04
SepBack to School Lunch Snacks: A Dental Guide for Healthy Smiles

As the school year kicks off, parents everywhere are packing lunchboxes with nutritious snacks to keep their kids energized throughout the day. But while focusing on fueling young minds, it's equally important to consider how these snacks impact their oral health. Here’s a guide to choosing back-to-school lunch snacks that will keep your child’s smile as bright as their future.

1. Crunchy Fruits and Veggies

Apples, carrots, celery, and cucumbers are not just tasty—they're also great for your teeth! These crunchy snacks act like natural toothbrushes, scrubbing away food particles and bacteria from the surface of teeth as your child chews. Plus, they stimulate saliva production, which helps neutralize acids in the mouth and wash away harmful substances.

2. Cheese, Please!

Cheese is a fantastic snack for dental health. It’s rich in calcium and phosphates, which help strengthen tooth enamel. Additionally, cheese can help balance the pH levels in the mouth, reducing the risk of cavities. Pairing a small piece of cheese with fruits or whole-grain crackers makes for a tooth-friendly and satisfying snack.

3. Yogurt and Dairy Alternatives

Yogurt is another dairy product that's beneficial for oral health, as it contains calcium and probiotics. Probiotics promote healthy gums by reducing the number of harmful

30
JunFamous Personalities with Famous Smiles

 The Enigmatic Smiles of Famous Personalities: Discover the Secrets Behind Their Winning Grins

A captivating smile has the power to light up a room, leaving a lasting impression on everyone who sees it. While each person's smile is unique, there are certain famous personalities whose radiant grins have become iconic. In this blog, we'll delve into the enigmatic smiles of some well-known individuals and explore what makes their smiles truly remarkable.

Julia Roberts:

Known as the "Queen of Smiles," Julia Roberts possesses a captivating grin that has become her trademark. Her megawatt smile is characterized by its broadness and perfectly aligned teeth. Roberts' smile showcases a natural charm, conveying warmth and approachability. Many credit her memorable smile to her well-maintained dental hygiene and regular professional dental care.

Tom Cruise:

Tom Cruise, one of Hollywood's most celebrated actors, is renowned for his charismatic smile. Cruise's smile is characterized by his perfectly aligned teeth and a captivating gleam. It is said that the actor has undergone orthodontic treatment to achieve his stunning smile. Dental professionals suggest that Cruise's dental care routine, including regular teeth whitening and dental check-ups, plays a vital role in maintaining his pearly whites.

Beyoncé:

Beyoncé's

31
MarThe top 10 must haves in your weekly groceries... From a Dentists POV

When it comes to maintaining healthy teeth and gums, what you eat can have a big impact. A balanced and nutritious diet benefits your overall health, but also keeps your teeth strong and free from decay. In this article, we'll look at the top 10 foods to eat for healthy teeth and gums.

1. Cheese: Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, essential for strong teeth and bones. It also contains casein, a protein that neutralizes acids in the mouth that cause tooth decay.

2. Leafy Greens: Leafy greens like spinach and kale are high in calcium, as well as other critical nutrients like folic acid and vitamin K. These nutrients help to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent gum disease.

3. Apples: Apples are high in fibre, which Read more

13
NovWisdom teeth issues as an Adult

Most people associate wisdom teeth with late teens and young adults. They start to develop and grow-in between 18 and 25 years of age. Patients feel that if they have had no issues by the time they turn 30 they are "out of the water ".  As dentists, we know that this is just not the case. We see patients with wisdom tooth concerns at all ages. These teeth are very far back in your mouth and keeping them clean is very difficult. Wisdom teeth are more likely to get cavities than other teeth just due to the fact that cleaning them may be close to impossible. As dentists we struggle to get a successful filling in the wisdom teeth as well, so often they are recommended to be removed rather than restored. For those patients that have decided to keep their impacted wisdom teeth, it is important to follow them with regular xrays, as widom teeth can burrow a hole into the tooth infront of if from underneith the bone. This will ultimately result in the unfortunate loss of a healthy tooth, which could have been prevented.

Contrary to popular belief, wisdom teeth can just start hurting even later in life. Many people get misdiagnosed with

03
SepI only floss on Fortnite

Dance moves have changed a lot over the years but one move that became a worldwide phenomenon is “the floss “. Back In the summer of 2016 a kid on Instagram pioneered the move he coined “the floss” shortly after the world had just mastered the “dab” and the “twerk”. Today you still see this move all over Instagram, TikTok, and Fortnite. As dentists, this is not a new term for us but it has taken on a whole new meaning. Today if we ask our adult, or over the age of millennial patients “Do you floss? “, the most common reply is “no or not as much as I should”. But, if we ask any child, teen or millennial patient “Do you floss?”, the answer is always “of course! “ as they jump out of the chair and begin to swing their arms left and right around their torso in the opposite direction to their hips.

Dr Shulman: “not exactly what I was asking but hey.....you are a mighty good flosser. Keep up the good work!”

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25
AugBack to School Dental Checkup. The New Normal.

Back to School Dental Checkup. The New Normal.

In today's changing world, every experience may be a new one.  Kids need to wear masks to school, half of the kids will not be returning to in-class learning, and school drop off and pick may be a staggering time approach.  Back to school is often our busiest time at Innovation Dental as parents want to send their kids back with a healthy smile and a cavity-free checkup. For those children that have been visiting the dentist regularly, this back to school checkup may look a little different. Due to COVID, we are not using the waiting room, so patients need to check in by phone from their car. Children are then being asked to come in for their appointment without their parents, as we need to minimize the number of people in the office at one time. The Hygienist and Dentist will be dressed in some extra protective equipment, such as a face shield, double masks, hair cover and gown. Temperatures will be checked at the door and hands must be sanitized. Patients and all non-clinical staff will be wearing masks in common areas as well. Aerosol producing procedures such as polishing and use of the electric scalers are being limited at this time. For necessary aerosol producing treatments, we have NEW large suctions arms ( they look like elephant trunks) that sit close to the mouth and collect any off spray additionally to the regular suctions we have. You will see

24
JulTwo rows of teeth

It may surprise you when you suddenly notice your child's adult teeth growing in behind the baby teeth. Furthermore, you would expect the baby teeth to fall out before the adult teeth come in.  But in some, actually many children, this is not the case. In approximately 10% of children, the adult teeth can grow in behind the baby teeth giving the child two rows of teeth. At Innovation Drive Dental in Vaughan we often refer to this as "shark teeth". You can rest assured that this is not an EMERGENCY. In most cases, this does not require any treatment at all, and often we just let nature take its course.

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12
NovWhat Are Tonsil Stones- and How do you get rid of them?

What are Tonsil Stones- and How Do You Get Rid of Them?

Tonsil stones, also called tonsilloliths, are areas of hard yellow-white calcification, located on or within the tonsils. Some people are aware of them but many people don’t even know they have them. They can range in size, and can cause the tonsils to swell or become infected. Patients main concern is that they often give off a bad odor, and cause bad breath.

Your tonsils are made up of crevices, tunnels, and pits called tonsil crypts. Different types of debris, such as dead cells, mucus, saliva, and food, can get trapped in these pockets and build up. Bacteria and fungi feed on this buildup and cause a distinct odor. Overtime the debris hardens. Tonsils stones are more common in patients with poor dental hygiene, large tonsils, chronic sinus issues or tonsillitis. Some symptoms of tonsil stones can include:  bad breath, difficulty swallowing, ear or throat pain, ongoing cough, swollen tonsils, or white or yellow debris on the tonsils. Here at Innovation Drive Dental in Vaughan, we have seen many patients who have tonsil stones and if they are