Dental Practice Heroes: Ilenne and Joseph Noetzel DDS

Why do you believe it is important to proactively diagnose periodontal disease?

In our practice, we are extremely passionate about bringing complete health to our patients, and one of the most important essential elements of this is periodontal disease. Nearly 50% of adults age 30 and older have some form of periodontal disease, and the data shows that this increases to 70% of adults 65 and older. We also know that, due to the pandemic and all the restrictions on access to care, these numbers are getting worse. Some research that just came out in 2021 has shown that patients who have moderate/severe periodontal disease and who contract COVID-19 are nine times more likely to die from the virus than someone who has the virus but no periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the largest chronic wound people suffer from in our country. That’s unacceptable—in 2021, dentistry can do better. Our team considers these facts and circumstances to be a call to action!

 

How do you speak to your patients about periodontal disease?

It is of the utmost importance when we talk to our patients about periodontal disease that we go beyond just the mouth and really educate the patients about the oral-systemic connection. The constant dissemination of pathogens into the bloodstream will fuel chronic inflammation, a state which is linked to many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. Some research has shown that patients with periodontal disease are 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack. Poor oral hygiene has also been linked to dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and even pregnancy complications. When patients have periodontal disease, it is really a condition of oral dysbiosis where the biofilm has switched to a pathogenic destructive form. The key is to modify that disease-causing biofilm. Research has shown that scaling and root planing alone do not change the biofilm, and periodontal surgery alone does not change the biofilm. These procedures are extremely important for controlling and managing this disease; however, when we add Perio Trays and oral probiotics into the treatment modality, we can change and modulate biofilm into a communal form that is protective. It’s a game changer!

What obstacles do you face in getting patients to agree to treatment and how do you overcome them?

The biggest obstacle is us, as providers. When patients don’t see value in treatment, they don’t do it. If you are not passionate and dynamic about this when you are talking to your patients about their condition and you don’t convey, with enthusiasm, how this is going to change their health and wellbeing, you are going to see patients come up with various reasons to not move forward.

 

How do you incorporate the Perio Protect Method® in your treatment protocols?

When our patients see the hygienist for their wellness appointment, we talk to them about the concept of “knowing their number.” Many people know their blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, etc., and in their mouth how can we create a measurement that lets us assess health and that we can also use to assess effectiveness of therapy. We simply add up all the bleeding points we chart during the comprehensive full-mouth periodontal probing. Pocket depth is essential data, but so is the total number of sites with bleeding on probing. We like our patients to have no more than 5 sites of bleeding on probing. The data has shown that, if patients keep their number to 5 or less, they only have a 2% chance of developing periodontal disease. If we have 5 sites or less, we have a healthy mouth that is not an inflammatory burden to the patient’s body. Now patients have a number that is a reference point to know where they are in regard to overall oral health. We go over this at every hygiene wellness appointment.

Perio Protect trays are essential when it comes to keeping this biofilm disease under control. The results that we have seen in our patients have been nothing short of stunning. I have been practicing dentistryfor 25 years and have not seen any toothpaste, mouthwash, or antibiotic that can do what Perio Protect does. It is priceless when treating patients with periodontal disease!