Sep 16, 2018 | Blog, General Dentistry
Fissure sealants are a great way to help prevent cavities from forming in the deep grooves of your teeth. Specifically molars and premolars, as they more commonly have these deeper grooves. Usually, we do these on children’s teeth as they are most likely to get cavities in these locations, but they can be done at any age.
A fissure sealant is a resin-based coating painted into the grooves of the teeth that helps prevent bacteria from getting in the grooves and helps prevent cavities. They are simple, easy to do and do not hurt so kids don’t mind having them done either!
Let’s quickly run through the process of a fissure sealant being placed:
1 – The deep groove susceptible to a cavity is identified.
2 – The groove is cleaned and the tooth enamel is prepared for the fissure sealant to be placed.
3 – The tooth is dried and the fissure sealant is applied to the prepared enamel surface. Don’t worry, it goes on pink but cures into a white material.
4 – The fissure sealant material is hardened with a blue curing light.
5 – The tooth’s deep grooves have now been fissure sealed to protect them from the bacteria that cause decay.
Filling these deep grooves in with fissure sealants helps prevent bacteria from getting into these grooves and also makes it easier to clean the tooth with your toothbrush. Fissure sealants are a great preventative measure you can take for your teeth or your children’s teeth.
Talk to us today to see if fissure sealants would work for you.
Jun 25, 2018 | Blog, Children, General Dentistry
At Kelowna Family Dental, we love working with kids. So much so that we started Kids Club to help encourage and reward our young patients to take care of their teeth!
What is Kids Club?
Kids Club is a draw that we run for our younger patients. When they have a check up exam and cleaning with Dr. Robyn and have no cavities, we enter their name into the draw. As long as they are 15 years old and younger, and had a cavity-free check up, they are entered.
We hope that this helps to motivate all of our young patients to work hard on their brushing and flossing to keep their mouths and teeth healthy. Learning these important life skills at a young age can set them up for a lifetime of healthy teeth.
What can I win?
The winner of each Kids Club draw gets to choose a prize:
- a $25 gift card from Toys’ R’ Us, or,
- a $25 gift card from Orchard Park Shopping Centre
How do I win?
- Book a check up exam and cleaning for your child aged 15 years or younger
- Your child earns a clean bill of dental health from Dr. Robyn
- Your child puts his or her name in the draw and hopefully wins the draw
Best of luck to all of our cavity-free kids in Kids Club!
Apr 16, 2018 | Blog, General Dentistry
Did you wake up with a toothache, or break a tooth? Do you have swelling in your mouth? No matter the dental emergency, the next question is “Now what?”
First things first, take a deep breath and call our office at 250-762-2223. If we are not open, our voicemail has instructions for who to call in the case of a dental emergency. Even if we are closed for holidays or a long weekend, we always have emergency coverage for our patients because you never know when a dental emergency will happen. Call us so we can help.
What will happen in the case of a dental emergency?
Well first, if we are open, our receptionists will schedule you an appointment with Dr. Moreau as soon as possible to assess the situation. She will diagnose your problem and help you come to a decision as to how to treat it. Depending on the dental emergency you are having, this could mean anything from a filling being needed to repair a cavity or broken tooth, a root canal to treat an infected tooth or an extraction to remove a non-salvageable tooth. There are many possible dental emergencies and the treatment options for each are unique to each situation. Depending on the severity of the emergency, sometimes a prescription or a referral to a specialist may be necessary. The most important step for us though is getting you out of pain and treating infection. So the sooner we are able to see you, the better.
If we are not open, please call our emergency number listed on our answering machine. Most likely, you will be calling Dr. Moreau at home. If not, it will be one of her trusted colleagues here in town covering for her while we are away. Either way, the dentist you reach will do their best to help you over the phone. Often, simply answering your questions and scheduling you an appointment for the next business day is all it takes. In the case of a more serious emergency, Dr. Moreau may meet you at the office for treatment as necessary. The best thing you can do when dealing with a dental emergency is phone us so we can help.
This child broke her tooth during a soccer tournament. Dr. Moreau was able to ensure there was no severe damage to the tooth from the x-ray and exam, and was even able to fix it with a filling at the same appointment!
Feb 17, 2018 | Blog, Children, General Dentistry
In honour of February being Children’s Dental Health Month, let’s take a look at how we can help our children have healthier mouths. After all, the children are our future and by teaching them young, we can set them up for a lifetime of success.
