Month: December 2017

The trend of internet shopping has taken hold in the medical sector. But if you are considering using an online service to purchase medications (whether OTC or prescription drugs), you need to be aware of the possible dangers of purchasing medication over the internet.

A quick online search for your medication will show several ads asking you to buy them online. Some ads also offer the opportunity to buy prescription medications in addition to over-the-counter drugs. The prices are usually lower than what you get from the neighbourhood pharmacy. This will empower you to protect yourself accordingly.

 It’s important that you learn to recognize legal online pharmacies, and understand how to buy your medicines online without putting your health or your personal information at risk. Here’s what you need to know.

Always scrutinise carefully

Ordering over the counter and prescription medications online, and from an unknown company is an unsafe practice. There are several well-known websites that operate legally whilst still offering the advantages of privacy, convenience, and safety that you need when purchasing drugs.

Recognising websites that offer to sell prescription drugs which have probably not been checked for safety or effectiveness is important. A rogue site often has unapproved drugs, drugs with wrong quantities of the active ingredient, or drugs with harmful substances. A false website might look professional, but it usually is an illegal operation.

The FDA was involved in a study where several products sold online as Tamiflu® (Oseltamivir) were found to instead contain talc and acetaminophen on analysis. Some people who placed online orders for some drug products (Zolpidem, alprazolam, escitalopram, and lorazepam) were instead given a foreign version of Haloperidol, a known antipsychotic drug.

These people wound up needing emergency medical care for various symptoms such as breathing difficulties, muscle spasms, muscle stiffness.

Recognising a website you can trust

A website you can trust should have the following:

• It should have a physical address in the country of production.
• It should be licensed by the state board of pharmacy in the state or country where it operates.
• It should have a licensed pharmacist to answer your questions.
• It should always request prescriptions to supply you with prescription drugs.
• There should be contact information available for you to speak with a person if you have concerns.

Always look out for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Seal, (the NABP’s VIPPS seal) or visit the VIPPS website to find legal online pharmacies that you can trust.

Recognising a rogue website

If a website does any of the following, then you should proceed with caution when dealing with the website.

• The online pharmacy sends you unmarked drugs in unmarked containers.
• The prices offered are markedly lower than that offered by other online pharmacies.
• The website contains no physical address or location in the states for the pharmacy.
• They offer to sell drugs that need prescription without one. This is a definite sign that the website is illegal.

Stay safe by becoming knowledgeable about your prescribed medicines

When you are about to be prescribed any new medication, get familiar with the processes involved with filling your prescription. Familiarize yourself with your medications – the colour, the shape, the texture, the smell, taste and any markings on the tablet or capsule.

Always comment to your pharmacist if you notice anything different about your supplied medication. Be fully aware of the risks associated with buying drugs online.

Know about counterfeit drugs

Counterfeit drugs can be harder for the average person to recognize because it is a deliberately fraudulent practice. Both generic and brand name medicines can be counterfeit and the identity of the source of the medication is usually mislabelled to deceive customers into thinking that the product is an authentic and approved drug.

In the US, the FDA is responsible for protecting the public from being exposed to the deleterious effects of places that distribute counterfeit medication. Several modern technologies are being used to identify and prevent counterfeit medication from getting to the general public, but to stay safe you need to practice safe online medication purchase.

Safe practices when buying medicines online

It is your primary duty to protect yourself when buying medication online. When you use a rogue website, you place yourself at risk, your personal information which you have supplied is also at risk. The following practices will help you stay safe when buying medicines online.

• Check the websites that you deal with to make sure that they are fully licensed by the state and located in the US.
• If a website offers to sell prescription drugs even without a prescription, stay away.
• If a website offers to prescribe a drug without a physical exam or even an online questionnaire, then you should also stay away.
• Check the NABP website for any online pharmacy you intend to deal with. You can usually find out if the pharmacy has a valid license and has met the proscribed quality standards.
• Read all TOS carefully and discuss any privacy or security policies that you find difficult to understand.
• Withhold all your personal information – your social security number, your medical or health history, and your credit card information – if you are unsure that the website is committed to keeping your information private and secure.
• Ask about a licensed pharmacist and avoid websites that cannot provide you with one to answer your questions or address your concerns.
• Once you have found an online pharmacy that you can trust, try to always purchase from them rather than changing pharmacies every time.

