SMILE REHAB
REJUVENATION DENTISTRY
SMOKING
AND
PERIODONTAL DISEASE
Periodontal disease is an infection of the teeth, gums and the
bone that surrounds your teeth. The infection is caused
by bacteria that live in the plaque, the sticky film of
food and bacteria that form constantly on your teeth.
The bacteria infect the tooth roots and cause
pockets of infection to form In the gums.
New Treatment,
Ancient History
Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News
M
odern-day hyperbaric
medicine has undersea
roots. But historical
accounts trace the very first use
of increased atmosphere pres-
sures on humans to the fifth cen-
tury BCE.
Some 1,1000 years later, a
British clergyman built the first
sealed chamber in 1662 to treat
inflammation, scurvy, arthritis and
rickets, but likely had too little
compression to work.
Oxygen was discovered in the
early 1770s. Hyperbaric oxygen
therapy (HBOT) has been used
clinically since the mid-1800s,
although not always reliably,
according to various reports.
It was tested and developed by
the U.S. military after World War I
and used safely since the 1930s to
help displace nitrogen and relieve
decompression sickness, com-
monly known as "the bends."
The U.S. Navy in the 1950s
uncovered a number of added ben-
efits from exposure to hyperbaric
oxygen chambers. The Navy's
clinical trials showed that oxygen
under pressure could counter
carbon monoxide poisoning and
bacterial infections.
In 1967, the Undersea Medical
Society was formed; but in
1986, it became the Undersea
and Hyperbaric Medical Society
(UHMS). The name change reflect-
ed the rapidly growing interest in
hyperbaric oxygen physiology and
therapy.
The UHMS's purpose is to
provide scientific information to
protect the health of sport, mili-
tary and commercial divers and
to improve the scientific basis of
hyperbaric oxygen therapy, pro-
mote sound treatment protocols
and standards of practice and pro-
vide accreditation.
In the 1960s and '70s, hyper-
baric oxygen became the wonder
drug, according to Dr. Bruce
Ruben, a Farmington Hills HBOT
practitioner who also lectures on
its history and uses. "But it was
over utilized for multiple maladies
without scientific justification," he
says.
A review by UHMS determined
that HBOT was scientifically valid
for 13 major indications, which are
covered by Medicare and most
major insurers. They are:
• Air or gas embolism
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
(complicated by cyanide poison-
ing)
• Gas gangrene
• Crush injury
• Decompression sickness
• Enhancement of healing in
selected problem wounds (diabetic
ulcers, for example)
• Exceptional blood loss (ane-
mia)
• Intracranial abscess
• Necrotizing soft tissue infec-
tions
• Osteomyelitis (refractory)
• Delayed radiation injury (soft
tissue and bony necrosis)
• Skin grafts and flaps (compro-
mised)
• Thermal burns
"New areas of investigation
include the treatment of acute
vision loss due to arterial or
venous occlusion and jaw injury
due to drugs used for the treat-
ment of cancer in the bone,"
says Dr. Richard Moon, medical
director of Duke University's
Center for Hyperbaric Medicine
and Environmental Physiology in
Durham, N.C.
"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
now occupies a legitimate place
in modern medical practice and
there has been consistent growth
in the number of hyperbaric cham-
bers," Moon says.
Duke is a national center for
studies involving hyperbaric medi-
cine.
Smoking helps cause periodontal disease In two ways:
it reduces the production of saliva, and it damages
the body's ability to fight off infection.
Saliva is necessary for oral health because it helps wash
bacteria from the teeth, so less saliva means more plaque.
Smoking damages your immune system by
causing blood vessels to constrict throughout you
entire body. This constriction reduces the flow
of Infection-fighting white blood cells, oxygen
and nutrients to the gums making them
more susceptible to Infection.
Besides contributing to the onset of periodontal
disease, continuing to smoke after periodontal
treatment makes It much harder for your gums
to heal. By becoming a nonsmoker you can
strengthen the fight against periodontal
disease and keep your teeth.
ROBERT..P.. 'DI PILLa. -DDS
PC
FELLOW ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENTISTRY
New York, NY
212.355.4777
Birmingham, MI
248.646.0442
Golnick Pediatric
Dental Associates
Jason M Golnick DDS, MS
Michelle Tiberia DDS, MS
Arnold L. Golnick DDS, MS
The Pediatricians of Dentistry
BAUM
MITIVAN
SPECIAL
FREE
CLEANING*
2 melts
of your child's
nal Milluah
Golnick Pediatric Dental Associates treat the
dental needs of infants, children, adolescents.
• Positive and friendly staff
• Emergencies seen promptly
• Most insurances accepted
Nitrous oxide and
sedation available
• Open daily
Lakes Medical Center
2300 Haggerty Road Suite 1180
West Bloomfield, MI 48323
1264080
248-668-0022
OeliTINIESSEI
2007 33