Melissa Calhoun, BAS-DH, RDH
Melissa Calhoun, BAS-DH, RDH, has 18 years of chairside dental experience. Her career started as a dental assistant with her Pediatric Dentist in Louisiana, and she immediately fell in love with teeth and oral health. After three years as a dental assistant, she was accepted to Dental Hygiene School at Pensacola State College. Upon completion in 2005, she returned to pediatric dentistry in Jacksonville, Florida. While living in Jacksonville, Melissa completed her Bachelors of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida. During a short military tour to Memphis, Tennessee, she worked in implant dentistry and currently works in Maryland in a general dental office. She has always had a passion for caring for others and loves that dental hygiene provides this. Melissa resides in Maryland with her husband, David and two children, Levi and Lucille.
Prenatal Care: Dentistry’s Involvement throughout Pregnancy
The oral-systemic link in health care is being discussed more than ever. Our mouths are the opening to our entire body, and inflammation in the oral cavity can lead to inflammation throughout the body, including during pregnancy.
Many lifelong habits are created during pregnancy, and oral care should be one of them. From 2007 through 2009, approximately 56% of pregnant...
Periodontal Literature: Gauging the Impact of Perio Conditions on Pregnancy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019), approximately 60% to 70% of women experience gingivitis and early periodontitis during pregnancy. Periodontal disease is a common inflammatory disease consisting of two components, gingivitis and periodontitis.
Gingivitis is inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding the teeth and gingiva. Periodontitis is the inflammatory reaction responsible for the destruction of...