Willow Dental Care

Author: Toothbrush Confidential

  • 6 Ways to Combat Anxiety

    Anxiety is no fun. It’s unhelpful when trying to accomplish things. It wreaks havoc on our health. But most of all at Willow Dental Care we think life should be fun. And no one is having fun if they are anxious.

    You may have noticed that Willow Dental Care takes special interest in your comfort and our staff is trained to help you if you struggle with dental anxiety. In that light we want to share with you a few tips to help you deal with anxiety no matter what the situation.

    1) Deep breaths. 30 deep breaths are often suggested, but we suggest as many long slow breaths as you need to help you lean towards a sense of well-being.

    2) Exercise. Often if you are nervous about a big day, it feels like a good excuse to skip the gym. If nerves or anxiety might come in to play for your big day, we suggest getting your sweat on. Not only will you work off some of that nervous energy but the calming after effects can last at least 30 minutes.

    3) Don’t skip breakfast! Unless your doctor or dentist has told you otherwise, a comforting healthy meal will make you less prone to irritation and nerves.

    4) Ask yourself: Is this thought helpful? There are a lot of thoughts you can have around an anxiety ridden event, the question is, what you are thinking right now – is it helpful? And if it’s not, what is the next best thought I can think of? It might be actively changing the subject to something you like to daydream about or something else that can easily envelope your focus. Or simply altering the story you’re telling in your head to one that might feel slightly better.

    5) Distract. Distract. Distract. Watch or read anything that will take over your focus. At Willow Dental Care we offer tv’s in the waiting room as well as above each one of our dental chairs. Just ask for the remote and headphones and lose yourself in entertainment.

    6) Meditate or pray. Meditation and prayer have shown to have similar effects on the brain. If you already do this regularly in your life you may find it an easy way calm down before stressful situations. If not, simply close your eyes and count your breaths as you breath deeply. This simple task can often help you towards feeling calm.

    Now that we’ve shared our tips for handling anxiety, what are yours? How do you deal with stressful situations? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

     

  • Which Toothbrush is Right for You?

    cropped-dreamstime_l_14641376.jpgEver stand in the pharmacy staring at the overwhelming selection of toothbrushes wondering how you’re going to pick one? Eventually, you simply pick the cheapest or the one that will match your bathroom or gives you a giggle!   As much as we’ll support anything that helps you enjoy brushing your teeth, here are a few tips to help you choose which brush is right for you.

    Heidi, our sparkling hygienist at Willow Dental Care has offered these insights:

    You’ll notice that all toothbrushes are noted as soft, medium or hard. This refers to the bristles. You might think that the tougher the brush the better job it will do but that isn’t the case. Medium and hard toothbrushes are not recommended.  They can cause damage to the soft tissues and to the enamel and/or dentin which can lead to recession and/or cervical abrasion. Always select a toothbrush rated soft, but then make certain you brush for the full 2 minutes.

    If you have gum recession, cervical abrasion or you like to scrub your teeth hard, look for an extra soft toothbrush to clean but also preserve your teeth.

    Are electric toothbrushes just for the lazy?
    Although manual toothbrushes do a fine job,  studies show that electric toothbrushes are a more effective means for plaque removal.  The recommended brushing time is two minutes.  An electric toothbrush makes it easier to brush for at least one minute Often you forget that you have brushed two minutes because it just feels so good.  They also do a better job for the back hard to reach molars.

    The choices are those which swipes back and forth against the teeth much like your manual toothbrush, such as the Sonicare.  Oral B provides a rotary motion and is just as effective.  In fact, the model 450 comes with a 2-minute timer so you can be very accurate.  However, this model works off batteries.

    We strongly suggest an electric toothbrush for children from two years and up.  They love the tickling on their teeth and gums and they do not mind if you use it to check the upper teeth and the back teeth.  For children, you can buy an electric toothbrush with a favorite character.  ($7.99 and up)

    A good electric toothbrush can be purchased for $30 – $250. and up.  Willow Dental Care likes Sonicare’s rechargeable toothbrushes.  The bigger the price the longer the life of the rechargeable batteries.   You will only need to recharge your Sonicare toothbrush once every two months and have been known to work for over 5 years.

    Hope this post helps you choose your next toothbrush. Let us know in the comments below any questions or thoughts on this post. And please share it with your friends!

