Dr Patrick Wahl co-wrote an article about rubber dams in 2010 for the journal Endodontic Practice: Wahl P, Andrews T. Isolation: a look at the differences and benefits of rubber dam and Isolite. Endo Practice 2010;3(2):52-55.
Pat’s article was cited in “Rubber dam use during root canal treatment : Findings from The Dental Practice-Based Research Network” in the current (February 2013) Journal of the American Dental Association. Way to Pat! Dam it!
Dr. Mervin and Joy with baby Betsy and two nieces, approximately 1959, before Dr. Mike was born.
The good people at Dogtopia (on Concord Pike behind Fairfax Shopping Center) love taking care of lots of dogs, including the dogs of many people at Wahl Family Dentistry. In the Dogtopia newsletter, there was an article “Doggie Dental Tips” that had some good advice on helping with your dog’s oral health. The original link was on Animal Planet (http://animal.discovery.com/pets/healthy-pets/dental-dog-care-tips-tricks.htm)
Our insurance adminstrator’s dog Zero was kind enough to “show his teeth” for this entry.
You put a lot of thought into keeping your dog healthy: quality food, routine checkups, plenty of fitness. But what about his teeth?
Oral hygiene is an often-overlooked but important factor in your dog’s overall health. If he has a toothache or sore gums, he’s dealing with pain and stress that you may not even know about. Left untreated, bacteria introduced by the problem can enter the bloodstream and affect his heart, kidneys or liver. Veterinarians report that an estimated 85 percent of dogs over age 4 are suffering from some form of periodontal disease, a painful oral condition that can lead to tooth loss and infection. The good news? All of these problems are preventable with regular dental cleanings and professional checkups.
Like regular grooming or the daily jaunt outside, dental care should be something your dog comes to expect each day. But it won’t happen overnight; most dogs take some time getting used to someone poking around in their mouth. Most owners need to warm up to the idea, too! Ideally, introduce dental care when your pooch is still a puppy. But don’t stress if you just realized that your adult dog’s teeth need some attention. Just take a slow, patient approach, and remember that lots of love and treats go a long way in winning him over.
Most experts agree that daily brushing is ideal, but if that’s unrealistic, aim for three to four times per week. And don’t be an overachiever: If your pup’s patience only lasts for you to brush half his teeth today and the other half tomorrow, that’s fine. Just remember which half you did each day!
Pacifiers can be a comfort to small children and their parents, but using them for too long can be harmful to children’s teeth. Dr. Jean shared a link with some excellent tips on giving up the pacifier. Among the tips are “planning the good-bye,” including getting ready for a special visit from the “Binky Fairy,” who will take a box of collected pacifiers to “take to all the babies who need them.”
http://www.metrokids.com/MetroKids/January-2010/Break-Free-of-the-Binky
Kira made this sign for her room, which she shares with her guinea pig Snowflake.
Kira was excited to get her braces on today. Dr. Anzilotti and his fantastic staff are a great combination of compassion, caring, and competence.
Julian Wahl, the son of Drs. Pat and Jean Wahl was awarded second place at the PS Middle School 2013 Talent Show for his show-stomping fiddling rendition of “Baby” by Justin Bieber. Way to go Julian! When it comes to making great music, you don’t “fiddle around”!
Check it out here!
There was an interesting article in the New York Times on January 18, 2012 “When Pills Fail, This, er, Option Provides a Cure.” When antibiotics are taken, the equilibrium in the gut can be adversely affected, and the organism Clostridium difficile can sometimes cause serious infections in such situations. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that while antibiotics cured only 3 of 13 and 4 of 13 patients with recurrent C. difficile infections, “fecal transplants” (transplanting feces from a healthy person into the gut of a patient with C. difficile infection) cured 15 of 16 patients, a remarkable cure rate without the side-effects of antibiotic therapy.
In the Times article, it was mentioned that one of the patients successfully receiving the fecal transplant was healthy until contracting C. difficile “after taking an antibiotic for dental work. She had profuse diarrhea, uncontrollable vomiting and high fevers that landed her in the hospital. She suffered repeated bouts, lost 12 pounds and missed months of work. Her young children would find her lying on the bathroom floor.”
Antibiotics are powerful prescription drugs that can be very beneficial in treating infections, but they can have serious side-effects. Fortunately, antibiotics are needed only infrequently in dentistry. Most dental infections can easily be treated. For example, an infected tooth can usually be treated with either root canal therapy or an extraction, and either treatment will usually lead to a cure of the infection without antibiotics being necessary.
The dentists at Wahl Family Dentistry will prescribe necessary antibiotics only after carefully considering your particular health situations and the risks and benefits of such medications. We stock some common antibiotics so we can often supply them for you if necessary at no charge. It should be noted that if you desire a “fecal transplant,” we do not offer that at Wahl Family Dentistry.
