Glad you found my "dental questions" blog!

Glad you found my "dental questions" blog

Hello and welcome, 

My name is Cindy Ko, I am a general dentist by training and I have over 15 years of clinical experience working with both adults and children. I work in private practice in north San Diego area, and I'm also a mom of a pre-schooler. So I'm starting this blog on my spare time. While "the website" won't seem as complete as commercially-launched dental information sites, I intend to include the information I feel that is the most relevant to the (north San Diego)* local communities my practice serves. For the very least, my patients can come here to review topics we discussed during their visits. 

* some examples of nearby communities and employers our practice serves: (including but not limited to) UTC, La Jolla, UCSD, Salk Institute, Sanford Burnham Research, Sorrento Valley, QualComm campus, Mira Mesa, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, Carmel Valley, and Pacific Highlands Ranch. 

In recent years, I have focused on families' primary care, with an emphasis on 1. prevention of dental decay (cavities) and gum disease (periodontitis) and 2. disease management (slowing down the bacterial disease process). Often, there are good information available from specialist dentists' websites on areas that are beyond the scope of my practice (such as fully bony-impacted wisdom teeth, root canal re-treatment, or surgical implant placement, etc), my patients can simply comment below and I will reply to you with more reference.

In this blog, I hope to gradually build a wealth of information that I share with my patients on regular basis. They often tell me: "Dr Ko, you are the first dentist who told me about this." Perhaps it's my style (I don't like to rush, and want to make sure patients understood the cause of their condition and how to prevent it from getting worse or from occurring again.), or perhaps it is the big environment of increasing numbers of large, busy practices, maybe practitioners and their staff don't always realize patients didn't have their questions answered by the end of their visit. 

Just a friendly reminder: 

1. Informational blog articles written by me are meant to be a reference, or maybe a start point of gathering information in your dental care decision process. They are not substitution for seeing a dentist for thorough exam and diagnosis. 

2. In this day and age, there are so much information available over the internet that anyone can look up readily. But beware of what you read, and always consult with your dentist before trying over-the-counter products and products you can purchase over the internet. 

3. And remember to inform your dentist about any recent change in your health status (allergies, medications, systemic diseases, etc) because these factors may affect how he or she helps you to keep your mouth healthy.** 

** more in future blogs... such diabetes, pregnancy, coronary heart disease 

Wish you healthy smiles, everyday! --Dr Ko