Periodontal Disease Essay -- Dental Dentistry Teeth Disease Health Ess

Periodontal Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Periodontal disease is more commonly known as gum disease or gingivitis. This infection is serious enough, that it can lead to tooth loss if left untreated. This chronic infection starts around the tooth and it affects the supporting bone and gums. Periodontal disease can affect anywhere from one tooth to all thirty-two teeth. The disease pathology starts with the plaque that builds up on your teeth everyday.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plaque build up causes the gums to become red and inflamed. If not properly brushed off, the remaining plaque will also cause the gums to bleed. This stage of periodontal disease is commonly referred to gingivitis, literately meaning  ¡Ã‚ °swelling of the gums. ¡Ã‚ ± There is no real pain associated with gingivitis. It is curable with a good dental cleaning and proper brushing and flossing at home. However, if left untreated gingivitis can lead to advanced periodontal disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a person has had untreated gingivitis for some time, plaque starts to grow and spread. It travels down below the gum line and the bacteria produce toxins. These toxins irritate the gums and cause the body ¡Ã‚ ¯s natural defenses to kick in. When the inflammatory response has been triggered for a while it causes the tissues that support the teeth and bone to break down. The gums begin to pull away from the tooth and a pocket forms. A pocket is a space between the gums and teeth. The deeper the pocket is (in millimeters), the further the gums are from the tooth, and the more advanced the Periodontal disease is. A normal pocket depth of a health tooth is between one and three millimeters deep. Gingivitis is 4 millimeters deep. A pocket depth of five to tooth loss is advanced periodontal disease. (I ¡Ã‚ ¯ve seen pockets as deep as 12 millimeters deep) When your dental professional is checking pocket depth, they are performing what is called a perio-chart. Perio-charting should be done annually as a preventative measure of gum disease. Plaque is the main cause of gum disease, but there are many contributing factors. Smoking is one of them. Most people are aware of the dangers of smoking. Not many people are aware that tobacco use significantly increases a person ¡Ã‚ ¯s chance for periodontal disease. Once diagnosed with periodontal disease, a smoker ¡Ã‚ ¯s chance of healing is dramatically decreased. If a smoker does heal from periodontal disease... ...ointment can cost around two hundred dollars. Crown lengthening and tissue grafts can easily cost three times as much. Not to mention the cost of prescriptions and lost time. Insurance companies will help on select procedures, but the amount covered varies per plan. The cost of a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and Listerine is considerably cheaper. To avoid treatment costs, one should do all they can to prevent the infection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a trained dental assistant of four years, I have seen my share of mouths. When I first started in this profession I was amazed at how many patient I saw who were educated and well off, and who still had poor hygiene. People now days may be getting better about see the importance of taking care of their teeth, but there are still many out there that need some encouragement. Brushing your teeth is not enough in many cases. Make friends with the floss as well. It may prevent you from contracting periodontal disease. If a person has heart disease and periodontal disease their risk for death increases greatly. This disease isn ¡Ã‚ ¯t something that you can forget about. It needs to be taken seriously or it may come back to haunt you and your wallet later.