According to articles by the Canadian Association of Pediatric Health Centres, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Canadian Public Health Association, tooth decay is the most common disease in children under 6 years old. That means that a large number of young children are having dental work done before starting Kindergarten! There are ways to help lower this number and reduce the chances of your child needing fillings.
At Home
You as the parent play a large role in helping your child attain a healthy mouth. You are the role model, the teacher, the leader. By modeling good oral hygiene yourself, you are showing your child that it is important for them to do so as well. By making sure your mouth is healthy, you reduce the risk of transferring the cavity-causing bacteria to your child. Make sure you take care of yourself by visiting your dentist regularly for exams and cleanings, having any work needed taken care of as soon as possible and ensuring to brush and floss daily at home.
You are also the one teaching your child that oral hygiene is part of their routine. Make sure to help them brush and floss until they are old enough to do a good job themselves. When they are young, you will need to be brushing and flossing their teeth for them. We usually recommend that you let them start and then you finish for them. Only you can be sure that all of the teeth are being taken care of. As they get older, you can delegate more of the responsibility to them and take on more of a supervisory role. Most kids need help until they are 8-10 years old as they need time to develop the dexterity to reach all the areas of their mouth and the focus needed to spend the time doing a good job. These habits they learn at home with you will set them up for a lifetime of good oral health.
At The Dental Office
You as the parent are also the ones who will be scheduling your child for their dental visits. We follow the recommendations by the Canadian Dental Association that children should see a dentist by the age of 1. This allows us to talk to parents and caregivers about how to properly care for their child’s new teeth as well as diagnose any dental problems early. It also gives your child a chance to start to get comfortable in the dental office as there are many new things here for them to learn about. We want to create a dental home for your child so that if he or she needs dental care, he or she is comfortable with us.
We recommend that all children have a dental exam and cleaning every 6 months following their first birthday and x-rays as needed.
As for their time in the dental office, you can trust us to try to make their appointment as fun and easy as possible. We will walk your child through what we are going to be doing so that they feel comfortable with us. We will show them our tools and explain each step so that they understand what we are doing. We will show them tips on how to brush and floss better and can answer any of your questions about how to help them at home. Our friendly assistants will clean their teeth and Dr. Robyn will do their exam to “count their teeth” and make sure they are healthy. If any cavities or other dental problems are found, we will discuss those with you and review the treatment options and recommendations with you.
Dr. Robyn as a child at the dentist for an exam.
We are a family friendly dental office so we encourage parents and siblings to come along for exam appointments as it can help everyone to improve their oral health. Younger siblings often do better if they can watch their older sibling have their exam and cleaning first. We all know they always want to be like their big brother or sister, so bring the younger ones along to watch and learn!
We are always welcoming patients of all ages, so book your family for their appointments today!
Sources:
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2011/Evaluation-BC-Early-Childhood-Dental-Programs-Final.pdf
http://www.aapd.org/assets/1/7/State_of_Little_Teeth_Final.pdf
https://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/viewFile/4918/3173
Oct 23, 2017 | Blog, General Dentistry, Hygiene
Having your teeth cleaned should be part of your routine for keeping yourself healthy. Healthy teeth not only keep your mouth healthy, it also helps keep the rest of your body healthy.
Plaque has hardened into calculus between a patient’s lower front teeth.
Plaque starts to build up within 24 hours of having your teeth cleaned. Proper brushing and flossing help to interrupt and remove the plaque but even the best brushers and flossers cannot remove all the plaque. Any plaque left behind starts to harden after a few days. That means that if you do not remove that plaque, it will harden into what we call calculus (also known as tartar). The most common places that this builds up is underneath your gums and behind your lower front teeth. The calculus buildup is what our hygienists work to remove using their ultrasonic scalers and hand scalers.
The buildup of calculus on your teeth causes an inflammation in your gums. The plaque that causes the buildup is made up of bacteria. These bacteria form colonies that continue to grow and solidify on the surfaces of your teeth. These bacteria can cause cavities and periodontal disease. The bacteria cause inflammation in the gums around them leading to gingivitis. If the bacteria sits there for too long or if there is a more virulent bacteria present (more virulent=nastier), then the inflammation leads to periodontal disease.
What does periodontal disease mean?
