Periodontal Disease, for the most part, is a chronic condition. The periodontist’s role and training are focused on diagnosing, arresting, and, as much as possible, reversing the course of this destructive ailment. But once patients have been stabilized, they still remain at greater risk for recurrence or breakdown compared with patients who have never had this damaging infection. For this reason, patients are usually informed during their initial visits to periodontists, that they should consider themselves periodontal patients from then on, or as long as they have teeth. Is this chronic label true for every patient? Of course not, but those who can safely return into the general patient population and be treated with no additional vigilance are extremely few and far between. The profession of Dental Hygiene serves a vital function when it comes to helping treated periodontal patients maintain health and, when necessary, return them to active therapy. But how well does all of this work out in real life? The problem is primarily one of communication. The periodontist works in one office or operatory and the dental hygienist in another. Also, their experiences and training are vastly different, so much so, potentially, that neither understands what the other is thinking or needs to know in order to provide effective care to the patients they have in common. Ben Young is a practicing periodontist who came into private practice after a career in the United States Air Force. His final assignment on active duty was as the Director of the Air Force Periodontal Therapist Program. This was a training program that essentially taught a select group of seasoned active duty dental assistants to perform the functions of the dental hygienist under the supervision of periodontists in one of dozens of bases around the world. This podcast is for dentists, dental hygienists and students interested in learning better teamworking techniques toward the highest level of quality patient care. It is intended to be informative, thought provoking and helpful in linking the on-going care of periodontal patients between periodontal and general dental offices while at the same time, making dental hygiene less stressful and more enjoyable.
I discuss a book I'm reading that improves communication with patients specifically, and everyone else in general. It is called Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller.
I discuss the challenges of referring patients to a specialist for periodontal treatment, especially when they are new to your office. To improve the patient experience, I also make an offer to treat patients in your office, assuming you are within reasonable driving distance.
Where do they come from and why do they think and act the way they do? How best can them communicate with one another?
Time sensitive ideas about the upcoming election. Be sure to vote.
The San Antonio Christian Medical and Dental Associations Fall Banquet. October 18, 2022 6:30 - 9:00 PM on the campus of University of the Incarnate Word. This podcast explains all about it. Hope you will join me there.
We talk about training dental assistants and others in the dental office as well as managing morale, including that of dental hygienists and dentists.
The summer is rolling along. We in Texas are living in the heat, and most of the world is doing the same, regardless the temperature out anyone's door. People are feeling the heat of climbing prices, disruption of supply chains, and a whole lot more. Because things are unstable in so many ways right now, one of my biggest objectives when podcasting or writing is to speak encouragement, hope, even comfort when necessary...
"This is the big graduation time of year so I thought I would give dental school and dental hygiene school graduates a few thoughts on the subject of transitioning from school to the real world of private practice. Now for most of us, who are not graduating, please listen and write me any comments you think they should hear from you and I will read them out on the next podcast. Let me know if you think I am right or wrong. I really value your input." The Still Point Project
One simple periodontal examination tip and some thoughts on the Saturday before Easter 2022. thestillpoint.substack.com
https://thestillpoint.substack.com/publish/post/50711541
This is a special podcast produced for the San Antonio Christian Dental Clinic and discusses coordination of care for some of their patients.
Discussing the 2/22/2022 letter to the CDC by eight Industrial Hygienists. The 27 page letter.
I'm glad to see things opening up and I am ready to get out and visit many of you. In this episode I talk about A Tooth Has Four Parts origins and other tidbits about my career.
I've started a new project. https://thestillpoint.substack.com/about
Infection control has not been the issue for a long time now. It's time for healthcare professionals to lead in this area.
Dr. Young talks about ways to remain calm in the storm of insults and anger from others, especially in the work environment.
Under all of your academic and clinical training there is something else, something deeper I am calling your philosophy. Are you in touch with it? How might this affect patient care?
The title says it pretty well.
What is the message behind wearing masks in public, especially if you are a healthcare worker?
This is the best technical explanation of how this virus works as well as how vaccinations work. I have produced this in order to enable people to listen to the explanation rather than attempt to read it if they are not familiar with the scientific jargon. Important information. I hope you listen and pass it on, especially to those you know in healthcare. https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/damn-you-hell-you-will-not-destroy-america-here-spartacus-covid-letter-thats-gone-viral
I just learned through an email notification by the American Dental Association that the U.S. Congress has advanced a budget resolution which includes a provision to expand the Medicare program to include dental benefits. https://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Advocacy/Files/FAQ_medicare_dentalbenefit.pdf https://www.ada.org/en/advocacy/getinvolved/legislative-action-center
There are two types of leaders just as there are two types of healthcare systems. Does wearing face masks stop or reduce the spread of viral infections -- and what does this have to do with leadership?
My eight tips cover the following topics. 1. How to remove hard calculus. 2. How sharp do hand instruments need to be. 3. How many hand instruments do you need to perform scaling and root planing. 4. Lip and cheek retraction. 5. Local anesthesia. 6. Suturing. 7. Marketing. 8. Conflict management and recovery.