The FDA has a consumer update, FDA 101: Health Fraud Awareness that provides a full range of information that can help you protect yourself from bogus health products and counterfeit drugs. You can read it if you plan to make a habit out of purchasing your medications online so you are better equipped to keep yourself safe. Purchasing medications online can be a safe and better alternative to having to run to a physical pharmacy every time you need a drug. Just stick to safety guidelines and you are sure to have a fulfilling online experience.

Cavities are created over a period of time as a tooth’s enamel is slowly eroded away by acids from sugary substances your kids have indulged in. The holes then capture food particles which stay lodged in and decay, forming bacteria which eventually turns into plaque. That is the story of how cavities are born.

What kind of sweet foods erode the teeth?

Foods or drinks that have a high sugar/sucrose content are the most effective in wearing away a tooth’s enamel. And they accomplish this faster when they are allowed to stay stuck on teeth instead of being immediately rinsed out or washed out.

Specific foods that excel at destroying the integrity of your child’s teeth include;

1. Soft drinks: All sodas, fruit juices, slurpies and similar drinks all have a high concentration of sugar. Some also contain phosphorous and carbonation which work hand in hand with sugar to erode the enamel of your child’s tooth.
2. Sweets: Toffees, chocolate, lollies, jellies, sugar/chocolate coated pastries, and all the other delicacies with sugary goodness are all enamel eroders.  The guiltiest sweets are the sticky ones because their stickiness means they don’t easily dissolve in the mouth or necessarily go away after brushing.
3. Starchy foods: Rice, fries, peanut butter sandwich, pasta, and the like are all carbohydrate rich foods which the body eventually turns into sugar – Sugar that’s bad for the teeth.

I’m sure with these few honourable mentions you now have a clear picture of how sugary goodness and decadent eating might be endangering your child’s pearly whites.So if for now your kids are eating sweets but don’t have any cavities, it’s safe to assume the cavities are simply biding time before making a grand arrival.

But rather than wait for cavities to appear in your child’s teeth, there are preventive measures you can take to stop them.

How to stop cavities from forming

These steps towards avoiding cavity aren’t good practice just for kids, but for the whole family.

1. Help your child maintain good oral hygiene: Make sure your child brushes and flosses at least twice a day. Oral experts in Baton Rouge, Tiger Smile Dentalrecommend, “…brushing after every meal with fluoride based toothpaste is a great way to keep a child’s teeth strong and healthy…”
2. Encourage your child to eat fibre rich fruits and vegetables. This will help stimulate flow of saliva that effectively wash away food and neutralize bacteria related acids.
3. Another way to accomplish this effectively is by chewing sugar free gum.
4. Encourage your child to consume dairy products such as cheese, milk, or plain yogurt. They are rich in calcium and have been proven to prevent tooth decay.
5. Natural raisins contain polyphenols and flavonoids which prevent cavities, so feed them to your child.
6. Using a straw to drink soft drinks will prevent most of the sugary drink from contacting your child’s teeth.

If your child’s teeth are too far gone for these preventive measures then make sure to immediately make an appointment with a professional dentist in Hammond.

Nobody certainly will wish to visit a dentist. This is the appointment which nobody would be eager to attend. They hope this appointment either gets postponed or better cancelled. No other health practitioners are more feared than the dentists. When children misbehave their parents or their elders threaten them to take to a dentist. The children immediately start behaving properly. It’s a well known fact most of the people have been damn scared of dentists since their childhood. Most of the families have a family dentist who has been with them for a longtime. Nevertheless it makes sense to ensure if the dentist is doing justice if not it would be wise on the part of the people to look for other dentist who may be much experienced and better than the dentist who has been with them for a number of years. People who move to a new place find difficulty in finding a good dentist. There are families who keep visiting different dentists instead of sticking to a particular one.

Ways of finding new but good dentists 

Most of the people run into the yellow pages to find good dentists. But either looking into yellow pages or looking with the local dental societies is not sensible ways of looking for Spokane Dentist. No doubt both have list of dentists with them but there are no sufficient information or comparison among them. If there are any dental school with their vicinity the people can ask and collect for the names of practicing faculty members. People can also check in hospitals and health care centers which provide dental treatment in their areas and find out if there are any good and well known dentists. They would certainly be able to helpful in guiding the people to the right and best dentists available in the town. The in charge of all the dentists is of course of the well reputed dentists who are available and practicing within that particular vicinity.

