February 8, 2023 • 21 mins
Host: Monsignor David Rubino, Ph.D.
Guest: Dr. Susan Calderbank, Director of Patient Care at the LECOM Dental Clinic
Dr. Susan Calderbank discusses the correlation between oral health and overall physical health and the preventative and advanced care services provided by the LECOM dental clinic.
________
Please visit LECOM.edu for to learn more about the educational opportunities available at our institution.
Guest: Dr. Susan Calderbank, Director of Patient Care at the LECOM Dental Clinic
Dr. Susan Calderbank discusses the correlation between oral health and overall physical health and the preventative and advanced care services provided by the LECOM dental clinic.
________
Please visit LECOM.edu for to learn more about the educational opportunities available at our institution.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to lee KOM presents Heroes in Training. The
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, also known as LEEKOM,
has been providing training to heroes all across the globe
since nineteen ninety three. This podcast gives you an insider
look at the stories of triumph and hope from both
(00:22):
former students and faculty, helping you decide if LEECOM is
the right choice for your higher education. Let's start the show.
Welcome to LEEKOM Health Matters.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Our guest today is our good friend, doctor Susan Calderbain,
Doctor Susan, Welcome to LEECOM Health Matters.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, thank you, I'm very glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Oh, it's a joy to have you with us. Thank
you for taking your time from what I know is
a very busy schedule of teaching and research, and we
appreciate your time. Oral health is an important thing. I
read somewhere that forty percent of the people in the
United States feel pain in their mind at least once
a year, and that eighty percent of the people have
at least one cavity. Don't know if the numbers are true,
(01:06):
but how important is it for this audience? To know
about oral health and how important is it for them
to keep up their.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Oral health well. I have to say that one of
the phrases that dentists are always familiar with using is
that you can't be in good health unless you have
good oral health. It has an influence on all types
of diseases like diabetes. If you have inflammation in your mouth,
(01:41):
that raises your body's inflammation level, makes it much more
difficult to maintain adequate blood sugar levels. And it actually
can hasten losing your teeth because the gums become so
inflamed when women are pregnant. If they do I don't
floss their teeth, they can have lower birth weight babies
(02:04):
because as the gums get very irritated, even sometimes by
pregnancy hormones, the gums will bleed easily, even if it's
microscopic bleeding while they're eating, and then the body's energy
is going to fight these far flung infections because the
bacteria get into the bloodstream.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Why do you think oral health is not high on
everybody's totem fult as it should be.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I think because in this country, especially, the emphasis has
always been on medicine and dentistry has always been relegated
to just this small area of the body, the mouth,
and it takes a very wise medical practitioner to realize
that oral health has a great deal to do with
(02:56):
medical health and go ahead.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I'm sorry, and I think people missed that connection. If
you could elaborate a bit between oral health and physical health,
I think they see them as two separate buckets, and
they're really, as you said, they're not correct.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Because the mouth is part of the body. I've even
had physicians that ask me, did I expect them to
put their hands in someone's mouth, And it's like, yes,
I do, so you know. And they even changed the
dental degree a long time ago. Instead of a DDS,
which was a Doctor of Dental Surgery, they've now made
(03:33):
it DMD, a Doctor of Medical Dentistry, because there is
such a huge connection between the mouth and the rest
of the body's health.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So there is that connection. Just before, we talk a
little bit about dental clinics, which is really our focus today,
but the general person listening to this or watching this,
what are some of the simple things people can do
to maintain proper or health.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, one thing they need to do is to brush
their teeth at least twice a day. Science we try
to do evidence based dentistry, and the scientific studies show
that using a mechanical toothbrush a battery brush will take
at least eighty percent more of the plaque off of
(04:24):
the teeth, getting the teeth cleaned and checked twice a year.
But one of the most important things they can do
is dental flossing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Oh God, I knew you were going to say that.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
I'm a dentist. Of course I would say I.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Knew you were going to say dental flow.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
If we break it down as a math equation, your
tooth has five sides, so when you brush, you can
only reach three of those five sides. So if you
were perfect, which none of us are, when you brush
your teeth and you don't fly, you're only doing sixty
percent of the work. Now, because which is an f grade. Now,
(05:06):
because we're not perfect when we brush, we're only doing
about forty seven percent of the ability. You have to
keep your teeth clean. So flossing gets the parts the
brush doesn't reach, and no water picks don't work, and
these new flossing toothbrushes don't work. You have to put
(05:28):
the time and effort in and clean out in between
the teeth, because that's where the inflammation in the mouth
will begin because as the bacteria clumps together, they eat
any sugar that you eat, and then the end product
is an acid and it's sometimes stronger than battery acid.
