3 Things you can do to combat dental fear

1. Talk to your dentist about what makes you scared. Discussing the fear is the first step in tackling it. Together you will be able to come up with a solution that will help you feel more at ease.

2. For many patients, fear of the dentist stems from someone working close to the face and a fear of the unknown as you are unsure of what is happening in your mouth. Something as simple as getting the dentist to explain everything he or she is doing can soothe the fear.

3. If discussing the fear or having the dentist explain what is happening does not work, you may want to consider a form of mild sedation dentistry. Nitrogen Oxide, aka laughing gas, is one way to calm the nerves during a dental procedure. It is administered via a nose mask. One reason patients prefer this method is it can be easily reversed, and you can drive yourself home after. Whereas with other forms of sedation you need to be accompanied by a responsible adult after the dental work is complete.

Contact us today and we can find a solution that will calm your dental fear.

The benefits of replacing missing teeth

Have you been contemplating replacing a missing tooth or missing teeth? Did you know replacing missing teeth has more benefits than just aesthetics? Of course, when you have a full set of teeth you will feel less embarrassed to smile, and might even find yourself smiling more often. When you smile more, you give off more confidence and spread good feelings to the people around you. So yes, it starts with aesthetics, but having a full set of teeth has a much more global impact on your well-being.

Replacing missing teeth helps you physically. When a tooth is missing, the neighbouring teeth have to absorb more pressure when you bite down. This uneven pressure throughout the jaw can create pain in the face and cause headaches. The teeth that absorb the extra pressure will become worn down, which further increases an uneven dispersal of force when chewing. Replacing that missing tooth/teeth with either a dental implant, a crown, or a bridge, will help restore a balanced distribution of pressure and you may see those aches and pains or headaches fade away.

Having all your teeth also means having a full bite. Replacing a missing tooth or missing teeth means you can eat hard, chewy, sticky foods again. Many patients report feeling better because they can eat a well-balanced and well-chewed meal. Additionally, your digestion benefits from replacing teeth because you can chew your food into smaller pieces, which relieves the digestive system of putting in the extra effort.

As you can see, replacing teeth has positive physical, mental, and emotional benefits. There are many avenues you can go down when it comes to replacing a missing tooth/teeth. When you book a consultation with Dr. de la Fuente, you can discuss which option best suits your needs and budget.

Give us a call today at 514-453-0830 and start your journey to regaining a full smile.

CONTACT US

Clinique Dentaire ADF: Daycare visits

A project we are proud to continue this fall is our visits to local daycares to teach children the importance of oral health and proper nutrition.

With our daycare visits, we are trying to help prevent early childhood tooth decay. Did you know cavities are more prevalent in children? Tooth pain affects eating, sleeping, learning, and behaviour. Even pulling teeth too soon can cause problems with chewing, speaking, crooked adult teeth, and general health.

Prevention ultimately starts at home with healthy eating habits, daily brushing and flossing.  We find it necessary to reinforce this prevention and remind everyone, children and adults, that prevention includes a visit to the dentist office.

During our daycare visits, we go over healthy and unhealthy diets for good oral health. We also practice brushing and flossing technique in a fun way by using our mascot Al for brushing demonstrations. Christine even puts on her hygiene uniform complete with mask & gloves to give the children an idea of what to expect when they come for a visit at the dentist office for the first time.

We brush our teeth, we floss, and all have a fun time. Plus the kids all get to take home their very own colourful dental kit that includes a toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste.

If you are interested in having Clinique Dentaire ADF come to your daycare or your child’s daycare, please give Lynda Rose a call at 514-453-0830 to arrange a daycare visit.

What You Should Know When Considering Invisalign

We are big fans of Invisalign at Clinique Dentaire ADF. Both Dr. de la Fuente and our hygienist Christine have gone through the treatment with fantastic results. Invisalign is an easy, straightforward, and discreet treatment that finishes with only big beautiful smiles.

We fully back Invisalign at the Clinique, but nothing is 100% perfect which means there are some things we want to point out before you start treatment.

What to know about the Aligners

Invisalign treatment is based on you wearing a series of aligners; each aligner is a step toward in achieving your optimal smile. Since the aligners are removable, the treatment relies on your commitment to wearing the aligners all the time except for eating and cleaning your teeth. When you are not wearing your aligners, you are slowing down treatment time. Additionally, if you lose an aligner, you will need to have it replaced, which pushes back your finish date. The aligners are generally changed every two weeks; however, this is not a fixed amount of time. You may need to wear an aligner for a longer or shorter period depending on how your teeth are moving.

