It’s another fine example of my typical Betel nut and periodontal challenged dental patient in Saipan. Looks scary huh? I’m not grossed out at all since most of my patients look like this anyway. I like working with patients like this because you get to see the progress they go through as you work with them. After the stain removal I plan to do four quadrants of scaling and root planing with anesthetic. There’s a lot of bone loss though =( Hopefully this patient will respond well to the treatment otherwise its off to the Gum specialist they go.
Every October is National Dental Hygiene Awareness month and we are trying to focus on educating the public on the health risks of Periodontal (gum) Disease and the systemic implications. Fortunately I get to have some radio airtime on the Harry Blaylock show in October to talk about the health risks of Periodonatal (Gum) disease and why seeing your dentist and dental hygienist regularly can save your life.
Did you know that 75 % off Americans have some form of Periodontal (gum) Disease and don’t even know it? I’ve been reading up on a lot of studies that show a strong correlation between Gum disease and certain conditions like Heart Disease, Diabetes, and respiratory ailments. A lot of these health problems exist on Saipan. The other condition we always check for is oral cancer since Saipan has a lot of Betel nut and tobacco chewers. You'd be surprised how many cases of Oral Cancer go undiagnosed. Its scary.
More exciting news! I’m leaving this rock island for San Francisco for a week in September. I can’t wait! I’ll be attending the American Dental Association Annual Session to take some continuing education courses to maintain my RDH license. Dentists and Dental Hygienists fly in from all over the world to attend this huge convention! Besides meeting new people and seeing the guest speaker, Lance Armstrong at the convention . . . I can’t wait to hang out in downtown SF! Plenty to see and do in the bay area.
14 comments:
Incredibly gross. You're a tough woman to clean that up. Yikes.
Where do you work again? SDA? I dont think I will be encouraging people to visit your clinic. I am sure nobody would want a picture of their Not-so-good-looking teeth splattered on the internet for all to see.
Anonymous: You missed the point of this post. I wanted to clarify that I always have my patient's consent to take and post pictures for educational purposes. The patient's personal information and identity is kept private according to HIPAA regulations.
The "not so good looking teeth" isn't the underlying issue. Whether anyone sees these pictures or not, Periodontal (gum disease) does exist and is on the rise.
My goal as an RDH is to raise awareness of Periodontal (gum) Disease and its systemic implications.
Sorry you feel the way you do.
It's not like you know who it is. Lighten up.
When are you going to be in San Francisco? I would love to fly up there to see you. I miss my cousin. By the way, you handled yourself very well in regards to the issue above, I was about to go ghetto on "Anonymous" up there. I'm just kidding.
I had to have scaling 10 years ago because of neglect.
Much improved since then - thanks to the fact that my dentist sees me every three months and won't let me out of the office until I've made my next appointment.
Is there a periodontist in Saipan - or do folls have to fly to Guam (GUM)? lol
When in San Francisco - I presume you will be at the Moscone Center. The Samovar Tea room in the park above the Moscone is not to be missed...
http://www.samovartea.com
Jeff: thanks for getting it.
MJ: I'll email you dates. Miss you too!
Dave: We have a periodontist that comes to our clinic from Guam every 6 weeks. His name is Dr. Gatewood and he is very good. If you're interested in scheduling an appointment you can call the SDA Clinic 234-6323. The RDH's do the periomaintences though.
anonymous: thanks for the tip about the Samovar Tea room! I was just looking up places that i want to checkout! The conference will be at the Moscone center!=)
That looks really scary. I've always wondered how you handle not just the icky looking stuff, but the smells.
Boni: The solution to surviving the perio smell is double masking and a dab of Victoria Secret Love Spell lotion in my mask=) its bearable and you get use it.
It does look really bad, but i do believe this will help to educate people about there teeth. Bev. thank you and continue the things that you're doing. God has given you knowledge to help people for there teeth.
Bev: Miwa & I will be in San Francisco/San Jose on Labor Day weekend with my family. =)
Bev, keep on doing the dental awareness. You KNOW what a difference you've made in my life!
Now I just need to schedule an appointment for a cleaning. I'm long overdue, I'm afraid. :(
Marites: Thanks. Let's meet up soon.
Steve: You're going to have so much fun!
Sean: Don't worry, i'll be gentle w/ your pearly whites=)
Post a Comment