Periodontal disease means that there is a state of chronic inflammation in the gums as well as the bones that hold your teeth in. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease live in the pockets between your teeth and your gums. These bacteria trigger your body to start an inflammatory response to try to kill the bacteria. Since the bacteria are not killed by this reaction, our body enters a state of chronic inflammation in the mouth that leads to a breakdown of the gum tissues and bones around the teeth. This leads to bone loss, gum recession, loose teeth and eventually tooth loss.
Our oral health is directly connected to our overall health.
There are a host of medical conditions that can be worsened by periodontal disease. Any medical condition that has an inflammatory component is worsened if periodontal disease is present. If there is inflammation in your mouth, like gingivitis or gum disease, it causes an inflammatory reaction that travels throughout your whole body which can cause your other health conditions to worsen. Some reports are even saying that an adult with periodontal disease is twice as likely to suffer a stroke as compared to an adult with healthy gums. Working to keep your mouth healthy will lower the inflammation in your body and improve your overall health.
Medical Conditions Affected by Periodontal Disease & Inflammation
- Coronary Artery Disease (Heart Disease)
- Heart Attack
- Stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Psoriasis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Diabetes
Regular hygiene visits and proper home care can help.
To answer the question of how often someone needs to have their teeth professionally cleaned, we have to look at the patient as a whole. There is no cookie-cutter answer for this. We look at the amount of buildup a patient has accumulated since their last cleaning, the level of inflammation in their gums indicated by colour, texture and shape of the gums as well as the amount of bleeding from the gums when we touch them. We also consider the patient’s risk factors (some of which are listed above), home care routine, ability to keep teeth clean and amount of crowding. If a patient has minimal buildup, no inflammation and does a good job at home, we recommend they come for a cleaning and exam every 6 months. If the patient has more buildup and signs of inflammation, we recommend they have their teeth cleaned every 4 months. If they have all of the above as well as medical conditions that are worsened by inflammation, we would like to see them every 3 months for cleanings to lower their risks of periodontal disease which may worsen their medical conditions.
We also work closely with our patients to help improve their home care routine. The more you can prevent plaque from building up on your teeth in between visits, the less buildup there will be that will contribute to the inflammation in your mouth. Our hygienists and dentists can offer you tips and suggestions to help you brush and floss better, whether it is recommending an electric toothbrush, modifying your brushing technique or offering you a sample of a new type of floss to try. If you are having troubles cleaning an area, ask our hygienists or dentists for their advice so we can help keep you healthier!
Sep 15, 2017 | Blog
Each member of the Kelowna Family Dental team plays an important role in not only our office, but your oral health as well. Let’s go over the different team members and how they help to keep you healthy!
Registered Dental Hygienist
Our hygienists are experts in oral health. Their role on our team is to help keep your teeth and gums healthy. During your routine visits with them, they will update your medical history, take x-rays when needed, clean your teeth both above and below the gums to remove the plaque and hard calculus (tartar) that has built up, polish your teeth to remove stains, provide fluoride treatments and instruct you on proper home care techniques. They are also a wealth of knowledge about teeth and overall health, so feel free to ask them questions.
Certified Dental Assistant
Our assistants are highly skilled dental professionals. They not only help our dentists with procedures for you, they also clean your children’s teeth, take impressions, make whitening trays and sterilize instruments. They take x-rays, provide fluoride treatments and prepare you for your treatments. These are just a few of the duties they perform everyday in our office. Ask them your questions about treatments because they are great at explaining them for you.
Dentist
Dr. Moreau & Dr. Bal
Our dentists, Dr. Robyn Moreau, Dr. Dilraj Bal & Dr. Tom Martin, spent many years studying at UBC in Vancouver to receive their Dental degree. They will be the ones to diagnose problems in your mouth and treat them. They use their education and experience to recommend treatment options for you and to help you decide how you would like to proceed. Dr. Moreau, Dr. Bal & Dr. Martin are always willing to discuss and explain the treatments for you and answer your questions. Whether it is guiding a toddler through their first dental visit, explaining replacement options for someone who has lost a tooth or screening you for oral cancer, our dentists are keeping your overall health as well as your dental health in mind.
Dental Administrator
Our Dental Administrators coordinate our schedule, your treatment, insurance and billings. They will arrange your appointments, communicate with your insurance company, explain your appointments for you and can answer many questions about dental treatments. They will answer your phone calls, email you reminders and keep the rest of us busy. Call to book your appointment today!
To learn a little more about our team members at Kelowna Family Dental, check out our About Us page.
