Dana L. Yeoman, DDS
Dentures and Implants
Fear Factor The Dentist vs. The Cardiologist | Dana L.
Yeoman, DDS
Site last published: 08/21/10
Fear Factor The Dentist vs. The Cardiologist
07/08/08 06:11
In dental school, the
semester had not yet started until the students
complained about being required to study the entire
human body, when "in real life" all they need to
treat are teeth. While the mind of a dental student
makes this clear black and white distinction, the
experienced dental practitioner knows that the
lines between dentistry and medicine are
continually getting more blurred.
Fear
Factor:
The Dentist vs. The Cardiologist
In dental school, the semester had not yet started until the students complained about being required to study the entire human body, when "in real life" all they need to treat are teeth. While the mind of a dental student makes this clear black and white distinction, the experienced dental practitioner knows that the lines between dentistry and medicine are continually getting more blurred.
The merging of dentistry and medicine could not have been more obvious when I met a patient with severe gum disease, who had recently suffered a stroke. Due to the advanced infection in her mouth, she had to have her remaining teeth removed and replaced with dentures. Treatment went beautifully and without incident.
By the very next week she told me that before she got her new dentures, she used to feel chronically tired and her head always "felt funny". She struggled for a way to describe this feeling, but finally realized that she walked around with a sensation that she was about to have another stroke any minute. I couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be to live under the constant fear of a second stroke.
My patient continued by telling me that after her she got her dentures, her symptoms went away almost immediately. She regretted not having treatment done sooner. Not only did her smile look pretty again, but she felt healthier and more energetic. I asked her why she waited so long to get the dental care she so desperately needed. Her answer was one I hear all too often: "I have always been afraid of the dentist."
My question to her and to anyone with the same answer: Aren't you terrified of the rehab hospital? The physician? The cardiologist? Untreated periodontal (gum) disease can very easily lead to heart disease and/or stroke. Let me tell you how...
Most people know all about "CPR". Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the manual pumping of oxygen-rich blood to the brain and non-beating heart for a better chance of surviving a cardiac arrest. CPR can save your life, but less people know about "CRP," a killer that can take it. C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a plasma protein produced by the liver while the body is fighting off inflammation from an infection. Scientists believe it plays an important role in immunity as an early defense system against bacteria. Research is ongoing to prove that people with elevated levels of CRP are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. Those that have severe periodontal disease are proven to have higher levels of CRP, and therefore are at risk for more than just dentures. Now that's really scary!
If you look at your mouth as a space, it does not seem so big. However, the bacteria and pus wraps around each tooth, making a large surface area. If you take the infection from around 28 teeth and stretch it out across your leg, it would be a huge infection. You would not dream of ignoring it. Controlling the infection, which could be anywhere from a consistent professional/home hygiene regime to full mouth extractions, is critical to your whole body's health.
I cannot definitively say that my patient would not have had her first stroke had she not been afraid of the dentist. I can say since having proper treatment, her risk of having another stroke has dramatically decreased.
Don't let fear be a factor for you! If you think you might fit the patient profile I have described, please call our office and take advantage of the free evaluation to help you get on track to a healthier, more energetic you.
Dana L. Yeoman, D.D.S.
Second Smile Denture Care
3301 19th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Tel: 661-325-1263
The Dentist vs. The Cardiologist
In dental school, the semester had not yet started until the students complained about being required to study the entire human body, when "in real life" all they need to treat are teeth. While the mind of a dental student makes this clear black and white distinction, the experienced dental practitioner knows that the lines between dentistry and medicine are continually getting more blurred.
The merging of dentistry and medicine could not have been more obvious when I met a patient with severe gum disease, who had recently suffered a stroke. Due to the advanced infection in her mouth, she had to have her remaining teeth removed and replaced with dentures. Treatment went beautifully and without incident.
By the very next week she told me that before she got her new dentures, she used to feel chronically tired and her head always "felt funny". She struggled for a way to describe this feeling, but finally realized that she walked around with a sensation that she was about to have another stroke any minute. I couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be to live under the constant fear of a second stroke.
My patient continued by telling me that after her she got her dentures, her symptoms went away almost immediately. She regretted not having treatment done sooner. Not only did her smile look pretty again, but she felt healthier and more energetic. I asked her why she waited so long to get the dental care she so desperately needed. Her answer was one I hear all too often: "I have always been afraid of the dentist."
My question to her and to anyone with the same answer: Aren't you terrified of the rehab hospital? The physician? The cardiologist? Untreated periodontal (gum) disease can very easily lead to heart disease and/or stroke. Let me tell you how...
Most people know all about "CPR". Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the manual pumping of oxygen-rich blood to the brain and non-beating heart for a better chance of surviving a cardiac arrest. CPR can save your life, but less people know about "CRP," a killer that can take it. C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a plasma protein produced by the liver while the body is fighting off inflammation from an infection. Scientists believe it plays an important role in immunity as an early defense system against bacteria. Research is ongoing to prove that people with elevated levels of CRP are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. Those that have severe periodontal disease are proven to have higher levels of CRP, and therefore are at risk for more than just dentures. Now that's really scary!
If you look at your mouth as a space, it does not seem so big. However, the bacteria and pus wraps around each tooth, making a large surface area. If you take the infection from around 28 teeth and stretch it out across your leg, it would be a huge infection. You would not dream of ignoring it. Controlling the infection, which could be anywhere from a consistent professional/home hygiene regime to full mouth extractions, is critical to your whole body's health.
I cannot definitively say that my patient would not have had her first stroke had she not been afraid of the dentist. I can say since having proper treatment, her risk of having another stroke has dramatically decreased.
Don't let fear be a factor for you! If you think you might fit the patient profile I have described, please call our office and take advantage of the free evaluation to help you get on track to a healthier, more energetic you.
Dana L. Yeoman, D.D.S.
Second Smile Denture Care
3301 19th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Tel: 661-325-1263