Laser Endodontics LLC - Mary Ann Choby, DMD, MS

We're truly dumbfounded with the amount of patients we treat in our office asking for opioids after treatment. Yes, we understand there will be discomfort! Patients will do and say anything to obtain them. Though we're very understanding of the situation, our goal is to inform patients that nonopioids work just as well or even better than opioids. Also, our goal doesn't only apply to patients but other doctors as well. In the past, we've had patients with opioid addictions. Most of the time, these patients are hard to work with because they won't consent to treatment unless we assure them they'd being get a prescription for opioids afterwards. We hate to see a patient leave our office in pain! In these cases, patients will argue until we come up with an agreement which is asking them to try nonopioids first, if pain escalates, we'll prescribe 6 tablets of opioids and no more. Majority of the time, they don't need them.   Unfortunately, there are som

Want to get rid our your smelly breath? Check out these tips from the  Mayo Clinic Health Letter. (Volume 37 Number 1 January 2019) Bad breath (halitosis) often stems from bacteria feeding on food particles in the mouth. Fend off bad breath by: Brushing your teeth  — Brush at least twice a day. Consider also brushing after meals. If brushing isn't convenient, swish with water or mouthwash, or chew sugarless gum, to rid your mouth of food particles. Cleaning your tongue  — Odor-causing bacteria thrive on the rough surface of the tongue, particularly at the back. Mucus from postnasal drip also can feed odor-causing bacteria. Use a toothbrush to brush your tongue, or use a tongue scraper. Gargling with mouthwash also may help. Flossing daily  — This removes food particles between your teeth. Drinking enough water or chewing sugarless gum  — Saliva and water wash away food particles that feed bad breath. Talk to your doctor if you have persistent dry mouth, as it can be caused

In the recent Mayo Clinic Health Letter , (Volume 37, Number 4) there was an interesting article on how tooth brushing reduces cardiovascular risks. The article states: Brushing your teeth twice daily is important for maintaining good oral hygiene. This daily routine can also benefit your heart. A study presented at the 2018 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions provides new evidence of this link. The study's 682 participants self-reported their tooth-brushing habits compared with the recommendation of twice a day for at least two minutes each time. Over an average of 28 months of follow-up, those who reported brushing their teeth less frequently and for a shorter duration had three times the risk of a first major cardiovascular event than did those who met the tooth-brushing guidelines. These cardiovascular events included heart attack, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure or dying of a cardiovascular cause. A separate study, published in the December 2018 i