Genetic Testing

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My father had colon cancer at a very young age. Because of this I am going to have a colonoscopy in a few weeks. Colon cancer is certainly a cancer that can be stopped before it becomes serious. All that needs to be done is finding a polyp and removing, but if a polyp is not found due to not have a colonscopy, then you can have colon cancer. In recent years genetic testing as become a tool that parents can use to determine if their sons or daughters are more susceptible to certain types of cancers. However, it is important to remember that even if you test negative for a certain disease, the risk does not go away. A year or so ago my father can genetic testing done on him to determine the likelihood of his children to … Read more

Midwest Misery

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As you may know from the about me section, I live in the Midwest of the United States. This past week has been really awful as far as thunderstorms go. My house had some flooding through the window well in the basement earlier this week. But yesterday was the worst I have ever seen it. A real downpour occurred yesterday afternoon with lots of rain, thunder, and lightning. It rained so hard that my gutters could not handle the water and nearly a foot of water was outside of my house over the window wells. To make matters worse my neighbors sewer was forced to backup somehow. As time went on our entire front yards began to flood. The road in my subdivision flooded. It was impossible for cars and even trucks to go through because it got so high … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal Really is Serious

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I wanted to say that I am not messing around here. Oral surgeons and dentists really can change your life for the worst. If it happened to me, it can happen to you. I have suffered 24/7 everyday since my wisdom teeth were removed. My head is always pounding and it’s a struggle to live normally anymore. My quality of life is substantially diminshed and I am not doing what I want to be doing with my life right now. I see doctors all the time, try all sorts of medications, do a lot of research, and it doesn’t change anything.  For 1 in 100 people wisdom teeth removal causes permanent nerve damage. That’s pretty good odds that you or someone you know could be damage pretty substantially. Also you or someone you know could have a headache that does … Read more

Differences between American and English Thought

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It’s clear that there are large differences between what American and European doctors think with regards to the removal of wisdom teeth.   Since 1997, dental surgeons inEngland have been following guidelines stating to not remove wisdom teeth unless there is evidence of disease. Further inflammation of the gingivia surrounding the crown of a tooth also warrants removal. It is also common practice in England for doctor’s to cancel any unnecessary planned operations. These guidelines also save millions of dollars each year. To view the entire article on guidelines in England click here http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/320/7239/890/a.pdf

Teen Dies in Dental Chair

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This story is a month old, but I wanted to make a comment about it. Having general anesthesia is not without complications. Leejay Levene, 18, died during a visit to a Waterloo dental surgeon to have three wisdom teeth removed. Surgery was required because the teeth were embedded in the jawbone. Due to the nature of a potentially painful procedure, many patients often prefer the use of a general anesthetic. Leejay’s mother, Shirley, said that Leejay was nervous about the surgery since he always breathed through his mouth and was concerned that he might not be able to breathe properly. Leejay had just gone under general anesthesia when something went horribly wrong. He started to struggle for breath. The ambulance arrived within seven minutes, with a more advanced unit arriving five minutes later. The anesthesiologist had been attempting to resuscitate … Read more