There is a lot of bad news out there. We are swimming in it. And if you just step back a little and study it, I think you will agree with me that some of it is gaslighting. Three famous psychology studies: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-asch-conformity-experiments-2794996 https://www.verywellmind.com/the-milgram-obedience-experiment-2795243 https://www.verywellmind.com/the-stanford-prison-experiment-2794995 One interesting current video you might want to check out: https://rumble.com/vk894g-dr-michael-yeadon-a-final-warning-to-humanity.html
In the July edition of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) there is an article of the same title. My interest in discussing this article has to do with whether or not we should be doing rapid COVID-19 testing in our dental offices. If so, what should we expect will be the benefit to our patients? Here are the links to two articles discussed. Both are written by the same three authors with one placed in the Journal of Clinical Medicine https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/6/1158 and the other in JADA https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(21)00276-2/fulltext
So now, for the next few minutes, permit me to give you my take on what interdisciplinary treatment planning is – and why it is critical for dentists, especially the newly graduated. It is my biggest tool to tackling complexity in dentistry and reducing risk.
Recently, a patient came to me referred by an excellent comprehensive dentist friend to evaluate a problem with a loose crown/abutment over a dental implant. The implant was placed 7-10 years ago by another dentist entirely. According to the patient, about two years ago or so, the crown became loose... Let's talk about three general ways dental implants can fail.
Thoughts and opinions of one periodontist. Soft tooth brush recommendation. Current concerns about the military culture discussed and a reading of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
If I can help you provide the supportive periodontal care within the patient's home dental office, then many of them can stop the alternating process between the two offices – which enables me to do more of what I have been trained to do – active therapy procedures. This enables me to be to the referring office like an endodontist – who performs specific procedures and then sends the patient back.
Everyone in dentistry should be well acquainted with how fear operates because we see it in the eyes and actions of patient's everyday. We should also understand fear at a more personal level. People who say they are not ever afraid are simply in denial. So, what can we do to help us manage fear – both in ourselves and then in others? I'm glad you asked.
An important commentary has just been published in the Journal of Periodontology by authors Cobb and Sottosanti that discussed how scaling and root planing effects root structure, calculus and periodontal disease. If you perform this procedure this is a very good article to read -- and here, I read it to you -- with a few comments along the way.
Thoughts of one periodontist. Take what you like and leave the rest.
The thoughts of one periodontist. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/sociopathy
Just checking in and sharing a few thoughts about things important to us all at the moment.
I found an interesting original research article in the Journal of the American Dental Association December 2020 edition on the subject of dental short-term missions. The authors believe the participation in activities like this improve the quality of dental and dental hygiene care we provide on a daily basis. The reason this is can be explained by looking at how it affects the six aspects of our nature -- Emotional, Intellectual, Physical, Moral, Social and Spiritual. Good food for thought. I explain how this type of work has affected me personally.
How is your mood? Does this Christmas season have a little dark mood to it? If so, I hope you find this podcast therapeutic. We Need a Little Christmas performed by Angela Lansbury and from the musical Mame. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen performed by Pentatonix. Joy To The World (Live At The Helix In Dublin, Ireland/2013)
I discuss the research contribution of a periodontist honored by a tribute edition in the Journal of Periodontology October 2020 but the name of Steven Offenbacher. We get into some of the interesting research behind the links between periodontal disease and other medical diseases.
Have a wonderful holiday season whether you are in the US and celebrate Thanksgiving or live elsewhere in the world. This is too good a holiday just to keep it to ourselves. Blessings to you and yours.
This is an overview on how to utilize a periodontist for the optimum benefit of your patients and comprehensive dental practice. This is also an alternative practice model to specialists who seek to lower complexity and work toward better efficiency with the comprehensive dentists near them.
Information at the intersection of periodontics and dental hygiene so patients can be managed well within comprehensive dental offices following active periodontal therapy by periodontists. In this episode I discuss benefits and disadvantages with chlorhexidine gluconate as well as talking about an alternative. For more information go to StellaLife.com.
My reflections on current events as they apply to patient care.
If you want to stay sane in dentistry write the following down and review it often: I have two jobs and the patient has two jobs. None of these jobs can be shared by the other. My two jobs are (1) to like patients and (2) to treat them well. Patients will benefit from doing their two jobs which are (1) daily homecare and (2) appointment management. Should they decide to take care of themselves, I will take no credit. It was their choice to comply with the recommendations, not mine.
Let's get into written entries -- how to think about them and ways to write them down. I get into legal matters as well as helpful ways to simplify the process.
The title says it all. Life and people are sometimes just annoying. How can we actually use our problems to improve our attitudes and what we have to bless the lives of others?
The work we are doing now will hopefully prepare us for a better patient care flow after this COVID way of living. I give you a taste of my new podcast The Perio Patient Podcast with the hope you will subscribe and give 5 stars in order to make it visible to others. https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/15534908
Dentists and dental hygienists who are pursuing additional skills and training become, in my book, comprehensive practitioners. No longer are they simply about fillings and cleanings but have moved toward managing greater complexity. These are the practitioners I work for as a specialist. Thanks for whoever gave the podcast five stars.
How to help patients use proxabrushes as part of their daily oral hygiene routine.
The terminology we use professionally is useful in some ways but limiting in others because it locks us into our own Silos -- our own way of thinking about things. I explain the need to understand and breakdown language barriers when they are getting in the way. I give you some tips on how to do this.
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