Seeing how the movement of your teeth will occur is also a cool part of getting Invisalign.  At the start of your treatment, you will receive all your aligners, which will give you an idea of your smiles’ transformation. Sometimes your teeth move in unpredictable ways, and your aligners will stop tracking, this means the trays are not fitting properly. In this case, you may need a mid-course correction and have new aligners made for the remainder of the treatment.

End of treatment 

A shocker to some patients is the need to wear a retainer once treatment is done. This is also true if you have traditional braces. A retainer is worn to ensure that the teeth do not shift back to their original place. You may get either a fixed retainer, which is a wire cemented to the back of your teeth, or a removable retainer designed to for nighttime wear.

Have any questions about the treatment? Book a consult today to learn if Invisalign is the right choice for you. And don’t be shy to ask Dr. de la Fuente or Christine about their Invisalign experience.

How Oral Health Impacts the Body

The scary truth of having bad oral health is that the troubles are not restricted to your mouth. Your mouth is a gateway to your health and when the mouth is in bad shape other parts of the body can start to feel this impact.

We have put together a quick overview of how oral health plays a debilitating role in other areas of the body.

Mind

Gum disease has been linked to a faster decline in cognitive function for people in the early stages of Alzheimers. Read more about the study conducted by Kings College London.

Heart

The bacteria found in your mouth can be absorbed into the bloodstream and collect in your arteries causing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis causes plaque to form around the arteries decreasing blood flow.

Blood Sugar

Blood sugar levels are harder to control when gum disease is present in diabetics. The germs in the mouth enter the bloodstream setting off a reaction in the defence system which can raise blood sugar levels. Read more about diabetes and gum disease.

Lungs

Breathing in bacteria found in your mouth may lead to lung infection such as bronchitis or pneumonia. If you suffer from a chronic lung infection, poor oral care can make it harder to get better as the bacteria may reduce the success of treatment.

Have any questions about the state of your oral health? Contact us and book an appointment today!

Time for an oral health exam? Learn more -> 

Sources consulted:
http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20Research/Files/patient_18.ashx

Why Use Nitrous Oxide at Your Next Dental Visit

Nitrous oxide is a form of moderate sedation that patients can choose to have with their dental treatment, whether it is a dental cleaning or a more complicated procedure like a dental implant. Nitrous oxide is a gas administered through a mask placed on the nose. The patient is asked to breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth.

Nitrous oxide is chosen not only by patients who experience dental fear, anxiety or stress, but who may also have a low pain tolerance, have a hard time sitting still, or bad gag reflexes. Some patients may also choose to use nitrous oxide during a lengthy procedure. Unlike another type of sedation such as oral sedation or deep sedation (through IV), the amount of sedation is controlled by the dentist; meaning it is not as strong and wears off quickly. In many cases, a patient can leave the office without the need of accompaniment and can drive right after the procedure.

Do you have questions about nitrous oxide or think it is right for you? Contact us today to discuss your options.

The best time to brush your teeth

Why is it we think the best time to brush our teeth right after eating? Is it the illusion of getting them clean right away? To make sure we wash away any debris that may cause trouble later? Did you know that this is doing more harm than good?

When you eat, the bacteria in your mouth eat too. These bacteria consume sugars from your food and create acid as a byproduct. These acids (are what cause decay) stay in your mouth for at least 20 minutes, depending on what you eat.  The acids stay longer when you consume acidic foods like oranges, tomato sauce, etc. On top of any food particles left over from you meal, you are brushing the acids into your teeth and chipping away at your tooth enamel when you brush directly after eating.

Brushing your teeth within an hour can clean away tiny particles of enamel, leading to eventual dental erosion.

(https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/blogdetails/175)

When is the best time to brush?

As you know, you should brush your teeth twice a day: once in the morning and once at night. When you brush your teeth in the morning you should do it before you eat breakfast. Since most mornings are rushed there is a smaller opportunity to wait until the acid clears from your mouth to brush your teeth. An additional benefit of cleaning your teeth before breakfast is you will have a clean mouth to thoroughly enjoy your scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cereal or whatever you chose to break your fast!

When brushing later in the day, it is recommended to wait at least an hour after the last thing you ate. If you cannot wait that long, make sure to rinse your mouth before brushing and floss your teeth to remove any extra food particles.

Happy brushing 😀

5 things you should know about your toothbrush

1. Change your toothbrush every 3 months! It’s pretty gross to think about what your toothbrush sees on the daily. It comes into contact with millions of germs and will naturally wear out with time. Many dental associations suggest patients change their toothbrush every three months or more often if the bristles are worn down or after being sick.

