In March, Dr. Gradwell received the 2018 Service Award for Distinguished Service to Improve Oral Health of the Public. He was voted by his peers from the Lehigh Valley and Montgomery Bucks Dental Societies. Dr. Gradwell was very deserving of this award for his kind heart and giving to others.
I traveled to Malawi, Africa from July 19th to August 1st for a Dental Mission Trip. Alongside me were my daughter Lauren, and friends of mine from here. During this trip I was able to experience the vast culture of the Malawians as well as perform many surgeries that changed people’s lives. Throughout that process my life was changed as well.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to my Malawi Africa Trip through financial donations and prayer. The 10 days were a very humbling experience in which I performed 200 surgeries with a Malawian dental technician who extracts teeth in the villages. We did not have access to a dental chair or even electricity, so we used a plastic patio chair and a headlamp from Cabela’s as our dental operatory. The medical team as a whole saw 1,971 patients which included home visits when necessary. The Malawian people are peaceful and thankful for what little they have and they were thankful for the attention and care that we provided throughout our trip. Those who made contributions, whatever they were, made it possible for us to have medications and supplies necessary to make this opportunity happen.
One of the many blessings I had was to work with Wellington, a dental technician who extracted teeth with me. He is a 27 year old man with a wife and an 8 month old daughter. He was accepted into the Dental School Program in Tanzania and would love to go but has no financial means to get there. After prayerful consideration, Eileen and I have decided to commit to paying for his schooling for the next four years. Wellington, as well as the African trip in general, made that much of an impact on our lives. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as the Lord continues to call us and work through us as only He can do. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. Thank you all for your generosity, prayers, thoughts and words, it was greatly appreciated!
![doobrowfig1[1]](http://lehighvalleyperiodontist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/doobrowfig11.jpg)
Emdogain is used for successful recession coverage. A 2003 abstract by McGuire and Nunn in The Journal of Periodontology, evaluated human recession treated with connective tissue grafts and coronally positioned flap versus Emdogain and coronally positioned flaps. The results showed that in 17 patients, when compared to connective tissue grafts, 95% of the Emdogain patients achieved the same clinical result.
![doobrowfig2[1]](http://lehighvalleyperiodontist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/doobrowfig21.jpg)
The nice advantage about this procedure for the patient is that we do not have to harvest tissue from the palate. Emdogain is an enamel matrix protein derivative from porcine tooth buds. The material is user friendly and cost effective, if used to repair several teeth. When considering having root coverage recession corrective surgery, consider the option of Emdogain.
Periodontics & Implants in Lehigh Valley Since 1990. Contact Dr. Gradwell at (610) 770-1050 for your periodontal or dental implant consultation. From our Allentown periodontal office, we serve patients in the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding areas, including Bethlehem, Easton, Coopersburg, and Reading. We look forward to showing you the state-of-the-art options available to meet your dental needs
Summer 2013
This past August I had the opportunity to spend a week in La Entrada Honduras with a medical mission team. This trip was a humbling experience in which we had the opportunity to treat 600 patients in five days.
We started our mission in Honduras by setting up the very first medical clinic in a town named Trinidad. The mayor of the town was thankful and proud that he could provide this service to his people. I provided dental care, primarily surgeries, in the clinic at Manos Amigos in the town of La Entrada, while the medical folks on the mission team worked in the Trinidad clinic we had set up on Saturday and Sunday.
My youngest daughter, Lauren, and I set up the pharmacy in the clinic.
We had over 30,000 pills which we bought from a medical supplier in the Netherlands and the medications were shipped to Honduras about a week before our arrival. The two days of setting up allowed the medical team to see an unbelievable number of people, to include two school classrooms of around 120 children. I worked in the dental clinic at Manos Amigos with two other dentists who work full time there. I was able to provide surgical care to almost 90 patients in the five days.
It was a humbling experience and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve these folks in their time of need. One of the lessons I learned was that I will never take for granted clean drinkable water! Hopefully over the next decade more wells could be drilled to make clean and safe water available to so many who do not have access to such.
I want to thank all those who helped us along the journey. Your financial support and prayers were put to great use and I was proud to represent you among these beautiful and humble people.
Periodontics & Implants in Lehigh Valley Since 1990. Contact Dr. Gradwell at (610) 770-1050 for your periodontal or dental implant consultation. From our Allentown periodontal office, we serve patients in the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding areas, including Bethlehem, Easton, Coopersburg, and Reading. We look forward to showing you the state-of-the-art options available to meet your dental needs.
