OralDNA: Getting Ahead Of Gum Disease

TEN YEARS AGO, scientists developed a new method to test for oral diseases, such as periodontal disease.

This method is called OralDNA testing, and it enables us to spot these diseases much earlier than we could before and offer treatment that is tailor-made for individual patients.

What's So Important About Early Diagnosis?

Oral DNA testing can find pathogens linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, pancreatic cancer, and birth complications such as premature birth.

Oral bacteria are known to be associated and in some cases causative in many diseases that effect a large portion of the population. Oral bacteria within the blood stream accumulates and stacks fat around the arteries facilitating a process known as atherosclerosis. Once the blood vessels have too much fat they may burst causing stroke or heart attack. Early recognition and prevention of this damage can save your life.

We can also test for variants of HPV that indicate high risk for oral and pharyngeal cancer. The largest factor for treatment success of oral cancer is the early detection of the tumor before it spreads. If you know you have a high risk for HPV related cancer we can perform directed oral cancer screenings on a regular basis and coach you on behaviors to reduce the risk of tumors forming. More frequent oral cancer screenings will ensure that if ever a tumor forms that it will be caught in a very timely manner reducing the amount of treatment needed and the likelihood of remission.

Last, finding early predictive factors towards means that we can tailor your treatment in our office to help prevent you from getting cavities or periodontal disease. Some bacteria are more specific to causing decay or cavities, others are more specific to causing periodontal disease. Knowing which bacteria you have can help you treat those bacteria more specifically and effectively.

Why OralDNA?

• Find hidden oral pathogens that threaten your oral and systemic health. Common pathogens directly cause gum disease and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and birth complications
• Learn if you were born with gene markers associated with increased inflammation, a critical factor in the severity of periodontal, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
• Help your dentist select the most effective treatment if you already have periodontal disease, and then measure results with a follow-up test
• Learn if you have HPV high-risk types associated with oral cancer

Get Your OralDNA Results!

If you're concerned that you might be developing gum disease, schedule an appointment with us so we can do your OralDNA test! It's easy, it's safe, and it gives us the most accurate results possible, which means we can give you the specific treatment you need! If you have further questions about how OralDNA works and what it could do for you, just let us know!

We look forward to hearing from you!

* The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.