Try different sources to avail information

There is no harm in trying an orthodontist or a periodontist to gain information on well known dentists of a particular area. They will be well aware of the detail of the dentists whom they know. It would great idea for people who are moving to a new location to ask their current dentist if he or she is aware of any dentist in place they are moving to. The dentist may be of great help for them. Once a dentist is identified by the people he should be able to carry out a preventive approach which on the first visit of the patients he or she should carry out complete examination of head and neck information. This information is done when a patient visits a dentist for the first time and every six months from there on.

Some are fortunate enough to have a perfect set of teeth. But, nowadays, orthodontic treatments are becoming more available to help correct a particular problem. Among these are dental braces which straighten crooked teeth or correct a misaligned bite.

To help you find out more about dental braces,here’s an article that presents some useful information about this treatment including its types, benefits and costs involved.

Dental Braces: An Overview

Dental braces are orthodontic devices that are intended to align and straighten teeth. It is an appliance that improves dental condition and assists in positioning your teeth according to your bite.

Oftentimes, dental braces are used along with other dental appliance to correct conditions involving the teeth, palate and jaw. Read on to know more about how this orthodontic device works.

How Dental Braces Work?

Braces help reposition the teeth by placing constant pressure on each tooth to move them to a desired position. With each visit to the dentist, the braces are tightened, and more pressure is slightly applied to the teeth to move them further into their proper position, resulting in a wonderfully straight smile.

The Benefits of Braces

There’s a variety of reasons why you may need dental braces including fixing orthodontic problems or simply wants a perfect smile. To give you more ideas, listed below are the problems that dental braces can fix:

• Crooked teeth
• Crowded teeth
• Gapped teeth
• Crossbite
• Overbite
• Underbite
• Incorrectly positioned jaw

Types of Braces You Should Consider

If you’re considering braces for you or your child, you have many options. Here’s some of the most common types of braces that will help address your dental woes:

Clear and Removable Aligners

One example of clear aligners is Invisalign, a treatment developed by Align Technology in the US. It is a series of customized, clear plastic tray aligners that resemble a mouth guard. It is removable and typically replaced every two weeks to adjust your teeth further. It is recommended for ongoing use after completing your orthodontic treatment to help maintain the results.

Metal Braces

In comparison to traditional braces, modern brackets today are noticeably smaller and lighter in weight. They are made of high-grade stainless steel and metal brackets attached to each tooth using a type of cement. The brackets are linked together using a thin archwire. Ligatures (rubber bands) usually connect them together, it is replaced each time your braces is tightened.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces are also similar with metal braces in shape and size except they have tooth-coloured or clear ceramic brackets that blend naturally into teeth. Some also have tooth-coloured wires to make it even less noticeable. It moves teeth relatively fast but on the downside, some brackets can stain easily if not properly taken care of. Likewise, it is slightly more expensive than metal ones.

Lingual Braces

This is a relatively popular choice if you want to get your teeth straightened but wanted to keep your treatment low profile. It uses the same metal brackets and wires used in traditional braces only they are installed at the inner surfaces of the teeth to hide them from view. In most cases, this treatment takes the longest since the teeth are only moved gradually.

Cost of Dental Braces

The cost of dental braces vary on a number of factors, including but not limited to:

• The Material Used – braces vary depending on the materials used or the one proposed by the dentist. Materials for braces may either be metal, ceramic. Metal braces usually range from $3000 – $7000, while ceramic braces range from $4000-$8000.
• Types of Braces – the price largely depends on the type of dental braces you prefer. Lingual braces range from $8000 – $10000. As for Invisalign, prices are between $4000 – $7400.

• Dental Charges – the prices of braces also differ a bit depending on the professional fees of dentists. The location of the dental clinic is also a factor and usually, dental clinics in rural areas charge lesser than the ones located in larger cities.
• Treatment Procedure – likewise, it can differ depending on the procedure that you need. The more complex it is, the more it will cost you money.

To learn about your dental brace options further,visit Classic Smiles or book an appointment with the experts in cosmetics dentistry.

Have you had dental braces before? How did it help you? Let us know in the comments section below.

Like other surgeries, surgery involved in dental implantation can also lead to some complications. In the absence of effective preventive measures, it can lead to a big risk for a patient. One of the common complications of dental implants is mandibular never damage. This damage can cause a modification in the sensitivity of muscles of the face.

