I love being a dentist and I love my patients. I am truly blessed because I am in a unique position to actually get to know my clients. Often, it may seem like a one way conversation when the patient is in the chair and I get to rattle on while working. But the truth is I have the greatest patients in the world and they all have interesting lives and stories to tell. And the clincher in all of this is I get an opportunity to learn about all different types of subjects because my patients talk to me and I DO listen.
So it might not be too surprising to hear that I often get lots of stories about poor customer service. This strikes a big chord in our office philosophy because for us it is all about service. Since you often hear about stories of poor service I would like to complement the entire team at the Staples on Wilshire Blvd in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles for some of the best customer service I have ever received.
Julia Pimienta, you should be very proud of your team and how well they serviced me at your store on Thursday. What could have been a very difficult situation (my account manager at Staples had left for another job…we all wish her well) was handled so professionally by your team. The entire concern of your team was my satisfaction and getting the end result that I would like to get. There was even a question about a previous bill that was handled on the spot…No Questions Asked. I thank you all at Staples very much, you made my day.
So now my goal is to be of service to you, another so called Public Service Announcement to help you stay healthy. Today’s little blurb is why home care is the most essential part of keeping your mouth healthy and improving your body’s total health.
First, it is important to understand the concept of dental plaque biofilm. The first bacteria to cluster on dental surfaces are actually considered beneficial to gum health. As they bacteria multiple they create a glue like matrix which along with the bacteria constitute the biofilm. The biofilm always grows in a predictable manor with the gum disease bacteria coming in later on in the development of the biofilm. As the biofilm matures it moves from above the gum line to below the gum line where it can be more destructive. So, it makes sense to control the biofilm before it goes below the gum line.
When you brush and floss your teeth you focus on about 20% of the surfaces of the oral cavity. The problem is that the other areas, particularly the surface of the tongue and around the tonsils, harbor the bacteria that are the cause of gum disease. This is where using a anti-plaque mouth rinse can come in handy. The rinse can get to a lot of the areas that the brushing/flossing do not get to. There have been many studies that have shown the rinsing, in conjunction with the flossing and tooth brushing reduce plaque greater than just the mechanical actions of brushing and flossing alone.
Since the mouth is never sterile nor devoid of bacteria the key is to disrupt the colonization of the bacteria as often as possible so it starts over with the healthy bacteria laying down first. This is why brushing, flossing and rinsing (for 30 seconds)twice a day will help you prevent gum disease, which in turn, will help reduce your risk to many different disease states of the body, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Examples of rinses that have proven to be effective are those with essential oils (Listerine) , those with CPC’s (Crest Pro Health), those with chlorhexidine ( a prescription rinse like Perioguard) and those with Delmopinol (like Gum’s Perioshield)
Rinsing your mouth is easy to do and it has tremendous benefits…If you feel you have not been able to get over the bleeding gums which are a classic sign of gum disease, then make sure you brush, floss and use a mouth rinse.