Question of the Week -Dr. Wendy AuClair Clark

1. How are the problems in my mouth related to the problems in the rest of my body?

There has been a lot of talk throughout the medical and dental communities lately of the “oral-systemic connection.” In other words, your mouth is connected to the rest of your body. We have long known that many medications affect your oral health.

For example, over 1800 drugs ranging from over-the-counter cold medicine to prescription hypertension medications to antidepressants have been identified to cause dry mouth. This is very important to let your dentist or hygienist know, as dry mouth makes you very susceptible to dental decay, which left untreated could result in the need for root canals and ultimately tooth loss.

Over the last few decades, there has been a lot of research on inflammatory diseases, including periodontal disease, or gum disease. We are continually finding a stronger relationship between inflammatory diseases such as periodontal disease and heart disease, diabetes, psoriasis, and lupus.

People that have been diagnosed with one of these systemic inflammatory diseases need to work closely with their dentist and hygienist to make sure that their gums stay healthy to prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Likewise, if you have gum disease, you need to monitor your overall health for conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Gail Heyman The Gift of Wisdom Via Dear Doctor Magazine

Our Hygienist Gail Heyman shares her family's story of Fragile X and Dental Stem Cell research in Dear Doctor Magazine.

For more information about dental stem cells visit http://www.goldsteingarber.com/stemsave-stem-cell.html

Recently my family had the opportunity to aid research into the causes and treatment of intellectual disabilities and autism in a surprising way: By donating my 31-year-old son's wisdom teeth to scientists studying fragile X syndrome (FXS). I would like to share this story with your readers, who have already learned about the value of stem cells, and also the challenges of dental care for children with special needs, in prior issues of Dear Doctor magazine.

My son Scott was 9 when he was diagnosed with FXS, an inherited form of autism that affects approximately 1 in 3,600 boys and 1 in 4,000 to 6,000 girls. Scott was developmentally delayed both academically and socially. He did not speak until he was 4 and couldn't learn to read. He had difficulty expressing himself and making eye contact, and any changes to his routine could overwhelm him. In the beginning I thought he had a learning disability, or maybe even just a vision or hearing problem.

Scott's diagnosis of FXS was devastating to our family at first. It was almost like a fatal blow to our dreams for this young child and what he would someday accomplish. Then I realized it was an opportunity for Scott to develop in his own special way. Along with Scott's father, brother and sister, I found that when you have a family that works together to understand each other's strengths and needs, it's a more rewarding life than one can imagine.

This year, Scott needed to have his wisdom teeth extracted. Dental visits have always been challenging for him; lying back in the chair, opening his mouth, and hearing the humming of the instruments can all produce a sensory overload that is difficult to bear. However, because I am not only the mother of a child with special needs but also a dental hygienist, I was determined to make these visits fun for him. So I introduced him to dentistry very gradually: I took him as a young child to the dentist's office just to meet the staff one day; to ride the chair up and down on another day; and finally to have treatment. He became comfortable in this environment and a cooperative patient. (For more information on dental care for children with special needs, please see “Managing Tooth Decay in Children with Chronic Diseases,” Vol. 5, Issue 2.)

Because of my own dental background, I was made aware that wisdom teeth are a source of stem cells, which can develop into many different types of cells in the body. Scientists are using stem cells to study human development and even to generate new human tissue to repair damaged or diseased areas of the body, which is why these remarkable cells offer exciting research opportunities that will potentially benefit Scott and others with disabilities.

So before Scott's wisdom tooth surgery, I contacted Stephen Warren from the Department of Human Genetics at Emory University in Atlanta about donating Scott's wisdom teeth to fragile X research. Dr. Warren, who identified the fragile X gene in 1991, said he would love to use Scott's dental stem cells for research and would send a courier to rush Scott's teeth to the lab as soon as they were extracted.

The only hitch in the procedure was Scott's temporary reluctance to give up the teeth, rather than leave them under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. In fact, it took a long-distance phone call from his brother, who was traveling in South America, to convince Scott that if the Tooth Fairy received a letter from Scott's oral surgeon, Dr. Abtin Shahriari at Goldstein, Garber & Salama, she would understand completely the importance of giving back to science. Dr. Shahriari wrote the letter, and the Tooth Fairy responded with a note of her own; Scott often keeps it in his pocket.

It's hard to say exactly what Scott understands about his gift to science. While he knows he is different, he doesn't think different is bad. He does like to be helpful, and I think he understands that by allowing scientists to study his teeth, he is helping people in an important way.

As a dental hygienist, I am so amazed by the promise of stem cell research; and as a mother, I have been given a new, tangible hope for my son's future. Perhaps Scott's gift will someday lead to a form of targeted drug therapy that can make life easier for him and future children born with FXS. The more we know about autism, the better we'll be able to educate and socialize those who are impaired.

