventative dental services, including treatment with the Perio Protect Method™.
Q - How has the Perio Protect Method™ been successful in your office? A - I have been offering patients this treatment method since 2008 and have seen remarkable results with enthusiastic perio patients. The success of the Perio Protect Method™ in my office has brought a deeper patient-doctor trust and relationship.
Q - Are most of your patients responding well to the Method? A - Yes, nearly all of my patients have had significant improvements after using the Method. I have come to expect good results for any patient following treatment guidelines.
Q - What have been the biggest obstacles to treatment with the Method? A - Initial acceptance of the idea of wearing a customized tray to deliver medication has been the biggest obstacle. The Perio Protect Method™ is simple and the comfortable tray delivery of medication can be incorporated into any hygiene routine. Once educated, patients ask me why they haven’t heard of this before. Overall, patient acceptance has been exceptional.
Q - How did you learn about the Perio Protect Method™? A - During my involvement with the Academy of General Dentistry Master Track Program, one of my colleagues mentioned that he had incorporated the Perio Protect Method™ into his practice and had seen excellent results. The Method made perfect sense – administering antimicrobial agents to the source. I recognized that this treatment would benefit my patients who have hard-to-tackle gum disease.
Q - How do you implement the Method into your treatment plans? A - Once I diagnose patients with periodontitis, I set up a treatment plan of subgingival scaling and root planing followed by perio maintenance in conjunction with the customized tray placement of prescribed medication. I offer the Perio Protect Method™ to every patient who has periodontitis.
Q - If you were to recommend the Perio Protect Method™, what would you say? A - Perio Protect works. I have seen the results with my patients. This is a great technique in the battle against long-term gum disease.
"With Perio Protect® good results are easy to maintain for long-term health."
Melissa Meyer, RDH works in a large family dental practice with Dr. William Schlotz in Crestwood, MO. She first started offering Perio Protect® treatment in 2004.
Q - How has Perio Protect® been successful in your office? A - Perio Protect® gets the patients more involved in their care. Once they know that it is possible to have a 6mm pocket reduced to 3-4mm, they take interest in their periodontal scores and ask me to tell them their numbers. They become excited with the good results and the way their mouths feel. A case that clearly stands out in my mind involves a patient who saw a commercial for Perio Protect® and found our office on perioprotect.com. He had previous scaling and root planing but still struggled with red, tender, puffy gums. His doctor told him to floss more and the problems would go away. He was frustrated. We started him on Perio Protect® and after 6 weeks he had significant healing. He still needed some scaling and root planing to eliminate the tenacious deposits but it was less extensive after Perio Protect® treatment. The tenderness and bleeding had subsided so much that he was willing to complete his treatment. With Perio Protect® added To his treatment plan, he became very excited about how much better his mouth felt and tasted, and his frustration level was much lower.
Q - Are most of your patients responding well to treatment? A - I find that most patients using Perio Protect® treatment follow their protocols like they should, and they show up for their appointments. They are excited about coming in and they notice that their gums are not as tender as they used to be.
Q - What does Perio Protect® allow you to do that other conventional treatments do not? A - With scaling and root planing alone, patients often start off with good results but the disease returns with time and we are right back where we started. With Perio Protect® good results are easy to maintain for long-term health. Patients using the Perio Protect® system also have easier visits and I find that I don’t have to scale as much. There is significantly less bleeding with Perio Protect® treatment. Patients tell me the Perio Trays® are very comfortable. It is an easy treatment to follow.
Q - Is there any additional information you would like to share? A - One of the best features of the Perio Protect Method™ is that my patients feel that they have more control over their treatment. They are part of the program and get good results. I have found this is an easy system to implement in our dental hygiene protocol and patients don’t get lost in the recall shuffle because they want to come back for the routine checkups to see the improvements in their periodontal scores.
"My patients typically say that it is easy to use and they are very pleased with whiter teeth and fresh breath."
Gretchen Ewin, RDH works with Dr. Terry Ortman and Dr. Tim Pranger in Alton, IL and started offering Perio Protect® treatment to patients in 2006.
