Did you know that the toothbrush is one of the oldest tools that humans still use? In fact, in a survey conducted in 2003, Americans chose the toothbrush as the number one invention over the car, personal computer, cell phone, and microwave. This may come as a shock in a day and age obsessed with…
Month: December 2013
FAQs Regarding IV Sedation / Anesthesia for Oral Surgery
Categories: Blog
Here in our office we perform a variety of treatments including dental implants, facial reconstruction and teeth removal. If you have recently been diagnosed with a condition that requires any of these types of treatment, you will likely be required to go under IV sedation / anesthesia. For some people, the idea of anesthesia can…
Latest Guidelines on Lipid-lowering drugs “Statins”
Categories: Blog
I recently posted some information about the recent changes to the guidelines for prescribing Statin drugs. Here is a summary: Previously, clinicians were treating to lower LDL cholesterol levels to the recommended targets. However with the recent update clinicians are now recommended to determine whether a patient falls into one of these four high-risk groups.…
Antibiotics and Probiotics
Categories: Blog
El Camino Hospital in Silicon Valley have instituted an automatic ordering for probiotics any time a certain class of antibiotics are requested from the pharmacy. This is in light of the more recent data that has been published showing the benefits probiotics when on antibiotics, in order to reduce the risk if diarrhea and colitis.…
Bone grafting
Categories: Blog
Sometimes patients ask how will the bone grafted area look afterwards. We often “graft” the area after the removal of an infected tooth or cyst. We always attempt to buildup the destroyed bone during the same procedure using different types of grafting material, even including stem cells. In order to protect the grafted material, we…
Hip & knee replacement may prevent heart attacks?
Categories: Blog
A recent study in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) is finding a cardioprotective benefit from total hip and knee replacement! As you may know, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world., with an estimated 17.3 million deaths each year. There are several factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as:…
Antibiotics and Diarrhea
Categories: Blog
Many of my fellow colleagues can attest to the fact that we are routinely asked by patients to be placed on antibiotics because they think they are infected. But as physicians we have the duty to weight both the benefits and risks of this decision. Contrary to the common belief, antibiotics are not without risks…
