Paul Stubbs

Dr. Paul Stubbs is a Giles County native who spent more than 35 years caring for patients in the community he calls home. From growing up in Pearisburg and following in his father's footsteps as a dentist, to building a practice alongside his wife and serving generations of local families, Paul has seen firsthand how dental health impacts people's lives.

In this conversation, we'll talk about having high "dental IQ" by incorporating practical tips for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, barriers that can make dental care difficult to access, and what people can do to protect their oral health at every stage of life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:05

Hey everyone, and welcome to Voices of Hope. I'm Ross Wilsie, and I'm Mike Wade. Each episode, we sit down to talk about what it means to live well, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and beyond.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

We'll look at how wellness shapes us as individuals, families, communities, and even the wider world around us.

SPEAKER_04 0:23

Through real stories and honest conversations, we'll explore what hope looks like and how it grows, right here in the New River Valley. Thanks for joining us. This is Voices of Hope. Today we're joined by Dr. Paul Stubbs, a Giles County native who spent more than 35 years caring for patients in the community he calls home. From growing up in Parisburg and following in his father's footsteps as a dentist, to building a practice alongside his wife and serving generations of local families, Paul has seen firsthand how dental health impacts people's lives. In this conversation, we'll talk about practical tips for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, barriers that can make dental care difficult to access, and what people can do to protect their oral health at every stage of life. Thank you so much, Paul, for joining us on the Voices of Hope podcast today. We really appreciate you being here. Thank you, Ross. It's my pleasure. Awesome. Well, um, to get us started, would you mind just sharing a little bit with our listeners about yourself? So just your background, education, family, anything else you want to share?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Sure. I was born in Giles County in the old Parrisburg Hospital. My mom was a nurse and my dad a dentist. I have a younger sister. We grew up in Parisburg. I graduated from Giles High School, then studied biology at Bridgewater College, and spent a summer at the Mountain Lake Biological Station studying salamanders. I graduated from dental school at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. While there, I was Scooby-Doo at King's Dominion for two summers. Nice. I met and married a dental school classmate, a girl from New Jersey named Julie. Her father and uncle were also dentists. We came back to Parisburg and joined my dad's practice and took over after he retired. After 35 years, we retired and are still in Parisburg. We have three grown sons, all working now. None are dentists. One is married with twin girls on the way, and one is marrying in October, and all have left Giles County.

SPEAKER_04 2:46

Well, that's great. Uh learned a lot about you just in that the brief two minutes there. So it's I think it says a lot that you've you've stayed in Giles, and uh it's such a beautiful place. I just wanted to throw that out there. I love Giles, so yes, yeah. Well, so you spent your career practicing dentistry in what is a fairly rural community where people do face challenges that um you may not see as much in a more urban setting. So I'm thinking barriers like transportation, finances, um, and provider shortages. I've heard actually a lot lately about uh there's a shortage of dental hygienists, whereas we have kind of an excess of dentists out there right now. But what challenges have you seen most often, you know, in your uh when you were practicing? And what practical solutions uh might there be to help people overcome them?

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Well, I'd like to add to the barriers. Yeah, uh fear and low dental IQ. Many people still wait until they have pain to see the dentist. They pull the tooth and go on. Many feel destined to have false teeth like their parents and grandparents. Many don't know how or when to brush their teeth, surviving on coffee, cigarettes, or chewing tobacco and drinking Mountain Dew. Many use their teeth like a pair of pliers. Educating people is the key in schools, homes, and in the dental office. It's true, dentistry is way too expensive. There are many reasons why, and it's only getting worse. Insurance and Medicaid have helped many obtain better dental care, but they are changing, often not in favor of the patients. Technology is taking over dentistry, and that brings much more expense. When I started practicing in Giles County, there were six dental practices in the county. And when I retired, there were only three. Yes, there is a huge shortage of providers. My son is on a one-year waiting list to see a new dentist in Blacksburg. Many new dental graduates are not interested in rural life. They want to go where the money is. Many have large student loans and are willing to work for big dental businesses. Perhaps we need more dental schools. I do know that there are public health dentists and free clinics for folks who don't have a dentist. There are also mission of mercy clinics that provide free dental care, but they are only available certain times of the year.

SPEAKER_04 5:35

Wow. That that just uh seems like a lot to overcome. But um going along with that question, um the American Dental Association reports that untreated dental disease remains a pretty significant issue for many Americans, presumably due in part to some of the challenges we just discussed. So, what are the consequences that you've seen of waiting too long to seek care?

SPEAKER_00 6:04

I'm sure everybody has heard about the toothache. It can be bad. Often pulling the bad tooth is the only treatment. Some people have been told they have periodontitis or gum disease. If ignored, gum disease could lead to teeth feeling loose, and some may eventually fall out or cause pain.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

Wow. Yeah. So we often hear that oral health is connected to overall health. And I remember seeing in my dentist's office recently a lot of information about your heart health and um how it's impacted by certain dental practices. So um, can you maybe explain to me and to our listeners some of the ways that dental health affects the rest of the body and why it should be considered part of our overall wellness?

