Keep calm and drill on

It’s no secret there has been a stigma against CBD and hemp products. However, the times are changing.
According to a recent study, 75 percent of adults surveyed reported using CBD products in the previous three months.¹ Many reported using these products to reduce anxiety, inflammation or pain. All of which are reasons that are particularly relevant to the dental industry.
And companies are taking note. Founded in 2014, Carolina Hemp Company (CHC) is making the dive into the dental market this year with its Carolina Hemp Naturals. But how exactly does the product work-and what does this company’s initiative mean for the future of dental care?

What is hemp/CBD extract?

Some people hear the word “hemp” or “CBD” and immediately jump to the idea of marijuana drug use and the munchies. But this is a fallacy.
In fact, cannabidiol (or CBD) does not produce intoxication. While it is extracted from the buds and flowers of hemp or marijuana plants, it is tetrahydrocannabinol-commonly known as THC-a different chemical in these plants that causes a “high.”

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It’s also important to note that marijuana and hemp plants are not the same. While they are both cannabis plants, they are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa species. Marijuana plants have a high THC concentration (more than 0.3 percent by law, but usually more like 5 to 30 percent THC). Hemp plants have a low THC concentration (less than 0.3 percent by law) and a high concentration of CBD, a necessary ingredient for hemp extracts.
However, CBD and THC are just two of 483 compounds found in the hemp plant. Many companies make products that only include a few of these compounds, but for a well-rounded, pure, and potent hemp extract, you need to include more.
Enter Carolina Hemp Company and its Carolina Hemp Naturals in three formulas.

The formula

Through a highly monitored, unique production process, CHC’s Carolina Hemp Naturals Whole-Spectrum Hemp Extract combines multiple extracts from the hemp flower to enhance the effects of the components.
“Basically, there is just more of Mother Nature in each serving and bottle, making Carolina Hemp Naturals the purest, most cost-effective way to nourish a client’s endocannabinoid (ECS) system,” says Waylon Ford, chief business officer and marketing strategist for Carolina Hemp Company. “Carolina Hemp Naturals includes naturally occurring phytonutrients including CBD, CBDa, other cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN, flavonoids and terpenoids.

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“All of these compounds offer benefits of their own while potentiating and enhancing the effects of the other compounds,” he continues.

By capturing all of the water-soluble flavonoids, oil-soluble cannabinoids, terpenes in the flower, the spectrum of components combines to make Carolina Hemp Naturals more potent in a smaller serving size.
“It still brings greater results than other products that claim to have higher amounts of CBD,” Ford says. “Less is more when you have the purity, potency, and whole spectrum.”
The process of creating this quality, whole-spectrum product isn’t simple.
“Our production process includes everything necessary to produce the product the consumer finds on the shelf or has delivered to their door,” Ford explains. “Carolina Hemp Naturals is vertically integrated such that every element necessary for its production is carefully managed.”
This includes supervising each step of the process, from soil analysis, planting and nurturing, to harvest, curing and processing in their FDA-quality production facility.
“After curing at the farm, our hemp is transferred to our processor where our GMP-compliant facility begins processing,” Ford says. “We use an herbal solvent organic ethanol (EtOH) in multiple proprietary processes to capture multiple whole-spectrum extracts to create the final blended product.”
“And,” he adds, “throughout the process, multiple third-party tests are run to ensure quality and potency.”

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Dental implications for hemp

Because Carolina Hemp Naturals can be used to treat both anxiety and pain, its implications in the dental industry are huge, Ford says. Dentists are using the extract pre-procedure to reduce anxiety and post-procedure for pain management.  
Taking the extract as anesthesia begins to wear off also can lessen or prevent pain-sometimes negating the need for potentially addictive opioids or other painkillers.
Beth Clifton, office manager at Dr. Larry G. Hubbard, DDS dental practice in Statesboro, Georgia, has seen the big advantages of using Carolina Hemp Naturals firsthand in their practice.
“We give it to the patient when they come in. It lowers blood pressure, preemptively attacks any inflammation that will happen during the procedure and also lowers the anxiety and stress of being at the dental office,” she says. “It allows them to use less anesthesia and may keep practices from having to put patients under as often.”
“We have yet to have anyone say that they did not have the most relaxing and best experience in the dental office when they took Carolina Hemp Naturals before their procedure,” Larry Hubbard, DDS, adds.
CBD is also well-cited for its efficacy in treating inflammation and fighting bacteria, which makes it a perfect addition to a dental office’s post-treatment regimen.

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The dive into the dental market

CHC recognized the implications of Carolina Hemp Naturals and made its foray into dentistry in 2018 when CHC founder Brian Bullman crossed paths with Amber Young. Young was an oral-cancer survivor with rare medical conditions looking for a pure, potent form of CBD to help her manage her conditions. Active in the dental industry as the chief brand officer and national spokesperson for the Oral Cancer Cause, Inc., Young knew many of the challenges dental practices face in regard to pain management-particularly in the face of the opioid crisis-and patient comfort.
“These were key considerations in the process of introducing hemp into the dental industry,” Ford explains. “Not only as opiate replacements but as a new revenue stream for practices. Amber began working with us to educate dental practices on the benefits of Whole-Spectrum Hemp Extract in the practice. She suggested if we wanted to make a splash in the industry, there was no better place than the Hinman Dental Society Annual Meeting.”

