Val Hebert, RDH, and Darren Webber, DMD, from Smithfield, Utah, received the Orkos Award recognizing their excellence in case study treatment of periodontal disease. Their case demonstrates how prescription tray delivery of medication helped a patient of record who had struggled with the disease for years. The award also acknowledges Hebert’s dedication to her patients and her efforts to find more effective treatment options for them.
Hebert’s primary objective was helping periodontal patients manage subgingival microbial conditions between office visits. “I’ve followed the guidelines of debridement, scaling, and regular periodontal maintenance therapy for more than two decades,” reports Hebert, “with lackluster results. It was the same scenario every three to four months. My patients wanted more comfortable care and better, tangible results, and I wanted more for my patients, so I searched for something new. More brushing and flossing was not going to help these perio patients.”
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Her efforts paid off. She found Perio Tray for the delivery of prescription medication — specifically 1.7% hydrogen peroxide gel, Perio Gel from QNT Anderson. The Perio Tray is a uniquely fabricated periodontal medicament carrier with a customized internal peripheral seal that keeps medication below the gum line to fight infections. After spending an entire day in continuing education courses, during which she learned the science behind the debriding and oxygenating effects of hydrogen peroxide when it is delivered deep into pockets via the Perio Tray, Hebert was ready to try the adjunctive delivery technique.
Her first Perio Tray patient was the father of the dental assistant who works with her. “He had been one of our perio patients for three years,” Hebert reports. “He completed scalings and came in for periodontal therapy, although not as regularly as I recommended.” His was not an easy case. He had 100% bleeding on probing, significant calculus, generalized recession, sensitivity to thermal changes and touch, pain on probing, and probing depths up to 9 mm (Fig. 1). He started Perio Tray delivery three times a day for 15 minutes and returned two weeks later.
During that two-week follow-up visit, Hebert recorded pinker tissue with firmer consistency. “The most exciting part for me,” she stated, “was that the patient said that his mouth felt better. To me, this was real success. He had taken an active role in his health and changed his home care.” I asked him to return again in two weeks and to continue to use his Perio Trays. Hebert monitored his improvement regularly and completed a full-mouth probing again at the six-month follow-up visit. By that time, the patient had significant reductions in pocket depth, and bleeding on probing was reduced to five sites or 3% (Fig. 2; Fig. 3). He was pleased with his treatment and so was the dental team.
Importantly, Hebert reports that, after the initial experience of success with Perio Tray delivery, the patient maintained more regular recall appointments and seemed happier to have his check-ups. “This is a true marker of our success,” she explains. Getting patients to take responsibility for their health can be a challenge, but having the right tools to deliver medication deep into the pockets is also vital. Perio Protect congratulates Dr. Webber and Val Hebert on this excellent case.
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Dr. Webber is a Utah native who attended the University of Nevada – Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine. He has been in practice since 2008. Val Hebert was born and raised in Germany. She moved to Concord, New Hampshire, in 1981 and received her dental hygiene degree from the New Hampshire Technical Institute. In 1994, she moved to Cache Valley, Utah, where she now works with Dr. Webber at Community Dental Center, one of the only dental offices in Cache Valley, providing care for patients with Medicaid, Primary Care Network (PCN), and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reimbursements. Their team is devoted to providing high-quality dental services at affordable rates and to educating patients to take an active role in prevention strategies and treatment planning. Additional information on the Center is available at communitydentalcenter.com.
For more information about the Orkos Award and the award winners, visit theorkosaward.com. To learn more about Perio Tray delivery from Perio Protect, visit perioprotect.com.