SPEAKER_00 6:57

An abscess tooth and gum disease are infection. An oral infection can spread to other places in the head, including the brain, leading to more serious health concerns. Having teeth extracted may solve the pain problem, but having less teeth complicates eating and properly chewing up food. That often leads to serious stomach and digestive issues. Gum disease infections have often been cited as a sign of heart disease and possible heart attack. Mouth cancer can occur in people who use tobacco, smoking or chewing. Feeling a bump in your mouth or seeing a discolored spot on the gums may be a sign of mouth cancer. I've seen patients whose teeth, jaws, andor tongues have been surgically altered or removed due to oral cancer surgery. Having a routine dental examination may identify areas of concern early before they progress. And boy, they can progress.

SPEAKER_04 8:15

But a lot of what you said really explains that. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Yeah, you know, many people I've known over the years that have had a heart attack have had periodontal disease.

SPEAKER_04 8:27

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Unchecked and untreated.

SPEAKER_04 8:30

Yeah, interesting.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Huh? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:33

Yeah. I think that's something that a lot of people don't know. Um, is that it really does have a big impact on the rest of our body. So um okay. So if you could give, let's try to just break it down here. If you could give listeners just three simple dental care tips that would make the biggest difference in their long-term oral health, what would they be?

SPEAKER_00 8:56

All right. Tip number one brush and floss your teeth every day and get a checkup every six months. Now I know that sounds like three things, but I consider that one thing.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Brush at least twice each day with a soft bristle toothbrush. The best times are morning and night. Floss at least once each day. I used to tell folks to floss while watching TV at night, involve the whole family. Remember, you are cleaning your teeth and your gum. Ask a dentist or hygienist for proper technique to ensure you are cleaning effectively. All right, tip number two avoid sugar, the leading cause of tooth decay. Select sugar-free gum and mints, especially for mouth dryness. Many, I mean, many senior citizens experience dry mouth, and sugar can cause cavities even more quickly in a dry mouth. One of my sons performed a science project in school to determine which common drinks caused more dental cavities. He found that Mountain Dew and Gatorade were the worst at causing cavities. Diet Coke was also bad, not because of sugar, but because it has a low acidic pH. The bacteria that cause cavities produce acid. And they love when your mouth is in an acid uh situation. So you drink an uh acidic drink and your mouth pH is more acidic, and the bacteria can work even quicker. So all soda pop is bad for your teeth. The safest drink for your teeth is water.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

All right, tip number three. Fluoride is perhaps the most important thing of all to prevent cavities. Adults can get fluoride protection in their toothpaste and certain mouth rinses. Your dentist may recommend a concentrated fluoride treatment in his office. Fluoride works best when young children drink water with fluoride in it. The fluoride becomes a part of their growing teeth, making them more resistant to cavities for their lifetime. Families who have no fluoride in their water can obtain fluoride drops at the pharmacy. They do require a prescription, however, from a dentist or a pediatrician.

SPEAKER_04 11:41

I was gonna ask about that if for families who may be on a well, because that's probably really common um around here. So um so the the the drops of fluoride was a new one for me. I didn't know you could get that.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

When uh when our boys were young, we lived in Ripple Mead and we had a community water system, but it didn't have fluoride in it.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

So yeah, you get the drops and you it tells you how many drops to give the child, what age they are, and we would do that every night. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 12:10

And how would how would you go about getting a prescription? Because I'm curious for myself.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Well, you know, it's funny because often parents would take their children to their pediatrician before their dentist, but either one of us can write that prescription for them.

SPEAKER_04 12:23

Okay, okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

A good pediatrician will be on the stick and they'll they'll recognize the need if you have well watered. Um, it's awfully exciting in Giles County because, of course, everybody has not been happy about it, but um, we now have a countywide water system, and I'm so happy that this countywide water from our PSA has fluoride in it. So over the last few years, we've been seeing a major change in the number of children with cavities.

SPEAKER_04 12:56

Oh wow, that's great. Very good news. Well, so we're on the topic of children. Um, and maybe you've maybe already answered this in a previous question, but if not, what do you wish every parent knew about helping children develop um healthy dental habits?

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Well, baby teeth are very important for many reasons. They can get cavities and infections too. They need to be brushed well every day. Parents must brush their children's teeth, teaching them the habit to brush every single tooth. At some point, a child can help with brushing, but a parent should follow up with the toothbrush to be sure the teeth are clean. When permanent teeth start erupting in the back of their mouth, make sure to get the bristles on them too. A child needs help to develop good brushing habits early. Some people will even begin teaching flossing when children have baby teeth. And that's a real good idea, but that's that's a hard thing to do sometimes for some children. Heck, sometimes toothbrushing can be an ordeal. Yeah. With small children. Sure. Do not give a baby any milk, juice, or other sweet drinks in the crib at night. They can get really bad cavities. Discourage thumb sucking. That makes braces and possibly sleep apnea more likely later in life. Limit soda drinking with children. Obviously, water with fluoride is best for their teeth. Take children to the dentist regularly. Be a good example and get your teeth cleaned as well. Remember that whatever bad things happen with your child's teeth, it could be problematic their whole life.

