CERRITOS, CA--(Marketwire - October 4, 2010) - News this year of a woman's untreated gum disease causing her unborn baby's death continues to shake the foundation of the dental community. Even dental professionals are largely unaware that the benefits of treating pregnant women far outweigh the risks to both mother and child. Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc. (MDT), inventors of the patented LANAP™ protocol for the treatment of gum disease and the manufacturer of the PerioLase® MVP-7™ digital dental laser, endorse the California Dental Association's updated guidelines and their emphasis on the importance of treating pregnant women for the improved health of both mother and baby.
"It's appalling that more dentists aren't shouting this information from the rooftops," said Dr. Robert H. Gregg II, President and Chairman of the Board at Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc., and President of The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry. "We've learned that untreated gum disease has killed one unborn baby, but dentists are still hesitant to provide the treatment to save them."
Gum disease is a bacterial infection that often goes undetected or ignored until the symptoms reach severe proportions. Science has proven that the pathogens can be passed to an unborn child with tragic consequences, including death.
Updated CDA guidelines state: "Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases, including needed dental radiographs and use of local anesthesia, are highly beneficial and can be undertaken during pregnancy with no additional fetal or maternal risk when compared to the risk of not providing care."
These published guidelines are vital in a state where the majority of pregnant women between 2002 and 2007 received absolutely no oral health care -- often with the complete agreement of their dentists who erroneously believe that treatment could harm the fetus. The guidelines also address the finding that the likelihood of dental caries increases for children of mothers with dental caries.
The CDA's new approach to dental treatment calls for the integration of oral health care with prenatal care for all pregnant women in California. To learn more about how Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc.'s patented LANAP™ protocol and the PerioLase® MVP-7 digital dental laser can help improve the health of pregnant women and their babies, visit www.millenniumdental.com.
ABOUT MILLENNIUM DENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Headquartered in Cerritos, Calif., Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc. is the developer of the LANAP™ protocol for the treatment of gum disease and the manufacturer of the PerioLase® MVP-7™ digital dental laser. By providing a simple and comfortable experience with unique bone-building clinical results, MDT's FDA-cleared and patented LANAP protocol removes the fear from gum disease treatment, offering a vastly less painful and less invasive regenerative treatment alternative to conventional scalpel/suture flap surgery; its PerioLase® MVP-7™ is a 6-watt free-running variable pulsed Nd:YAG dental laser featuring digital technology and 7 pulse durations -- the most available on the market -- giving it the power and versatility to perform a wide range of soft- and hard-tissue laser procedures. Established in 1990, the company's founding clinicians, Robert H. Gregg, II, D.D.S. and Delwin K. McCarthy, D.D.S., continue to operate the company with a shared vision and purpose: To create better clinical outcomes in periodontal disease patients -- and to remain true to the guiding principle -- "It's all about the patient." For more information, visit www.millenniumdental.com.
Contact Information:
CONTACT:
Leslie Licano
Beyond Fifteen Communications
949.733.8679