Business of Well-being

Reason to Smile: Dental Health and Gum Rejuvenation

In the discussion involving healthcare reform, in this national debate about changes to insurance policies and premiums, there is an entire discipline of medicine worthy of greater attention: Dentistry, and the innovative procedures concerning this branch of medicine.


The relative silence about this issue may be attributable to a variety of advances and changes in behavior - people understand the importance of regularly brushing and flossing their teeth, at least as a means to guard against cavities - so there is a tendency to overlook (and for insurers to ignore) the one subject, which can save lives and restore self-confidence.


As a practicing dentist, in South Florida for the last 38-years, I believe the mouth is an indicator - an early warning sign - of possible dangers, in which gum disease (periodontitis) may play a role in the buildup of artery-clogging plaque responsible for heart attack or stroke.


And, while the extent of the relationship between the two remains a subject of ongoing research, preventive care - maintaining the health and integrity of the gums and teeth - should be a priority. The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health in America makes the same point: That oral diseases and disorders affect health and welfare throughout an individual's life.


Within the context of these announcements, companies have a duty to emphasize wellness in its entirety: From the benefits of exercise and nutrition to the necessity of learning about proper oral health and the latest techniques for fighting tooth decay and achieving gum rejuvenation.


If corporate wellness is to be a matter of policy, if it is to be a practical concept between employers and employees, where there is an investment in the long-term health of each worker; if we choose to emphasize - as we should, and as we must - the risks associated with obesity and early onset of Type 2 Diabetes, as well as the contributing factors to stroke and low-weight births; if corporate wellness means anything - it must underscore the high-level urgency of oral health.


Nowhere is this issue both a matter of noteworthy surgical innovation and a means to enhance personal appearance (more about anon) than in treating receding gums without grafting. Concerning the latter of these two goals, protecting or improving the one thoroughly distinctive and exclusive symbol of individual identity - as indelible as a fingerprint, and more expressive than words - a smile is the summation of character, warmth, greeting and humanity.


But, receding gums can undermine a person's smile, and make otherwise outgoing individuals shy or anxious, or wrongfully embarrassed or ashamed, too. Meanwhile, the former - traditional gum grafting - can be painful, expensive and not completely effective.


Thankfully, there is an alternative, the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, pioneered by Dr. John Chao, the inventor of this minimally invasive treatment for gum recession. As one of a small group of dentists trained to expertly perform this procedure, my advice to companies with a genuine interest in personal wellness is simple: Include us - include my profession - in the presentations, to employers and employees, about good health. Place us alongside the doctors and specialists visiting boardrooms and corporate auditoriums throughout the country.

Restorative Care and Innovative Techniques: A Lesson for the Medical Profession as a Whole

Please understand that my advocacy on behalf of my profession is neither a matter of ego nor pecuniary gain; my duty, first and foremost, is a moral oath to treat patients in need of care - and to do so with compassion and comfort. So, I consider the Pinhole Surgical Technique to be a metaphor for something larger than the already significant breakthrough that it is.


On the one hand, this technique (coupled with state-of-the-art dental instruments) is a convenient way to move receding gums back into place without grafting surgery. For example: Compared to cutting and transferring gum tissue, this new technique takes just a few minutes per tooth treated with virtually no pain or downtime.


Upon cleaning and preparing the affected teeth, and by numbing gum tissue with a local anesthetic, a small entry point is made in the gum - above the tooth or teeth to be treated - which allows the instruments mentioned above to free gum tissue, and then gently guide the gums down to their appropriate position.


Collagen strips inserted through the same entry points then go under the gums. These technical accomplishments are substantial - they matter a great deal - but the broader topic, the metaphor about dentistry and personal wellness, is inseparable from this new technique.


Which is to say, wellness cannot be achievable while critics label oral health an indulgence and restorative practices another a luxury for the vain and rich. In a word: Nonsense! Recessive gums are a visible sign of problems, some of them more serious than others, but a problem just the same. Knowing these details, we may remind ourselves of the fundamental rule of medicine: Primum non nocere, First, do no harm.

About the Author

Dr. Howard Hoffman is a distinguished dentist, with specialized expertise involving sedation dentistry, advanced cosmetic procedures, obstructive sleep apnea and gum restoration.

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