Although the mouth is part of the body, we often think of it as something separate. We often ignore bleeding or tender gums, while an irritation or pain elsewhere in the body would mean a trip to the doctor.
Poor oral health can affect a person’s quality of life. Oral pain, missing teeth or oral infections can influence the way a person speaks, eats and socializes. These oral health problems can reduce a person’s quality of life by affecting their physical, mental and social well-being.
The reality is that oral health problems could be a sign of something serious such as oral cancer. Every year approximately 3,200 Canadians are diagnosed with oral cancer and 1,050 deaths from oral cancer occur. This devastating disease has a low survival rate because it is often diagnosed very late. With early detection the survival rate of oral cancer can be greatly improved. This means going to your dentist for regular dental exams. Your dentist has the training and experience to detect oral cancer early.
Everything that happens in your mouth affects your whole body, which is why it is so important to visit your dentist regularly. Only your dentist has the training, skills and expertise to properly address all your oral health care needs. Regular dental exams help prevent small problems from getting worse.
Smoking has always been one of the hardest habits to break with many gizmo’s and appliances to help curb the cravings. One of the more recent and popular devices to help substitute or quit smoking are E-Cigarettes. For quite some time these colourful devices commonly known as “vapes” have become popular as they appear to be a beneficial substitute over a real cigarette. E- cigarettes have three major components; a battery, a cartridge and a heating element all without the use of many harmful chemicals and tobacco. At a first glance these e-cigarettes appear to be a great alternative for smoking, however, studies have shown that over time they can be equally as harmful to your mouth as a traditional cigarette. This may be because a 10ml liquid solution used to refill the e-cigarettes is comparable to 200 cigarettes worth of nicotine. Some key oral issues that Dr. Saxena has discovered are:
Regular e – cigarette usage puts users at a significantly higher risk of periodontal disease from increased exposure to nicotine.
Persistent dry mouth
Gum tissue and microflora may be affected by the e – cigarette liquid solution and can create an environment conducive to gum tissue mutation and changes in the microflora.
A recent study was conducted comparing the effectiveness of e-cigarettes vs. nicotine patches over a 6-month period and the results were inconclusive. This further proves that e
Scientists at the University of São Paolo have developed a new pain-free way of administering dental anesthetic. Say goodbye to those unfavourable needles. In their study, scientists applied a topical anesthetic to the mouth lining of a pig and stimulated it using a tiny electric current. They found that this electric current caused the anesthetic to diffuse more effectively. This method, a process called iontophoresis may be a potential replacement of injectable anesthetics. At the moment, researchers are trying to create an iontopheretic device that can be properly used in the mouth. So now we all wait with bated breath.
In the 1930’s the Ontario government started a program to provide free dental care to children in remote areas that were only accessible by railroads. Their dental appointments took place in makeshift dental cars for many years. Later, in 1951, a sleeping coach was transformed into a dental car with much better dental equipment and provisions for both the patients and the dentists. While this program was in action, multiple dentists and their spouses lived and worked in this dental car. By 1977 the dental car was retired and bought by John Weir. This man has gracefully preserved a wonderful piece of Ontario’s dental history and a provincial treasure.
With a New Year starting, there is a new reminder that February is Heart and Stroke awareness month!
To hopefully catch a stroke in time you can use the acronym FAST: FACE… Is it drooping? ARMS… Can you raise both? SPEECH… Is it slurred or jumbled? TIME… To call 9-1-1 right away
At Innovation Drive Dental, our patients health is of utmost importance. To support this cause we will be accepting donations for The Heart and Stroke Foundation to support research and aid. At the end of the month, Doctor’s Jennifer and Corey Shulman will match the total amount raised!
Check out the video below to see where your donations will be going to!
It’s October and it’s time to remind everyone that the end of the year is fast approaching. It’s time to think about maximizing any unused dental benefits on any outstanding dental treatment you may have. Unfortunately dental insurance benefits, if not used by the end of the year, expire. Having dental insurance is an awesome benefit, why not take advantage of it. Remember...USE IT OR LOSE IT!
