2011 June Archive - Dr. Mitchell A. Josephs' Blog

Archive for June, 2011

Oral Piercing

Posted on: June 28th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I notice many of my teenage daughter’s friends have all kinds of oral piercings. I am a physician and feel my daughter would listen to you more than me. Can you please explain the risks of these awful things so that I may paste your column to her desk? Donna L. M.D.

A: Ok, listen up “y’all”. Paste this column on your “fridge”, email it to your teens, post it on Facebook and Tweet it to the hills. Perhaps Congressman Weiner can help distribute this important message to all his young fans. Millions of bacteria live in your mouth allowing piercings to become infected easily. Your tongue could swell large enough to block your airway after a man named “Snake” with tattoos of flaming skulls pierces your tongue. This can lead to uncontrollable bleeding and nerve damage. You can choke on the studs, barbells or hoops as many come loose. Teeth can chip or crack from contact with jewelry. I have performed dental implant surgery on teens that have lost teeth due to fracture from piercings as well as using gold “Grills”, made famous by rappers. Oh yeah. How about bad breath?

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Implant, Cosmetic and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and can be reached at drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com, 888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com

By Dr. Mitchell Josephs

Bleeding Issues

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I was always told by my physician and my former dentist that I am a “bleeder”. Recently, I relocated to South Florida and require extensive implant and crown work. How should my new dentist be handling me with these bleeding issues? Ester in West Boca.

A: My aunt Rose was a bleeder. As a kid, I always remembered every time she came to my house, she had a different bruise in a different spot. At the time, I thought one black and blue mark resembled a profile of president Nixon. Many patients are on medications that interfere with the coagulation of blood. Coumadin, Plavix and daily doses of aspirin as well as many herbal and vitamin products. Ask your physician how many days (if any) he/she wants you to stop these medications before your dental surgery. Usually, stopping 5 days before a dental procedure does the trick. There are several precautions your dentist may take to keep the bleeding as minimal as possible. 1. The use of hemastatic plugs or packing made of collagen and cellulose after tooth extractions. 2. Extra suturing. 3. Avoidance of certain nerve-block injections, if possible, to avoid hematomas (deep tissue bleeding with swelling.) 4. The use of electro cautery equipment, if needed.

Note: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE lecture to the public on New Techniques in Implant, Cosmetic and General Dentistry, including “Incision-less Implant Surgery’, along with Dr. Anita Mandal, facial plastic surgeon who will lecture on the Whisper Lift tm “The Less Invasive Facelift.” at 2PM on Monday June 27^th at the Ross JCC in Boynton Beach. Seating is limited. Call 561-740-9000 to register.

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and can be reached at drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com

By Dr. Mitchell Josephs

Thyroid Cancer and X-rays

Posted on: June 14th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: Is it true that too many dental X-rays increase your risk for thyroid cancer? VW in Boca.

A: Rule # 1. Don’t get all your medical advice from watching Oprah. Many afternoon TV talk shows are great at getting ratings by scaring the public to death with sensational topics. Dr. Otis W. Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said “Our technology (in detecting cancers) has gotten so good that we are finding cancers today that even 15 years ago would not have been diagnosed.”This is why there has been an increase in the number of thyroid, and many other, types of cancers.

There is no direct link to these cancers to dental X-rays or mammograms. “We’re finding and treating thyroid cancers that would never have killed anyone”, said Dr. Brawley. This is backed by a JAMA study from 2006 and by Dr. Leonard Wartofsky, a thyroid cancer specialist in D.C., who states: “To play it safe, find a dentist who uses digital X-rays, which deliver much less radiation and the use of a lead apron with a thyroid collar. It is simply not possible to detect all dental decay without X-rays, and missing hidden decay, (periodontal disease, jawbone cancer and abscesses) will result in loosing teeth and expensive dental work to come.”

Note: Dr. Mitchell Josephs and Dr. Mandal, facial plastic surgeon, will give a free lecture at the Jupiter Beach Resort June 1 at 5:30 p.m. To register for “Smiles and Faces”, call (561) 832-2917. Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and can be reached at drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com

By Dr. Mitchell Josephs