If you’ve been a patient here for a while, you’ve probably noticed a pattern.
Every now and then I go to a seminar, disappear for a few days, and come back with a new idea that everyone in the office has to hear about.
Sometimes those ideas stick. Sometimes they don’t.
This one is sticking.
Over the last year, I’ve spent a lot of time studying oral biofilms, attending advanced training around the country, and talking with some incredibly smart doctors who are pushing the boundaries of preventive dental care. The more I learn, the more convinced I am that biofilm management is going to play a major role in the future of dentistry.
In the video above, you’ll see us stain the teeth so biofilm becomes visible. What surprises most people is that teeth can look pretty clean and still have a significant amount of biofilm attached to them.
Once you can actually see it, it changes the conversation.
For years, dentistry has focused heavily on tartar, cavities, and visible signs of disease. Those things are still important, of course. But biofilm represents something happening much earlier in the process. It’s the living bacterial community that exists on the teeth and beneath the gums, and it’s often present long before major problems develop.
The more we understand these bacterial communities, the more we realize that oral health isn’t just about fixing damage after it occurs. It’s also about managing the environment that allows that damage to happen in the first place.
That shift in thinking has led us to explore new technologies, new techniques, and new ways of evaluating what’s happening inside the mouth. Some of those tools help us see biofilm more clearly. Others help us remove it more effectively. Still others help us create a healthier environment for both our patients and our team.
What excites me most is that we’re starting to look beyond the simple question:
“Did we get the teeth clean?”
Instead, we’re asking bigger questions:
What bacteria are present?
How are they behaving?
How can we manage them more effectively?
And how can we do all of that while making treatment as comfortable as possible?
Those questions are driving many of the changes you’ll begin seeing in our office over the coming months.
We’ll continue using our phase-contrast microscope to help patients see what is happening in their mouths. We’ll continue evaluating new approaches to hygiene and preventive care. And we’ll continue looking for ways to create a healthier oral environment rather than simply treating disease after it appears.
After more than 30 years in dentistry, I still get excited when I find something that changes the way I think about patient care.
Biofilm is one of those things.
Stay tuned. We’re just getting started.
— Dr. Steven Little