Recently the American Dental Association (ADA) has released a Patient Education DVD series called Toothflix. It contains 23 different video segments which explore different topics designed to educate patients on their oral health and prevention and treatment strategies.
The complete series including all 23 segments currently is available for $699. Each segment is around 3 to 6 minutes long. It is intended to be played on a TV and DVD player in the reception or waiting area of a dental office. It could also be used in actual treatment rooms perhaps to help explain more clearly certain topics to patients. In addition another use would be for when a dentist goes out into the community to give a presentation or some other event.
The ADA has 7 of the segments partially available on their website for demonstration purposes. I reviewed the segment on Preventing Periodontal Disease and felt it was informative. The viewer learns about how periodontal disease is caused by plaque which is caused by not cleaning regularly enough and properly after eating.
The viewer learns about the warning signs of periodontal disease
- Gums that bleed easily are red, swollen, or tender
- Gums pull away from teeth
- Constant bad breath
- Pus between teeth and gums
- Loose or separating teeth
- Change in your bite
- Change in how dentures fit
In addition the factors that increase the risk of periodontal disease are discussed
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Systemic diseases
- Medications
- Hormonal changes
- Bridges or partial dentures that no longer fit properly
Of course the possibility of inflammation and periodontal disease and it’s role in your overall health is mentioned.
As is commonly recommend, the video informs the viewer to brush at least twice daily and floss once a day. It says how it is possible to have periodontal disease without having any warning signs and symptoms.
In addition it talks about how a dentist will measure the space between your teeth and gum with a periodontal probe and that this probing depth should be 3 mm or less for you to be considered healthy.
As a side note, the risk of Periodontal disease is a commonly cited reason to have wisdom teeth removed in young adults. Therefore I go into many more details about periodontal disease and their relation to wisdom teeth under the risks of keeping your wisdom teeth page.
The ADA tends to stay out of the wisdom teeth debate so this is not even mentioned in the video. However I was impressed by the video and thought it did a great job providing an introduction and knowledge needed by dental patients.
Additional information about the ADA Toothflix series is available on the ADA website at http://www.ada.org/2334.aspx. There is no segment on wisdom teeth, but other segments include Tooth Extraction, Root Canal, Cracked Tooth, and Early Childhood Caries.
There are other Toothflix options available besides the complete series. I feel owning this DVD series may make a nice addition for dental offices and aid their patients in understanding and knowledge of their oral health.