     

  • Toothbrush Confidential asks: Is Kissing Good for your Health?

    http://www.dreamstime.com/-image10165209
    Isn’t it terribly delicious when you find out something you consider hedonistic is actually healthy? Kind of reframes your wellness journey into something almost delightful – doesn’t it? Could kissing be one of these hedonistic/healthy pursuits? Toothbrush Confidential investigated and delivers the skinny on the health benefits of kissing.

    Besides improving your mood, kissing causes your mouth to produce more saliva. Which doesn’t sound extremely helpful but in the case of your dental health – it is!

    Saliva besides helping to breakdown your food, it also regulates the PH balance in your mouth and acts as a buffer between your teeth and plaque. Early lesions in tooth enamel can be “re-mineralize” by the mineral ions in saliva. It doesn’t replace brushing or flossing, a clean mouth can’t hurt your confidence, but saliva does help to fight the bacteria which causes cavities, viruses and fungi. Since 20% of the bacteria in your mouth is unique to you, exchanging saliva while kissing stimulates your immune system.

    Dry mouth is terrible for your dental health yet it can be a direct result from medications like antihistamines, decongestants and pain killers. Although talking to your doctor about changing your prescription is a good idea, it’s also a good excuse for some saliva inducing kissing!

  • Is 2013 your Year to Shine? Get a Confident Smile!

    When you walk by the lineup at Safeway staring out at you with blindingly white straight teeth would be all the stars Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria, Halle Berry, the Jolie Pitts.  Even Tom Cruise was seen on the red carpet with his Invisalign.  They set the standard for the image of the prosperous and successful.

    Are you looking to get a better job? Or do you have an eye on a promotion? Is it time to have the confidence to go after the life and love you know you want? Everyone knows there isn’t a magic pill to give you this confidence, however there is something to be said about knowing you look great every time you smile.

    Beauty is not the only reason to straighten teeth.  If you are a grinder, or have been told that you have receding gums or have painful TMJ and a number of other dental issues like that,  improving the way your teeth bite together is the first step to alleviating these problems.

    So you’re ready to move on from your gapped or overlapping teeth, now what? Braces?  That is an answer, however you just might be a candidate for the clear braces, Invisalign.

    invisalign_tri

    6 Reasons to Choose Invisalign

    1. Gapped or overlapping teeth don’t have to hold you back, Invisalign can be the easy, subtle solution. They are clear.

    2. No one needs to know you’re wearing your Invisalign. We’ve had patients who went through the entire process without their families knowing they were waring “braces”. Nearing the end they just noticed how fresh and bright they looked when they smiled.

    3. Invisalign are easy to keep clean. You pop them out when you eat so no unsightly food bits or special brushes to clean your teeth.

    4. Because Invisalign is formed to your mouth, they are less painful than braces and you manage when you move to the next mouth piece and continue moving your teeth.

    5. There aren’t any wires to pop out and stab your cheek or gums. Also no brackets to fall off and need replacing.

    6. When you come in for your consultation at Willow Dental Care you’ll walk away with an estimate on the full cost & a timeline of how long it will take to get to your new smile.

    And the best reason of all?

    Willow Dental Care is offering a consultation and $500 off your Invisalign for all new Invisalign patients until March 31st, 2013.  So a healthier, younger looking more beautiful you for 2013, does it get any better than that? Contact us today to set up a consultation near you.

  • Have you ever heard the term “Long on the tooth”?

    It always brings to mind images of centenarians, people who have lived a good long life and their teeth kept growing like your nose and ears do. Of course we all know your teeth don’t continue growing, but why do we associate this phrase with the image of the aged?

    Years ago this simple expression did come from an older person’s teeth appearing longer in the mouth. This phenomenon had nothing to do with growth, age or experience. Unfortunately it had to do with poor dental hygiene. Before professional dental cleanings became in vogue, dental tartar was growing unchecked or cleaned near and under the gums.   Tartar build-up would trigger irritation of the gums – this results in swelling and bleeding which results in gum disease.

    Once gum disease starts  and is unchecked for a period of time, the gums recede exposing more tooth. Ergo, the image of a longer tooth. Because it would take time for this build up and human life expectancy being drastically shorter than it is today, “long in the tooth” became a phrase that was associated with the aged and wise. Although “aged” may have been closer to forty or even thirty years old.   Today  we’d imagine an aged person as 90 or 100 years old.

    Unfortunately “long in the tooth” doesn’t stop there. As the gums pull away from the tooth, bit by bit there is  bone loss.  Then perfectly good teeth just fall out.  In the past this was just expected.   People would simply carry on with life, toothless .

