Periodontal Disease: Interesting Statistics

Good afternoon!

How is everyone doing today? Well we wanted to share some interesting information about how prevalent periodontal disease is among adults. This was an email newsletter sent to me recently and I thought it would be informative to our readers.

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September 21, 2010 -- The number of adults in the U.S. suffering from periodontal disease may be significantly higher than previous research has indicated, according to a study published online in the Journal of Dental Research (September 21, 2010).

The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), researchers appear to have underestimated by as much as 50% how many cases of moderate to severe periodontitis actually exist in the U.S. population.

"This study shows that periodontal disease is a bigger problem than we all thought. It is a call to action for anyone who cares about his or her oral health," said Samuel Low, D.D.S., M.S., associate dean and professor of periodontology at the University of Florida College of Dentistry and president of the AAP, in a press release. "Given what we know about the relationship between gum disease and other diseases, taking care of your oral health isn't just about a pretty smile. It has bigger implications for overall health, and is therefore a more significant public health problem."

According to Paul Eke, Ph.D., M.P.H., an epidemiologist at the CDC and lead author of the study, the findings have significant public health implications. Several research studies have associated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Because recent research suggests a connection between periodontal health and systemic health, "understanding the relationships between periodontal disease and other systemic diseases in the adult U.S population is more crucial than ever," he added.

Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com

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Many adults live with this disease and do not even know they have it. The best way to find out is to have your dental hygienist do an examination of your gum health at your next check up. At that point the dentist can figure out the best way to treat the disease according to your specific needs. We even have Oral DNA tests to determine whether a patient is genetically susceptible to periodontal disease.

This statistic is a wake up call! Make sure you get in to see your dentist or hygienist every 6 months for check ups. Things in the mouth can change quickly, and prevention is the best way to deal with this disease.

I hope you are all doing well.
Richard Stickney DDS PS

Laser Helps With Sensitivity

Hello everyone!

I hope this blog post is finding you all happy and healthy! We just returned from our two week vacation, and we are ready to start up our weekly blog again, sharing timely and informative news with you!

This week's blog is talking again about our dental laser! (Boy do we love it!) But this time we are focusing on how the laser can help with sensitivity during and after dental procedures and how it can help with general tooth sensitivity. We've attached a video at the bottom on this post that explains how the laser can help with sensitivity caused by gum recession and exposed nerve endings. These exposed nerve endings can cause sensitivity to brushing, and cold.

This week alone, we've done a couple of composite fillings with the use of our Waterlase. Asking the patients afterwards how they felt during the treatment, all of them said they had no discomfort. No anesthetic was used during either of these treatments. Unfortunately, we cannot use the laser for every procedure, but we do use it as often as we possibly can. Many of our patients prefer the use of our laser opposed to the use of anesthetic and the drill. On the flip side, some people prefer not feeling anything at all and want to be numb, so we definitely respect all of our patients wishes.

If you'd like to see an animated demonstration of how the laser can help with tooth sensitivity, please follow this link to watch a short video.

Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments section or on our Facebook or Twitter pages!

Be well,
Richard Stickney

Don't Wait Until the Last Minute!

Use it or lose it!

What are we talking about here? Dental insurance.

Many of our patients have dental insurance, that if not used within the calendar year (January-December), they lose that coverage; it does not roll over into the new year. So what happens every year is many people decide to come in in December, and we book up very fast, often being booked out for weeks. The problem with this is that with most dental insurance companies they cover based on the finished date. For example, if a patient needed a crown prep, the insurance company would go based on the SEAT date, not the PREP date.

So if a patient comes in for a prep on December 28th, that restoration may not be covered in that year because it takes about 2 weeks for the crown to be made and sent back to us to be seated.

We want to encourage everyone to start booking their cleanings and restorative work early so you'll be sure to get insurance coverage for the work! November and December are the busiest times of the year for most dental offices. Don't wait until the last minute!

Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Richard Stickney DDS PS

Dental Seminar: Laser Dentistry

Hello everyone!

About 2 weekends ago I attended a Waterlase dental  laser seminar done by Dr. Marshall Golan. Much of this seminar discussed technical aspects of laser dentistry, and some of it I'd like to share with you all today.

I've had my Waterlase for over 5 years now, and I use it as often as I can on my patients. Dr. Golan outlined some suggestions that I've already been putting into practice during the seminar, but one thing he mentioned is that he uses the laser on just about every patient to kill bacteria and decontaminate after decay removal, even if he used the drill. On Dr. Golan's website, he outlines some other advantages of using the laser, such as:

• It helps remove areas of infection
• Removes gum disease with great precision
• The laser beam sterilizes as it works
• Anesthetic is not needed as often
• Faster healing
• Less bleeding and swelling
• Less noise so less anxiety
• Less post operative pain so less pain medication is needed.

92% of stained grooves on a non smoker's occlusal (or biting) surface has decay underneath, and this does not show on an x-ray. If that decay stays only on the enamel, then we can treat that as a sealant, but if it goes into the dentin layer of the tooth, at that point we have to do a composite filling. The laser can often be used in removing such decay without the use of anesthetic. Some other uses of the laser include:

1. Gum surgery- we can often treat gum disease with the laser to disinfect deep pockets, remove diseased tissue, and stimulate reattachment of the tissue to the gum without invasive painful scapel surgery.
2. Decay removal- the laser can remove decay, disinfect and biostimulate the tooth
3. Cosmetic purposes- the laser can re-contour the gums and eliminate a "gummy" smile

We love using our laser, and I enjoy learning new ways to use it. If you'd like more information about the Biolase water laser that I use in my practice, please visit their website.

Be well,
Richard Stickney DDS PS

What's In Your Mouthwash?

