Ireland Dental Meeting

On July 17, 2015, Dr. John and his wife, Anne, traveled to Ireland with a group of US dentists (most from Texas) for a Continuing Dental Education course that also provided time to explore this beautiful country. The course was sponsored by the University of Texas Health Science Center and featured Dr. Brian Mealey. Dr. Mealey is the director of the Specialist Division in the Department of Periodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio School of Dentistry. He has published extensively in the scientific literature, with an emphasis on inter-relationships between oral and systemic health. Dr. Mealey is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and is a consultant to the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. He currently serves as a Director of the American Board of Periodontology. Long story short is that Dr. Mealy is not only a preeminent expert in the field of Periodontology, but also an engaging and gifted teacher. His lectures focused on the relationships between periodontal health and diabetes, immune compromise, pregnancy, and cardiovascular disease. With so many Americans affected by periodontal disease, his presentations, which included summaries of the most current research studies and data on this topic, were both informative and timely. Ask Dr. John more about this when you are next in the office. On a lighter note, Dr. John and Anne had the opportunity to spend time in Dublin (and the required visit to the Guiness Storehouse), Kilkenny, Killarney, and Cong. We hope you enjoy these pics from their trip.

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Biofilm

This entry was written by Denise J., one of our fabulous hygienists at Main Street Dentists.

Biofilm.  Periodontal Infection.  Ultrasonics.  System Correlations.  These are some of the terms you have heard or will hear from your dental hygienist at your next continuing care (cleaning) appointment.  Since January, we at Main Street Dentists have been learning more about the latest research and treatment for gingivitis and periodontal disease.

 (Special cleaners, called “ultrasonics,” that spray water in different directions to clean around your teeth)

Biofilm is another term for the community of bacteria that make up the plaque that builds up on our teeth and gums.  We are finding out how complex and difficult this community of bacteria is to control and keep to a minimum in your mouth.  You will notice a change in how we combat these bad bacterial communities that form in everyone’s mouths.  We will explain how and why we are doing what we are doing during your visit.

(A little ruler to measure gum health-each dash represents 3mm)

If we see you have a bacterial infection, we may recommend a treatment plan specifically for you to get your infection under control. We also will strive to do our best to teach you what you can do at home to keep your gum tissue as healthy as possible.

(A great mouthwash)

At your next visit, please ask us if you have any questions about biofilm or periodontal infection.  We would be happy to discuss these topics and how they affect you.

Other great resources on this topic are referred to else where on our blog–click on the category “Periodontal Disease” in the column to the right.

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