Our distinguished team of dental professionals is ready to partner with you in your dental care within our two officesOur team has years of certified licensed training and continued education courses in the most up-to-date dental periodontal procedures to be in their roles as your registered dental hygienist at the LANAP & Implant Center of Pennsylvania. We are excited to see that April is National Dental Hygienist Month so that we can recognize and share more about the leaders in your dental care. Our team is trained and certified in Periodontal Laser Pocket Disinfection therapy from Millennium Dental Technologies.
We are constantly learning and striving to advance the standard of patient care in our offices. Periodontal disease affects approximately 80% of adults and is a growing epidemic in our society. Understanding of this disease has increased greatly over the last few years. We now know that Periodontal Disease is a bacterial infection in the pockets around teeth. As such, we now not only treat Perio with removal of mechanical irritants and diseased tissue (your normal cleaning) but are also addressing the underlying infection that causes the disease.
With that thought in mind we recommend that all of our patients have Laser Pocket Disinfection (LPD) therapy, prior to their cleaning appointments. Three of the major reasons for we recommend this therapy are below:
1. To reduce or eliminate bacteremias. During the normal cleaning process most patients will have some areas that may bleed, this allows bacteria that are present in all of our mouths to flood into the bloodstream and sometimes settle in weakened areas of our body such as a damaged heart valve or artificial knee or hip etc. We pre-medicate those patients that we know have a heart condition or artificial joints with antibiotics so that these bacteria can’t cause harm to these areas. Latest research shows that these oral pathogens have now been linked to a number of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, low birth weight babies, diabetes etc. Needless to say anything that we can do to reduce or eliminate these bacteremias is a positive for our patients.
2. To prevent cross contamination of infections in one area of your mouth to other areas. Decontamination minimizes the chance that we may inadvertently pick up bacterial infection in one area of your mouth and move it to others.
3. To kill periodontal disease bacteria and stop their infections before they cause physical destruction or loss of attachment around your teeth. The laser disinfection process is painless and normally takes about 5-10 minutes. We highly recommend that you take advantage of this service as part of your routine cleaning.
Lanap & Implant Center of Pennsylvania
Montoursville Office
Registered Dental Hygienist – Karen graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 1993 with an associates degree in Applied Science, Dental Hygiene. Karen has specialized in periodontal care for the last 30 years. She enjoys meeting new patient’s, educating patient’s on their oral health needs and providing periodontal treatment specific for each patients individualized needs. Karen likes spending time with her son and grandkids. Her hobbies are spent outdoors bird watching, swimming, camping, walking and going to the beach.
Registered Dental Hygienist – Marta possesses and is always adding to her extensive knowledge in her field of practice as a hygienist. Marta has been with our office for over 10 years. During this time she has helped numerous patients with their dental concerns and partnered with them to achieve better dental health with her elite skill set. Marta keeps her focus on expanding her dental knowledge and continues her certifications with training and continued education. Marta is certified in Periodontal Laser Pocket Disinfection therapy from Millennium Dental Technologies. Her patients have had outstanding treatment success while limiting their potential to greater Periodontal Disease factors.
Marta is a leader and shares her vast knowledge with all her patients in a calm, relaxing and enjoyable experience. Marta loves gardening, the outdoors and spending time with her family and dogs.
Lanap & Implant Center of Pennsylvania
Collegeville Office
Registered Dental Hygienist -Alka majored in Chemistry and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Saurashtra University. When entering the dental field she trained in Hygiene at New York City College of Technology. She is consistently expanding her dental knowledge and continues her certifications with training and continued education. Her advanced knowledge in the field of Periodontal Disease allows her to effectively communicate how the effects of the disease can be harmful if left untreated. Alka specifically enjoys working with her patients and partnering with them on improving their dental health by remitting periodontal disease and their root causes. Alka is a leader in our practice as a hygiene educator sharing best practices, clinical knowledge and her extensive expertise. Patients are always commenting on how informative she is and how caring and gentle her cleanings are. When not working she enjoys gardening, cooking, reading and practicing yoga. |