And the response at Hinman was overwhelming.
“The interest level among dental professionals has been very high,” Ford says. “When we introduced ourselves at the Hinman dental conference this year, we were arguably one of the busiest booths there. We were surprised by how accepted we were by the dental professionals.”
Surprised, but excited. Currently, more than 100 dental professionals are using Carolina Hemp Naturals in their practices, and CHC dental reps have been getting increasing numbers of orders since the launch of the new dental package.
The package includes a digital pipette distribution system, disposable pipettes, two 30 mL bottles and 24 15 mL bottles of Carolina Hemp Naturals, as well as a custom 100 percent hemp anti-microbial case.
“When we met hundreds of practitioners at Hinman, everyone had a positive experience when they tried a sample of Carolina Hemp Naturals, and many had the same two questions,” Ford says. “How can we administer a consistent serving of Carolina Hemp Naturals in our practice, and how can I sell a bottle to my client to take home? The dental package answers both of those questions.”

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The pressing questions

While many practitioners are excited about the possibilities for the introduction of hemp into the dental practice, there are understandably a lot of questions.
“We’ve done all the hard work and heavy lifting by beta testing the product and delivery methods in regional dental practices,” Ford explains. “We’ve used this experience and feedback to provide an easy, precise delivery method and provide a simple message as to why Carolina Hemp Naturals is beneficial to patients.”
The dental package also helps with actual product delivery.
“Carolina Hemp Company provided a digital pipette system that allows us to easily give a 0.5 mL serving when patients come in,” Clifton says. “Plus, after the dental procedure has taken place, the patient has the option to purchase a bottle.”
Outside of implementation questions, one big concern for practitioners is the fact that hemp products remain outside the scope of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
“In the absence of FDA-directed regulation, it is essential to only provide access to third-party-tested products,” Ford says. “We have, from the brand’s inception, sought to produce a product that will pass the most stringent requirements developed for a plant extract.
“A recent article published by Rod Kight entitled ‘FDA and AHPA Convey Similar Message to Cannabis and CBD Industry’ addresses the latest position and statements regarding the coming regulatory environment for hemp extract products,” he continues. “This, we believe,  will do much to improve the quality and safety of the products on or entering the market.”

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At this time, there are no state or federal regulations around using hemp extract in a medical setting that dentists need to take into consideration before introducing it in their practice.
“There aren’t any regulations constricting access to hemp extract products,” Ford says. “But, third-party test products made using natural herbalist practices are safe and provide the benefits of Mother Nature-the supreme chemist in the universe-intended for the support of our chief regulatory system, our ECS.”
“The FDA frowns upon the making of medical claims that haven’t been evaluated through their protocol, but discussion about the benefits of nurturing the ECS is an ideal way to introduce your patients to the numerous well-documented and studied benefits of using natural hemp extracts,” he adds.

Patient response

Initially, patients have had some concerns, particularly around drug screening: If I take hemp extract after a dental procedure, will I fail a work drug test? The answer, Ford says, is no.

“We have customers consuming Carolina Hemp Naturals regularly who routinely have blood tests performed as part of their pain management,” Ford explains. “The confirmation level for a positive drug screen is 50 ng/mL, but these customers consistently show blood levels of tested metabolites at or below 15 ng/mL.”
Once patient fears have been alleviated, Carolina Hemp Naturals-a product that reduces anxiety and helps manage pain-has been a big hit with the patients who have tried it.
“Our patient response has been great,” says Dr. Hubbard. “Since we started using Carolina Hemp Naturals in our dental procedures, the patients that have chosen to take it have said they have not felt more relaxed and the experience has been the best yet.”

Hemp extract’s dental future

Would you introduce hemp extract in your practice? Many dentists are heading that way, and Ford is excited to see what this will mean for the industry.
“We hope that by reintroducing hemp to the dental industry it will destigmatize the plant and educate the masses of its potential to help with daily quality of life,” he says.
CHC is dedicated to the cause.
“The team behind Carolina Hemp Naturals are some of the most thoughtful and dedicated folks in the hemp industry,” Ford concludes. “There are hundreds of years of expertise in a variety of complementary disciplines all working synergistically together. We all hunger to do something good for mankind by striving to do our best to produce a product that, first and foremost, works as nature intended but, equally important, is also accessible to everyone. It has been the focus of our effort to set the bar for what consumers can expect from a hemp brand.”

References:

1. High Yield Insights, The CBD Consumer Experience: Part One, Spring 2019  https://www.highyieldinsights.com/products/cbd
2. FDA and AHPA Convey Similar Message To Cannabis And CBD Industry https://cannabusiness.law/fda-and-ahpa-convey-similar-message-to-cannabis-and-cbd-industry/