Episode 65: Stress & Your Smile: The Silent Oral Health Saboteur 😬💥
Release Date: 04/22/2025
Episode 65: Stress & Your Smile: The Silent Oral Health Saboteur 😬💥
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
This episode FINALLY exposes how stress is silently destroying your patients' mouths! 🚨 Melissa and Tabitha break through the traditional dentistry noise to reveal the science behind why stress might be the #1 oral health saboteur your patients (and YOU) aren't talking about. Key Topics Covered 🧠 The Science of Stress & The Oral Cavity (3:00-12:00) How the HPA axis is literally bathing your patients' mouths in cortisol! 💦 The SHOCKING immune suppression that's happening beneath our patient's gingiva Revolutionary research that mainstream dentistry isn't discussing Why your...
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Episode 64: STOP Normalizing Bleeding Gums: Making Diagnosing Gingivitis Sexy 🚫🩸
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
This episode challenges the dental industry's casual approach to gingivitis and reframes bleeding gums as a severe systemic health warning that demands attention! Melissa and Tabitha reveal why making gingivitis identification compelling to patients is crucial for oral and overall health outcomes. Link to Meissa's Post mentioned in the episode: Key Topics Covered 🚨 Why Gingivitis Is More Than "Pink in the Sink" The systemic connection between gingival inflammation and elevated inflammatory markers (CRP, interleukin-6) How gingivitis serves as an early warning system for broader...
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Mastering Communication Skills for Dental Professionals
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
In this episode of The Disrupting Dentistry Podcast, Melissa (USA) and Tabitha (Australia) dive into communication's critical role in improving patient outcomes. From explaining the oral-systemic connection to collaborating with medical professionals, they share actionable strategies to enhance patient engagement and drive whole-body health. You'll learn how patient-centered communication, visual aids, and interdisciplinary collaboration can transform your practice and reduce systemic inflammation. Tune in for practical tips backed by science! What You'll Learn in This Episode: ...
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The Heart of the Matter – Oral Health, Cardiovascular Disease & Salivary Testing
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
In this eye-opening episode, Melissa and Tabitha dive into one of the most critical yet overlooked connections in healthcare: the link between oral health and cardiovascular disease. With heart disease remaining the #1 cause of death worldwide, they explore how chronic inflammation—particularly from periodontal pathogens—can silently drive heart attacks and strokes. They break down the Bale-Doneen Method, which challenges traditional cardiac screening by shifting the focus from cholesterol to inflammation and bacterial invasion as the true culprits of heart disease. They...
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Season 4, Episode 1: Relaunching After a Year of Change
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast – Season 4, Episode 1: Relaunching After a Year of Change Hosts: Tabitha Acret & Melissa Obrotka Release Date: January 16, 2025 Show Notes: After taking a year off to adapt, reflect, and grow, the Disrupting Dentistry Podcast is back with a brand-new season! In this exciting Season 4 premiere, hosts Tabitha Acret and Melissa Obrotka, two leading experts in the world of dental hygiene, share what they've been up to in 2024 and what they're looking forward to in 2025. In this episode: Reflecting on 2024: Tabitha and...
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The one where we talk about writing a children's book
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
Welcome to the first episode of season 4!!!! On this installment Tabitha talks to Tanya Deacon a dental hygienist in Newcastle Australia on her journey from thought to action. Here about how to take an idea and action it into a finished product! Well done Tanya!
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The One About Provocative Issues in Our Profession
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
In true Disrupting Dentistry fashion, we are kicking off 2024 with an episode that tackles some provocative issues in dentistry head-on with repeat guest Kevin Oshani Lopez. In this episode, Melissa and Kevin discuss some trending circumstances that US dental professionals face. One particular topic they tackle is the RDH shortage and how the demand has driven up salaries. For many, this seems like a good thing, but Mel and Kevs outline how this may negatively impact the profession over time... Follow Kevin
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The One Where We Talk About Part 2 of Periodontal Treatment Planning
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
In this installment we continue with our chat on periodontal treatment planning. Mel and Tab talk about the importance of a diagnosis and prognosis for patients and, as per usual, some other random converstations and and giggles along the way This is our last episode for 2023, and we look forward to catching up again in 2024!
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The One Where We Talk About Creating a Natural Toothpaste
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
On this installment we talk to founder Rosi of About 28 functional toothpaste. Rosi is an OHT in QLD and trying to find an effective natural toothpaste was a challange so she made one!! Have a listen and hear all about the process idea to reality !