I have always believed that everyone has a responsibility to give back; it's the rent we pay for our place in a free and fortunate society. Scott has made a significant contribution, and the Tooth Fairy isn't the only one who views him as a champion.
About Gail Heyman, RDH

Gail Goldstein Heyman has been a dental hygienist at Goldstein, Garber and Salama for 25 years. She is president and co-founder of the Fragile X Association of Georgia. Gail Heyman can be e-mailed at gheyman@goldsteingarber.com.

Article via http://www.deardoctor.com/articles/autism-stem-cells/

The SoundBite: An Oral Approach to an Auditory Problem

Recently, there has been several major scientific advancements in the dental community, namely the discovery of viable stem cells in the dental pulp of baby and wisdom teeth. The FDA recently approved an oral device that aids in the restoration of hearing in those with Single Sided Deafness and Conductive Hearing loss through conducting sound through the TEETH!

This is the World’s first non-surgical removable conduction system that is made up of a behind-the-ear microphone unit and a removable in-the-mouth hearing device. The process is based on the well known principle of sound conduction in which sound captured by the microphone is transmitted to the device fitted in the mouth. This device then yields unnoticeable sound vibrations that are conducted through the teeth to the cochleae in the ear providing clear high fidelity sound to the patient.

For more detailed information about this device visit www.soundbitehearing.com

Dr. Wendy AuClair Clark's Mission of Mercy

This past weekend I had the opportunity to help hundreds of patients at the Georgia Dental Association’s first Mission of Mercy. Many emergency and mission clinics provide only extractions or other very limited treatment options. This 2-day clinic provided fillings, cleanings, root canals, and also complete and partial dentures. I volunteered for the denture department, where prosthodontists, orthodontists, and laboratory technicians worked together for 2 days to make over 150 prosthetics for patients in need.

It was heart-warming to hear so many words of gratitude, see tears of joy, and get hugs and blessings from so many people. It was inspiring to see over 1,500 volunteers working so hard together, giving so much of their time and efforts to help so many people. But it was equally heart breaking to see so many people get turned away. Over 4,000 people waited for treatment, some waiting outside for over 24 hours to be seen. Throughout the 2 days, about 2,100 patients received treatment. Considering the short time frame, this is an outstanding amount of treatment that was provided, and I am honored to have been a small part of something so big.

For more information, check out the AJC article here: www.ajc.com/news/more-than-2-000-1105463.html

-Wendy

ABOUT FACE: an excerpt of Dr. Ronald Goldstein's article featured in Southern Seasons Magazine

What is facial beauty? It's a question that's been asked throughout the ages. On his award-winning website, www.beautyanalysis.com, Dr. Stephen R. Marquardt, Chief of Research in Esthetic Facial Imaging at UCLA, has collected a series of evocative quotes that attempt to define this nearly indefinable term.

As part of his effort to understand and define facial beauty, Marquardt has identified four qualities: color, texture, size and form or shape. The more these qualities evoke a beauty response- attraction,the more beautiful an object, including a face, he concludes.

Any discussion of facial appearance inevitably gives rise to a discussion about passing judgment. We are all aware of the dangers of judging a book by its cover. Each of us has had the experience of being completely surprised about a person's character or personality, because the reality was so different from what we imagined based on looks alone.

Experts tell us that the process of judging a person by their "cover" starts in infancy. Infants are known to gaze longer at faces with smooth skin, large eyes, and full lips. As we age, the tendency becomes even more apparent. Research has shown that classically beautiful people attract better jobs and earn more money than plainer folk.

The reason for this may be that beauty is significantly more universal than we may have once believed. Research findings illustrate the world's people share a surprisingly similar idea of what is beautiful. A formula that reflects those preferences is know as the Golden Proportion, a ratio of 1 to 1.618

In a mathematically beautiful face, the width of one eye is proportional at a 1 to 1.618 ratio to the space between the eyes. These and other measurements of physical characteristics give cosmetic dentists and plastic surgeons a reliable benchmark for planning and imaging. According to Dr. Marquardt, "It's amazing to see just how close to what we consider as esthetic perfection post people actually are. But we do judge the slightest differences as being less and less attractive."

Marquardt's work also illustrates that so many of us who may consider ourselves unattractive are actually quite close to being mathematically attractive! There's a heart, soul and a life's worth of experiences behind that face. And chances are excellent that what lies behind it is positive and good! Find it and embrace it as you make peace with your face and the faces around you.

Our Latest Feature on 11 Alive News: StemSave!

Goldstein Garber and Salama Office Tour with Tom Sullivan