Q - How has Perio Protect® been successful in your office? A - Patients who could not control disease-causing bacteria with brushing and flossing alone can now kill the periopathogens on a daily basis with Perio Protect®. Since we have been offering Perio Protect®, we have seen a decrease in invasive procedures, including surgery. Perio Protect® treatment changed the way we treat and look at gum disease because now we have a system that works. It is much easier than any other treatment we have ever offered. Cleanings are easier and less time consuming for Perio Protect® patients and these patients are more interested in their results. They want to hear their probing scores and are looking for improvement. Our Perio Protect® patients are more interactive and involved, taking greater responsibility for their homecare.
Q - Did you attend a Perio Protect® seminar? A - One of the doctors in my office led the way and asked all the staff to attend a seminar. Honestly, after the seminar we were skeptical that Perio Protect® could work as well as the studies showed. We wanted to see it for ourselves. So we tried a few test cases. One test patient was taking a lot of medications and also smoked. After only a few weeks of Perio Protect® treatment, he had significantly less bleeding and lower probing numbers. Over time his teeth have whitened and there has been decreased mobility in his lower anterior teeth. Once we saw the great results with a few trial patients — their bleeding stopped and probing numbers improved — all the staff then started to use Perio Protect®. We can tell a huge difference in our mouths. My mouth feels so clean and my breath is very fresh with this easy treatment. Perio Protect® has become an integral part of my own oral care and our office treatment planning. We recommend Perio Protect® to every patient who walks through our door, whether they have gum disease or not, because of the whitening teeth side effect of Perio Protect® treatment and the benefits of oral bacterial reduction to our overall health.
Q - Are most of your patients responding well to Perio Protect® treatment? A - Most of our patients are responding well. Smokers have less effective treatment results than non-smokers, but they do still have improved treatment outcomes. It just takes them longer. My patients typically say that it is easy to use and they are very pleased with whiter teeth and fresh breath. The best part is that they report better results than what they could have imagined.
Debbie Madison, RDH has 19 years of experience in perio offices and has worked with a periodontist in Oklahoma City for the last 15 years treating advanced perio cases. She started offering the Perio Protect Method® to her patients in February 2008.
Q - How has the Perio Protect Method® been successful in your office? A - With this Method there is less bleeding, firmer tissue, less tenacious calculus, reduction of pockets, and fewer incidences of decay. My patients also tell me that their mouths feel cleaner. One memorable patient who came to see me had not had his teeth cleaned for more than 10 years. We started treating with oxidizing agents delivered into the pockets with a prescription tray 3-4 times a day. When he returned to the office for scaling and root planing as recommended by the Method, many of the problems had already been addressed: the tissues were much healthier, the bleeding had diminished, and the scale/root plane was extremely easy on both the hygienist and patient.
Q - Are most of your patients responding well to treatment? A - Yes they are. If patients comply as directed, they respond well. We first notice decreased bleeding, then reductions in calculus build-up, and decreased pocket depths.
Q - How did you begin to implement this Method in your office? A - In the beginning, we hand-picked three patients with extreme perio problems – lots of bleeding, deep pockets, smoker, lichen planus, implants – as “test” patients to see for ourselves how the Method worked before we decided to suggest it to all our patients. After three months of treatment using oxidizing agents in the prescription trays and isolated SRP, results from these patients amazed us.
Q - How do you introduce patients to this Method? A - We introduce it as a conservative, comfortable, easy-to-use treatment that gives the patient more control over the disease. It doesn’t taste bad either. We also remind patients that a healthy mouth is reflected in better overall general health.
Q - Is there any additional information you would like others to know? A - Since I work in a perio office, I see the worst of the worst dental diseases but I have very motivated patients, so it is fairly easy to suggest this Method and have the patients follow it. Most of my patients have been coming to our office three or four times a year for the better part of 15 years, and they trust me. Over those 15 years, I have never “pushed” a product onto my patients. I am a tough sell. I will only suggest something I have seen work, know to be effective, and would use myself. I highly recommend the Perio Protect Method®.
US survey confirms struggle to afford dental treatment
A recent survey has revealed that a large proportion of American people are
struggling to afford the cost of dental treatment.
The AARP Closer Look June survey confirmed that 60 percent of people over the
age of 45 who earn less than $25,000 per year are finding it increasingly
difficult to afford both medical and dental treatment when they retire. The
results of the survey also revealed that many people were also struggling to
afford basic living costs once they retired.
The survey also revealed that participants of the same age who earned more
than $25,000 per year were also finding it difficult to afford medical
expenses.