(05:50):
So that's what's living in between your teeth. So you
got to floss every day.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I knew you were going to save flush. Yeah, it's
my job, and you do it well. I think people
The brushing is easy. The mouthwashed off to see. It's
the flossing that really when you make a good point
when you say it's as strong as battery acid.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And it's in there, and so the gum tissue gets
inflamed and it goes WHOA, I don't want to be
around this. So it starts moving with the bone away
from the teeth. And that's why a lot of people
lose their teeth due to gum or periodonal disease. So
it's crucial that you floss every day.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Oh. I learned that lesson the hard way. About twenty
years ago. I had some periodonal work done in the
back because, as you said, I wasn't lossing.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
And you know another thing that is very, very important,
and people really don't realize this that as we age,
our teeth can become more brittle, and so things like ice,
nuts and popcorn really should be avoided as you age
(07:04):
because your teeth will crack and break and then you
need maybe root canal, definitely a crown. So even monitoring
our diet as we age and not eating all soft
foods that would be really bad for you, but not
eating the real hard things. Like I tell people they
can eat almonds, but they have to be slivered, ground
(07:27):
up or drink almond milk.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Well, that's good advice because all of us aren't getting
any younger.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And your should take all those bad things, especially sucking
on hard candy, put it in a bag and give
it to someone you don't like, let them ruin their teeth.
But I want my patients.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You want your teeth. It is fine. Well, speaking about patients,
we've talked about oral health and the importance of keeping
up our oral health. We run a dental clinic, you
run a couple dental clinics. I think there's a misnomer
about dental clinics and what happens in the dental clinic
as opposed to a dentist office. So if I'm a
(08:07):
patient and I'm driving by Leekom and I see dental clinic, can.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I go, oh my goodness, Yes, we welcome everybody into
our dental clinic. And I know that clinic. The word
clinic sometimes can have a bad connotation, but coming to
a clinic such as our clinic at the Dental School,
it's a fabulous place to come. What people don't realize
(08:35):
they think, oh, I don't want to be worked one
by a student or you know clinic. Oh that doesn't
even sound nice, But it is wonderful because as the
patient comes in and gets assessed, that would be the
first step to commit it.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Stop you for one second. When I walk in the door,
what am I going to see?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You're going to see. First of all, you're going to
see a top notch dental sk goal all the way
to the top with top technology. You will be greeted
by PCC's patient care coordinators. They will take your demographic information,
they will take any insurance information that you might have
(09:18):
to give them, and then you're seen for a new
patient screening. And what that does is it gives us
the opportunity to see if your needs would be met
by coming into our dental offices.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Ready to become a healthcare industry pioneer formally trained as
a healthcare industry biomedical ethicist. Ensuring the health of communities
through patient centered care is fundamental to our quality of life.
That is why Lecom, an industry leader in whole person
wellness education, offers an innovative and fully accredited Master of
Science and Biomedical Ethics degree program through Lecom's School of
(09:58):
Health Services. Administration and students are prepared to help resolve
complex ethical challenges and advise healthcare industry leaders through an
online learning platform which allows even the busiest professionals to
work full time while completing their master's degree. Email SHSA
at lecom dot edu to begin your journey of discovery.
(10:20):
That's SHSA at Lecom dot edu. At Lecom, we know
wellness and are teaching the ethics of healthcare. This message
is brought to you by Lecom, a nonprofit organization.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So the first step then is almost like a patient
history of my teeth. If you will correct in my
gums in my mouth, somebody's going to come in and
they're going to register. I'll go and then they'll take
that history and then if it's something you can treat,
how does the process work in the clinic denis compared
to my own dentist office.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Well, the students have what's called preceptors or dental professionals
that will guide the students approve treatment plans. And the
really cool thing about coming to the dental school if
it is a challenging case as opposed to something very straightforward,
(11:16):
many minds come together and decide what is the best
course of action for this particular patient. So what you're
getting is really customized care, Gentle, customized care.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Can you give us an example of the difference between, say,
if I was just going to get a filling done
and I had to do something more advanced, Can you
give us an example of what that advanced care might
be like.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Well, if patients have significant periodonal problems, we address those.
