Why you should see your dentist before having surgery.
During the past decade, medical and dental professionals have been learning more and more about the Oral-Systemic connection: the link between bacteria and inflammation in the mouth and its effect on the rest of the body. We know that harmful bacteria in your mouth are linked to many systemic diseases, including: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Now surgeons are also realizing that reducing infections in the mouth will give a better outcome to many surgical procedures. Patients having joint replacement surgery, as well as patients having heart valve replacement surgery, need to have clearance from their dentists showing that there is no infection, such as an abscessed tooth or gum disease, in their mouth. The reason is that infection in one part of the body can travel to the new joint or valve and cause infection in these newly replaced parts.
If you are also planning dental work such as extractions or periodontal treatments, schedule them well in advance of your surgery. Do not schedule any dental work, including routine cleanings, for several weeks after your surgery. Your surgeon may recommend having you take antibiotics before your dental procedure for a year after your surgery, to prevent infection. Only certain surgical procedures require this type of dental clearance. The most common are: hip replacement surgery and heart procedures.
Please be sure to check with your surgeon before having a major procedure to determine if dental clearance is necessary.
Don’t wait until November to schedule your next visit with us!
As difficult as it is to believe, Fall is here and soon we will be heading into the hectic holiday season. Many of our patients with dental insurance will lose hundreds (even thousands) of dollars each year because they fail to use or maximize their insurance benefits before the end of the year. Once these benefits are gone, they are lost forever… they do not rollover to next year.
In addition, if you currently participate in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you must utilize the pre-tax dollars you have contributed by the end of the year or you forfeit the amount.
Start thinking now about utilizing these benefits! Please do not wait to schedule until November because our schedule fills up very quickly at the end of the year and it is often difficult for us to find an appointment for you.
Part of our commitment to providing you with exceptional dental care involves ensuring that you receive all the benefits to which you are entitled so why not visit us now and start off the new year with a healthy, beautiful smile?
Lastly, we would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our wonderful patients who supported us in the Relay for Life event on July 31st. Our entire office staff participated to walk for 24 hours at Rolling Hills Middle School in Los Gatos to raise funds for cancer research. Thanks to our patients and friends, Los Gatos Dental Group raised over $1300 to contribute to this very valuable cause. We plan to participate again next year and hope to raise even more. Please visit Los Gatos Dental Group athttp://www.facebook.com/losgatosdentalgroup to see fun pictures of the event!
How it works, how much it costs, and more.
Complimentary panoramic x-ray with first evaluation (Value of $145).