Bradenton Family & Implant Dentistry
  • Home
  • Services Offered
  • New Patient Special!
  • Why Choose Us?
  • Dental Implants
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Cost Saving Specials
  • Contact Us
  • Cosmetic Dentistry
  • Dentures and Partials
  • Emergency Dentist
  • Wisdom Teeth Extractions
  • Dental Blog

Should I Risk A Trip To The Dentist?

1/13/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
I’m sure I’m not the only one this year who weighs my every action in life against the risk of getting COVID.  I feel like every decision I make is based on which is more likely to cause me to die, the activity I might miss, or the chance of me getting COVID.  Therefore, getting my yearly mammogram screening was a necessary evil and worth the risk of COVID.  But, I have not seen the inside of a salon since last March, hence my nails and hair are scary.  Everyone has their own pros and cons, but I thought I would share some research as to why the dentist should be on everyone’s necessary risk list.  It is particularly important for people over the age of 30!

One of the latest discoveries in this terrible disease is the effect of gum disease on COVID patients.  In a 3 month study, hospitalized COVID patients with high levels of IL-6, which is a protein produced by gum disease, were at significantly higher risk of suffering life threatening respiratory problems.  Since previous research has shown that IL6 is linked to other breathing problems such as pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when researchers first began trying to figure out COVID, they looked to proteins that they already knew were linked to breathing problems. In Germany, they found that patients who were unable to breathe due to COVID tested positive for IL6.  The doctors were shocked that this tiny inflammatory protein could rob people of their ability to breathe.  Further research showed that patients with COVID and gum problems and hence higher IL6 levels, are 22 times more likely to suffer from acute respiratory problems and be placed on a ventilator.  Of the COVID patients placed on a ventilator, almost 80% have died.  

The researchers stress that their findings indicate a need for people who believe they may have gingivitis or more serious gum disease to get their teeth and gums checked and cleaned as soon as possible. Researchers are even urging doctors who screen COVID patients to take a moment with each patient and check them for gum disease, a diagnosis that would prompt them to be extra vigilant over watching the patient’s breathing.  Because, while we can’t stop COVID, we may now know something that can reduce its severity.  Since gum disease is the most under diagnosed problem in dentistry, the researchers are urging everyone who thinks it may even be a possibility to get tested and treated as soon as possible because its link to COVID is real and deadly.  

The CDC now predicts the virus will be the leading cause of death in the United States and since we have now confirmed that gum disease makes it even deadlier, it is imperative that if you’re worried that you may have any gum problems, your next trip to the dentist may actually change your life.  Since the CDC states that in the US, 47.2% of adults over the age of 30 have some form of gum disease, if I wasn’t already a dentist, a trip to the dentist would be the first thing on my list of, “definitely worth the risk.”  


Ariana Clayton, DMD



https://www.dentistrytoday.com/news/industrynews/item/6778-covid-19-patients-with-periodontitis-face-greater-risk-of-dying


https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/conditions/periodontal-disease.html
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Born in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Ariana displayed bright intelligence from an early age, eventually becoming salutatorian for her graduating class at Dixie-Hollins High School. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida at Gainesville, and continued her education to earn her dental degree in 2004 from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. It's worth noting that the College of Dentistry is ranked seventh among all dental schools in the United States, and it has an international reputation for the caliber of its graduates. Through continuing education programs, Dr. Clayton maintains her training on the most up-to-date and successful dental treatment techniques, and she strives to incorporate the best of newly available techniques into her practice. Sunshine Smile Designs is proud to offer this high level of care at an affordable price to many patients. Beyond her daily practice, Dr. Clayton is a volunteer for Dentistry From the Heart, a program that provides dental services at no cost to the indigent in Florida. Likewise, she also regularly attends mission trips to provide free dental services to blind and deaf children in an impoverished area of Jamaica. Ariana enjoys spending time with her nine-year-old son and her husband, who is also a University of Florida–trained dentist. Her artistic side is fulfilled by playing (and teaching) piano and by photography. She also enjoys travel, and one of her life goals is to visit all fifty states by recreational vehicle!

    Archives

    January 2021

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Home
About Us
Services Offered

Cost Saving Specials
New Patient Special

Schedule an Appointment
Contact Us

Bradenton Family Dentistry is a general dentist office committed to providing dental excellence and affordability to the people of Bradenton, Sarasota and the surrounding areas. 
5220 4th Avenue Circle East, Bradenton, FL 34208
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. LICENSE #DN17083.   In some but not all cases, fees advertised are minimum fees.  Please call with questions or for more details.
Website Copyright 2011