Today we wanted to talk a little bit about what's being put into current toothpastes and mouthwashes. A dangerous chemical called Triclosan, which is an antibacterial chemical used in mouthwash and toothpaste, along with other products such as lipstick, deodorant and hand soap. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that not only does Triclosan hinder reproductive hormone activity and signaling in the brain, but also has dramatic effects on cardiac functions and hinders muscle contractions on a cellular level. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating the safety of this chemical.

What we'd like to get across to our patients is the importance of checking the ingredients on the dental products you use. Many of the popular products on the market these days are using ingredients and chemicals that might be harmful to overall health. These chemicals are then being absorbed quickly into the body "sub-lingually" (under the tongue) and directly into the blood stream.

I once heard from Dr. Marshall that you don't want to put anything on your skin or in your mouth that you wouldn't eat because it can be absorbed into the skin very easily. And that has become part of my philosophy here; don't put things in your body that cause problems. In my practice I like to use and recommend products that are natural and that have no harmful chemicals in them. One of the mouthwashes and toothpastes that I carry is from a company called "Dental Herb Company" and their products contain medicinal grade herbs and essential oils. The tonic and toothpaste contain no artificial chemicals, flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners or fractionated ingredients.

I hope that you are all experiencing good health!
Richard Stickney DDS

I take...

"I take Asprin for the headache caused by the Zyrtec I take for the hayfever I got from Relenza for the uneasy stomach from the Ritalin I take for the short attention span caused by the Scopederm Ts I take for the motion sickness I got from the Lomotil I take for the diarrhea caused by the Zenikal for the uncontrolled weight gain from the Paxil I take for the anxiety from Zocor I take for my high cholesterol because excersise, a good diet and regular chiropractic care are just too much trouble."

(Source: http://chirocentre.co.uk/chiropractic-t-shirt-medication-side-effect/)

This is a picture of a real T-shirt. My son, Pearce, sent this to me, and although I knew you'd all enjoy the humor in it, I also believe our patients can see the seriousness as well. What we put in our bodies sometimes have side effects, and to cover those side effects, many people take other medications. What a cycle!

The problem is.. many doctors do not take the time to search for the CAUSE of the problem, but instead just cover over the symptom. In our practice, we enjoy taking the time to listen to the needs of the patient, and try to discover the underlying problems associate with their symptoms. From there we are able to help relieve the patient's immediate symptom or pain while at the same time addressing the cause of the problem.


To hoping you are all happy and healthy (and enjoying this beautiful summer)!
Richard Stickney DDS PS

Undriving: A Patient's True Story

Today we thought it would be really nice to share a story about one of our patients. This story is about a program called "Undriving" and her experience with making the effort to reduce the amount of time she spends driving her car. Here is her experience:

Anne Phyfe Palmer is from New Orleans, LA, and  currently lives in Madison Valley up near Capitol Hill in Seattle with her husband and children. She teaches yoga as her occupation and has two young daughters. Anne Phyfe has been bicycling since she was in high school, but stopped when she started having children a few years ago. She stated that it was a lot of work and time to carry another body from "point A to point B", but when her family had to move out of their home for a short period of time to do some remodeling, she started riding her bicycle again because of an easier biking commute.

When she noticed her body becoming stronger, she began attempting to bike the hill to her home, and now she says she is almost a 100% cyclist. Anne Phyfe got her Undriver's License and her endorsements on the card are to walk, bike, telecommute and "skip the trip". She has committed to doing no less than 50%, but is happy to share that she is been doing about 100%!

When she talks about her experience with Undriver's she shares that what she likes about this program is that it is realistic. She does her best not to get in the car but when she needs it, she uses it. She recognizes that you don't have to take the car out completely. Another thing that she likes is that her family can do it together. They have purchased a Burley bike trailer, which is able to hold their things while they bicycle, such as purses, groceries, shopping bags, beach towels, and picnic lunches. They also have a "tag-a-long" for her youngest daughter Coco, that attaches to Anne Phyfe's bike. Coco says she really enjoys helping her mom bike up their hill!


Anne Phyfe commented that, during the summer, it felt so good to cycle and that feeling kept her going through the winter, even though it was more challenging. Along with cycling, she practices and even teaches yoga. Killing two birds with one stone she says about her cardiovascular exercise that "I get it done during my commute!" To her and her family, cycling has become a "part of the flow, part of our lives".


The BP oil spill back in 2010 really shook Anne Phyfe up. She says she was heartbroken over it and felt compelled to do something. For her, that meant continuing to use her bike as her main form of transportation, and trying to find ways to use her car less and less. She believes that as a society, we have created the demand for gas, oil and petroleum products. It is clear, she is determined to do her part to help our environment.


When Anne Phyfe talks about why she stopped cycling a few years back, she said she realized one of the reasons was time and making the time to get places. One of the other reasons was having her children, and having to move another body from one place to another. And that hill! But one way they got through those challenges was by planning ahead. They had to purchase the right equipment, put their bike locker in a place where it is accessible, make the time, and by changing the way they live their lives.


For more information and to hear and read about other's stories in their participation of the "Undriver" program, please visit their website. And to see Anne Phyfe's full story, you can see the video here. Also, Anne Phyfe let us know that in the July/August issue of Momentum Magazine, she will be featured in an article called "Bike Smart". Although the article has yet to be published, we eagerly look forward to reading it. You can check out Momentum's website here and search under "Bike Smart" to find her story when it comes out!


We are happy that our patients are able to do what they can to keep our environment healthy and their bodies healthy. Reducing the amount of time we spend in our cars and finding alternative ways to travel is a great way to help the environment, it's good on your pocketbook, and it's great for the body! Whether it's bicycling, walking, jogging, or even carpooling to work, every little bit helps.

To your health,
Richard Stickney