Words of Wisdom from Central Ohio Health Professionals

Dental Care Tips

Dr. Andy Nash

The Gentle Dentist, Worthington

Finding a Dental Home: Who doesn’t love being amongst friends? The same idea applies to locating a dental team that makes dental care just as easy. Find a dental team that you can build a trusting relationship with and that will be willing to discuss treatment options to make you feel at ease.

Keeping Regular Recare Appointments: Visiting the dentist every six months ensures healthy mouths and happy smiles. Early detection and treatment not only prevents growing problems, but alleviates the need for extensive dental procedures.

Communication and Control: Dentists are happy to educate as well as provide treatment. Addressing concerns with the dental team prior to your first appointment will help personalize your treatment. Also, start slow. A dental cleaning can be a simple, first visit to meet the dental team and help build confidence in its abilities.

Meditate and Medicate: There are many approaches to alleviating fears prior to and during dental treatment. Some helpful tips are to schedule early morning appointments, practice relaxing breaths, use darkening eye shields and listen to your favorite music. For patients who require additional methods of relaxation, aids such as nitrous oxide, anti-anxiety medications and sedation can be beneficial.

Facial Rejuvenation Tips

Dr. Mary Beth Luca

Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery of Dublin

Beauty and the youthful face are defined globally as an inverted triangle. As we age, our face loses this inverted triangular form. We lose height and definition in our cheekbones. The natural contour of our face changes. Our skin loses elasticity and collagen, producing wrinkles and sagging. Today, we are fortunate to have many products to help combat the forces of aging. Superficial lip lines and even acne scarring can be significantly improved with products such as Restylane Silk and Belotero.

Deep lines can be corrected with replacement of hyaluronic acids, found in products such as Juvederm and Restylane. Correction of more significant wrinkling can be achieved with products such as Voluma or Restylane Lyft. These products are placed deeper and allow a more significant correction, almost “bolstering” the sagging cheek. Botox offers the biggest bang for the buck. It allows for significant correction of sagging and wrinkles of the forehead, upper lip and neck.

There are many products to help us maintain healthy skin. Exercise, lots of fruits and vegetables, and a good skin care regimen will help us combat the inevitable aging process, allowing us to age with grace.

Partial Knee Replacement Tips

Dr. Keith Berend

Joint Implant Surgeons, New Albany

How long will my partial knee last? Recent studies have shown that 92 percent of knees will be functioning and not revised at 20 years following the procedure. In our own experience, 95 percent of knees have not been revised at 10 years. This is comparable to or better than the results of total knee replacement.

Why not just replace the whole knee now and get it over with? Partial knee replacement is a conservative, minimally invasive procedure that can provide the same pain relief and improvement in quality of life as total knee replacement, but without the same risks of complications around the time of surgery. Partial knee has less risk of infection, blood clot and death. Additionally, due to its conservative nature, partial knee does not burn any bridges in the rare situation in which another procedure is required. 

Is the rest of my knee going to wear out? So far, only one area of your knee has worn out. This is despite your activity and any injury or previous treatments you may have had. If your knee is repaired with a partial knee, why would the rest of the knee suddenly wear out? It is very unlikely to do so. In fact, in a recent study, more than 9 out of 10 partial knee implants were still functioning well at 20 years!

Skin Care Tips

Dr. Larisa Ravitskiy

Ohio Skin Cancer Institute

After a season of indulgence, we reclaim our health and waistlines in the gym. To prevent acne breakouts on face and body, shower with a gentle cleanser as soon as possible. If acne becomes a problem, over-the-counter 2 percent salicylic acid alone, or in combination with hydrogen peroxide product, works well in mild cases. When combined with 1 percent retinol cream, it will work far better. I recommend Jan Marini RetinolMD and Glycolix gly/sal pads.

Everywhere you go in the winter, you will end up overheating and sweating. That cozy sweater: stained. Your favorite shirt: ruined. If you want to never use another antiperspirant again, you should consider miraDry. MiraDry is a safe, nonsurgical procedure that eliminates sweat glands, odor glands and hair of all colors. Results are permanent and immediate. No matter the weather, your armpits will remain fabulously sweat-free!

Your skin health depends on your diet. Restricting consumption of hyperglycemic carbs, milk and dairy products, and saturated fats will help clear acne and improve complexion. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), found in green tea and caffeine, is good for your skin. Strengthen your skin health by taking supplements containing resveratrol, omega-3 fatty acids, and curcumin. And if you like chocolate, rejoice! Limited consumption of chocolate (more bitter than sweet variety) is good for your whole body.