Do I need an antibiotic?

This is a question we hear all the time.  We live in a society that dispenses antibiotics like pez candy and this is a serious problem.  Research from the University of Iowa indicates that one person receiving an antibiotic affects all the bacteria within a 25 mile radius.  This is absolutely incredible and horrifying as I had no idea the affected area would be so large, but pair that with how many prescriptions are dispensed daily and one can begin to understand why we now have 15 microbes that are resistant to all antibiotics available!  I believe in being very conservative when it comes to using antibiotics and prescribe them only when absolutely necessary….which is not all that often.

Please understand, I am not against antibiotics and I do write prescriptions for them, but after 25 years of practice I find that I am writing probably 80% less antibiotic prescriptions than I did when I first graduated from dental school because it just is not necessary most of the time!

Fun Fact:  Discovered by Dr. Fleming in 1928 and first brought to the market for general use in 1943, do you know when the first bacteria was found to be resistant to penicillin?

Answer coming Thursday April 19!

Article written by Dr. Leon.