The dental team at Advanced Family Smiles, Philadelphia, PA, strives to make each patient who comes into the office feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. No matter the patients’ goals, the dental associates view patient education as an important part of the treatment process. To ensure patients maximize their oral health and get the results they desire, the entire dental team stays current with all the latest developments in modern dentistry by attending lectures, conventions, and meetings.,
,Q: Why do you believe it is important to proactively diagnose periodontal disease?, ,A: In our office, we recognize bleeding as a sign of infection, which is not normal. It is important to proactively diagnose periodontal disease because having periodontal disease can affect all other aspects of your health. We want to stop the spread of the bacterial infection as soon as possible. The mouth is the gateway to the body, so we need to make sure it is healthy and try to prevent other systemic diseases., ,Q: How do you speak to your patients about periodontal disease?, ,A: The proper education is essential to our patients making the right decisions for their health. The entire clinical team takes the time to evaluate and talk to our patients about their periodontal charting, radiographic bone loss, and clinical symptoms at every appointment, and we then make recommendations on our findings. We always make sure we explain disease in a way each patient can properly understand., ,Q: What obstacles do you face in getting patients to agree to treatment and how do you overcome them?, ,A: One obstacle we sometimes face with people agreeing to treatment is the cost. If a patient does not have periodontal coverage on their insurance plan, it can be costly. Our patient coordinators will then review options with them on how to afford it. We take pride in knowing that our patients know and value the importance of having treatment, and it is exceedingly rare that someone will outright reject dental treatment. Trust is also one of the most principal factors in patient acceptance and compliance, so we make sure we create a great relationship with each patient., ,Q: How do you incorporate the Perio Protect Method® into your treatment protocols?, ,Perio Protect has changed the way we treat periodontal disease. We use Perio Tray™ therapy, together with scaling and root planing (SRP), to help our patients—and hygienists—have easier appointments. Patients like to know that these trays are a way to keep the mouth healthy long-term and that it could potentially prevent the need to have SRP again.
