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Arestin®

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Side Effects

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You may have heard about gum disease, also known as "periodontitis" or "periodontal disease." Maybe a dental professional or hygienist recently told you that you have this infection.

But do you really know the difference between periodontal disease and other types of complications that can affect your mouth, such as gingivitis? Do you know why it's so important to treat periodontal disease-and why brushing and flossing alone won't do the trick? Most importantly, did you know that periodontal disease is today's #1 cause of tooth loss among American adults? Or that, although a causal relationship between periodontal disease and an elevated risk for systemic events has not been established,recent data suggest a possible association between periodontal disease and other health issues including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and preterm low birth-weight babies?

Fight infection right where it starts

ARESTIN® (minocycline hydrochloride)

Microspheres, 1 mg is an effective antibiotic treatment that comes in powder form. This powder is placed inside infected periodontal pockets just after the dental professional finishes the scaling and root planing (SRP) procedure.

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The information in this section will help you understand why periodontal disease occurs and how you can talk to your dental professional if you have an infection in your gums:

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Now, let's get started in understanding periodontal disease and the treatments that can fight off this infection.

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Periodontal Services for Gum Disease

Why do approximately 80% of American adults have gum or periodontal disease? The answer is many people don’t realize they have gum disease because it doesn’t hurt in the early to middle stages. It is most often a chronic, undetected process that is a major cause of tooth loss. By the time gum disease becomes painful, it is already too late to stop the damage that has occurred.

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We are able to successfully treat and arrest gum disease now easier than ever before. Using a combination of computerized charting, ultrasonic cleaning techniques and a unique, antibiotic powder called Arestin, our gum disease strategy results in lasting, comfortable periodontal health and improvement.

Advanced Technology and Patient Comfort

Sedation Dentistry - We offer oral sedation as part of our commitment to your comfort. For our patients that are particularly apprehensive or fearful of dental treatment, an oral medication can be prescribed for one-hour before the appointment. This medication will put you in a light sleep-like state to relax and ease your anxiety. For patients requiring deeper sedation, Sleep Dentistry, also known as Conscious Sedation, is available through the expertise of our dental anesthesiologist.

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Arestin Cost

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Criteria to follow when you should use  place Arestin-Pockets 5mm or greater with bleeding on probing.
How much does one dose of Arestin cost-one box $16 per dose.
Fee per pocket- $25-30 per pocket

[Karl Note: My dentist charges $75 per pocket. He also charged $125 for replacing the broken tooth with temporary glue while mentioning that it could last only a few days. In fact the glue came undone and tooth fell out within 2 hours.]

Retreat a pocket with Arestin-usage was placement at time of scaling and root planing followed by placement at 3 months and 6 months.

Reimbursement from insurance companies.  Every company has its own protocol, most of which
seem to make little sense. .. bottom line is if you are going to use it the patient needs to expect to pay for it.

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The same bacteria that cause gum disease cause heart disease -- Karl's Dentist looked him straight in the eye and announced this as a proven fact.

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You know why you shouldn’t brush off brushing and flossing your teeth – cavities, gum disease, bad breath!  Bet you didn’t know that poor dental health might endanger your heart’s health as well.  It has long been suspected that bacteria from infected gums could cause a variety of heart problems; now a new study points to how the two might be connected.

First, the researchers stress that this possible link between certain bacteria in the mouth and heart disease is not yet fully studied.  But here is what  they found: Several strains of bacteria that cause periodontal disease can enter the blood stream and travel to the heart, where they can cause thickening of the arteries.  Thickened arteries reduce blood flow to the heart, increasing the risk of heart attack.  Thickened carotid arteries (arteries that lead to the brain) can raise the risk of stroke. To connect the dots, researchers will have to find out which came first, the thickened arteries, or the nasty bacteria in the mouth.

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Side Effects

Proper Use of This Medicine

After minocycline is placed in your mouth try to avoid any actions that may cause the medicine to come out . For example:

Dosing—The amount of minocycline that will be put into your gum pockets will be determined by your dentist. The number of teeth that need treatment and the depth of the pockets will determine the amount of medicine that is used.

Precautions While Receiving This Medicine

Check with your dentist as soon as possible if you have pain or swelling or other problems in the treated areas.

It is very important that your dentist check your progress. Do not miss any dental appointments.

Tetracyclines, such as minocycline, may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight than it is normally. Exposure to sunlight, even for brief periods of time, may cause a skin rash, itching, redness or other discoloration of the skin, or a severe sunburn. After receiving minocycline:

If you have a severe reaction from the sun, check with your dentist or doctor.

Side Effects of This Medicine

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your dentist or doctor.

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Plaque is incredibly toxic.  The germs that naturally thrive in your mouth have evolved the ability to create a thick mucous-like film made out of polysaccharides (dextrans---which are chains of sugars linked together and colored pink in the graphic).     This film can anchor itself and anything embedded in it tenaciously to the surface of the teeth.  Within this microfilm, entire communities of microorganisms set up housekeeping. The electro-chemical properties of the microfilm cause it to attach solidly to the teeth while at the same time maintaining such a perfect environment for the germs that they multiply until bacteria account for nearly 100% of the mass of the plaque.  The two images below are electron micrographs of masses of mature dental plaque.  The close-up on the right shows a typical "corncob" aggregation composed of long, rod-like bacteria covered with masses of tiny round cocci which are, in fact, separate bacteria which live in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the rods.

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