As Nature Made Him: Nature vs. Nurture Essay

The argument over nature vs. nurture has continued to torture society by presenting cases in which we simply don’t know which rules to apply. One of these cases is sex change. Sex change is a very big step to take in a person’s life and it involves the careful consideration of many factors; but it is not a simple answer to a complex problem such as hermaphroditism or even blotched circumcisions. These choices can be difficult because we don’t quite understand which factors to consider given that we haven’t determined whether it is nature or nurture that determines a child’s sexual identity. Until we solve this riddle, people shouldn’t try to change a child’s sex before the child can decipher his or her own sexual identity. Nature will solve the problem without human interference. Over the years, sex change in infants with ambiguous or deformed genitals has become more and more popular. Often times, however, the child is unhappy with his/her sexual assignment. Colapinto writes, â€Å"†¦Dr. Harry Benjamin himself, who had recently reported that in forty-seven out of eighty-seen of his patients, he ‘could find no evidence that childhood conditioning’ was involved in their conviction that they were living in the wrong sex† (Colapinto 45). This suggests that nature rather than nurture is the underlying factor of sexual identity. Dr. John Money, a doctor at John Hopkins Hospital, was the head doctor of the world famous John/Joan â€Å"twin case. † His theories at the time seemed to be very intelligently thought out at the time, but have now been proven otherwise, explaining why his conduction of the â€Å"twin case† was unsuccessful. John Colapinto explains that Dr. Money realized in his research on hermaphroditical children, â€Å"the ones that were raised as girls were happy girls, and the ones raised as boys were happy boys†¦ It seemed to suggest to him that hermaphrodites were born malleable in their sex† (Youtube). However, Money was too quick to generalize this observation to everyone, rather than only. Although the gravely unsuccessful twin case was and is brought up a lot in the debate concerning nature vs. nurture, there are still scientists who believe that it is nurture rather than nature that determines sexual identity. These scientists still have hope that there may be an answer to the mystery of sexual identity. Jonis Portfolio says on gender, â€Å"It is an intricate balance between hormones, brain function, attitudes, behaviors, and social expectations† (Jonis Portfolio). Colapinto as well as the authors of Jonis Portfolio mention how â€Å"vehemently was â€Å"she† determined to live in the sex of her genes and chromosomes† (Colapinto 72). Children who are born normally, but have been sexually reassigned, usually present behaviors that resemble the sex written in their genetic code. The few exceptions remain outliers. Once scientists started to poke holes in Dr. Money’s theories, they realized how unreasonable it was to try to sexually reassign a children who were already destined by nature to be a certain gender. Jonis says, â€Å"Gender identification is a complex issue† (Jonis Portfolio). Scientists try too hard to try to find a solution to this problem that they are too quick to draw conclusions and make decisions. Colapinto writes that the â€Å"New York Times book review on Man vs. Woman Boy vs. Girl said the book’s argument was ‘If you tell a boy he is a girl, and raise him as one, he will want to do feminine things’† (Colapinto 70). Man vs. Woman Boy vs. Girl is a book written by Dr. Money. Money drew so many false conclusions in his work that his theories were unreliable. However, he was such a respected figure in the science world that even his most outlandish views were supported by many. This is how his theories came to be so widely accepted. We know now, however, that he was pretty far off the mark in his line of research. We know now that gender assignment should be left to nature, rather than nurture, especially was no problem with the natural gender to begin with. Too often, children have been burdened with the task of finding themselves, i. e. discovering their sexual identity. If doctors and scientists continue to complicate children’s lives by attempting to change who these children were destined to be, they will definitely start to lose themselves. This is ultimately what happened in the John/Joan case where David Reimer, which was John/Joan’s real name, when he took his own life. Nurture may be a factor in sexual identity, but research suggests that nature is an even stronger factor. Scientists and doctors shouldn’t interfere with nature because all in all, this single factor will shine through the cracks. Bibliography Colapinto, John. As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Print. As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto was published in 2000 to give readers a full understanding of the John/Joan twin case in which a biologically born male was sexually reassigned a girl due to a blotched circumcision. Colapinto describes in great detail all aspects of the case and how horribly wrong it went. He does elaborate research and uses interviews from direct sources in order to explain the case coherently for readers. This book is the main source for this essay as it describes so vehemently the case from all angles. It argues mainly how nature over nurture is the main factor in determining sexual identity. â€Å"Jonisportfolio – Sexual Reassignment and Gender Roles Nature VS Nurture. † Jonisportfolio – Sexual Reassignment and Gender Roles Nature VS Nurture. N. p. , n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. . This portfolio was published online by Jonis Portfolio to recognize and argue the issue of nature vs. nurture and its concern with sexual identity. It describes many cases where biologically born males who were raised as females so vehemently were determined to be males. It describes nature as a leading factor over nurture for determining sexual identity. It’s helpful to this essay because it presents some major arguments concerning the matter of nature vs. nurture. It even describes the John/Joan case and what happened there. YouTube. Prod. Allan Gregg. Perf. Allan Gregg and John Colapinto. YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. . This video is an interview with John Colapinto done by Allan Gregg. Colapinto is the writer of As Nature Made Him and in this interview he is describing to viewers the twin case, or the John/Joan case. David Reimer, John/Joan himself, couldn’t do the interview because unfortunately he took his own life in 2002. This source is helpful because it is a short recap of the book and viewers may understand it better than they would while reading about it.

