The Medicine Cabinet

By Pamela Myers, RDH

Most patients cannot accurately tell you what medications or dosages they are taking, especially geriatric patients. One patient that I recently treated in the private sector, where I occasionally practice, was an 85-year-old World War II veteran. He is very alert and very agile for his age. But when I inquired about his medications, he simply said, "Well, I take something for my thyroid and a couple of diabetes pills, and something for my heart."

I asked him the names and dosages, and he laughingly said, "Well, they are hard to remember ... It would be easier if they just were called Diabetes pill 1 and Diabetes pill 2."

Sound familiar? In my full-time practice, I am blessed in that I provide care with electronic medical records that provide me with my patient's current medications and dosages in real time. However, access to the patient's current medications may not be enough information. Most patients over the age of 50 are taking at least three prescribed maintenance medications. If your patient population is over the age of 65, it could be on average at least four maintenance prescriptions, plus an assortment of other over-the-counter (OTC) supplements.

Maintenance drugs do not include antibiotics, antivirals, or anti-inflammatory/pain medication prescribed for short-term dosages. What I hope to do with this article is to give practicing hygienists a basic overview of oral side effects of the most commonly prescribed medications, as well as some medications that have adverse oral effects that they and their patients should be aware of.

Gingival hyperplasia, overgrowth of the gum tissue, is common in patients taking anticonvulsants, immunosuppressant drugs, and calcium channel blockers taken by cardiac patients.

Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is prevalent with antihistamines, anticholinergics, antidepressants/antipsychotics, antihypertensives, diuretics, antiulceratives, central nervous system stimulants (CNS), bronchodilators, and some cancer chemotherapeutic agents (see Table 2).

Increased gingival bleeding may occur in patients taking anticoagulants such as aspirin therapy, Plavix (clopidogrel), or Coumadin (warfarin).

The most commonly prescribed medication classes include contraceptives/hormones, analgesics, antilipemics, antihypertensives, antiulceratives, and antipsychotics/antidepressants (see Table 1).

Alternative Treatment Gum Disease - News


The Medicine Cabinet

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By Press Release Dental implants are fast becoming the treatment of choice for many. Up to 69 percent of adults ages 35-44 have lost at least one permanent tooth to an accident, gum disease, a failed root canal or tooth decay.



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Take care of Your Gums, Protect Your Wellbeing - Health Hub ...

There’s nothing just like having a toothache and throbbing gums to ruin your entire day, all of your week and keep plaguing you with pain for an entire month and much more. Pain is particularly excruciating when you have the type of tooth and gum decay that affects the actual pulp of your teeth in which the most sensitive of nerves are.

Gum disease is an entirely preventable problem, that’s why it is so disappointing to see the statistics of people losing their teeth over it. Dentists have made it a point to teach and inculcate how to treat gum disease, to let patients know how crucial it is to care for the gums as much as possible by brushing and flossing, but to no avail.

There have been campaigns to show the best ways to cure gum disease before the disease gets way too out of hand. If it gets way too complex for mere home remedies, you’re up for gum disease treatment that involves clinics, syringes and medicine. From homeopathy to alternative medicine and finally to the modern medicine we have in the market, there are all kinds of medicines, herbal drinks and tablets that provide relief to pain, but not quite solve the problem of a raging toothache coupled with swelling gums.

Protecting your dental health by daily habits is among the guaranteed methods for promoting a powerful teeth and healthy gums that induce you neither pain suffering. Daily brushing, especially at regular intervals ensures that plaque and bacteria get brushed from the enamel of the teeth as well as in between it. Brushing saves tooth from decay by preventing the build-up of a tougher type of teeth grime called tartar to stay in the top of the teeth or nestle in the middle, causing trouble that may simply be solved by introducing floss into your daily dental health routine.

Not only brushing and flossing, other mouth care practices ought to be included. Gargling is a good method to attack odor-causing germs in the mouth. The simplest gargle are the ones items that have antiseptic properties so that they just don’t mask the odor, however they get rid of the bacteria that creates it. Gargles are available in many various flavours, so it’s simple enough to locate a flavour that you might like which means you shall be asked to utilize it daily.

Stay abreast of a great oral cleanliness and promote the effectiveness of your gums and teeth!

Know the different methods on how to treat gum disease as well as where and who can help us cure gum disease .


Alternative Treatment Gum Disease - Bookshelf

Doctor's Guide to Natural Medicine, The Complete and Easy-To-Use Natural Health Reference from a Medical Doctor's Perspective

Doctor's Guide to Natural Medicine, The Complete and Easy-To-Use Natural Health Reference from a Medical Doctor's Perspective

Gum disease is a common condition of middle-aged people that can often require painful and expensive dental treatment. According to some estimates, ...

Alternative medicine, the definitive guide

Alternative medicine, the definitive guide

Smokers are two to four times more likely to suffer periodontal disease than nonsmokers. The best treatment is prevention with daily removal of plaque ...

Collins Alternative Health Guide

Collins Alternative Health Guide

Periodontal Disease related term: Gum Disease principal proposed natural ... is sometimes claimed to be an effective treatment for periodontal disease. ...

Integrating Complementary Medicine Into Veterinary Practice

Integrating Complementary Medicine Into Veterinary Practice

A Textbook of Natural Medicine. Seattle: Bastyr University Press, 1998, V:CoQ10- 1-8. ... Adjunctive treatment of periodontal disease with coenzyme Q10. ...

WHO global atlas of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine

WHO global atlas of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine

It serves as an alternative treatment alongside allopathic medicines. ... periodontal disease (259 per 1000), upper respiratory infection (234 per 1000), ...

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