Prema Strecker, RDH, MS - August 2016 Greetings dear patients! I want to let you all know that I'm retiring from my work as a clinical dental hygienist and from Dr. McFarlane's dental practice. I'm really going to miss my beloved co-workers and patients, but my neck and back are thanking me! Also, I look forward to enjoying some empty-nest retirement time with my husband. I'll continue peer co-counseling, singing with an a cappella group and, who knows, may even pick up my guitar again! I have practiced dental hygiene for over 35 years, including 8 years at the City of Austin Public Health Dental Clinics. I've been here with the McFarlane Dental team for 7 years. A highlight was the 2013 Spring Break dental mission trip to Guatemala for a week, with Dr. McFarlane, Lisa, and 32… Read More »

I just received a link today espousing the idea that flossing doesn't do any good. There are very few fields of study that are as well studied as periodontal disease, biofilm development, calculus removal, inflammation, and bleeding. So, let's debunk the poor journalistic effort that was made in the above article and I will bust out a few bullet points to make it clear. C-reactive Protein (CRP) levels can be reduced by flossing your teeth. When you reduce inflammation in your gums, you reduce your risk of bone loss and periodontal disease. But, oh yeah, by the way, (cough cough), your CRP levels are not just reduced in your gums but throughout your WHOLE BODY. So, people with arthritis, lung disease, vascular disease and any other disease that is marked by inflammation can improve their well being… Read More »

Do you like the new website design? If so, I had help. This summer, Lisa's daughter Rachel has joined us working at the practice for a summer job. So, I have been having her work on many different tasks. One of these tasks has been to help update the look and feel of the website. I asked her to move several of our old blog entries and attempt to duplicate the look and feel of the pages. Together we came up with some nice refinements. I used to do all my web design at my house, by necessity, because I was designing in iWeb, an Apple software product. But, Apple stopped giving new updates to this software several years ago and it had made working on the website a drag. So, I transitioned to WordPress.… Read More »