A patient visit that started with fear and ended with trust. Her narrative:

” I am a person who can not sleep the night before a dental appointment. Hence the problems I have now growing and not paying rent in my mouth! I do not trust dentists or believe most of what they tell me. After my first visit to Dr Korwin’s office and after 30 years of fears, I’m not sure who I am. I am leaving this office laughing and yes, making my next appointment!

To anyone who is even afraid of the novocaine needle, I felt NOTHING!

Every dentist should train with Dr. Korwin and I bet the world would have beautiful smiles.

F.V., Atl. H., N.J.

A patient presented with dental neglect and  a history of dental avoidance stemming from negative past dental experience. He declined any treatment without sedation. After consenting to an exam, he was guided toward therapeutic trust in the professional relationship. An exam with permission statements, retaining full personal control was the first step. After the exam, the  possibility of a cleaning emerged and the hygiene visit retaining full patient  control followed. A consultation emphasizing results and attainable financial goals provided the framework for the next step.  After assurance that the visit would be completely painless and under his total control, the patient now had enough trust  to allow a brief visit with local anesthetic and a restoration. Following this quick  and completely painless procedure, the patient said enthusiastically, I could kiss you, shook my hand instead, and said he was now ready for his root canal without sedation!

A very significant finding for diagnosing and improving the immune system response to bacterial attack comes from periodontal research from The University of Louisville School of Dentistry, published in Science Signaling. The study reports that a bacteria responsible for periodontal disease interferes with the communication network of the human immune system, preventing destruction of the bacteria (P. gingivalis) by white blood cells. This immune interference is a highly sophisticated approach to keeping  the bacteria viable in the body. Many diseases which trigger  immune dysfunctions (such as Lyme for example) interfere with immune response in unknown ways.  The hope  is that this particular finding  may improve treatment of both periodontal disease and other systemic disease in a more effective manner.

http://stke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sigtrans;3/109/ra11

The simplified long winded explanation for this has to do with the anatomy, morphology  and physiology of a tooth. Hot or cold sensations are transmitted by small tubules which contain long fluid filled processes coming from the inside of the tooth. Exposed tubules are easily influenced by hot and cold. Whitening and tartar control  toothpastes strip away the sediment covering the tubules, exposing the conductor within to hot and cold. MI paste and Arm and Hammer fill in the tubules ( as do other desensitizers) and voila, your teeth feel great! Don’t be a sucker for marketing. The folks that put these ads together did not go to dental school, but they did go to marketing school.

Sunstar Butler has an oral probiotic named GUM Periobalance which is taken once a day. The active ingredient is Lactobacillus reuteri Prodentis from BioGaia, a Swedish biotechnology company. Periobalance increases the ratios of helpful Lactobacillus and decreases harmful Streptococcus in the mouth. New oral balance probiotics are now available even for dogs and cats!

Thanks to Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS, Hygienetown Editorial Director for this great information.

Chronic Periodontitis and the Incidence of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Mine Tezal, Maureen A. Sullivan, Andrew Hyland, James R. Marshall, Daniel Stoler, Mary E. Reid,Thom R. Loree, Nestor R. Rigual, Mihai Merzianu, Linda Hauck, Cheryl Lillis, Jean Wactawski-Wende, and Frank A. Scannapieco; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev September 2009 18:2406-2412; doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-09-0334

As reported in a recent interview with Michael A Kahn DDS of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, only 15% of patients are aware of being given an oral cancer exam by their dentist. Since more people die yearly from this than from cervical cancer and melanoma, it should be on the top of your to do list. Risk factors include smoking and chewing tobacco, along with alcohol. The aldehyde in alcohol increase the absorption of cancer causing substances. Dr Kahn advises his patients, as I do, to avoid swishing daily with an alcohol based mouthwash. See my prior post: Why use alcohol containing mouthrinses when there are effective non alcohol mouth rinses available OTC? for a rundown on alcohol based mouthwashes. Perform a self exam once a month. Look for raised red or white patches in your mouth with a flashlight and a hand mirror. If present after two weeks, have us look at it, and possibly take a sample (biopsy) for analysis. Survival is high with early diagnosis and treatment.

When mommy kisses her little baby’s boo boo, baby feels better for a good reason. The remarkable compound Opiorphin is an chemical which has been isolated from human saliva. Research shows the chemical has a painkilling effect greater than that of morphine! Our self dispensed boo boo and toothache remedy is available 24-7.

We were visited by a very nice medical professional today whose blood pressure due to dental anxiety was 167/106. We delayed his procedure, but after 5 minutes of listening to Calmistry and a breathing exercise, his blood pressure became 143/89, and we quickly started and finished his care.