The Birth of Modern Healthcare
A Historical Look at the Interdisciplinary Approach to Patient Treatment
Always in search of an educational adventure, Anna and Dr. Razdolsky took a recent trip and toured Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota. They were fascinated as they discovered and learned the history of Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his sons, William and Charles. Similar in many ways to Dr. Razdolsky’s own philosophy of a wholistic approach to patient treatment, the Mayo family founded the St. Mary’s Hospital with sisters of the Franciscan Church, circa 1889. The plan? The sisters would build the hospital, if the Mayo brothers would staff it. The result, the Mayos helped shape modern medicine by establishing an institution where collaborative teams of specialists and professional colleagues worked together to place the needs of the patient first. Their mission, like Dr. Razdolsky’s, “To inspire hope, and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research.”
Impressive! With 60 locations and more than 1,000 health care providers and 56,000 employees, the now Mayo Clinic Health System is a finely-tuned network of professionals who work together with the sole endeavor to put the patient’s health first. Through research studies and collaborative programs, the Mayo Clinic is forging new and innovative paths to medical treatment, finding cures and caring for patients. What makes this even more interesting is that the Mayo network allows them to pull in the right specialist at the right time to help with diagnosis and proper treatment.
“I have been using this collaborative approach to orthodontic treatment for years,” said Dr. Razdolsky. “Through my network of highly-qualified professional peers, researchers, educators and device manufacturers, we have treated thousands of challenging cases that many thought were untreatable. It is surprising to me that it has taken this long for a vision like the Mayo brothers to become more mainstream in clinical application.”
You may have read in previous Bracket Chatters how Dr. Razdolsky has been organizing and presenting his annual orthodontic update and seminar for more than nine years. This continuing education program has afforded attendees the opportunity to learn about the multi-disciplinary approach to treat complex oral cases that on the surface may simply appear to be crooked teeth. While these issues may present themselves as simple, a deeper look by a specialist team can often discover a root problem which if left untreated will develop into much larger and more troublesome issues for the patient over time.
“I am very fortunate to have been able to work with some of the finest doctors to help treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea, temporomandibular joint disorder and more,” said Dr. Razdolsky. “These issues which are already bad on their own, can worsen into chronic pain, eating disorders, breathing problems, circulatory concerns and even heart problems.”
Indeed, it would seem the big driving factor in the integrated approach to dental health is the greater understanding of its impact on overall systemic health.
“For years, people, patients and even some doctors simply did not make the connection,” said Dr. Razdolsky. “With large research facilities and universities helping to define the correlation by studying the effects of genetics, environment, chemistry, food intake, and even bacteria on one’s health, science is pinpointing personalized medicine. This treatment of one issue as a form of preventive care for issues yet to come is fascinating.”
This evolution in care is increasingly evident as Mayo is now setting its sights to interdisciplinary dental service specialties, including dental sleep medicine, maxillofacial prosthetics, oncology, pain/TMD, dentofacial orthopedics, orthodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics. Similar to the Mayo brothers wholistic approach to medicine, this interdisciplinary methodology could mean even greater advancements in research and study with the backing and support of Mayo.
“It’s interesting to learn that this highly-respected medical institution is migrating into the dental field,” said Dr. Razdolsky. “While it is exciting to be on the precipice of greater understanding, it is something which I have been looking to for years. I am hopeful that this will continue to further unite our medical community and create greater opportunity for advancement in treatment for all of us.”
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WOO HOO - It’s National Ice Cream Month!
Warmer weather is here and so is July! Or as we like to call it here at Forever Smiles – National Ice Cream Month. And we’re celebrating with you!
Patients who get braces or expanders during July are in for an extra special treat. We’re giving them Dipping Dots! We understand new braces and appliances can cause discomfort, but we’ve found ice cream is a deliciously-great way to ward off pain.
Keep in mind… while it is normal for braces to cause some minor tooth sensitivity, they should not result in extreme or ongoing discomfort. If your teeth continue to feel particularly sensitive while wearing braces over time, it is more likely to be caused by over brushing, abrasive toothpaste, teeth whitening products, acidic foods, or even grinding of teeth. Let your Forever Smiles family know how you’re doing. We’re here to help!
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