To Our Patients:
The past few weeks have been a challenge for all of us, patients and clinicians alike. If you are like us, you are bombarded with daily emails, so we have wanted to keep our correspondence to a minimum so as to not overwhelm you.
Although our office has remained largely closed for routine periodontal/implant services, we have kept in very close contact with our patients and have seen a few emergencies. Through this experience, a pattern has emerged which we think is valuable to share with you.
A significant number of the emerging problems fall into one of two categories, stress and postponed treatment.
Stress Part One
Our mouths carry millions of bacteria which the body fights off on a daily basis when we have a healthy immune system. Stress compromises our immune system which makes us much more susceptible to infections. During the past few weeks, we have seen a number of bacterial and fungal infections. These are particularly concerning in patients with underlying medical conditions, especially diabetes and those that are on blood thinners. Keeping our mouths clean with rigorous hygiene is particularly important at this time. Remember that when you floss, you are disrupting aggressive bacteria which will work their way under the gums and cause significant damage.
Stress Part Two
With stress, many of us tend to clench or grind our teeth. In addition to causing tooth sensitivity and muscle strain, this leads to fractured teeth. This can be as simple as needing a simple filling or as complex as roots cracking under the bone, leading to deeper infections. In these cases, extractions may be needed During the past weeks, I have found myself with great strain on the muscles in my jaw. Because this is a generally a subconscious habit, it’s important to have a constant reminder as well as massaging the muscles in your jaw and your temples throughout the day. If your dentist has made a night guard, this is the time to make sure you are wearing it as prescribed.
Postponed Treatment
After several weeks of postponed treatment, we are starting to see that some of these delayed procedures are now turning into true emergencies with pain, swelling and bleeding. We will be making a decision shortly as to when to begin doing some of these treatments before they turn into more significant issues.
As always, we are here for you. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns however small you think they may be.
Peter Cabrera, DDS Bahareh Sabzehei, DDS, MS
Contact number: 773-415-7767 Contact number: 312-343-0568
Your team:
Carla Herr, RDH Alice Eng Monica Fraga Cheyenne Shores Carla Salazar Kristin McCaulley, RDH Irina Novak, RDH
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