2. Keep your toothbrush away from the toilet! When you flush the toilet with the lid up you are unleashing bacteria into the bathroom, bacteria that travel up to 10 inches from the seat. If your toothbrush is close to the toilet, you just might have toilet bacteria landing right on it.

3. Keep your toothbrush dry and alone! The dryer your toothbrush the more hostile an environment it is for bacteria. You also want to avoid toothbrushes from touching (see point 5 for more details).

4. Rinse your brush after brushing. Make sure to rinse off all the toothpaste and debris from your toothbrush after brushing. The cleaner your toothbrush is in-between brushes, the better it is to keep your teeth clean.

5. Don’t share your toothbrush. Studies have shown that people who never had cavities can develop them when they start dating someone with cavities. The cavity creating bacteria is transferred while kissing, which we can assume would happen when sharing the same toothbrush. If that’s not enough, you can pass on infectious diseases through sharing a toothbrush.

You use your toothbrush twice a day… time to show it more love and care!

Sources consulted
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/21/toothbrush-germs-_n_5127448.html
http://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/ada-positions-policies-and-statements/statement-on-toothbrush-care-cleaning-storage-and-

Dental Care for Seniors

Did you know that your dental care needs change as you age? These changes may be something you don’t notice as they happen gradually. We have outlined a few things that you may not realize are impacting you or someone you love’s oral care:

Movement

Loss of dexterity and arthritis make brushing and flossing much harder to do, which can lead to poor oral care. Lack of mobility also impacts a senior’s ability to get to the dentist and many time patients will miss appointments because of this.

Medication

Certain medication have dry mouth as a side effect. Dry mouth can lead to bad breath and increased dental decay. It is important to know the health impacts of medications and what you can  do to avoid any further problems.

Bone Health

Osteoporosis can weaken the jaw bone, which will have a harder time supporting teeth and can lead to tooth loss.

Dentures

Ill-fitting dentures can affect bite, cause sores, and harbour unwanted bacteria. It is important to have your dentist look at the way dentures fit in your mouth at every appointment as things can change.

What do to

If brushing and flossing become challenging the use of flossing sticks may help. Patients can also add using an antiseptic mouthwash as a part of their daily oral care routine.

Ensure that a senior you love can see the dentist twice a year. There are many cases where seniors decide to get all their teeth removed as a precaution for future problems. Is this something you want your loved one to do? Give is a call at 514.453.0830 and book your senior an appointment today!

Sources consumed
http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/life-stages/oral-care-age-55-up

Dental Care for Teenagers

The teenage years are a crucial time for teeth because maltreatment can be the route of future problems. It is also in the teen years where the rate of developing dental cavities increases!

Here are some important things you should discuss with your teenager about their oral care, remember this is the time for them to create the right foundation for overall health.

It starts with a smile! 

Appearance is critical for teens. They think about their hair, their clothes, who they hang out with, but do they think about their smile? Good oral care will give them the confidence to smile big. Teens can get lazy about certain things; oral care should not be one of them. The last thing they want is to scare someone away because of their bad breath!

Break bad habits!

Work with your teen to nix the bad habit of biting nails or pens because these can lead to cracks and chips in the teeth which can be detrimental in the long run.

Be stronger than peer pressure!

Talk to your teen about smoking because this is the time that it would most likely start. Teach them about the health factors and also that when it comes to their smile smoking stains the teeth, creates bad breath, and lengthens healing time.

Oral piercings are a bad idea! 

Try to present the health facts instead of making it about what you may think/want. Piercings can have detrimental side effects from hitting a nerve, losing feeling, choking on the ring, cracking and chipping teeth, shrinking gums, and slurred speech. They may be cool in theory, but in practice, there is too much that could go wrong for an oral piercing to be worth it.

Wisdom coming in!

Teens may start to experience the rumbling of wisdom teeth. You can avoid any problems early on by getting a panroex to see how your teen’s wisdom teeth will grow in and whether extractions will be necessary or should be performed as a precaution.

What do they want?

This is also the time that your teen may want to or need to get braces. Discuss their options and the responsibilities that come with orthodontics. Read more about teens and Invisalign here.

Book an appointment! 

Let us help talk to your teen about their oral health at their next check-up. We can answer any question they may have about their mouth!

Sources:

• http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/life-stages/teen-oral-care
• http://www.aapd.org/media/policies_guidelines/g_adoleshealth.pdf