That always is first, because we have to lay a
good foundation for any care that we may give the patient. Then,
for instance, do they have ill fitting dental appliances, old
(12:06):
dentures or partials that may have to be remade. Do
teeth have to be reinforced by having crowds put on
to hold these partials? We even have the ability here
to do dental implants, which is if you read anything
about dentistry today, it's always about dental implants. But Lee
(12:29):
Coom has taken that step forward, so now we're offering
dental implants to replace missing teeth. But it's always a
step wise progression and a treatment plan is made. And
when we talk about bringing minds together, there has to
be at least two signatures of two of the dental
(12:53):
preceptors who are our dentists that come in and monitor
the student activities guide them. There need to be two
signatures on that treatment plan that both dental professionals have
looked at that and then when those are signed off on,
we're ready to proceed and take care of the dental
(13:14):
needs of the patient.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So the student, regardless of the case if it's a
filling or something like an implant, which is far more complicated,
those students are really not completely on their own. They're
being watched over by their mentors as they go through
their particular steps, and I think the mentors sign off
on each step, or at least check each step of
the process.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Yes, that is exactly what happens. Even something as simple
as a filling, we would have the they get a
start check, they get permission to get the anesthesia for
the patient. Then they will prepare the tooth. The preceptor
will speak with them ahead of time. You may want
(13:59):
to use this piece of equipment, you may want to
go in this direction. That's all carefully mapped up before
the patient has anything done. Then the student would cut
the preparation and then the preceptor would approve that. Then
they would fill the tooth, and then the preceptor checks
(14:22):
that and signs off on the procedure and then gives
a student a grade on that procedure.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So really what you're getting is at least two minds.
On a simple case like a filling. It's not just
the dentist in the office, it's the young student and
the preceptor watching that student every step along the way. Yes,
when we get to complicated things like implants, it's even
more COMPREHENSI.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yes, we have not just general dentists here, but we
do have a full cadre of specialists that come in.
We have theatric specialists, we have oral surgeons, we have
root canal specialists. We try and cover all of our
bases when even giving simple dental care.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And we can't make the point enough that this is
open to anybody that walks in the door.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yes, exactly, it is totally open and available. And one
of the nicest things that I found coming to LEECOM
is that LEECOM truly believes in their mission statement to
serve the underserved. And we do have the ability in
(15:40):
special cases to discount our procedures so that the general
public is able to actually be able to afford these
And the word out on the street because I am,
in addition to being the director of the clinic, I'm
one of the dental examiners that goes out to give
the student is their examinations. And the word on the
(16:03):
street is that if you're going to hire a new
grad to come and work in your office, you want
to hire a lee Com grad because they get more
clinical experience than the graduates coming out of most general
schools in the country right now.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So our graduates who graduate from your clinic really are
well prepared to go and step in his soul. Practitioners
are joined joint practices when they've seen the whole spectrum.
I have to talk about this, and I hate to,
but and I know it's an unfair question. Even to ask.
But in terms of cost, is it a little bit
cheaper than a regular dentist office or does it depend
(16:42):
on the needs in the circumstances of the individual's presse.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
It is less expensive less expensive. I would always use
the term less expensive rather than cheap, because I think
cheap connotation is better with less expensive. You're right right,
and the cheap it seems like they're getting second rate
care when actually they're getting top rate CIC care. And
(17:06):
again it's because of all the good preceptors that we hire,
and the ability to discount the procedures is such a
gift for these patients. We give veterans a straight twenty
percent discount for their service and thanks for their military service.
(17:32):
It's just a very rewarding place to work. When you
leave at the end of the day, you know you've
done some good in the world.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I know you have done a lot of good in
the world that I know for a fact. And I
also know that we'll take care of you one way
or another. If we absolutely have to, we'll figure something out.
Because oral health, as we said earlier on, is important.
