Brooke Porter DDS

What's up with oral cancer?

I think everyone has been touched by cancer in one way or another. I have had two family members go through cancer treatments and would never want to see them do that again. So, when a screening test is put into the market place that is directly related to what I do everyday, I embrace it.

Yes, I am a little skeptical on the technology until it is proven, but once it has merit, I try my best to get it in the hands of people who will benefit from it. That is what I've done with the Vizilite screening exam. It is easy for us to use at the office. No scrapping for a biopsy, not blood test, no shots. All you do for this screening is rinse with a vinegar solution that fixes the gum tissue five cell layers deep. A special dye is attached by the rinse to make any abnormal cell GLOW. This is great because as a clinician, I cannot miss something glowing at me.

 If there is something glowing, I then rub that area with a blue dye that will mark it. I then try and rub the dye off. If it stays blue, the lesion needs to be lasered off. Simple as that. No big surgeries, no waiting until growths are large enough to disfigure the patient, no wondering if it could have been stopped sooner.

The main problem with this test is that insurance companies are not covering it yet. This puts an obstacle in a patient's mind. For some reason we are trained that insurance companies are there to protect us from unnecessary treatment. They do not. This is a $58 test that could stop a potentially fatal disease.  Insurance companies really aggravate me. We are still offering the test and my hope is I can get base line tests on 20% of my patients this year. I would love for it to be 100, but I have to start somewhere.

Poisonous toothpaste from China

I've had a few people ask me about the "Toothpaste Scare" recently and I wanted to put these fears to rest. A Chinese manufacturer of an off brand of toothpaste had placed a chemical into the paste that would thicken it to the correct texture. This chemical is also used in antifreeze for thickening. At the concentration that the chemical (diethylene glycol) is used in antifreeze, it is poisonous. It was in a very small amount in the toothpaste brand Cooldent that is sold in some Dollar Plus stores.

The reason this product was added was to reduce the cost of the product. Glycerin is normally used for this purpose and is more expensive for the plants to use. No other brand of toothpaste was effected and this is not expected to be an epidemic like the pet food tragedy. This was just one plant's way of cutting corners.

One interesting point is that the chemical IS listed on the back of the tube. They were not hiding the fact they put it in there. SO, the moral of this story is to stay with known brands when you shop for toothpaste and also check for glycerin in the ingredients.

If anyone has a bad tube of toothpaste, come by the office and I'll trade you for the good stuff!