FALL 2009 NEWSLETTER
OO  2009 H1N1 Vaccine It appears that the Swine Flu outbreak in our country will be a significant concern for all of us this year.  The Center for Disease control has an interesting web site link call FluView www.cdc.gov.weekly/ which gives weekly updates of the situation.  Nineteen more infant deaths have been attributed to the swine flu this week as well as three more adult women.  This brings the death toll to more than seventy six people.  The CDC has other informative and interesting web sites giving the latest information on the details of the Swine Flu. See www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update for more detailed information than I’ll offer in this synopsis. There is great concern over the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine that has been developed to prevent Swine Flu.  First of all, you should know that the so called ‘seasonal flu’ is different from Swine flu.  There is already a vaccine available for the seasonal flu. The Swine Flu vaccine is still forthcoming and will be available soon.  You will need both if you are a person who is considered at risk.  It is recommended that everyone get the seasonal flu shot.  The CDC recommends vaccinations against Swine Flu for five groups of people: -Pregnant women -Anyone who lives with or care for children under the age of 6 months of age -Health care personnel -Anyone between the ages of 6 months and 24 years of age -People from age 25 to 64 who have compromised immunity or chronic health disorders which would make them more susceptible to the effects of the flu The Swine Flu is made in the same way and by the same companies that have made the seasonal flu vaccinations for years.  There have been no deaths or complications from these past vaccines including any for pregnant women or infants.  In the past the vaccines developed have been less effective in some years than in others.  This is probably because the drug companies have to somewhat guess early in the year as to which virus will be the most serious when flu season comes in the fall of the year.  This year the drug makers have guessed completely accurately when making the Swine flu vaccine.  All cases of flu that have manifested have been responsive favorably to the vaccine developed.  Evidence based research has shown the Swine Flu vaccine to be safe and effective for all at risk groups that need it. This fact in light of the serious nature of this disease should weigh heavily in anyone’s decision making in regards to taking the vaccine.  Swine Flu is many times more lethal for people at risk than the seasonal flu we see every year.  This is not your usual flu. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm  Reader Digest: Secrets Your Dentist Will Never Tell You *Some truly educated people think that if nothing in their mouth hurts, they’re fine. High cholesterol doesn’t hurt either but it’s a big problem. I honestly think that the general population doesn’t understand that their mouth is part of their body.   *If you’re breath is bad we won’t tell you, unless you ask.   *If your hands bled when you washed them, you’d run to the doctor. But in the public’s mind, bleeding gums are okay. Unless you’re really whaling away with your brush, if your gums bleed even a little, that’s periodontal disease, period.   *If you want to reduce the bad bacteria in your mouth, you should be all over xylitol{a sugar substitute found in chewing gum}. It changes the chemistry of your mouth. Six or seven pieces of xylitol gum everyday will keep cavities away.   *Amalgam fillings do release a small amount of mercury through wear and tear in the mouth. But you’d have to have about 300 fillings for mercury level to get high enough to pose even the smallest risk.   *A lot of patients are worried that dental x-rays can cause cancer but if you’re outside for an hour, you’re exposed to more radiation than you’d get from a full set of dental x-rays. What I worry about is that if I don’t take an x-ray I might miss something serious.   *When someone meets you for the first time, the first thing they notice is eyes. Second is teeth and third is hair. But people spend way more money on their hair than teeth.   Woolsten, C. (2009, July). 50 Secrets Your Dentist Will Never Tell You. Readers Digest, 130-137.		Cone-Beam Computed Tomography  One of the exciting new advances in the field of implant dentistry is the advent of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for implant treatment planning and placement. What is this? Cone-beam computed tomography is a form of three demensional x-ray, that shows the location and orientation of the bone and nerve structures of the jaw. This is critical for the planning of the placement of dental implants when considering the location of vital nerve,bone and soft tissue structures. This is a digital x-ray scan rather that a conventional type of x-ray. The scan is read by an attached computer that reconstructs the image. This is the truly new aspect of this technology. The scan can be rotated in any direction. We can actually see the skull from the inside out if we desire. We can look into the nasal sinus or into the interior of the mandible to locate structures. Implant dentistry is an exciting field that offers more treatment options than we have ever had before. The public has moved away from accepting removable dentures as adequate treatment for missing teeth. Restoring dentitions with fixed restorations like implants is now the standard of care. Dr. Reid has been restoring implants since 1983. Dr. Perrett attended a yearlong general practice residency that was heavily oriented towards implant dentistry. Dr. Reid and Dr. Perrett have been placing implants themselves at our office for many years now. This allows for more control of the restored case from start to finish. Drs. Reid and Perrett consider cone-beam computed tomography the standard of care for implant treatment planning. Conventional x-rays show only a two dimensional view where this type of scan truly shows everything in three dimensions.