But I hope it's important for our audience to understand
this is less expensive, first rate care. If I can
put it that way, you're going to pay a little
(18:04):
less than a dentist office and you're going to go
to the clinic. Probably take a little bit longer than
it might in a regular dentist office. It does, but
that's all right because you're getting consultation, you're getting somebody
watching over the students in simple cases and in complicated cases,
and you're getting really quality care. It just may take
a little bit longer than a normal dentist office.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah, and we do reach out even when there are
special situations. For instance, yesterday we had a nine year
old come in who fell down the steps at school
totally lost his front tooth. They had to come with
the grandmother, and we had the ability to bring that
(18:47):
child right into our clinic. We put that tooth back
in the child's mouth, stabilized it, and he walked out
of here better than when he walked in. And that
is always our goal that the patients leave better than
when they walked in the door.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
And that's a real blessing for the little one too,
because I would suspect in this day and age, I
don't know, but my guess is that children and parents
wouln't pay enough attention to our kids' teeth these days, exactly.
Patric dentistry, I think is really something that people have
to think twice about because I think they think dentis's
office insurance, it's expensive, and so sometimes it gets pushed
(19:26):
on the back burner when really we have to start
them out right, and we do that as well, pediatrics
to seniors. We do the whole spectrum.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
We do a large majority of the pediatric patients in
this area. And what the general public does not know
is that teeth are the hardest part of your body.
They're much harder than your bones. And we have the ability,
through the use of dental seilans and better gental care,
(19:56):
to raise these children so that they never in their
life have a caality. And that is such a blessing.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
That's a blessing. One final question, because we're running out
of time. How do I find you? What do I
do if I I mean, I know, we said I
can drive into the parking lot, walk right in, but
there's probably going to be a patient backalog. What do
I do if I've heard this or seen this interview
and say I want to give that a shot. I
want to try that. How do I do that?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You would call eight one four eight six eight one
zero zero one. You will immediately be connected to a
PCP who will assess your needs, take your information, and
give you an appointment. We're at two thousand West Grand
View Boulevard in Eerie, and we would welcome all of
(20:49):
you to come.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well. I guess today has been doctor Susan Calterbank, our
good friend. She directs our clinic that really provides many
blessings to people in Erie and our clindics in Florida.
So Susan, thank you very much for your time, thank
you for your talent, and thank you for what you
do for the oral health needs of the communities that
we serve.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
This is my thank you for having me today. It
was a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It has been my pleasure. This is my father Rippiano
for Recom Health Matters.
You're listening to lee KOM presents Heroes in Training. The
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, also known as LEEKOM,
has been providing training to heroes all across the globe
since nineteen ninety three. This podcast gives you an insider
look at the stories of triumph and hope from both
(00:22):
former students and faculty, helping you decide if LEECOM is
the right choice for your higher education. Let's start the show.
Welcome to LEEKOM Health Matters.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Our guest today is our good friend, doctor Susan Calderbain,
Doctor Susan, Welcome to LEECOM Health Matters.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, thank you, I'm very glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Oh, it's a joy to have you with us. Thank
you for taking your time from what I know is
a very busy schedule of teaching and research, and we
appreciate your time. Oral health is an important thing. I
read somewhere that forty percent of the people in the
United States feel pain in their mind at least once
a year, and that eighty percent of the people have
at least one cavity. Don't know if the numbers are true,
(01:06):
but how important is it for this audience? To know
about oral health and how important is it for them
to keep up their.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Oral health well. I have to say that one of
the phrases that dentists are always familiar with using is
that you can't be in good health unless you have
good oral health. It has an influence on all types
of diseases like diabetes. If you have inflammation in your mouth,
(01:41):
that raises your body's inflammation level, makes it much more
difficult to maintain adequate blood sugar levels. And it actually
can hasten losing your teeth because the gums become so
inflamed when women are pregnant. If they do I don't
