Pain

Exploring Giving Antibiotics Before Third Molar Surgery (Wisdom Teeth Removal) in Spain

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An issue that one asks when having third molar surgery (wisdom teeth removal) is one whether should have antibiotics administered before or after surgery (or not at all). See for example http://www.teethremoval.com/antibiotic_resistance.html In a recent article appearing in J Evid Base Dent Pract 2012, issue 12, pp. 149-150, Manal A. Awad, reviewed a study exploring amoxicillin administration to those who were having wisdom teeth extracted. The original study was titled “Efficacy of amoxicillin treatment in preventing postoperative complications in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study,” by Lopez-Cedrun JL, Pijoan JI, Fernandez S, and Santamaria J, Hernandez G and appeared in the electronic 2011 version pages 5 -14, issue 69, number 6. It is well known that amoxicillin is useful in treating oral infections. In the study 123 healthy patients between the ages of 18 and … Read more

Should you use Sutures when having Wisdom Teeth Out?

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A study titled “A comparative study of the effect of suture-less and multiple suture techniques on inflammatory complications following third molar surgery” appears in the 2012 (in press) International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgry by O.D. Osunde, R.A. Adebola, and B. D. Saheeb. The study in Nigeria included 80 patients between the ages of 18 and 30 who had a mandibular third molar extracted. These patients were randomized into 2 treatment groups A: (suture-less – no sitches) and B: multiple sutures. The operation time was found to be roughly 3 minutes longer in the sutures group (statistically significant). In addition, the suture-less group experienced less pain, swelling, and trismus on post-operative days 1 and 2 (statistically significant). In the article the authors state: “The suture-less technique is cheap, saves operative time, minimizes manipulation of soft tissue and hence causes … Read more

Botox Injections Have Benefit for Chronic Headaches

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A new review and analysis of previous studies has found that botulinum toxin A (“Botox”) injections have a small to modest benefit for those with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headache. Botulinum toxin A injections were first proposed as headache treatment when it was observed that patients with chronic headaches receiving cosmetic botulinum injections experienced headache improvement, prompting several case series that suggested benefit. Jeffrey L. Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and colleagues performed a review and meta-analysis to assess the association of botulinum toxin A with reducing headache frequency when used for preventive treatment of migraine, tension, or chronic daily headaches in adults. In the study, headaches were categorized as episodic (less than 15 headaches per month) or chronic (15 or more headaches per month) migraine and episodic or chronic daily or tension … Read more

Headache and Pain Infographic: All About Headaches

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Here is an interesting infographic on headaches from the Mount Sinai Medical Center. The infographic offers statistics on those who suffer from headaches and also offers some remedies to help cure your headache and ease the pain.

Swimming and the Potential Harmful Effects on Your Teeth

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Recently an article has appeared on DrBicupsid.com titled Swimming in acidic pool nearly destroys man’s teeth written by Rob Goszkowski and posted on September 6, 2011, located at http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=rst&pag=dis&ItemID=308363 The article describes a case of a 52 year old man who nearly lost the enamel of his teeth in just 5 month by swimming regularly at his home pool. In fact, while it is widely appreciated that exercising regularly is good for your health you should consider the potential harm of any sort of new exercise program and yes this includes swimming and even walking. This man was suffering from hemangiomas in his liver and was told by his doctor to stop jogging so he decided on his own that he would take up swimming and in fact would do so for 90 minutes a day at a pool in … Read more