    Today there is no reason for a person to be toothless. Between regular dental check ups and proper self-care you can have a healthy mouth and enjoy all your favourite foods in your old age. Esthetically it is not attractive to be toothless and health wise the less teeth means less chewing ability and the greater increase in problems with stomach and intestines.

    This is why your dentist wants you back every 6 months or even 3 or 4 months for professional cleanings.  It all depends on the tartar build up you have.

     

  • Six Easy Tips to Protect Your Child from Cavities

    Are you doing everything you can to protect your child’s dental health? Luckily Toothbrush Confidential has made it easy for you with these 6 tips to encourage your child’s dental health.

    1. Choose water instead of juice or milk at night for your baby. It’s called baby bottle tooth decay and it’s caused by the child consuming something with sugar, which feeds the bacteria in the mouth as the child sleeps. This bacteria then produces acids that decay your child’s teeth.
    2. Avoid sharing cups or utensils. The bacteria that causes cavities is contagious. By not sharing cups or utensils everyone keeps their bacteria to themselves limiting cavity and cold infection.
    3. Limit sweets but in a fun way. Fruits cut into fun shapes sprinkled with a few dark chocolate chips or pretzels dipped in chocolate can be a fun way to have dessert without packing on the sugar.
    4. Instead of ending your meal with sweets, try a nice cheese tray. Cheddar, swiss, mozzarella and camembert all contain high levels of phosphate which helps to preserve and rebuild tooth enamel and helps to eradicate the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Imagine a plate with apple slices cut into triangles slices,  circles of banana, a sprinkle of cranberries – contains fun and dental health!
    5. Forgo bottled water for  home filtered water. In the long run it’s cheaper, there are no bottles to recycle and if your tap water is fluoridated, you’ve got some extra fire power against cavities.
    6. Choose healthy raw fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and low-fat dairy products, this helps your overall heath and your dental health too! Check out our 9 Foods that Promote Dental Health post!

  • Tongue Scraping – Necessary or a New Gimmick?

    The other day a friend of friend’s Instagram photo on facebook captured my attention. Not certain which filter she used but for some reason her tongue and her lime green eye shadow looked like the same colour. It’s just not right and made me rather glad I’d started scraping my tongue. 

Dentists have been supporting tongue scraping for the last 50 years, although much more emphasis has been focused on flossing, tongue scraping does show a decrease in halitosis (bad breath) and tooth decay.

    The gunk that you’ll scrape off your tongue is pretty gross until you remember that until today you’ve been hosting this bacteria on your tongue. You can either buy a soft flexible plastic tongue scraper or use your toothbrush. If you are using a tongue scraper two or three scrapes should do it. If you use your toothbrush, brush gently but firmly brush the entire tongue  – this should only add 10-20 seconds to your dental hygiene routine.

    Who will benefit most from tongue scraping? If you are a smoker or enjoy strong flavoured foods or have halitosis tongue scraping is very beneficial. Tongue scraping is also a good practice for people with perio problems. The tongue can harbour bacteria associated with gingivitis and gum disease. The average person will probably find, much like a great cleaning from the dentist, a newly scraped tongue feels wonderfully clean.

    So is tongue scraping for you? That’s up to you, but it’s definitely an easy way to extend your dental health.

  • Scariest Part of Halloween: The Trick or Treater’s Candy Haul

    My most memorable Halloween growing up was the year my Mom decided to let us go bananas and eat as much candy as we wanted on the night of Halloween. I don’t actually remember eating lots of candy or anything about my candy in particular. What I do remember is seeing my little sister in my parents’ bed after throwing up her candy packed stomach contents and my Mom saying to her, “You don’t feel so good do you? You probably won’t want any candy tomorrow will you?” And my sister responding with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, “Well maybe just one piece.”
    In case you can’t stomach the thought of candy laden throw up or having the indulge-a-thon go on forever here are a few strategies to manage your kid’s loot and hopefully their tooth decay:

    • The Candy Fairy. Whether you call it The Candy Fairy, The Candy Witch, The Candy Goblin, The Switch Witch, The Halloween Fairy, or The Halloween Goblin the story is the same. Once the child has selected their favourite pieces of candy from their loot, the rest is left out over night for The Candy Fairy to pick up  and leave a toy or book for the child to find in the morning. The beauty of The Candy Fairy is that she is really good friends with the Tooth Fairy and can come at any time of year to help  your kids take care of their teeth. After Christmas, Easter or any candy laden time of year, just leave the candy out in that specially selected spot (like the hearth where we leave cookies for Santa) and voila in the morning there’s a present from The Candy Fairy!
    • The Candy Exchange. This strategy is a direct exchange candy for cold hard cash. The child presents the parent with the candy they are ready to exchange for cash. The candy can be exchanged piece (eg: $.10 for small & $.25 for large) or by weight (eg: $5/kg). It’s up to you.
    • Life is Sweet Enough Reward In this one the child is rewarded for consuming the least amount of candy. No matter how much candy the child collects, payment is based on how much candy the child keeps. The candy/money exchange must be done as soon as the candy is sorted. For example:

    Keep 10 pieces the child gets $20.00
    Keep 15 pieces the child receives $10.00
    Keep 20 pieces the child receives $5.00
    Keep +20 pieces the child gets $0.00

    • Halloween is the Season of Sharing. The neighbours shared their candy with you, it’s your turn  to share your candy with kids less fortunate. Let them choose a selection of their favourites then help them pack up the rest and donate it to your local food bank or see if your church or community centre is holding a candy drive.

    Of course you could let your child gorge like my Mom did that one time and see if they end up throwing up like my sister or horde their candy until it was stale and forgotten like me.  If you have other strategies we’d love to hear them! Either leave a comment on the end of this blog post or on our facebook page.

    Also don’t forget to remind your kids Hallowe’en night they’ll be brushing and flossing before bed!

  • Dental Health Options for a Child with Autism

    Caring for the dental health of any child can be quite the challenge.  When you add in the specific parameters of a child with Autism, a parent can be at a loss for what to do. Often dentists will suggest general anesthesia, which can be hard on the child and the recovery time can be filled with nausea and severe grogginess.  On top of that, getting dental work done with General Anesthesia  at a hospital used to be readily available, today the wait to just be interviewed to see if the child qualifies can take several months.  Then the child is in a wait list for several more months for available time.

    There is another option. Just like a child with dental fear, a child experiencing life within the Autism Spectrum is often a perfect candidate for  Sedation.  There is sedation protocol for an autism patient, so parents will want to make certain their dentist is both DOCS Certified (see Afraid of the Dentist? Keep Calm and Get Educated for an explanation of DOCS) and is up to date with the specific requirements of an autism patient and their medical background.

    The first appointment will be considered the Introduction Appointment where the dentist and staff will establish a relationship with the child and monitor the behaviour.  Once a relationship has been established, if appropriate, a visual exam will be performed and the child’s teeth will be polished and x-rays taken.

    Based on the medical background and the child’s responsive behaviour, an appointment can be made for all the dental work.  The kind of sedation is determined by the dentist.  In our offices we have treated autistic children with Conscious Sedation very successfully.  However there are several cases when the medical conditions and behavior was too complex and we treated the child through General Anesthesia.  Our dentists performed the work in a private office working with an anesthesiologist.

    To discuss the needs of your child please contact us. If you have a child experiencing autism please share your thoughts in the comments below.

  • Keep Calm & Get Sedated

    As you may have read in our previous article, Keep Calm & Get Educated, dental fear is real. You have no reason to be embarrassed or feel any deficiency. The only shame is not getting educated, discovering your options and taking care of your dental health. If you need a few more reasons to take care of your teeth and possibly a giggle check out this Toothbrush Confidential post.

    Armed and ready to find the perfect dentist for your condition, you the Wellness Warrior only needs to know your options when it comes to sedation dentistry.

    Conscious Sedation. This one is the most popular. Usually it’s one pill prior to or at the beginning of your appointment then you drift into a joyful state. The patient can communicate and is expected to as the dentist monitors the patients condition. Most patients say it feels like they had the most refreshing nap, without any knowledge of the experience at all. There are little to no side effects, although the patient must have a friend or family member pick them up and drive them home for safety reasons.

    IV Sedation. As the title suggests instead of a pill the patient is hooked up to an IV and usually experiences a ‘falling asleep’ and a ‘waking up’. Although technically the patient does not go completely under they will not remember the experience and will wake feeling woozy and will most likely need to sleep it off.

    So you’ve claimed your dental fear. You know you are not alone. You know it’s completely reasonable for an adult to experience dental anxiety. You have the tools to choose a dental team who are trained to support your quest for dental health. Why not take the final steps and make an appointment?

    Not certain you feel quite comfortable enough yet to make an appointment. We’d love to know how this post affected you and your experience of dental fear, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Don’t forget to either follow this blog, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We’ll celebrate with you when you’ve either left a comment on our facebook page or Tweeted:  I conquered my fear and got sedated. #WillowDentalBC