Patient education

People react to oral hygiene tips by Canadian dentist and endurance runner: ‘Dang, I had no idea’

by Oral Health
Photo of Arden Young winning the 2021 Quad Dipsea in 4:47:50, after finishing second in 2019. (Photo courtesy: Jeffery Stern/Twitter)

Canadian ultrarunner and dentist Dr. Arden Young recently shared oral health advice tailored for endurance athletes, sparking enthusiastic reactions online. Her Instagram post was partly a response to questions about the addition of bicarbonate in sports drinks made by the company Maurten. Ultrarunners—athletes who cover distances starting at 50 kilometres and extending to as far … Read more

IDS Cologne 2025: How innovations are simplifying dentistry and enhancing patient care

by Oral Health
Photo: Koelnmesse / IDS

The 2025 International Dental Show (IDS) made one thing clear: the future of dentistry lies in simplifying workflows for professionals to create a better, more streamlined experience for patients. With the rapid advancement of AI, 3D printing, and high-performance materials, the dental industry is rolling out smart, user-friendly solutions that enhance efficiency without compromising care. … Read more

How do your CDCP patients really feel?

by Oral Health
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Now that the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) has been in place for about a year, both patients and dentists have had time to form opinions on how the program is working. Among CDCP patients surveyed, 95% expressed an overall positive view of the plan. Despite ongoing discussions between the dental profession and the federal … Read more

How to develop good oral hygiene for infant patients

by Jack Maltz, BSc, DDS, Diploma Pediatric Dentistry
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Treating children, not teeth Infant toothbrushing is not really important until about the ages of two and a half to three. The reason is that there are large interproximal spaces between the erupting teeth and all the surfaces, especially the interproximal surfaces which are self-cleaning. At two-and-a-half to three years, the second primary molars erupt … Read more

Florist with severe dentophobia faces up to $46,000 bill for teeth and bone treatment

by Oral Health
Up to $46,000 is the expected cost for a florist, who allowed his teeth ‘crumble away’ because of severe dentophobia

A London-based Hungarian florist could face dental restoration costs of up to $46,000 after letting his teeth deteriorate due to severe dentophobia. Lajos Csendes, 31, avoided dental visits for years, leading to significant oral health issues, including facial bone deterioration. His teeth had been weak since his teens, sometimes breaking from biting into bread, the … Read more

Top 3 ways to improve your patients’ experience at the dentist

by Oral Health
iStock

We asked Canadian dental patients if they would like to see anything improved for their experience at the dentist and while 35% said “everything was fine,” 61% made a suggestion. Patients aged >30 to 49 years of age were more likely to leave a suggestion for improvement while patients aged 50 and up were more … Read more

How AI and SaaS are transforming dentistry

by Sheena Hinson, RDH
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Swipe right on smarter smiles The industry is evolving fast, and if you’re not paying attention, you’re already behind the curve. AI and SaaS aren’t just shiny new tools, they’re the foundation of smarter workflows, elevated patient care, and practices built to scale. But it’s not just about adopting technology for the sake of it; … Read more

Value-based care and the value of dental hygienists: A paradigm shift toward better outcomes

by Danielle Apostolon, BS
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What is value-based care? Value-based care (VBC) aims to improve health outcomes while lowering costs, compensating oral health teams for providing high-quality and cost-effective care. This includes coordinating care, involving a broader health care team, utilizing data to monitor clinical outcomes, and addressing social determinants of health. VBC models, which are slowly taking shape in … Read more

Tips for educating parents on infant and preschoolers’ oral hygiene

by Jack Maltz, BSc, DDS, Diploma Pediatric Dentistry
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Treating children, not teeth If toothbrushing is not rocket science, how come it is so difficult to do it effectively, as dental caries is the most common disease in the world? Why is it not effective in preventing tooth decay? You need to be able to answer your patient’s question: why do I still get … Read more

Dental Clinic Creates “Dollar Mouth Club” to Help Community

by Oral Health
A set of dental hygiene products, a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a dental floss, and a green apple alternate text for this image

Burlington dental clinic, Beacon Hill Dental Centre, has launched a project called Dollar Mouth Club (DMC) to help their community have healthy mouths. The program involves donating $1 of oral care products to community organizations for every goody bag they give clients after their checkups. According to Burlington Today, “they also hope to motivate other health-care … Read more

6 Reasons You Should Consider Getting Dental Veneers

by Shen Chao
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Consider using the following educational article at your practice to help inform patients about getting veneers. The cosmetic dental industry has evolved to offer solutions to almost every problem related to oral hygiene, tooth troubles, and smile aesthetics. And yet, most people may be unaware of the most advanced solution in smile correction today. Dental … Read more

How to Win Conversations and Influence Patients

by Dr. Sanjukta Mohanta; Dr. Ramez Salti
Influence Patients

We’re ashamed to say it. We’ve had some bad conversations with our patients. We meant well; we were trying to get our patients to improve their oral health, but, instead, we ended up making our patients feel pretty bad about themselves. Instead of empowering them, we embarrassed them. Instead of trusting us, they disliked us. … Read more

Seeing Is Believing: Maximizing the Use of an Intra-oral Camera During the Dental Hygiene Appointment to Motivate Patient Compliance

by Julianne Souza, RDH, BS
Intra-oral Camera

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” You may have heard this common phrase many times before. Have you thought about this when it comes to your daily interactions with patients? We are trained, educated and taught how to assess, identify and differentiate between healthy and non-healthy, normal and abnormal in terms of teeth, tissue … Read more

Stay Sharp: Technical Guidelines and Workplace Strategies for the Clinical Dental Hygienist. (Part 2)

by Gabriele Maycher, CEO, GEM Dental Experts Inc., BSc, PID, dip DH, RDH
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Q: Some of my patients resist getting recommended radiographs. What can I do to encourage them to consent? A: If you read my article, “Are you Taking Adequate Radiographs?” (November 2021 issue), you know that most practices aren’t taking the necessary images throughout the process of care, especially considering the recommendation of the new global … Read more

New Delta Dental Report Finds Many are Unaware of Connection Between Poor Oral Health and Serious Medical Conditions

by Delta Dental Plans Association

Today, Delta Dental released the 2022 State of America’s Oral Health and Wellness Report, a nationwide analysis of consumer opinions and behaviors relating to oral health. Findings from the Delta Dental-commissioned research of U.S. adults and parents of children ages 12 and younger illuminate what they thought about their oral health and what they did … Read more

Weekly Wisdom: Oral Health Hacks That Work

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  In this episode of Weekly Wisdom, Dr. Sanj Mohanta shares some oral health hacks (that actually work) to share with your patients and deter them from taking part in dangerous online “dental hacks.”     Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!  

Weekly Wisdom: How to Motivate Your Patients to Improve Their Oral Health

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  In this episode of Weekly Wisdom, Dr. Sanj Mohanta returns to give some tips on motivating your patients to care about their oral health.     Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!  

TikTok Tooth Trends

by Dr. Sanjukta Mohanta, B.Sc. DDS.
TikTok Tooth Trends

Recently my daughter had her wisdom teeth extracted. The day before she asked me to buy her pineapple juice. I replied, “Pineapple juice? Why do you want that? You don’t even like pineapples.” She said, “I saw on TikTok that drinking pineapple juice before getting your wisdom teeth out reduces pain and swelling.” Uggghh! Another … Read more

Treatment Acceptance

by Oral Health
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Successfully convincing your patients to accept a necessary treatment for their oral health is an important goal to have. You want the best for your patient… and your practice. Whether it’s a case of dental anxiety or a lack of dental insurance, the possible reasons for your patient denying treatment are endless. An important reason … Read more