Jo Ann Jenkins, from the AARP, says the results of the survey are alarming
and reveal that millions of people are missing out on dental and medical care
because they cannot afford the costs that accompany the treatment.
Many people across America do not have medical or dental insurance, meaning they could be faced with huge bills when they visit their
dentist or doctor. Many charities and professionals run free clinics but the
demand for these services is far greater than the supply and millions are
missing out on healthcare.
Health experts are worried about the current situation in America and claim
that more must be done to enable poorer people to access medical and dental
care. It is hoped that President Obama’s new healthcare system will increase
access to medical services for the poor. However, it could be a while before
these changes come into play and in the meantime people are going without the
treatment they need.
Full article found here: http://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/us-survey-confirms-struggle-to-afford-dental-treatment-9164
New figures have confirmed that the cost of dental care in California is
soaring.
The latest figures from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research showed
that dental bills cost an average of $813 per person in 2007, which is
considerably higher than the national average, which was $643 per patient.
Unsurprisingly, as a result of rising costs, an increasingly large number of
people in California are struggling to afford dental care and many people are
cancelling or postponing dental appointments. The demand for free clinics and
events is also increasing.
The research carried out by the AHQR also found that almost half the cost of
dental treatment was paid out of pocket; this figure was considerably higher
than other forms of healthcare and suggests that a large proportion of people do
not have ready cash available for dental treatment. The study also showed that
insurance played a part and there were significant regional variations in the
proportion of people covered by dental insurance; in Florida, only 27.5 percent of dental bills were covered by
insurance, in comparison to Ohio, where 48.5 percent of bills were covered by
insurance.
Full article: http://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/news/cost-of-dental-care-soaring-in-california-0936
Fossil Teeth of Neanderthals Reveal Fast Track to Maturity
Modern humans benefit from slower growth, longer lives, researchers say
FRIDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children today take longer to mature than
Neanderthal children did, which may have given modern humans an evolutionary
advantage, researchers suggest.
In the study, a multinational team of scientists used synchrotron X-ray
imaging to study the fossil teeth of young Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
"Teeth are remarkable time recorders, capturing each day of growth much like
rings in trees reveal yearly progress. Even more impressive is the fact that our
first molars contain a tiny 'birth certificate' and finding this birth line
allows us to calculate exactly how old a juvenile was when it died," Tanya
Smith, a researcher at Harvard University and the Max-Planck Institute for
Evolutionary Anthropology, said in a news release from the European Synchrotron
Radiation Facility.
The fossil teeth were analyzed at the facility, located in France. The
scientists found that Neanderthal teeth grew much faster than the teeth of
modern humans.
The longer maturation process in modern human children may lead to additional
learning and complex cognition, giving humans a competitive advantage over
Neanderthals, the study authors noted.
The shift from a primitive "live fast and die young" strategy to a "live slow
and grow old" strategy has helped make modern humans one of the most successful
organisms on the planet, according to the scientists.
See full article here: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/646125.html
Taking proper care of your gums will benefit the rest of your
body in surprising ways.
Your grandmother may have slept with her dentures in a jar by
the side of the bed but with improved dentistry and good oral hygiene, younger
generations can expect to keep their own teeth.
However if you are one of the 98 per cent of people in the UK
that the Dental Health Foundation estimates is not regularly flossing, your gums
and teeth won’t be as healthy as they could be and your health might be being
suffering in quite surprising ways.
“Gum disease, caused by the build up of bacteria on the teeth
is really an infection in your mouth,” explains Dr Payman Langroudi, a dentist
with Enlighten Smiles (www.enlightensmiles.com). “An infection of any type is
not good for the body, especially in people whose capability to fight infection
may be compromised by an illness such as diabetes or an immune disease.”
Flossing once a day reaches the 35 per cent of the mouth that
can’t be reached by brushing alone and is vital protection against swollen, red
and bleeding gums that can later lead to periodontal disease and ultimately,
without treatment, to gums and bone being destroyed and teeth falling out.
According to Belgian researchers reporting in the journal
Clinical Oral Investigations, the most effective treatment for bad breath
involves the three pronged approach of flossing, toothbrushing and tongue
scraping. “Flossing helps keep your breath more pleasant by removing the
malodorous bacterial film that can’t be removed by brushing alone,” says Dr
Langroudi.
