Anticoagulants are dental friendly

Creating an environmentally friendly dental practice.

In 1994, Darryl Diefes, DDS, a Whiteville, NC, dentist was troubled. The local newspaper reported on dangerous mercury levels in fish in nearby Lake Waccamaw, a popular fishing spot. Dr. Diefes began to worry about the source of the mercury. “I knew I handled a lot of mercury in my office and I wanted to know if I was somehow contributing to the problem,” Dr. Diefes explains. That report marked...

How 'child friendly' are you?

New oral anticoagulants and their implications for dental patients.

Anticoagulation therapy is used in several conditions to prevent or treat thromboembolism. Over the last 40 years, warfarin has been the oral anticoagulant of choice and has been considered the mainstay of treatment. However, its use is limited by a narrow therapeutic index and complex pharmacodynamics, necessitating regular monitoring and dose adjustments. Recently, two new oral anticoagulants...

Alternative to oral dicoumarin anticoagulants: Considerations in dental care

INTRODUCTION For over 50 years, vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin (Aldocumar®) and acenocoumarol (Sintrom®) have been the gold standard for reducing the risk of cerebrovascular events. In the last 5 years alternative anticoagulants have been evaluated that act directly upon a concrete target within the coagulation cascade, thereby affording a more predictable anticoagulant effect. The pres...

Anticoagulants and pregnancy: when are they safe?

Prescribing anticoagulants to pregnant women can be difficult and stressful. Fortunately, low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and unfractionated heparin are quite safe and efficacious when properly selected, dosed, and monitored. Maternal and fetal concerns must be considered at all times, with a careful assessment of the risks and benefits of anticoagulant therapy in each patient. Further re...