 Dental implants and its need

Tooth loss not just affects the person on physical levels, but also adversely impacts the self-esteem of the people. One of the issues associated with it is poor oral functioning. It causes a lot of problem to the patient. One of the common methods used to give relief to the patient with tooth loss is complete or partial dentures.

This is not a very effective solution to restore oral function completely as it fails to provide the right fit due to deterioration of the jaw bone. With the implementation of dental implants, aesthetics and functionality of tooth replacement in a person can be improved significantly.

What causes nerve damage during dental implant procedure?

Dental implant procedure includes incorrect selection of size of the implant and location. Another reason for damage to mandibular nerve is the needle that is used to inject anesthesia, and faulty diagnosis of the nerve location at the time of carrying out initial diagnostic process of the patient.

What can be the consequences of nerve damage?

Any injury to the alveolar nerve can lead to modification of sensation in different degrees from minor numbness to painful sensation. Though the condition improves in some months but in a few cases, it can even become permanent.

What is the right way to perform dental implant to avoid nerve damage?

To prevent nerve damage due to dental implant, it is important to precisely measure the width and height of the bone at the time of performing dental implant placement. Use of a dental drill is recommended that limits the maximum depth of drilling. The implant should be slightly inserted into the desired place to prevent exertion of the pressure on the mandibular nerve. The patient is required to talk to the neurologist on finding the nerve in unusual location.

All the different types of complications can be prevented with the assistance of a highly qualified dentist. It is important to obtain the complete spectrum of high quality dental implant procedure – assessment of patient, the surgery, planning of the treatment, and the prosthetics. Live patient dental implant training focusses on precise and careful planning of implant placement as well as positioning by the help of computer software programs.

Proper nerve localization before the procedure is a very important preventive step. Traditional radiography is very commonly used in this treatment, but computerized tomography and surgical exposure are again beneficial options to prevent nerve damage. Practitioners should also conduct standard neuro-sensory evaluation, prior and post treatment. This would determine the level of change in sensation.

Conclusion

To reduce the risks related to dental implants, it is important for every dental clinic that performs this procedure to be equipped with better preventive mechanisms. This will help in assuring the patient of the successful treatment while preserving their overall health.

The dental implant procedure is one of the effective procedures to replace your missing tooth. The implants act as the artificial tooth root and the crown act as the permanent tooth. If you miss any of your teeth due to an injury, decay, or cavity, your dentist may suggest undergoing dental implants treatment. Dental implants in Australia offer you a permanent solution for your missing tooth and give a natural looking tooth. The dental implants treatment can also be done for patients suffering from multiple teeth lose.  The treatment can be performed for the patients who have healthy jawbones.

Benefits of Dental Implants Treatment

• Dental implants provide a natural looking tooth
• Improve your appearance
• Improve your self-confidence and restore your self-esteem
• You can eat your favourite foods without any hesitation
• Feel comfortable
• Keeps your natural teeth healthy
• As like dentures, you don’t need to remove it
• Easy maintenance

Procedure

Initially, your dentist will insert the implant into your jawbone, and it is allowed for osseointegration. During this process, the implant gets integrated with your jaw bone and act similar to your natural tooth root. It may take nearly three to six months for the osseointegration process depending on the oral health of the patient.

After the osseointegration process, your dentist will place the crown on the implant. This crown acts as the permanent tooth and looks similar to your natural tooth. Patients having diabetics or periodontal disease may require additional treatment before undergoing the dental implant procedure.

Types of Dental Implants

There are various types of dental implants treatment available. These dental implants are made of titanium since they don’t create any allergic signs in patient’s body. The most common type of dental implants treatment include

Endosteal Implants: This is the most common type of dental implants treatment most dentists perform. In this procedure, the implants are placed inside the jawbone.

Subperiosteal Implants: In this procedure, the implants are placed above the jawbone. This type of procedure is done for patients having a shallow jawbone and can’t perform a procedure to rebuild it.

Dental Implants – Aftercare

After undergoing cheap dental implants in Sydney Australia, you need to get the advice of your dentist and need to follow the prescriptions given by your dentist. If your dentist gives you painkillers, you need to have it regularly to eliminate your pain.

Avoid smoking till your wound has healed since it may affect your healing process.

You need to take care of your diet after performing the affordable dental implants in Australia. You should avoid hot foods and drinks for few days after the procedure. Rinse your mouth after each meal to avoid cavity or decay.