Your time is important to us. How do we show that? We reserve an appointment time with Dr Johnson and our hygienist just for you. We don't double book our appointment times just in case one of the appointments doesn't show up. We would consider that inconsiderate and disrespectful to you and your time. We understand that your time is important and that your life is busy. Therefore , we try not to have you wait for very long in the waiting room. Our software and web service allows us to send several types of reminders in addition to the old fashioned phone call reminders.
Since we are very careful not to overbook our schedule, we rely on you to show us the same respect that we show you. We make your dental appointment, then we call and email you to give you a friendly reminder that we have reserved that time only for you. Some our our patients laughingly tease us that we provide so many reminders. However, there have been several occurrences lately that after numerous attempts to give our friendly reminders, the appointment goes empty because the patient forgot to show up or just was too busy to keep the appointment and too busy to call in advance to notify us of the anticipated change in their schedule. Our office policy is to to charge for such "broken appointments" . We prefer not to have to create such an unnecessary expense to our patients.
We like to "preappoint" you for your next cleaning appointment at the time of your current cleaning appointment. Our web service allows for you to receive several automatic email and post card reminders. The first is sent one month prior to the appointment. Please take a moment to make sure that the appointment still works for your schedule. The next reminder goes out 5-7 days prior to your appointment. Please look at your schedule again to make sure that you can join us at the reserved time and date. If you would like to , you can reply to these emails to let us know that you have checked your schedule. Finally , you receive a third email 2 days prior to your appointment. By this time, if we haven't let us know that you plan to show up, you will begin to receive telephone calls to ask you to confirm your appointment time. This may seem like alot of reminding, but we don't mind helping you to remember... you are that important to us!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Gum disease and Your Overall Health
Researchers have found that periodontitis (the advanced form of gum disease that can cause tooth loss) is associated with other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and bacterial pneumonia. Likewise, pregnant women who have periodontitis may be at increased risk for delivering pre-term and/or low birth weight babies.
Although reports suggest that periodontitis may contribute to these conditions, it is important to understand that just because two conditions occur at the same time, doesn't necessarily mean that one condition causes the other. The relationship could work the other way. For example, there is evidence that diabetics are more likely to develop periodontitis and have more severe periodontitis than nondiabetics. Or two conditions that occur together may be caused by a third factor. People who smoke or use alcohol are at increased risk of developing periodontitis and a number of other health conditions, including oral cancer.
Researchers are working hard to find out if periodontitis does have an effect on other health problems by looking at what happens when periodontitis is treated in individuals with these problems. If there was a cause and effect relationship, we would expect that a treatment that leads to an improvement in periodontal health would also improve other health problems. The results from initial studies are intriguing. For example, some studies suggest that treating periodontitis in people with diabetes can improve their blood sugar control, but other studies have not found this connection.
Given the potential link between periodontitis and systemic health problems, prevention of periodontitis may turn out to be an important step in maintaining overall health. In most cases, good oral health can be maintained with good daily oral hygiene (brushing and flossing) and regular professional care.
Tell your dentist about your overall health, especially if you have had any recent illnesses or have any chronic conditions. Provide a health history including medication use, both prescription and over-the-counter products, and let your dentist know when there are changes. Also, if you smoke, talk to your dentist about options for quitting smoking. This will help ensure that you get the most complete and appropriate care.
Content and excerpts courtesy of the American Dental Association
As always , call our office to schedule your next dental appointment!
Brian Johnson DMD
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell, GA 30076
(770)993-9809
BrianJohnsonDMD.com
Although reports suggest that periodontitis may contribute to these conditions, it is important to understand that just because two conditions occur at the same time, doesn't necessarily mean that one condition causes the other. The relationship could work the other way. For example, there is evidence that diabetics are more likely to develop periodontitis and have more severe periodontitis than nondiabetics. Or two conditions that occur together may be caused by a third factor. People who smoke or use alcohol are at increased risk of developing periodontitis and a number of other health conditions, including oral cancer.
Researchers are working hard to find out if periodontitis does have an effect on other health problems by looking at what happens when periodontitis is treated in individuals with these problems. If there was a cause and effect relationship, we would expect that a treatment that leads to an improvement in periodontal health would also improve other health problems. The results from initial studies are intriguing. For example, some studies suggest that treating periodontitis in people with diabetes can improve their blood sugar control, but other studies have not found this connection.
Given the potential link between periodontitis and systemic health problems, prevention of periodontitis may turn out to be an important step in maintaining overall health. In most cases, good oral health can be maintained with good daily oral hygiene (brushing and flossing) and regular professional care.
Tell your dentist about your overall health, especially if you have had any recent illnesses or have any chronic conditions. Provide a health history including medication use, both prescription and over-the-counter products, and let your dentist know when there are changes. Also, if you smoke, talk to your dentist about options for quitting smoking. This will help ensure that you get the most complete and appropriate care.
Content and excerpts courtesy of the American Dental Association
As always , call our office to schedule your next dental appointment!
Brian Johnson DMD
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell, GA 30076
(770)993-9809
BrianJohnsonDMD.com
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