The Top 25 Biological Functions of the Mouth

airway dentistry

Following over 50 years of study and listening to experts, I want to share with you why good growth and good functioning of the mouth is so important. Let me explain why the Mouth is the Mirror of your Life. Good jaws mean a better neck alignment and a better airway and less snoring and … Read more

Marijuana: What Dentists Need to Know

Marijuana Dentists

The Cannabis plant, commonly known as marijuana, is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide, with roughly 35 million people using marijuana each month in the United States. 1 Other than alcohol, cannabis is the most commonly used drug in the United States. Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2012-2013 National … Read more

Biomechanical Implant Failures Management of an Implant Failure: A Case Report

Implant Failure

Introduction The goal of modern dentistry is to restore the patient’s oral health to normal contour, function, aesthetics and speech. 1 The era of dental implants have ushered in a new treatment concept where the patients no longer have to use removable dentures, or sacrifice healthy adjacent teeth. The success and predictability of osseointegrated implants … Read more

Supplemental Oxygen in an Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute Myocardial Infarction

You are about to begin dental treatment on your healthy 65-year-old male patient when he suddenly develops severe chest pain. You suspect he is having an acute myocardial infarction and immediately call 911. You then refer back to the treatment algorithm, MONA, an acronym (morphine, oxygen, nitroglycerin and aspirin) used in the management of patients … Read more

Dental Poem: My Favourite Things

Acute Myocardial Infarction

(adapted from the tune sung by Julie Andrews in A Sound of Music) Caps on incisors and people who listen And brush all their teeth till they sparkle and glisten. Children who don’t even flinch when it stings, These are a few of my favourite things.   Ladies who floss and have good solid fillings, … Read more

The New Standard (and Why We Should Comply)

Acute Myocardial Infarction

“Gotta hit the club/Like you hit them hit them hit them angles” – Nice For What (clean version), Drake On November 15, 2018, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario accepted a new revision of the Standard of Practice for the “Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia in Dental Practice”. This made Ontario the … Read more

Good News for Dentists: 2018 Economic Outlook

dentists economic

Tax and Business Measures Federal Accelerated Investment Incentive – Dentists will be allowed to write-off capital assets (i.e. equipment, leaseholds, computers, software etc.) faster for purchases made after November 20, 2018. Provincial Proposed new Low-Income Individuals and Families Tax Credit (LIFT) to eliminate provincial personal income tax for low income taxpayers with employment income starting … Read more

6 Exercises All Dentists Should Regularly Do To Stay Healthy

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The dental profession is one that can wreak havoc on your back and cause postural issues if not addressed with appropriate exercises. For all of my clients working in this profession, I begin by talking to them about what their set up is like when treating a patient. I find it is usually a similar … Read more

Surveillance: The Foundation of Effective Infection Prevention and Control

infection prevention and control

Introduction In 1980 the results of the SENIC Project (Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control) were published. For the first time this showed that preventing or controlling health care acquired infections was dependent on a thorough understanding of the infections. 1 This was emphasized by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America which … Read more

A Structured Approach to the New Patient Exam in Pediatric Dentistry

New Patient Exam

When a child is scheduled to be seen by a dentist, it is important to remember that this visit will likely involve at least two individuals: the child and his or her parents. Today, parents want to play an active role in their child’s healthcare, and will report to the dental office with certain expectations … Read more

Paediatric Restorative Materials for Your 21st Century General Practice

Paediatric Restorative Materials

In today’s fast paced world where information is available with only a few keystrokes, we must be ready to embrace new ideas, adapt and learn. As dental professionals, we live in an ever-changing discipline of new materials and techniques. Even after we have completed our formal educations, our lives continue in a constant state of … Read more

Letter to the Editor: The Severely Worn Dentition

infection prevention and control

RE: The Severely Worn Dentition by Dr. Oliver Pin-Henry – November 2018 Oral Health My thanks go to Dr. Pin-Henry for the timely article: The Severely Worn Dentition. As practicing dentists, we do see cases of worn-down dentitions very frequently. These are not always easy cases to treat mainly because unless we address the possible … Read more

Take Care of Yourself!

infection prevention and control

Practicing in a profession where our primary focus is the well-being of others, we often don’t take the time we need for ourselves. When I was applying to dental school I repeatedly heard the comment that dentists had the highest suicide rate of any profession and was cautioned by others. Although I don’t believe this … Read more

Medical Treatment of Dental Caries With a New 25% Xylitol Formulation

Dental Caries

Background Even with the declining prevalence of dental caries in industrialized countries during the past decades, predominately due to fluoride use, 1 dental caries is still a major problem in most industrialized countries, affecting 60% to 90% of children, and the vast majority of adults. 2 Also, there is mounting international evidence that this decline … Read more

Glass Ionomer Fissure Sealants for Proactive Intervention

Fissure Sealants

Occlusal decay and its consequences have a major impact on the dental health of our patients. It is the single most common chronic childhood disease world-wide 1 and its results affect our patients throughout their lives. Molars and premolars are vulnerable, especially during their eruption phase. Deep pits and fissures provide an ideal environment for … Read more

Clinical Uses for Silver Diamine Fluoride

Silver Diamine Fluoride

I first began using silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in my private pediatric dental practice in 2015. Minimally Invasive Dentistry is a topic near and dear to my heart as a mother and advocate for improving children’s oral health and safety. My own daughter having surgery under general anesthesia at just nine months coupled with experiencing … Read more

Silver Diamine Fluoride Unstained and Liberated

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The concept of using amputation to treat an infectious disease was last used by the medical profession to treat gangrene in the late 1800s. The pharmacological management of dental caries aims to leave most caries in situ, killing the bacteria and enabling infected dentin to heal as arrested caries. A way of achieving this is … Read more

Enhanced Minimal Invasive Tooth Whitening

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Keywords Minimal Invasive Dentistry, Tooth whitening, White spot lesion, CPP-ACP, MI Paste Abstract This article discusses the philosophy behind the clinical protocols to achieve enhanced results in tooth whitening, and the successful reversal of enamel white spot lesions. External tooth whitening has long been recognized as having successful but variable results. An often-unintended consequence of … Read more