Introducing Our New Hygienist, Annika Mundus!

We are very excited about a new addition to our team! We have decided to add a hygienist to our staff, to ensure you are receiving the ultimate dental care on your routine cleaning visits. We wanted to take a little time for you to get to know her!

"Hello, I would like to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Annika Mundus and I recently joined Dr. Stickney's team as a dental hygienist. I grew up in Squaw Valley, California skiing and snowboarding to my hearts content. I began as a dental assistant when I was 17 and found that I truly enjoyed the field of dentistry. I decided to become a dental hygienist and attended Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists which was affiliated with Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I graduated in 2002 Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science of Dental Hygiene. I have worked in a variety of offices, some traditional and some that tried to incorporate holistic ideals. I am excited to join Dr. Stickney and his staff and continue learning about true holistic dentistry. I look forward to meeting all of our patients!
I briefly wanted to share an experience with you. Recently, we had a patient come in and he was surprised to find out that he had several new areas of decay that required restorations. When doctor Stickney asked about his diet he said that he has been eating a lot of trail mix with dried fruit. I too had a similar experience with dried fruits. I spent a few months on a road trip and had almonds and dried apricots as a snack and came home with a few new cavities of my own. Here is what happened to both of us: Dried fruit contains a high amount of sugar and is sticky. Small bits of dried fruit stick in the pits and grooves of the chewing surface of the tooth between brushings. The bacteria consumes the sugars and as a biproduct of metabolizing the sugars, the bacteria produces acid that demineralizes the enamel and causes tooth decay. The longer the sugar is present on the tooth, the more it is available to be metabolized by bacteria, the more acid is produced, the more tooth decay! Sticky sweets, even healthful dried fruits, can cause cavities.

Even though I knew they were cariogenic, as a recently graduated dental hygienist, I thought I could do a good enough job with my brushing. It was another reminder to watch how much dried fruit I eat and to educate our patients do to the same." -Annika Mundus

We look forward to you all meeting her!

Thank you and be well,
Rick Stickney and Team

Periodontal Disease and Your Health

Hello Everyone,

Recently, we have been focusing a lot of attention on periodontal disease and the Perio Protect Treatment. There has been so much new information regarding periodontal disease and the link to your overall health, that I feel that it is important to continue sharing it with you. We have many patients that are currently using the Perio Protect Trays with hydrogen peroxide and antioxidant medications to treat their gum disease and are having great results. We have some updated information that we wanted to make sure to pass on to our Perio Protect users, to ensure you are receiving the utmost benefits:

Previously, you were instructed to brush and floss before using your trays. We now have new direction to use the trays prior to brushing and flossing. The reason for this is that when you brush and floss your teeth you are disturbing the oral bacteria and releasing it into your system. When you use your Perio Protect Trays first, you will be killing off 99% of the bad bacteria prior to brushing and flossing, therefore, limiting your body's exposure to the harmful bacteria. So if you are currently using the trays, please alter your routine to using the trays prior to brushing and flossing.

We also want to emphasize the importance of using the trays more than once a day if you currently have periodontitis or gingivitis. I have added a extremely motivating video to this blog that I encourage you to watch. It shows a plate sample of oral bacterial and it's growth within a 24 hour period of time under high magnification. When you use your trays you are killing off 99% of the bad bacteria. As shown in the video, any remaining bacteria in your mouth quickly will multiply and within a 24 hour period of time return full force. Therefore, it is important to use the trays multiple times as a day, as directed, to keep the bacteria level low so your gum tissue has time to heal.

Negative Effects of Periodontal Disease

Biofilm, communities of bacteria found on teeth and gum, causes inflammation of the gum tissue. Since the gum tissue is only three cell walls thick, toxic bacteria can make its way through the gum tissue into the blood stream. Once the bacteria reaches the blood stream it can be linked to major health problems. For example, did you know that if you have periodontal disease you are:
168% more likely to develop Heart Disease
250% more likely to have a Stroke
300% more likely to get Osteoporosis and
700% more likely to have a low birth weight baby?

Researchers have also found oral bacteria in the artery walls of the heart and in blood vessels. C Reactive Protein is a measure of inflammation in the body and can be measured by blood work. Many physicians view elevated C Reactive Protein as more predictive of a future heart attack than high cholesterol! Inflammation is a healthy person's response to injury or infection. The inflammatory process alerts our immune system which helps us to heal. However, when inflammation becomes chronic, it becomes a major health problem.

A colleague of mine, Dr. Ostler, put together a bibliography of almost 1,000 studies conducted showing the negative effects of periodontal disease to your systemic (overall) health. We have this bibliography in our office for those of you who like see for yourself the eye-opening results.

I am personally committed to helping my patients to attain their ultimate health. As we can see, treating periodontal disease is part of this process. Please contact our office if you would like further information about periodontal disease and the Perio Protect Treatment.

Thank you and be well.

Dr. Rick Stickney and Team