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Man, those are some great tips. Thank you. Well, thank you. Yeah, yeah. And I know I was just thinking back to our time as parents with younger kids, and I was kind of thinking, check, check, well, maybe not that one. So yeah. Hopefully we did all right. But um, I I wanted to bring in just sort of a more personal side of oral health. And so I thought to ask, can you share a memorable patient story that illustrates the impact um that good dental care can have on someone's life?

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Yeah, I got a couple comments. Nice. Uh we had a discouraged patient who came to see us for years, and she kept getting a cavity every checkup. Finally, she listened to my advice to floss. I showed her the best ways to use the floss and made her show me that she could do it. She started flossing every day and never had another cavity.

SPEAKER_04 15:45

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah, she was one happy camper. People assume they don't need to floss. I try to explain to people when you look at a tooth, it has five sides. And when you brush with your toothbrush, generally you can only clean three of those sides. The floss cleans the other two sides. Right. Of course, the gums, they're all a part of it as well. Um, two sports injuries I treated several years ago involved a front tooth being knocked out of its socket. Because of the patient's good dental condition, I was able to re-implant the teeth with splints. In time, they healed, and both still have their smiles. Oh, nice. Yeah, I'll tell you, one in particular, a kid uh he had braces and he was playing basketball with his buddy, and uh they lowered the the rim. You know, most of these goals now you can lower the rims. And so they were practicing dunking uh with a basketball goal. Strangely, they had a net that was made of a chain. Oh, yeah. So the kid jumps up and his braces get caught on the chain and pull his tooth out.

SPEAKER_04 17:03

Oh my word.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Can you believe that? No, so I got a call that evening and we went in and we we luckily were able to reimplant the tooth and actually use the braces as a pretty good splint.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

Oh, okay, goodness.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

The other was uh softball incident where the ball bounced up and hit the girl in the in the mouth, and so um yeah, man, I tell you what, you just never know, but thank goodness they still have their teeth, yeah, exactly. But their smiles, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 17:37

So so just their good dental practices kind of helped the healing with all those, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Exactly, even allowed me to be able to put them back in there, right?

SPEAKER_04 17:46

Okay, wow, that's cool. Yeah, all right. Well, maybe thinking a little bit outside the dental wellness box. Can uh can you tell us a little bit about how you maintain your own personal wellness? I I think of you as a I mean, I know you a little bit outside of of this podcast, and so I think of you as a very um upbeat and cheerful guy. You seem to have things pretty well put together. So yeah, what do you do to maintain your own personal wellness?

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Well, thank you very much. Julie insists that I get exercise. So I use our home exercise equipment most mornings, and Julie and I often walk the sidewalks of Parisburg. It's funny, that's where most people see us anymore is walking along in the streets or on the sidewalks. But being outside with nature is the best. Giles County is Virginia's mountain playground, you know.

SPEAKER_04 18:40

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

I like being out in the yard, doing chores and staying busy. I enjoy reading and all types of puzzles to keep my mind active as well. My relationship with God and my family is what really makes me happy.

SPEAKER_04 18:55

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing all that. Uh we're rounding rounding third here. So, what does the word hope mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 19:04

You know, it's funny. I I had to look it up in the dictionary.

SPEAKER_04 19:07

That's a great start.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Well, yeah, but you know, it's it there's a lot of different definitions, and uh hope to me is something that uh you look forward to something being better in the future.

SPEAKER_04 19:23

You know, yep, I like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

I look around so much now and I don't have a lot of hope about a lot of things, but uh generally I'm a pretty hopeful guy. Nice.

SPEAKER_04 19:33

Well, Paul, this has been great. Um, I I mean you've shared a lot that has given me insight into dental health, and and also just I've learned a lot about you as a person. So that's that's great. Um, any final words of wisdom you want to share with our listeners?

SPEAKER_00 19:50

But of course, okay. People need to remember that most dental problems are preventable. Take good care of your teeth and gums. It's pretty simple, really, when you think about it. And finally, sports mouthpieces are always a good idea. Nobody wants to wear them. People that have them or playing with them have them sticking out of their mouths. You see it, even in the pros. Yeah, but you know, having mouthpieces in place would prevent a ton of dental injuries like the ones I was describing earlier.

SPEAKER_04 20:32

Right. Good words of wisdom. Thank you so much, Paul. And uh so again, we just appreciate your time today and um all the thought you've put into sharing all this information with our listeners. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Well, thank you, Ross, and uh, I'll see you Sunday.

SPEAKER_04 20:48

Sounds good. See you there. Thanks for listening to Voices of Hope. If you enjoyed today's conversation, we'd love for you to rate and review the podcast and help us spread the word. Voices of Hope is a production of New River Valley Community Services. To learn more or listen to past episodes, visit nrvcs.org slash podcast. And remember, hope grows when we share it. So keep the conversation going, and we'll talk to you next time on Voices of Hope.