It does not take a relationship to treat disease but you do need a relationship to help people create health. Less than 1% of all dental patients report that they have ever sat down with their dentist and made a long-term plan for their dental health.
Most dentists react to disease. Because of their training and the way that they have their practice structured, they do not help a patient move to the creative process of moving beyond disease, and into setting goals to sustain long-term health. This type of dentist is not a planner. What this does is keep people moving around the disease cycle, and if they stay in that cycle long enough they will find their mouth in a state of disrepair while going to the dentist every six month. Keep in mind there is nothing magical in having your teeth cleaned every six months. It is what you are doing when you are not at the dental office which makes the most difference.
There are three reasons why people lose their teeth. They are: Tooth Decay, Gum Disease, and Bad Bite. The first two are diseases of choice. You don’t have to have them if you do not want to have them. Bad Bite is the incorrect way that the muscles, joints, and teeth relate to each other. It doesn’t mean crooked or straight teeth, but you need intervention to correct this disease.
A Dental Health Coach (Health Centered Dentist) and his/her team help their patients get beyond disease by identifying the cause of the disease. Plaque is the cause of tooth decay and gum disease and the risk level (host resistance) to the disease, which causes people to lose their teeth. By working with the dental health coaches, a patient can learn how to be effective at removing the causative agent. During a dental visit the patient learns how effective they are at removing plaque. Coaching is done to aid the person who is not as effective as they would like to be. Plaque is measured and charted in a graph form so that from appointment to appointment the patient can view their progress. Adjustments can be made if necessary. Remember that it is what the patient is doing when they are not in the office that will move them closer to health. Helping the patient take control of their own health is what the majority of a health centered appointment looks like. The patient is learning to keep their own teeth cleaned and the dentist or hygienist helps them with spots they may have been less effective. Plaque calcifies and forms tartar on the teeth just 24 to 48 hours after the patient has a professional cleaning. Most people are spinning around in the disease cycle if they are not affective at removing plaque. In effect, patients not being effective at removing the cause of disease, have clean teeth for 4 days out of the year, if they are going to a dental visit for “CLEANING”. Are you wondering why they have need for repair so much, while going to the dentist every 6 months? For more information please call me at 402-572-8000 or visit my website at scottr140.sg-host.com .
(402) 572-8000
Recent Comments