LANAP in the Los Angeles Business Journal

The Los Angeles Business Journal is featuring an article about Laser Periodontal Therapy (LANAP) in the June 23, 2008 edition. One of my patients and I was interviewed for the article. It can be found here.

Study Shows Bad Teeth May Increase Heart Disease in Younger Men

Here is a another study showing the correlation between good health, and a healthy mouth. To read more click here"This is the first study to find a significant association between chronic periodontitis and the risk of coronary heart disease, even after adjusting for important confounding factors," says Thomas Dietrich, MD, DMD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine and one of the studies authors.

Dr. Eric Johnson to Speak at the Townie Meeting 2009

Dr Eric Johnson has been invited to speak at the 2009 Townie Meeting this April in Las Vegas, NV. The site of the meeting is at Caesar's Palace. The Townie Meeting is an annual event, with a strong program of speakers presenting many programs on differing facets of dentistry. Dr Johnson will be presenting a program about implementing LANAP, (Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure) in the general dental practice. LANAP is a groundbreaking, minimal-invasive procedure for gum disease (periodontitis) that is an alternative to conventional cut and sew surgery. The program is sponsored in part by Millennium Dental Technologies, makers of the Periolase, the laser used in the LANAP procedure, and also The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD), the exclusive provider of training and education to dentists of the LANAP protocol. Dr. Eric Johnson is a general dentist practicing in Torrance, CA and is a Certified Instructor for the IALD.

Dental Hygiene: A Great Career

The dental hygienist is an important part of the dental team. Aside from maintaining patients' oral health by cleaning teeth, instructing oral hygiene, and performing periodontal procedures, the dental hygienist can play an important role in educating people about modern dentistry. Teeth whitening, braces and orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, veneers and Lumineers, and Invisalign are all topics that the hygienist can discuss with an interested public. Schools of Dental Hygiene are typically two years, and can involve the awarding of Bachelors' degrees. Salaries for Dental Hygienists can also be quite lucrative, particularly in areas where shortages of hygienists exist. It would be helpful for the dental profession to support the creation of more dental hygienists to help serve the needs of our patients.

Gum Disease and Diabetes

From the American Academy of Periodontology:

People with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than people without diabetes....... read more here

LANAP in the Los Angeles Business Journal

The Los Angeles Business Journal is featuring an article about Laser Periodontal Therapy (LANAP) in the June 23, 2008 edition. One of my patients and I was interviewed for the article. It can be found here.

The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry

The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry is a nationally recognized lecture and clinical training continuing education (CE) organization dedicated to research, practice and teach advanced laser dentistry therapies. Formed in 1999 by dentists Robert H. Gregg and Delwin McCarthy, the IALD offers both actual and practical live-patient clinical training to dental practitioners in the use of dental lasers, supported with pertinent documentation and content. Today there are over 25 calibrated and standardized Certified Instructors through IALD that teach advanced laser therapies, including LANAP™, or the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure for treatment of periodontal disease. The IALD is both ADA CERP and AGD PACE accredited. For more information see: http://www.theiald.com

Dr Johnson's comments: After 22 years of dental practice, I have never encountered a more dedicated group than the IALD. The educational experience, presentaton of subject matter, and camaraderie is second to none in dentistry. I am proud to be associated with the IALD as a Certified Instructor.

Study Shows Bad Teeth May Increase Heart Disease in Younger Men

Here is a another study showing the correlation between good health, and a healthy mouth. To read more click here

"This is the first study to find a significant association between chronic periodontitis and the risk of coronary heart disease, even after adjusting for important confounding factors," says Thomas Dietrich, MD, DMD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine and one of the studies authors.

LANAP in US News and World Report

This article appeared earlier this year on LANAP, (Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure) in US News and World Report. Read the article here

LANAP is an alternative to osseous surgery for patients with periodontal disease. It is a patient friendly, minimally invasive procedure using a laser to regenerate the periodontal attachment.

Oral Sedation Dentistry

I found this interesting article from the Wall Street Journal, it gives a good overview of oral sedation dentistry. Read here: http://webreprints.djreprints.com/1735970514909.pdf

Millennium Dental Technologies has Fantastic Customer Service

I dropped off my Periolase Monday at Millennium Dental Technologies before lunch. I was met at the door by Millennium co-founder Dr. Delwin McCarthy. We traveled to Millennium's new assembly facility where technicians immediately went to work on the Periolase; they dropped whatever they were doing to get my laser back online. The problem turned out to be a bad power supply. The Periolase was ready after being repaired, calibrated, and tested and I picked it up Wednesday morning at 8 am. This quick service did not allow me to miss a beat with my patient schedule. A special and heartfelt thank you to Drs Del McCarthy and Robert Gregg for making such a great product as a Periolase and their dedication and support for their customers.

....Two years later, the Periolase has operated flawlessly.

Cosmetic dentistry is a very hot topic in dentistry today. From Beverly Hills cosmetic dentists, to simple bleaching treatments that most dentists provide, cosmetic dentistry is available to all and exists at a great range of fees and complexities. The most simple cosmetic dentistry involves bleaching of the teeth. For someone who has nicely shaped and arranged teeth, bleaching can have outstanding results, often better aesthetically and more natural then all of the pure flat white "Hollywood Smiles" in People magazine. For people in a hurry, Zoom! whitening can whiten teeth very significantly during a 90 minute appointment Often silver amalgam fillings stain a tooth dark that shows during a smile. Simply replacing the filling with matching and complementary tooth-colored resin or "composite" filling will go a long way to whiten and brighten a smile. The high fee end of cosmetic dentistry can involve ceramic veneers and crowns which can easily get into the thousands of dollars per case, depending upon the number of teeth restored and the difficulty of the case. It is nice to have these expensive options available, but the real truth is these extensive cases are beyond the means of many people. Today almost all dental procedures can be performed in a cosmetic fashion that attempts to mimic natural, so one does not have to sign up for a complete mouth cosmetic makeover to be able to enjoy the benefits of cosmetic dentistry.

What Dental Floss is best?

In my practice a common question is what type of dental floss to use. Remember, the most important function is to remove plaque from the teeth. I find that Glide or other flosses with low friction that are easy to pass between the teeth, do not remove plaque as well as thicker floss. My personal favorite for dental floss is Johnson and Johnson Dento-Tape. It is a heavily waxed floss that is somewhat sticky to the touch. It really cleans well. I notice when a patient switches to this floss; their oral hygiene becomes much improved. If your teeth are close together and tight, the Dento-tape may be a bit uncomfortable in places. I still feel the benefits outweigh the occasional discomfort as plaque control in the mouth is the key to a healthy mouth.

Periolase Laser Periodontal Therapy

I had a couple of interesting cases this last week that underscore the nature of periodontal disease and our ability to treat it. In one case, pre-operative x-rays around the teeth showed what appeared to be generalized horizontal bone loss. Probing around the teeth under anesthesia revealed a different picture. There were scattered 9mm and 10mm defects that I did not expect to find. These deep areas may look clinically indistinguishable from 4-6mm pockets. These foci of infection are best treated with the Nd:Yag laser's ability to access and sterilize the periodontal pocket. I am very excited by this technology, now and in the future, many patients will benefit.