floss their teeth, they can have lower birth weight babies
(02:04):
because as the gums get very irritated, even sometimes by
pregnancy hormones, the gums will bleed easily, even if it's
microscopic bleeding while they're eating, and then the body's energy
is going to fight these far flung infections because the
bacteria get into the bloodstream.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Why do you think oral health is not high on
everybody's totem fult as it should be.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I think because in this country, especially, the emphasis has
always been on medicine and dentistry has always been relegated
to just this small area of the body, the mouth,
and it takes a very wise medical practitioner to realize
that oral health has a great deal to do with
(02:56):
medical health and go ahead.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I'm sorry, and I think people missed that connection. If
you could elaborate a bit between oral health and physical health,
I think they see them as two separate buckets, and
they're really, as you said, they're not correct.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Because the mouth is part of the body. I've even
had physicians that ask me, did I expect them to
put their hands in someone's mouth, And it's like, yes,
I do, so you know. And they even changed the
dental degree a long time ago. Instead of a DDS,
which was a Doctor of Dental Surgery, they've now made
(03:33):
it DMD, a Doctor of Medical Dentistry, because there is
such a huge connection between the mouth and the rest
of the body's health.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So there is that connection. Just before, we talk a
little bit about dental clinics, which is really our focus today,
but the general person listening to this or watching this,
what are some of the simple things people can do
to maintain proper or health.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, one thing they need to do is to brush
their teeth at least twice a day. Science we try
to do evidence based dentistry, and the scientific studies show
that using a mechanical toothbrush a battery brush will take
at least eighty percent more of the plaque off of
(04:24):
the teeth, getting the teeth cleaned and checked twice a year.
But one of the most important things they can do
is dental flossing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Oh God, I knew you were going to say that.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
I'm a dentist. Of course I would say I.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Knew you were going to say dental flow.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
If we break it down as a math equation, your
tooth has five sides, so when you brush, you can
only reach three of those five sides. So if you
were perfect, which none of us are, when you brush
your teeth and you don't fly, you're only doing sixty
percent of the work. Now, because which is an f grade. Now,
(05:06):
because we're not perfect when we brush, we're only doing
about forty seven percent of the ability. You have to
keep your teeth clean. So flossing gets the parts the
brush doesn't reach, and no water picks don't work, and
these new flossing toothbrushes don't work. You have to put
(05:28):
the time and effort in and clean out in between
the teeth, because that's where the inflammation in the mouth
will begin because as the bacteria clumps together, they eat
any sugar that you eat, and then the end product
is an acid and it's sometimes stronger than battery acid.
(05:50):
So that's what's living in between your teeth. So you
got to floss every day.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I knew you were going to save flush. Yeah, it's
my job, and you do it well. I think people
The brushing is easy. The mouthwashed off to see. It's
the flossing that really when you make a good point
when you say it's as strong as battery acid.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And it's in there, and so the gum tissue gets
inflamed and it goes WHOA, I don't want to be
around this. So it starts moving with the bone away
from the teeth. And that's why a lot of people
lose their teeth due to gum or periodonal disease. So
it's crucial that you floss every day.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Oh. I learned that lesson the hard way. About twenty
years ago. I had some periodonal work done in the
back because, as you said, I wasn't lossing.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
And you know another thing that is very, very important,
and people really don't realize this that as we age,
our teeth can become more brittle, and so things like ice,
nuts and popcorn really should be avoided as you age
(07:04):
because your teeth will crack and break and then you
need maybe root canal, definitely a crown. So even monitoring
our diet as we age and not eating all soft
foods that would be really bad for you, but not
eating the real hard things. Like I tell people they
can eat almonds, but they have to be slivered, ground
(07:27):
up or drink almond milk.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Well, that's good advice because all of us aren't getting
any younger.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And your should take all those bad things, especially sucking
on hard candy, put it in a bag and give
it to someone you don't like, let them ruin their teeth.