How The Beliefs, Values And Attitudes Of The Nurse May Impact Upon The Provision Of Person-centred Care - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2431 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Medicine Essay Type Critical essay Level High school Did you like this example? Provide a critical analysis of how the beliefs, values and attitudes of the nurse may impact upon the provision of person-centred care Introduction The person-centred care approach focuses holistically on the patient as an individual, rather than their diagnosis or symptoms, and ensures that their needs and choices are heard and respected. According to Draper Tetley (2013: n.p.), person-centred care is defined as an approach to nursing that focuses on the individuals personal needs, wants, desires and goals, so that they become central to their care and the nursing process. This can mean putting the persons needs, as they define them, above those identified as priorities by healthcare professionals. Theoretically, this is an achievable aim à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" nursesas a matter of principle should provide care that respects the diversity of the values, needs, choices and preferences of those in their care à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" but how can any incongruity between the values, beliefs and attitudes of the patient and those of the nurse be reconciled? Is it inevitable that this dissonance will have a negative impact on the quality of person-centred care being provided? This essay will examine the beliefs, values and attitudes of nurses planning and delivering person-centred care, and the impact these issues can have on the provision of that care. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How The Beliefs, Values And Attitudes Of The Nurse May Impact Upon The Provision Of Person-centred Care" essay for you Create order Nurses are expected to practice in a caring, knowledgeable, professional, courteous and non-judgemental manner, and the majority do this as a matter of principle, displaying unconditional positive regard for their patients at all times. However, values, beliefs and attitudes are, of course, subjective to each individual, and in the context of delivering person-centred nursing care, it is important to identify those that are holistic and therapeutic, rather than focussing only on those that are not. According to Brink Skott (2013), some diagnoses lead to preconceptions about the individuals receiving them, which subsequently negatively influence their care and treatment. This can be particularly evident in the case of mental illness, which is often mired in stigma, fear, ignorance and discrimination. Research undertaken by Chambers et al (2010: pp. 350) found that Stigma on the part of mental health professionals affects the quality of care provided for those with mental health problems, as well as their rates of recovery. Although nurses working within the field of mental health will obviously have more developed skills and knowledge in this subject than those in other specialities of nursing, it is not inconceivable that nurses may harbour some preconceptions about mental illnesses and those diagnosed with them, which may impact on how positively they deliver care to those patients. Those requiring treatment for alcohol abuse or substance misuse may also experience a less empathetic experience in the care of nurses, who may feel that the condition is self-inflicted, or that resources may be better utilised elsewhere. This attitude may be even more prevalent in cases of liver transplant due to alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, when there may be a misplaced belief that another recipient is more deserving of the organ. Other morbidities which can be perceived as having a self-inflicted element (e.g. obesity, smoking-related illnesses, type-II diabetes, add ictions) also have the potential to be perceived negatively by nursing staff, who may lack an appropriate level of empathy and compassion, or make assumptions and pre-conceptions about these patients based on their diagnoses. In a similar manner, patients attempting suicide or deliberately self-harming, may experience stigma, a lack of sympathy and a lack of understanding from nursing staff, especially if the nurse managing their care is also involved in the care of patients suffering from serious illnesses or conditions. Caring for patients attending accident and emergency departments due to para-suicide or deliberate self-harm can evoke extremely negative emotions and attitudes amongst the nursing staff caring for them. Nurses working with such patients report experiencing high levels of ambivalence and frustration. Additionally, deliberately self-harming patients may evoke negative attitudes such as anxiety, anger, and lack of empathy (Ouzouni Nakakis 2013). A suicidal patien t voicing their desire to end their life is expressing a wish. However, in the context of person-centred care, it would be difficult to agree that this wish should be considered as a person-centred need. This could be a source of conflict, difficulty and dissonance as balancing the needs and wishes of the patient in this situation, contradicts entirely the nurses duty of care. In such circumstances, it could be argued that the care provided cannot be person-centred, as it is not in line with the patients wishes. Obviously it would be neither legal nor ethical for the nurse to allow a suicidal patient to actively attempt to end their life whilst under their care, or to comply with the patients wishes