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Host Chat: The One About Standard of Care in Perio
Disrupting Dentistry Podcast
In honor of Dental Hygiene Appreciation Month, this Host Chat episode is on Tabitha and Melissa's tackle standard of care in periodontal disease. During this episode, we explore periodontal disease, assessments, and diagnosis and provide real-world strategies to implement in your operatory or surgery. Listen in as they discuss establishing the standard of care for periodontal disease treatment in your practice and calibrating within your team. Exploring evidence-based treatment protocols and patient education. Stay tuned for the next part of this standard of care in...
info_outlineThis episode FINALLY exposes how stress is silently destroying your patients' mouths! 🚨 Melissa and Tabitha break through the traditional dentistry noise to reveal the science behind why stress might be the #1 oral health saboteur your patients (and YOU) aren't talking about.
Key Topics Covered
🧠 The Science of Stress & The Oral Cavity (3:00-12:00)
- How the HPA axis is literally bathing your patients' mouths in cortisol! 💦
- The SHOCKING immune suppression that's happening beneath our patient's gingiva
- Revolutionary research that mainstream dentistry isn't discussing
- Why your patients' stress behaviors are creating a perfect storm for oral disease 🌪️
😬 Stress-Related Oral Conditions (12:00-25:00)
- Bruxism: The silent nighttime destroyer most dentists just band-aid with a nightguard
- TMD: It's not just about the jaw—it's about the WHOLE PERSON
- The stress-triggered conditions conventional dentistry misses:
- Aphthous ulcers that keep returning 🔄
- Lichen planus that won't respond to traditional treatments
- Burning Mouth Syndrome—it's NOT just in their heads!
- The REAL reason periodontal treatments fail: STRESS! 🔥
🦷 What Dental Professionals NEED To Do (25:00-40:00)
- Ditch the antiquated screening methods and start asking the RIGHT questions
- Salivary diagnostics: The game-changing tool traditional practices ignore
- The MIND-BLOWING connection between stress, bruxism, and sleep apnea 😴
- Breaking the vicious cycle your patients are trapped in
- Revolutionary signs you should be looking for:
- Scalloped tongues = RED FLAG 🚩
- Constricted airways that are SCREAMING for attention
- High-arched palates telling a story of dysfunction
- Forward head posture that traditional dentistry overlooks
- Morning symptoms that connect to nighttime problems
- Why collaborating with sleep medicine is NO LONGER optional! 🤝
Key Takeaways That Will DISRUPT Your Practice Tomorrow 💪
- Start seeing stress as the root cause, not just a contributing factor
- Implement stress screenings TODAY—your patients' health depends on it
- Stop treating symptoms and start healing causes—your oath demands it!
- Embrace the mouth-body connection that traditional dental education ignored
- Take care of YOUR stress, too—you can't pour from an empty cup! 🧘♀️
Because We ALWAYS Bring the Research Receipts 🧾
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Al-Jewair, T., et al. (2023). Association between obstructive sleep apnea, periodontal disease, and systemic inflammation: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Camacho, M., et al. (2021). Palatal expansion therapy as a treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews.
Carra, M.C., et al. (2022). Sleep bruxism and sleep-disordered breathing: A systematic review of polysomnographic studies. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Gómez-Moreno, G., et al. (2022). Effects of psychological stress on the oral microbiome: A systematic review. Journal of Oral Microbiology.
Iwasaki, M., et al. (2022). Association between salivary cortisol levels and periodontal clinical parameters. Clinical Oral Investigations.
Lobbezoo, F., et al. (2023). Bruxism and temporomandibular disorders: A comprehensive review of comorbidities and management. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.
Manfredini, D., et al. (2022). Electromyographic assessment of masseter and temporalis muscles in individuals with different stress levels: A controlled study. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.
Martins, R.P., et al. (2023). Impact of psychological stress on periodontal disease progression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Oral Investigations.
Mendes, F.S., et al. (2023). Cortisol levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews.
Patil, S., et al. (2022). Psychological stress and oral lichen planus: A case-control study. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
Peruzzo, D.C., et al. (2021). Psychological stress, salivary cortisol, and periodontitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Periodontal Research.
Scully, C. (2021). Aphthous ulceration: A comprehensive review of etiopathogenesis. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
Silva, L.A., et al. (2023). Burning mouth syndrome and psychological factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
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