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Bugs and Guts: Taking a Deep Dive to Healing Dental Disease

 

Presented by: Barbara Tritz, RDH, BS, MSB

Original Publication Date: October 16, 2020

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This course is available for CE Credit as a "Members Only" benefit. Not a Member? CLICK HERE to learn more about AAOSH Membership.

Course Description:

Tooth decay is an epidemic worldwide; periodontal disease affects half our population. The oral microbiome starts healthy in infants, but things rapidly change. Why do we have so much dental disease? What we, as a dental profession, are doing does not seem to be working correctly. It may be time for a paradigm shift.

Take a deep dive into the oral microbiome through a phase contrast microscope lens and see the pathogens. Instead of focusing on killing them, let us nourish them and enhance the good bugs. We can change the oral microbiome flora to encourage health. The mouth and gut bacteria are intimately connected, so we must go beyond the scaler and investigate how food, supplements, breathing, and natural products can be used to heal the oral cavity and the gut microbiome and finally have true systemic wellness.

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain how prebiotics help the oral microbiome.
  • List three foods to recommend that are rich in prebiotics.
  • Explain how probiotics help the oral microbiome.
  • List three foods rich in probiotics.
  • Explain how oral microbial dysbiosis occurs.
  • List three new adjunctive tools to help patients achieve health.

Speaker Bio:

With more than 40 years of clinical experience as a registered dental hygienist and periodontal therapist, Barbara K. Tritz aims to inspire oral health and wellness through education by working with world-class dental teams to transform how we look at the oral-systemic connection. Employing and constantly learning both traditional and novel nontraditional skills allows her to offer the most comprehensive oral health and preventative care that enables patients to be truly healthy. She currently practices in the office of Green City Dental in Edmonds, WA, owns Washington Oral Wellness in Kirkland, WA, and is also a practicing orofacial myofunctional therapist. Known as the Queen of Dental Hygiene, her continual efforts at the forefront of biological dentistry and integrative health brought her to utilize the Biocidin family of products. Biocidin and the oral line, Dentalcidin, have become essential tools to effectively support her patients holistically in the office and while at home.