But I want my patients.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You want your teeth. It is fine. Well, speaking about patients,
we've talked about oral health and the importance of keeping
up our oral health. We run a dental clinic, you
run a couple dental clinics. I think there's a misnomer
about dental clinics and what happens in the dental clinic
as opposed to a dentist office. So if I'm a
(08:07):
patient and I'm driving by Leekom and I see dental clinic, can.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I go, oh my goodness, Yes, we welcome everybody into
our dental clinic. And I know that clinic. The word
clinic sometimes can have a bad connotation, but coming to
a clinic such as our clinic at the Dental School,
it's a fabulous place to come. What people don't realize
(08:35):
they think, oh, I don't want to be worked one
by a student or you know clinic. Oh that doesn't
even sound nice, But it is wonderful because as the
patient comes in and gets assessed, that would be the
first step to commit it.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Stop you for one second. When I walk in the door,
what am I going to see?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You're going to see. First of all, you're going to
see a top notch dental sk goal all the way
to the top with top technology. You will be greeted
by PCC's patient care coordinators. They will take your demographic information,
they will take any insurance information that you might have
(09:18):
to give them, and then you're seen for a new
patient screening. And what that does is it gives us
the opportunity to see if your needs would be met
by coming into our dental offices.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Ready to become a healthcare industry pioneer formally trained as
a healthcare industry biomedical ethicist. Ensuring the health of communities
through patient centered care is fundamental to our quality of life.
That is why Lecom, an industry leader in whole person
wellness education, offers an innovative and fully accredited Master of
Science and Biomedical Ethics degree program through Lecom's School of
(09:58):
Health Services. Administration and students are prepared to help resolve
complex ethical challenges and advise healthcare industry leaders through an
online learning platform which allows even the busiest professionals to
work full time while completing their master's degree. Email SHSA
at lecom dot edu to begin your journey of discovery.
(10:20):
That's SHSA at Lecom dot edu. At Lecom, we know
wellness and are teaching the ethics of healthcare. This message
is brought to you by Lecom, a nonprofit organization.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So the first step then is almost like a patient
history of my teeth. If you will correct in my
gums in my mouth, somebody's going to come in and
they're going to register. I'll go and then they'll take
that history and then if it's something you can treat,
how does the process work in the clinic denis compared
to my own dentist office.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Well, the students have what's called preceptors or dental professionals
that will guide the students approve treatment plans. And the
really cool thing about coming to the dental school if
it is a challenging case as opposed to something very straightforward,
(11:16):
many minds come together and decide what is the best
course of action for this particular patient. So what you're
getting is really customized care, Gentle, customized care.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Can you give us an example of the difference between, say,
if I was just going to get a filling done
and I had to do something more advanced, Can you
give us an example of what that advanced care might
be like.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Well, if patients have significant periodonal problems, we address those.
That always is first, because we have to lay a
good foundation for any care that we may give the patient. Then,
for instance, do they have ill fitting dental appliances, old
(12:06):
dentures or partials that may have to be remade. Do
teeth have to be reinforced by having crowds put on
to hold these partials? We even have the ability here
to do dental implants, which is if you read anything
about dentistry today, it's always about dental implants. But Lee
(12:29):
Coom has taken that step forward, so now we're offering
dental implants to replace missing teeth. But it's always a
step wise progression and a treatment plan is made. And
when we talk about bringing minds together, there has to
be at least two signatures of two of the dental
(12:53):
preceptors who are our dentists that come in and monitor
the student activities guide them. There need to be two
signatures on that treatment plan that both dental professionals have
looked at that and then when those are signed off on,
we're ready to proceed and take care of the dental
(13:14):
needs of the patient.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So the student, regardless of the case if it's a
filling or something like an implant, which is far more complicated,
those students are really not completely on their own. They're
being watched over by their mentors as they go through
their particular steps, and I think the mentors sign off
on each step, or at least check each step of
the process.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Yes, that is exactly what happens. Even something as simple
as a filling, we would have the they get a
start check, they get permission to get the anesthesia for
the patient. Then they will prepare the tooth. The preceptor
will speak with them ahead of time. You may want
(13:59):
to use this piece of equipment, you may want to
go in this direction. That's all carefully mapped up before
the patient has anything done. Then the student would cut
the preparation and then the preceptor would approve that. Then
they would fill the tooth, and then the preceptor checks
(14:22):
that and signs off on the procedure and then gives
a student a grade on that procedure.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So really what you're getting is at least two minds.
On a simple case like a filling. It's not just
the dentist in the office, it's the young student and
the preceptor watching that student every step along the way. Yes,
when we get to complicated things like implants, it's even
more COMPREHENSI.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yes, we have not just general dentists here, but we
do have a full cadre of specialists that come in.