not to receive treatment if suicide had been attempted. Similar ethical considerations may also influence the treatment of patients undergoing procedures to terminate pregnancy, and may negatively influence the extent to which the care received by the patient is truly person-centred. There have been well-documented cases of nurses refusing to assist with these procedures, or to treat patients who have undergone them post-operatively. Predominantly such cases arise due to a conflict with the religious beliefs, moral convictions and ethical stance of the nurses being asked to assist with these procedures. The Nursing Midwifery Council (2015) states that Nurses and midwives must at all times keep to the principles contained within The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour of nurses and midwives (2015: n.p.). This code states that nurses and midwives who have a conscientious objection must tell colleagues, their manager and the person receiving care that they have a conscientious objection to a particular procedure. They must arrange for a suitably qualified colleague to take over responsibility for that persons care. Nurses and midwives may lawfully have conscientious objections in two areas only. Firstly, Article 4(1) of the Abortion Act 1967 (Scotland, England and Wales). This provision allows nurses and midwives to refuse to participate in the process of treatment which results in the termination of a pregnancy because they have a conscientious objection, except where it is necessary to save the life or prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman. Secondly, Article 38 of the Human and Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990). This provision allows nurses and midwives the right to refuse to participate in technological procedures to achieve conception and pregnancy because they have a conscientious objection. This is a highly contentious and emotive issue, and one which attracts much ongoing debate and argument, and is significant as it can be asked at what point does a nurses own beliefs and values take precedence over their responsibility and duty to care for their patients needs, whatever they might be? Should nurses be permitted to refuse to participate in care procedures that contradict their values or beliefs, or to refuse to provide care to those they deem undeserving? Does this set a worrying precedent for other contentious procedures to be added to the list (gender reassignment surgery for example)? It could be argued that the nurses first responsibility should be their duty of care to their patient, and this surely requires them to take a holistic and person-centred view; a view that should not be clouded by the nurses own values system or moral standpoint. The aspects of person-centred care discussed so far in this essay have been those of a contentious and perhaps, more exceptional nature. However, the more routine, day-to-day aspects of nursing are also susceptible to the influence of nurses values, beliefs and attitudes negatively impacting on the quality of person-centred care provision. Giving patients a greater degree of autonomy over their care can lead to some discord as nurses may feel that their professional expertise is being disregar ded, and may be concerned that patients informed opinions and decisions about their care may be detrimental to recovery or good health. This could lead to nurses adopting a didactic attitude in the belief that they know best, when the patient is equally certain that their decision is the right one for them. Nurses must always ensure that they are viewing the patient as a whole person, and not merely an illness or condition to be treated or managed, as this can lead to ambivalence as nurses attempt to reconcile their desire to deliver effective, evidenced-based care, knowing that patients stated wishes or preferences are contrary to this aim. However, if the patient is deemed to have capacity to make informed decisions about their care and treatment, with all the facts at their disposal, nurses must accept this if good, person-centred care is to be delivered (NHS Choices 2014). In the event that the patient does not have the capacity to make informed decisions (e.g. patients sufferin g from more advanced forms of dementia), then any known pre-morbid preferences and choices should be documented and adhered to where this is practicable. There is always a danger that individuals with dementia receive care that is task-orientated rather than person-centred. Again, nurses may make assumptions regarding what is best for the patient, rather than respecting their choices and preferences. One of the easiest ways to ensure that care is person-centred is to gather collateral about each patient prior to care or treatment commencing, so a more rounded picture can be formed. This is particularly important when dealing with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, as lack of cultural understanding and tolerance can lead to damaging misconceptions, misunderstandings and unintentional offence, which will not engender good person-centred care. Having some knowledge of patients history and background prior to treatment can be a useful tool in terms of developing appropriate ca re. The flip-side to this however is that unhelpful stereotypes or prejudices may be formed by nursing staff, based on the current or historical background of the patient. Gender (including gender identify), race, age, religious affiliation, employment status, marital status, and educational and socio-economic background can lead to assumptions (both