Archive for January, 2011

Title: When should I take my child to the dentist for the first time?

There is much confusion about this topic so I have decided to write about it in this blog. Traditionally, general dentists have…well…not enjoyed treating infants and toddlers so they have said to bring children in once they can be reasoned with at about age 3 to 4.  The problem with this is that children begin […]

Why does the doctor ask you to take ibuprofen before surgery?

Anecdotally, I don’t have patients call me (and they get my cell number) needing extra medication after surgery and Ibuprofen 800mg preoperatively is why I believe that is so.  Mechanism is thought to be preventing prostaglandin formation leading to less pain and swelling.  My patients also rarely swell.  Ice helps that too.  I usually am […]

Title: What should I do about my old metal fillings?

A frequent question that I get from my patients is about old metal fillings.  Many patients are concerned about mercury content in old metal “silver” “amalgam” fillings.  They want to know if they are safe and what can be done to replace them if they give the teeth a grey hue that is unsightly.  Sometimes fractures lead […]

Title: Where is the wisdom in removing wisdom teeth?

Most of my patients when asked “what was their worst experience in a dental chair?” say it was when they had their wisdom teeth taken out. Okay, so if this is such a terrible event, why is it done?  And if it must be done, how can we make it any better?   And finally, how […]

I hate the dentist…how do I get over my bad experiences?

I have so many patients who, as my own mother used to say, would “rather have a baby than see the dentist!” Okay, so where do we go from here?  You have a dental issue/or think you might, you want help, but you are having trouble coming to terms with your bad past experiences. First […]