After working as a dental hygienist for some 15 years, Deborah Cook of Saddle Brook was offered an adjunct teaching position in the dental hygiene department of her alma mater, Bergen Community College. Soon, she became full-time faculty (after earning her master's) and is today chairwoman of the department.
"It's very rewarding to work with students and see their light bulb go off during a lecture," Cook said. Even more rewarding, she added, is getting calls from students who have received a job offer.
Here, Cook shares how to maintain healthy gums, why brushing is a must after eating sweets and the worst case she's ever seen.
Q. What's the difference between a dental hygienist and a dentist?
In New Jersey, a licensed dental hygienist can provide dental cleanings, record a patient's medical history and take X-rays and photographs. They don't do extractions — usually a dental assistant will help dentists with them. And [dental hygienists] also do not make definitive diagnoses; dentists do that. Dentists make the final determination [for treatment] and restorative work like fillings and dentures etc.
Q. How can people best keep their gums healthy?
They should be brushing and rinsing [with mouthwash] twice a day and flossing once. Ideally, they should be seeing their dentists twice a year. If they do all that, there's a better chance that things will stay healthy. Unfortunately, some people will only go to the dentist when something is wrong. For children, it's important they take a multivitamin that has fluoride or have a fluoride treatment [at the dentist's office] to help mineralize the teeth, which will help minimize or eliminate decay. It's more important for children to get it because it's more beneficial on newly erupted teeth.
Q. What is the worst thing people do regarding teeth/gum health?
They're not flossing or brushing correctly. I understand sometimes it's very hard to introduce new habits to someone who has gone 30, 40 years without flossing. But I tell them, if reaching the back teeth is hard, start in the front, gain dexterity, and work your way back.
Q. What are the worst foods people eat regarding teeth/gum health?
Foods with a lot of sugar. Sugar breaks down in the mouth, so if you're eating a lot of it and not rinsing and brushing, it's mixing with bacteria and forming plaque. If you don't get rid of it, and your body's pH is acidic, then it will cause decay. If you're on the other end and are more alkaline or basic, you're more likely to get tartar or calculus [hardened plaque]. That will irritate the gingiva [gums], which will get inflamed, and cause bacteria to grow, which [destroys gum tissue].
Q. How has teeth cleaning changed over the years?
When I was in school, we did almost everything with hand instruments. Now we have the ultrasonic cleaners – it's the tool with the high-pitched sound that vibrates. It helps to break up tartar on the teeth, and it makes it easier for the hygienist and patient because we're not having to exert more pressure. There are also polishes that have fluoride, and are flavored so they're as patient-friendly as possible. I remember when I was a student there was only one polish, and it tasted like pasty sand and chalk. And years ago we would put pieces of film in a patient's mouth to take X-rays, and now we place a sensor into their mouth and it's taken digitally.
Q. At what age should someone begin getting their teeth cleaned?
Children should have their first visit by the age of 2. By then all the primary teeth have erupted.
Q. How healthy are your own teeth?
I sure try to practice what I preach. I've had very few fillings over the years, and accidentally cracked a tooth a few years ago. But I faithfully brush and floss, and I get my cleaning every six months.
Q. How prevalent is gum disease?
Very. There are different stages, from gingivitis, which is reversible, to periodontitis, where there is bone loss and gum recession, which can't be naturally reversed without surgery. Depending on the various stages [of gum disease], I'd say about 80 percent of the population has experienced gum disease. The problem is that usually people don't know they have it because generally it doesn't hurt until it's serious.
Q. What is the worst case you ever had?
I was doing a cleaning on a patient with MS when I did clinical hygiene at a hospital. I saw a tear coming down her face and I knew she was in pain, but she couldn't talk. So we got her anesthesia, but it still wasn't helping. We ended up taking her to the OR. It turned out she had bad decay in one tooth, but she couldn't verbalize how much it was hurting.
Q. What is the biggest complaint patients have?
Not a complaint exactly, but the classic is when they say, 'I'd rather have a baby than have my teeth cleaned.' I don't know, but after having had two C-sections, I think I'd rather have my teeth cleaned.
Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/her-aim-is-to-keep-your-teeth-and-gums-healthy-1.1417167?page=all
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