The Perio Patient Podcast

Well today I want to step way back and to talk about a subject that all of us living in the United States share – whether we like it or not. And it actually relates directly to my professional and personal life as well as yours,  because it is the environment in which I practice my specific area within the broader circle of healthcare and how all of us are able cooperate together for the delivery...

You have twelve front teeth. Six on top and six on bottom. You have twelve front deciduous teeth before these. Allow me to introduce you to them in a little more detail. Come sit next to me in an early tooth anatomy class in dental school.

The biggest cause of tooth decay is refined sugar because bacteria can use it without effort to run their machinery. It is their favorite food. Once it has been used by these organisms, it is turned into an acid that begins to dissolve the hardest substance in the body, tooth enamel.

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist on how technology is changing the practice of dentistry and periodontics. It has a lot to do with the digital revolution. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/podcast-statistics#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%20850%2C000%20active,of%2012%20listen%20to%20podcasts.

Today I talk about The Least Expensive Appropriate Treatment Trick, The Missing Tooth Clause Conundrum and The We Cover This Procedure Except When We Don't Debacle. 

So… was water fluoridation a good idea? How well did it reduce dental caries in children? Finally! We obtain some answers…and a few more questions. Ah, such is science.

A few thoughts about the value of listening to others and how challenging change really is.

Starting to look at a Cochrane Review of Water fluoridation and prevention of dental caries or tooth decay as well as dental fluorosis. It's complicated but valuable because as we work through questions on this scientific subject it helps us think about how science is used and misused in the general culture. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010856.pub2/full https://en.wi...

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist Just checking in and giving you a few more thoughts about fluoride as well as periodontal maintenance as experienced by one of my patients today.

Is fluoridation a good thing? To answer this, we have to first understand what fluoride is and where it comes from. Some of my material comes from these two sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride

This is the 75th anniversary of water fluoridation. Do we still need it? How do we know? To get there I want to tell you about the Cochrane Library -- what it is and what it does. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochrane_Library https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26092033/  

In the 1950s, it was decided, absent data, that low dose radiation was as bad as high dose and so no dose would be tolerated. This was called the  Linear No-Threshold  (LNT) dose hypothesis. Today this is being overturned in medicine and eventually in dentistry. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2020/01/28/ditch-that-lead-apron-in-the-x-ray-room/#227a1e413bd5 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/...

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist. What patients need to know about their dental insurance. How to understand it and how to make sure the dental insurance company is treating them fairly.

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist. What patients need to know about their dental insurance. How to understand it and how to make sure the dental insurance company is treating them fairly.

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist. What patients need to know about their dental insurance. How to understand it and how to make sure the dental insurance company is treating them fairly.  

What patients need to know about their dental insurance. How to understand it and how to make sure the dental insurance company is treating them fairly.

The thoughts and ideas of one periodontist. Does it really work to be selfless? What it takes to develop technical skills. 

Three words for the day: Selfish, Self-centered, and Self-aware.  

People are heading back to school so let's talk about teaching and what it is. Also we will talk about what floss can't ever do. I introduce one of my greatest influences in early childhood, Dr. Rudolf Flesch (and my mom), who I credit for helping me get good grades in school. Here is more about Dr. Flesch. Read it and weep. http://www.improve-education.org/id29.html Here is an article I wrote abo...

My smoking story. How to think about quitting smoking in ways that will actually strengthen your resolve.   https://youtu.be/bjX7FIfAA2k

Patients with chronic inflammation who smoke have more trouble in general than those who don't. With regards to periodontal disease smoking affects the mouth in two ways -- locally and systemically. But the nicotine addiction is a tough problem. There are some things you can do to help quit and we discuss a few in this podcast. 

I'm heading off to Haven for Hope and the Christian Dental Clinic in San Antonio to serve with a number of other dentists a population of refugees living in our city.  I explain how we do this as part of the ministry of Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA). To learn more, check out their San Antonio Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cmdasatx/

Today the topic is pain management. I get into the difference between narcotics and non-narcotics.

Let's talk about local anesthetics and dentists. In this episode I describe how to help children with their fears about going to the dentist. Also, should dental hygienists be allowed to give local anesthesia? What might be some good ways to train and certify them? I also give a few of my own tips on how dentists might think about providing comfortable anesthesia. So, patients – how important woul...

Happy birthday to a new grandson! Do you know the difference between infection and inflammation? Allow me to make it simple. Also, we discuss inflammatory diseases in general as well as what autoimmune diseases are. The mouth is an easy and direct way to begin to address inflammatory diseases of the body and a laser at the right setting can accomplish this quickly and effectively. Finally, when th...