A dentist with a deep commitment to providing high-quality service to her clients, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill worked from her own private practice in Sylva, North Carolina, for 12 years. Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill still maintains her membership in the American Dental Association (ADA). In February of 2017, the ADA issued a new comprehensive statement on opioids as pain management tools in dental medicine. In light of the ongoing epidemic of opioid abuse throughout the country, the ADA says it will continue to offer online education about best practices for prescribing these drugs - something it has done for the past six years. Just three years ago, the ADA developed a clinical reference manual that highlights alternative methods of pain management and effective screening procedures to determine if patients may be trying to obtain opioid medication to feed their addictions. In 2016, the ADA urged its members to follow CDC guidelines for prescribing opioid medications. In its latest efforts to help curb the epidemic, the ADA has partnered with other organizations, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, to get the word out about the dangers of opioid addiction. The ADA says it is continuing to explore methods of ending opioid abuse.
A doctor of dental surgery graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill worked with patients at her own private dental practice for 12 years in Sylva, North Carolina. In this role, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill provided oral health care to adults and children of all ages and gave advice on how to best care for their teeth. Even for infants, proper oral health care is important. Though the youngest babies don’t have teeth yet, that doesn’t mean that their mouths are immune from developing gum disease or other problems. Until they are six months old, it is recommended that a baby’s gums be gently wiped with a moist cloth after each feeding. It’s also important to make sure that items like bottle nipples and pacifiers are cleaned with sterile implements. To avoid the spread of bacteria and viruses to your baby, resist the temptation to check the temperature of a bottle by putting it in your mouth, and don’t clean bottles or pacifiers with the mouth.
In preparation for her oral health career, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill secured her doctor of dental surgery (DDS) from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill operated her own private dental practice in Sylva, North Carolina, where she used diagnostic tools like X-rays to search for signs of tooth decay. X-rays are a type of radiation capable of penetrating the tissues of the body. When delivered in small doses as part of a diagnostic procedure, X-rays can produce vivid pictures of the body’s internal structures, including that of the bones and teeth.Dentists rely on X-rays to diagnose a variety of different oral health problems. For example, bitewing X-rays permit dentists to check for tooth decay in the area between teeth as well as for signs of bone depletion caused by advanced gum disease. Experts recommend that adults without an elevated risk of tooth decay undergo a bitewing X-ray once every 24 to 36 months. The recommendations also suggest that teens undergo the procedure one every 18 to 36 months and that children should undergo it once every 12 to 24 months. Other types of dental X-rays include panoramic X-rays, which take images of the whole mouth, and periapical X-rays, which take images of individual teeth.
Kathryn Philpott-Hill, DDS, maintained an independent dental practice in Sylva, North Carolina, from 1996 through 2008. During that time, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill treated many patients’ gum disease in varying stages of advancement.Gum disease occurs when infectious bacteria in the mouth cause inflammation of the periodontal tissue. Infection usually begins with redness and swelling of the periodontal tissue, which becomes prone to bleeding. Known as gingivitis, this stage of disease is fully reversible, given timely professional intervention and at-home hygiene.If left untreated, however, gingivitis may develop into periodontitis. This occurs when plaque begins to grow below the gum line, where it breaks down the bone and soft tissue that support the teeth. Bone loss becomes increasingly severe as the disease progresses through its early and moderate stages.For most patients, periodontitis develops as chronic disease, which progresses relatively slowly and symmetrically across the mouth. Professional treatment and advanced home hygiene may further slow the progression and prevent tooth loss. For others, however, varying forms of bacteria and systemic immune deficiencies lead to more rapid and cyclical progression, which is more difficult to control.Patients with non-chronic gum disease may be more prone to advanced periodontitis, which affects approximately 10 to 15 percent of patients whose disease progresses beyond gingivitis. For those whose disease does reach this advanced form, the decomposition of supportive bone becomes increasingly severe and may result in tooth loss.
With a DDS from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill operated a private dental practice in Sylva, North Carolina, from 1996 to 2008. In her free time, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill enjoys traveling, especially throughout Europe.While fun, traveling to Europe can also be overwhelming. One question many travelers face is whether to purchase travel insurance. There are five main kinds of insurance: theft, flight, baggage, medical evacuation, and trip cancellation or interruption. Often sold in a package, insurance can vary in price, but it often ranges from 5 percent to 12 percent of the total cost of the trip, with adjustments based on age.According to travel guru Rick Steves, trip cancellation or interruption insurance is the most useful. It covers many conditions, including sickness or death and missed flights. Medical insurance can be worthwhile, but many health insurance companies cover overseas travel already. Theft insurance offers a similar caveat, as some homeowners or renters insurance companies already cover theft of personal property.
Based in North Carolina, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill operated a private dental practice in Sylva, near Asheville, for 12 years. Part of the greater Asheville community, Kathryn Philpott-Hill has a strong interest in the arts and contributes to organizations such as the Asheville Art Museum. Beyond art exhibitions, the museum plays a vital role in community life and encourages artistic education and performance. As part of a partnership between the museum and the Asheville Schools, students have created original responses to artworks in the exhibition “Unwrapped: Gifts from the Peter Norton Family Christmas Project.”The Christmas Project is a unique undertaking conceived of by Peter Norton, the creator of Norton Antivirus software. It involves an artist being commissioned each year to create an original work of art that is then duplicated and sent to a number of museums and friends.Student participation has created another unique performance offered at the Asheville Art Museum. “Art Beats: A Pulse of Multidisciplinary Responses to Art” is designed to intertwine with the actual artworks on display and encourage exploration, as patrons make their way through the exhibit.
Kathryn Philpott-Hill served as a dental practitioner in Sylva, North Carolina, for more than 10 years. A member of the American Dental Association, Kathryn Philpott-Hill cared for patients with a wide range of dentistry issues. One of the most important reasons for proper oral health care is preventing gum disease. A study recently published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention provides new evidence linking periodontal disease among older women with elevated cancer risk. The research was part of a broad health study involving approximately 65,000 women with an average age of 68. Gum disease was linked with a 14-percent higher risk for cancer. With associated cancers including lung, breast, and skin melanoma, women with gum disease were at highest risk for gallbladder and esophageal cancers. The authors of the study recognize that the specific mechanism behind this association is unknown, but they suggest that swallowed saliva may lead to gum pathogens reaching other parts of the body.