positive and negative) being formed by nursing staff. Whilst the majority of nurses will treat their patients with unconditional positive regard and courtesy, regardless of issues that may be at odds with their own beliefs, values and attitudes, there will always be a minority who will be affected by such issues, and who will allow it to influence the care they provide. The scale of this issue is difficult to quantify, due to a lack of available evidence-based research, but it could be said that one nurse whose attitude negatively impacts on person-centred care is one nurse too many. Conclusion We have explored some of the more contentious issues that can and do arise when nurses beliefs, values and attitudes do not correspond with those of their patients, and have examined the potential impact this can have on the quality of person-centred care provided. As little research has been carried out into this subject, it is not possible to quantify the scale of the problem, nor to accurately identify where it is most prevalent. However, it is safe to say that the dichotomy between delivering truly person-centred care, whilst reconciling challenges to the nurses own core beliefs and values is not one easily solved. Modern nurses are extensively trained and highly skilled professionals, with a wider remit and range of responsibilities than their predecessors. They are however fundamentally human, with the same character flaws and failings as anyone else. It is a completely human trait to be influenced by the information we perceive or receive about others, and everyone has innat e beliefs and value systems and, whether we like it or not, innate prejudices. Although it would seem logical that professional nurses have a well-developed sense of understanding and equality, they also deal with a magnitude of very diverse people on a daily basis, generally having very limited time with each. Despite this, the majority of nurses deliver excellent, patient-focussed and person-centred care as a matter of course. Unfortunately there will always be a minority who do not. Nurse education programmes are constantly evolving to meet the shifting demands of health care, so it can only be hoped that recognising, challenging and improving unhelpful attitudes becomes an accepted part of nurse education, and becomes core to person-centred care provision. References/Bibliography: Baker J., Richards A. Campbell M. (2005). Nursing attitudes towards acute mental health care: development of a measurement tool. Journal of Advances Nursing. (49) (5) pp. 522-529. Brink E. Skott C. (2013). Caring about symptoms in person-centred care. Open Journal of Nursing (3) pp. 563-567. Chambers M., Guise V., VÃÆ' ¤limÃÆ' ¤ki M., Botelho M., Scott A., StaniulienÃÆ' © V. Zanotti R. (2010). Nurses attitudes to mental illness: A comparison of a sample of nurses from five European countries. International Journal of Nursing Studies. (47) (3) pp. 350-362. Dorsen C. (2012). An integrative review of nurse attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients. The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research. (44) (3) pp. 8-43. Draper J. Tetley J. (2013). The importance of person-centred approaches to nursing care. The Open University. (Online). Available: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/health/nursing/the-Importance-person-centred-approaches-nur sing-care. Last accessed 4 April 2015. Flagg A. (2015). The Role of Patient-Centered Care in Nursing. Nursing Clinics of North America. (50) (1) pp. 75-86. Hunter P., Hadjistavropoulos T., Smythe W., Malloy D., Kaasalainen S. Williams J. (2013). The Personhood in Dementia Questionnaire (PDQ): Establishing an association between beliefs about personhood and health providers approaches to person-centred care. Journal of Aging Studies. (27) (3) pp. 276-287. N.H.S. U.K. (2014). Consent to Treatment. N.H.S. Choices (Online). Available: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/pages/introduction.aspx. Last accessed 5 Apr 2015 N.H.S. U.K. (2014). Assessing Capacity. N.H.S. Choices (Online). Available: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/pages/capacity.aspx. Last accessed 5 Apr 2015. N.M.C. (2015). Conscientious objection by nurses and midwives. Nursing Midwifery Council (Online). Available: https://www.nmc-uk.org/The-Code/Conscientious-objection-by -nurses-and-midwives-/. Last accessed 5 Apr 2015. Ouzouni C. Nakakis K. (2013). Nurses attitudes towards attempted suicide. Health Science Journal. (7) (1) pp. 120. Roberts G., Morley C., Walters W., Malta S. Doyle C. (2015). Caring for people with dementia in residential aged care: Successes with a composite person-centered care model featuring Montessori-based activities. Geriatric Nursing. (36) (2) pp.106-110. UK Government. (1967). Abortion Act 1967 (Scotland, England and Wales). The National Archives. (Online). Available: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/87. Last accessed 5 Apr 2015. UK Government. (1990). Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The National Archives. (Online). Available: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/37/section/38. Last accessed 5 Apr 2015. Wood L., Birtel M., Alsawy S., Pyle M. Morrison A. (2014). Public perceptions of stigma towards people with schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Psychiatry Research. (220) (1-2 ), pp. 604-608. Yun-e L., Norman I. While A. (2012). Nurses attitudes towards older people: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. (50) (9) pp.1271à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"1282.