However it’s not just your mouth that can benefit. Here are
some ways that daily flossing can contribute to general health.
Full article here: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/210428/Why-flossing-can-prevent-a-heart-attack
RDH Jenna Foster works at Premier Dental in Cedar City, Utah, a general practice offering cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, endodontic services, and implants. The office has been treating patients with the Perio Protect Method® since 2007.
Q - How has Perio Protect® been successful in your office? A - Patients in our office who want to avoid or limit invasive periodontal therapy often choose the Perio Protect MethodTM. Without this option, some of these patients may have continued to avoid treatment. Patients really appreciate that a customized prescription tray is an effective tool they can use at home.
Q - Are most of your patients responding well to treatment? A - For those who are following treatment guidelines, we notice a huge difference in the tissues. The gums are a healthier pink and rarely bleed. My patients love being able to deliver medication into their pockets at home in a comfortable, easy way.
Q - What does Perio Protect® allow you to do that other treatments have not? A - My favorite thing to tell patients is that the daily delivery of antimicrobials with the tray can help improve their conditions and possibly eliminate office visits. Patients really appreciate this.
Q - Have any of your patients not responded well? A - I have a few who have not used the trays as prescribed. Others who understand the importance of the treatment and follow the wearing guidelines see improved gum health and some increased attachment.
Q - How do you present treatment options? A - Some patients come to my office because we offer the Perio Protect Method. For others, I explain periodontal disease and its impact on overall health. Then I relay treatment options. The best results in my experience come from an aggressive approach combining mechanical root debridement therapy and the tray delivery of antimicrobials. Although most patients agree to this aggressive approach, many people are scared and nervous about any invasive option and refuse RDT. To be able to offer an effective non-invasive option to my patients who might continue to avoid treatment is exciting.
Q - What additional information would you like others to know? A - When my patients realize the importance of treating their disease, they are very pro-active and want to use the tray delivery of medication. When they come to the office for maintenance procedures, I notice that their gums look healthier than those without the trays who are just undergoing the 3 month interval of perio maintenance. I even have some patients following the Perio Protect Method whose gums have almost completely healed. That is a great thing to say, because just 5 years ago this was not even possible.
"Every hygienist looking for ways to help patients should consider the Perio Protect Method™."
RDH Gabriela Lopes has been treating patients in the large family dental practice of Dr. Jordan Tilden & Associates for 6 years in Chicago, IL. Her office has both a general dentist and a periodontist. She began recommending the Perio Protect Method™ to some of her patients in the fall of 2007.
Q - How did you first learn about the Perio Protect Method™? A - Dr. Raghian is a periodontist who joined our dental team in 2007. Shortly after his arrival, he introduced me to the Method and explained how it was useful. I then attended a Perio Protect seminar.
Q - How did you start with the Perio Protect Method? A - I selected to try it with a patient as a test case.
Q - And this test case was successful? A - Yes. This patient had been coming to our office for years, but then disappeared and did not return for his maintenance visits for more than 2 years. When he returned his well maintained 3-4mm pockets had deepened to 7-9mm and many of his molars had so much mobility that he was about to lose them. There was nothing else we could do, so after full mouth SRP, we tried the Perio Protect Method™. A year after beginning treatment with the Method, his 9mm pockets measured 5mm. A year later, his 5mm pockets measured 4mm; and there was absolutely no bleeding. Even better, he only lost half of one molar. Dr. Raghian removed the distal root of #19 due to excessive bone loss; and Dr. Tilden splinted #18 and #19 with a small pontic to replace the hemisectioned root for greater stability.
Q - Patient compliance is very important for successful treatment results. This patient sounds compliant. Are most of your patients getting good results when they follow the Perio Protect Method™? A - Most of our patients are not in as critical a disease state as my first test case, but they are getting good results when they follow the Method as directed. What I’ve learned is that my encouragement is very important. I have to give positive reinforcement to my patients, help them stay on top of their situation. If I allow them to walk away from my chair without helping them care about their results, they are not always as diligent with their homecare.
Q - What would you say to someone who has reservations about the Method? A - There is so much material out there and so much marketing that we all are on the lookout for gimmicks. You won’t really know until you try it, but every hygienist looking for ways to help patients should consider the Perio Protect Method™.
