Modern Medicine is Amazing!

Can you imagine what life would be like without modern medicine?

Modern medicine has enabled us to live longer, healthier lives. Even the simplest medicines like Advil for a headache or muscle pain are revolutionary. I’m sure folks in the 1700’s would have agreed.

What about antibiotics? Ever had an infection in a third-world country with no access to modern medicine?

All of a sudden, “ouch… this hurts!” turns into “I think this is infected”.  These are the moments of desperation that remind me how thankful I am for the advancements in medicine. 

I’m someone who strives to live a life of gratitude. I'm thankful for the day-to-day things in our lives that often go unnoticed. Sometimes I think about how thankful I am to have an air conditioner in the summer, central heating in the winter, mass transit to commute to the office, a car that takes me and my family on road trips, the earth to walk on, etc. More recently, however, I have been experiencing a deep sense of gratitude for modern medicine and the ability I have to prescribe medication to help my patients feel better. 

What did people do before antibiotics? Whenever I’ve had a painful infection there are not enough words to express how thankful I am that antibiotics exist.

Dentistry has seen the benefits of modern prescriptive medicine too and on behalf of my patients, I am so thankful. When I started No Limits Dental in Manhattan, I was guilty of feeling like my patients should be able to just tough it out through the discomfort of extractions, but on my quest to become the best dentist in Manhattan, I’ve learned that so many aches can be managed with medicine. Don’t want the swelling after an extraction? There’s a pill for that. Hate the pain that comes with the recovery process after surgery? There's medication for that! Anxious about seeing the dentist? Well, there’s a pill for that too! 

Don’t get me wrong though, I am all about living a life that focuses on whole organic foods and nontoxic products.  I feel our bodies thrive on organic, natural foods and remedies. I don't advocate for daily prescription medicine use (excluding of course people with chronic conditions who need them) but there are many situations where it can be a godsend.

Of course, there’s a caveat though,

I avoid opioids.

Our country has a severe addiction problem and I don’t want to contribute to it. It is my duty to my patients to make sure I don't over or under-prescribe, which I take very seriously in considering the appropriate medications and dosage in ensuring my patients safely remain in a pain-free state.

I will tell you, there are few better feelings than finishing a root canal and hearing a patient say, “Wait that’s it? I fell asleep,” or completing an extraction and having my patient say, “I feel totally normal” the next day.

Dental implants sound so scary, don’t they? Who wants a screw placed in their jaw? Well, modern medicine makes it effortless and painless.

I am grateful to have had some of the nation's leading dentists as my mentors and to be able to share a better dental experience with my patients as a result. As a dentist looking to reduce the barriers for patients to receive the best dental care, I’m incredibly thankful for the superpowers modern medicine has given me. Thank you modern medicine!