Herbs in Dentistry

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In a previous blog post I talked about Using Adaptogens to Help Reduce Stress and discussed 8 different herbs that were reviewed in a 2010 journal article to help reduce stress. The use of herbs is also beneficial for migraine, for example, see this post Daily Preventative Therapies Can Reduce Migraine. Recently I came across the article “Herbs in Dentistry: Evidence-based herbal medicine” appearing in Dental Abstracts, vol. 57, issue 6, pp. 305-307, 2012. The article mentions the use of echinacea mouthwash which when combined with peppermint oil, sage, menthol, and chamomile is effective in gingivitis and periodontal disease. Further, this combination has shown to be effective against colds and flu. The article mentions the possible use of aloe vera  “Aloe vera gel is as effective as prednisolone and indomethacin, without these agents’ long-term toxicity… Uses of aloe vera include … Read more

Videos Related to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

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For those who are contemplating having oral and maxillofacial surgery or are in urgent need of health treatment they may want to consider viewing some educational videos. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) has recently uploaded many of their videos to their YouTube page over at http://www.youtube.com/user/aaomsvideo. They also have a Vimeo page that contains many of the same videos over at http://vimeo.com/aaoms/videos. I have previously commented on a video on Anesthesia in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Office. I was critical of the video as I pointed out in my prior blog post. A newer video on third molars (wisdom teeth) has been made available. This video is made in partnership with the American Association of Orthodontists.  The video describes how a wisdom tooth can be impacted and how surgery can be performed to remove a … Read more

Lessons from Medical litigation in oral surgery practice

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I have previously touched on, such as in the post How to Improve Your Chances to Win a Dental Malpractice Lawsuit, some of the issues surrounding medical litigation from a dental and oral surgery standpoint. In the article “Medical litigation in oral surgery practice: Lessons learned from 20 lawsuits,” by Hesham F. Marei, currently in Press at the time I have reviewed this, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2012, an investigation into lawsuits occurring in an oral surgery setting over three years (2009-2012) in Saudi Arabia is explored. Over 100 lawsuits were looked at with 20 fitting in the inclusion criteria. Marei states: “The most common cause for litigation was oro-antral communication, followed by neurological deficit associated with the surgical removal of wisdom teeth and placement of dental implants. Bleeding after extraction was the third most common cause for … Read more

The Effect of Acne Medication on Wisdom Teeth Removal

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In a research letter in the October 2012 issue of J AM ACAD DERMATOL titled “The effects of isotretinoin on wisdom tooth extraction,” by Jyoti Sharma, Diane M. Thiboutot, and Andrea L. Zaenglein (pp. 794-795), a discussion is made of of the medicine more commonly known as Accutane. Accutane has since be removed from use in the U.S. due to legal issues but the generic form of isotretinoin remains available. See more discussion on the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotretinoin. In the study, 328 patients between 12 and 27 were contacted who were on isotretinoin. 26 of these patients had wisdom teeth extraction, with all but 1 of the patients still being on isotretinoin at the time of the surgery. 3 patients suffered from a dry socket but none of the other patients had a complication after wisdom teeth removal. One of these … Read more

Taking Advantage of a Discount Dental Plan For Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Aetna Dental Access

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Wisdom teeth removal can be expensive for many patients. On top of this many people do not have dental insurance, with many people also not having health insurance. Even if you have both dental insurance and medical (health) insurance many of the costs associated with surgery to remove wisdom teeth will not be covered and you will be responsible for the bill. X-rays and anesthesia can also add to the cost of the surgery. The actual costs of wisdom teeth extraction surgery vary and depend on numerous different factors. I have previously discussed this over at http://www.teethremoval.com/wisdom_teeth_extraction_cost.html. In this post I talk about how an impacted wisdom tooth can cost between $100 to $878 to be removed. Some of this cost depends on the location you live in and the skills and experience of the surgeon. In addition, the cost … Read more