In a new study from University of Louisville, researchers found that a common bacteria found in gingivitis / gum disease known as “porphyromonas gingivalis” worsens arthritis. Although we have suspected this for some time, now we are seeing research to support such claims by our patients. They also found that the presence of this bacteria…
Month: October 2013
Hospitalizations due to oral infection on the rise in the US
When treated in a timely fashion, dental infections or “abscesses” can normally be managed in the an office setting. Unfortunately if left untreated, dental abscesses can have serious consequences requiring hospitalization. In the past few years, during the economic downturn/recession/depression, we noted an increase in the number of patients presenting to our office with serious…
Pregnancy and Oral Hygiene
Recently I have had a few patients that presented to our office with difficulties regarding their teeth during pregnancy….one even had a miscarriage possibly due to an infection of an impacted third molars. Sometimes we tend to forget the mouth is connected to the body! However, there are numerous studies showing the link between poor…
Coronectomy, as treatment option for treating high-risk, symptomatic third molars (a.k.a Wisdom teeth)
In a recent article in the JADA ( Journal of the American Dental Assoc.) the topic of Coronectomy was discussed. Click on the following link: http://jada.ada.org/content/144/10/1172.full.html?etoc This was their conclusion based on the systemic review of five databases for the period from 1990 through 2011 : That coronectomy of an impacted mandibular third molar with a high…
Constipation!
As a routine most surgeons prescribe pain medications to help reduce the expected pain and discomfort after surgery. In most instances in oral surgical procedure some sort of opioid/narcotic pain medication is used as part of this regimen. In some patients constipation is a rare side-effect of narcotic medications. Some will even go as far…
Hand washing! For at least 40 seconds…the most effective way to reducing infections.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), In the United States, patients in the healthcare setting get nearly 2 million infections each year. That’s about one infection for every 20 patients! Infections that patients get in the hospital can be life-threatening and hard to treat. Hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to…
A Needle-free Nasal Spray for local anesthesia? It’s coming….
In a recent article in the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) Dr. Miller is sited as one of the founding member of a group that has been working on a nasal spray to replace the painful injections of local anesthesia. As you all know one of the more painful injections that are given to a…
Summary on Seizure types
Recently came across this article in the JAMA, which I thought was very helpful to summarize the different types of seizures. We had a teenager that was recently diagnosed with Silent seizure and the topic was discussed during our mission trip to Jamaica with the UOP students.
Lifesaving Facts About Oral Cancer
Cancer is a disease that shows no discrimination. What makes oral cancer so scary is that it is often not diagnosed until a late stage, In fact, only one-third of all oral cancers are diagnosed in an early stage. While typically thought to affect older people, it’s now more prevalent in younger age groups. These…