We have theatric specialists, we have oral surgeons, we have
root canal specialists. We try and cover all of our
bases when even giving simple dental care.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And we can't make the point enough that this is
open to anybody that walks in the door.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yes, exactly, it is totally open and available. And one
of the nicest things that I found coming to LEECOM
is that LEECOM truly believes in their mission statement to
serve the underserved. And we do have the ability in
(15:40):
special cases to discount our procedures so that the general
public is able to actually be able to afford these
And the word out on the street because I am,
in addition to being the director of the clinic, I'm
one of the dental examiners that goes out to give
the student is their examinations. And the word on the
(16:03):
street is that if you're going to hire a new
grad to come and work in your office, you want
to hire a lee Com grad because they get more
clinical experience than the graduates coming out of most general
schools in the country right now.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So our graduates who graduate from your clinic really are
well prepared to go and step in his soul. Practitioners
are joined joint practices when they've seen the whole spectrum.
I have to talk about this, and I hate to,
but and I know it's an unfair question. Even to ask.
But in terms of cost, is it a little bit
cheaper than a regular dentist office or does it depend
(16:42):
on the needs in the circumstances of the individual's presse.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
It is less expensive less expensive. I would always use
the term less expensive rather than cheap, because I think
cheap connotation is better with less expensive. You're right right,
and the cheap it seems like they're getting second rate
care when actually they're getting top rate CIC care. And
(17:06):
again it's because of all the good preceptors that we hire,
and the ability to discount the procedures is such a
gift for these patients. We give veterans a straight twenty
percent discount for their service and thanks for their military service.
(17:32):
It's just a very rewarding place to work. When you
leave at the end of the day, you know you've
done some good in the world.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I know you have done a lot of good in
the world that I know for a fact. And I
also know that we'll take care of you one way
or another. If we absolutely have to, we'll figure something out.
Because oral health, as we said earlier on, is important.
But I hope it's important for our audience to understand
this is less expensive, first rate care. If I can
put it that way, you're going to pay a little
(18:04):
less than a dentist office and you're going to go
to the clinic. Probably take a little bit longer than
it might in a regular dentist office. It does, but
that's all right because you're getting consultation, you're getting somebody
watching over the students in simple cases and in complicated cases,
and you're getting really quality care. It just may take
a little bit longer than a normal dentist office.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah, and we do reach out even when there are
special situations. For instance, yesterday we had a nine year
old come in who fell down the steps at school
totally lost his front tooth. They had to come with
the grandmother, and we had the ability to bring that
(18:47):
child right into our clinic. We put that tooth back
in the child's mouth, stabilized it, and he walked out
of here better than when he walked in. And that
is always our goal that the patients leave better than
when they walked in the door.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
And that's a real blessing for the little one too,
because I would suspect in this day and age, I
don't know, but my guess is that children and parents
wouln't pay enough attention to our kids' teeth these days, exactly.
Patric dentistry, I think is really something that people have
to think twice about because I think they think dentis's
office insurance, it's expensive, and so sometimes it gets pushed
(19:26):
on the back burner when really we have to start
them out right, and we do that as well, pediatrics
to seniors. We do the whole spectrum.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
We do a large majority of the pediatric patients in
this area. And what the general public does not know
is that teeth are the hardest part of your body.
They're much harder than your bones. And we have the ability,
through the use of dental seilans and better gental care,
(19:56):
to raise these children so that they never in their
life have a caality. And that is such a blessing.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
That's a blessing. One final question, because we're running out
of time. How do I find you? What do I
do if I I mean, I know, we said I
can drive into the parking lot, walk right in, but
there's probably going to be a patient backalog. What do
I do if I've heard this or seen this interview
and say I want to give that a shot. I
want to try that. How do I do that?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You would call eight one four eight six eight one
zero zero one. You will immediately be connected to a
PCP who will assess your needs, take your information, and
give you an appointment. We're at two thousand West Grand
View Boulevard in Eerie, and we would welcome all of
(20:49):
you to come.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well. I guess today has been doctor Susan Calterbank, our
good friend. She directs our clinic that really provides many
blessings to people in Erie and our clindics in Florida.
So Susan, thank you very much for your time, thank
you for your talent, and thank you for what you
do for the oral health needs of the communities that
we serve.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
This is my thank you for having me today. It
was a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It has been my pleasure. This is my father Rippiano
for Recom Health Matters.
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