Picking up where I left off, Dr. Freedman came here to get his fractured tooth extracted and the site grafted with bone, in preparation for a future implant. Using only local anesthesia, I easily and atraumatically removed his bad tooth, cleaned out the minor infection, disinfected the site and then discovered there was enough solid bone to place a dental implant in the perfect position.
If you have never had a procedure like this done, the truth is that the hardest part is the sadness over losing your tooth! It had been with Dr. Freedman a long time and they shared countless meals together! There was NO pain during the extraction, dental implant placement or the grafting procedure. Dr. Freedman was taking antibiotics and he only needed a few Motrin for the tiny amount of discomfort that he had experienced afterward. He applied ice regularly for 24 hours and followed all of the post-surgical instructions, which was vital.
Dr. Freedman was able to treat patients the next day and go to a Phillies game with his wife and some friends that evening! So for the time being, he’s missing a tooth, but on the bright side, he was back in his regular routine the very next day!
Stay tuned for Part 3! 😉
Periodontics & Implants in Lehigh Valley Since 1990. Contact Dr. Gradwell at (610) 770-1050 for your periodontal or dental implant consultation. From our Allentown periodontal office, we serve patients in the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding areas, including Bethlehem, Easton, Coopersburg, and Reading. We look forward to showing you the state-of-the-art options available to meet your dental needs.
Over the first weekend of June, Dr. Freedman and myself attended the 11th Periodontal – Restorative Symposium.
This international meeting is held once every 3 years and the most advanced techniques, products and procedures are always on the menu. For 2 1/2 days the world’s best dentists learn and mingle with the educational innovators of Dentistry!
It was refreshing for Dr. Freedman and I to discover just how cutting edge was the level of care we provided to our family of patients. As always, we left with a few new pearls of wisdom that we have already incorporated into our protocols.
Periodontics & Implants in Lehigh Valley Since 1990.
Contact Dr. Gradwell at (610) 770-1050 for your periodontal or dental implant consultation. From our Allentown periodontal office, we serve patients in the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding areas, including Bethlehem, Easton, Coopersburg, and Reading. We look forward to showing you the state-of-the-art options available to meet your dental needs.
I spend a large amount of time every year on continuing education. These educational meetings provide me with information that keeps me current in all aspects of dentistry. I traveled to Boston for the Periodontal and Restorative workshops where I received 24 hours of CE on dental implants, gum treatment, gum surgery and esthetic dental restorations such as crowns and veneers. I am investigating the newest and “greenest” 3D imaging machine for purchase and use in my practice. This will take a couple more months to complete, but I will be able to offer the latest, lowest dose 3D imaging in the Lehigh Valley.
Also, I just came back from the American Academy of General Dentistry meeting in Nashville, TN. I took CE courses with my colleagues from Harleysville, where I practice 2 Wednesdays a month. We learned how to incorporate orthodontic care with our patients, how to better choose restorative materials for our patients (white fillings), and how to make the most out of our talents to provide happy, healthy, white smiles for our patients.
At the AGD meeting I purchased a DentalVibe injection comfort system which will allow me the opportunity to give dental injections in an even more comfortable manner. The research has shown that when vibration is simultaneously applied to the injection site, the vibrating sensation travels along the nerve fibers much faster than the pain sensation travels. Therefore, the vibration sensation blocks any possible pain from the injections. The nice part about this technique is that it is organically safe. No medication is necessary to achieve a comfortable result.
Periodontics & Implants in Lehigh Valley Since 1990.
Contact Dr. Gradwell at (610) 770-1050 for your periodontal or dental implant consultation. From our Allentown periodontal office, we serve patients in the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding areas, including Bethlehem, Easton, Coopersburg, and Reading. We look forward to showing you the state-of-the-art options available to meet your dental needs.
I recently attended the International Symposium for Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry This conference highlighted research based periodontal treatment as well as dental implant surgery. It was exciting to be with my colleagues from around the world. Many of the speakers were from places like Italy, Sweden, Germany and Latin America, which allowed me to appreciate the global perspective on my specialty. Today in my office, we provide procedures such as periodontal culturing to identify the specific bacteria that cause destructive periodontal disease/gingivitis, immediate extraction and same day placement of dental implants. These state of the art procedures are what keep me energized, motivated and dedicated to every patient I see. Boston was a wonderful venue for this symposium as it gave the international community a chance to reflect on the recent bombings in Boston and an opportunity to share in the “Boston Strong” memorial at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
