Apr 4, 2022 | Blog, General Dentistry, Orthodontics, Prevention is Key
Society tells us that straight teeth are pretty and desirable. But that is not the only reason to have your teeth straightened. In fact, that is only one benefit of straight teeth. Let’s discuss some of the benefits to straight teeth.
Straight teeth have minimal overlaps with their neighbouring teeth which makes them easier to clean. Teeth that are easier to clean tend to get less plaque built up on them which in turn helps prevent cavities and gingivitis from forming. By being easier to clean, this means that with less effort from you, you will have less dental problems over your lifetime. And who wouldn’t want less dental work done.
Another reason that dentists recommend having teeth straightened is to realign the bite forces. Teeth are made to bite together in a certain way and when they are tipped, rotated or crowded, they cannot bite together properly. This causes unnecessary chipping, breaking and wearing of those teeth over time. This can then lead to increased sensitivity, shorter teeth or the need for fillings or crowns to repair the lost tooth structure. By realigning the teeth so that they bite together properly, you decrease the wearing of your teeth which helps keep them strong and healthy.
Finally we come to the cosmetic benefits. This is the obvious one. Our society values straight teeth as esthetically pleasing. Unfortunately for some, the societal pressures placed on us can be detrimental to our self esteem. We do not believe that everyone needs perfectly straight teeth to be healthy. There are a lot of mouths that we see that do not have perfectly straight teeth but are functional and healthy. We only recommend orthodontic treatments to straighten teeth when we see a problem that is developing or when the patient themselves expresses a concern about the look of their smile. If a patient let’s us know that they would like to have their teeth straightened, we are more than happy to help get them there. But if they don’t mention it and we do not foresee any damage happening, we will leave well enough alone too. Every situation is unique and that is why we treat all of our patients based upon what they need.
Jan 24, 2022 | Blog, Dental Care, General Dentistry, Prevention is Key
Your dentist told you you have a cavity in your tooth. And that you need to have a filling done to fix it. So now what? Do you have to have it fixed? Will it go away? What will happen if you don’t fix it? Let’s discuss those questions a bit more since they are common and logical questions many patients have.
Cavity on a lower right primary molar in a child.
Do you have to have it fixed?
The short answer? No. No one is going to make you do anything. All patients have the right to make their own decisions about their oral health. Your dentists, hygienists and dental assistants are here to educate you on your diagnosis as well as your options. We can answer questions about risks and benefits of your options and help you make an educated decision on what you would like to do, but ultimately, the decision is yours.
Will it go away? What will happen if you don’t fix it?
Also no. Unfortunately, once the bacteria that cause cavities have created a hole in your tooth (the cavity), the only way to fix that hole is to have a filling done. If a filling is not done, the bacteria will continue to grow the cavity and it will get larger. As the cavity gets larger, it breaks down the structure of your tooth and can move closer to the nerve of the tooth.
The structural breakdown of the tooth puts you at greater risk of the tooth breaking on you. When a tooth breaks, there are a couple scenarios that you could be met with. Often times, the break just leads to you needing a larger filling than originally thought. Sometimes it leads to a structural issue that requires a crown to repair it. In rare but unfortunate circumstances though, the fracture can go under the gums and bone and require the tooth to be extracted.
If the cavity moves towards the nerve of your tooth, the bacteria causing the cavity can get into the nerve of your tooth and cause an infection. This infection causes a toothache. Once the tooth is infected, there are only two options to heal the infection. You can have a root canal done to remove the nerve of the tooth and the infection, or you can have the tooth extracted. Most teeth that need root canals will also need a crown placed afterwards.
Root canaled and crowned tooth on upper left.
If the cavity grows too close to the bone, then the tooth may need to be extracted. There is a limit as to how close a filling can be placed to the bone. If the cavity is too close to the bone, any filling material placed there will cause the body to react to the filling material leading to the eventual downfall of the tooth so it would be recommended to extract it instead.
This is why we recommend fixing cavities with fillings. The earlier we can repair a tooth, the less likely it is to have any of these unfortunate outcomes, especially an extraction. By finding cavities when they are small and repairing them early, we can help you keep your teeth. If you have questions about your cavity, make sure you ask your oral health team about what they would recommend to fix it. After all, you chose them as your oral health care providers because you trust their education and opinions. Use their knowledge to help you make an informed and educated decision about your oral health.
May 15, 2020 | Blog, COVID-19, General Dentistry
May 24, 2020
As the Province of BC has lifted the shutdown on non-essential dental services, we are busy preparing our plan to reopen our dental office safely. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our patients and team. Please bear with us while we source the extra PPE we are implementing to keep everyone safe. We will update you once we have a set opening date. Right now, we are subject to shipping times.
May 14, 2020
We continue to patiently wait for an update on when we can reopen from the Provincial Health Officer, WorkSafeBC and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC.
Please see the following press release from the British Columbia Dental Association:
Dental Offices Not Open for Full Services May 19
May 14, 2020, 12:00pm: The BC Dental Association (BCDA) advises patients that dental offices will not be returning to regular practice May 19. Full dental services, including hygiene care, will be introduced gradually and when it is safe to do so. As evidenced in other provinces, there is no singular approach to restarting services. Plans for BC will consider the different circumstances in various areas, including access to required personal protective equipment (PPE).
When Premier John Horgan announced the provincial government’s BC Restart Plan on May 6, many patients assumed dental offices would be returning to regular services on May 19. However, as the Premier and Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, confirmed in media briefings May 13, WorkSafeBC and public health officials have begun to develop guidelines for various sectors, including dentistry, to extend services – but they have not been published yet.
As we can all appreciate, the guidelines to protect patients, dentists and dental staff need to be aligned based on the epidemiology of managing the risk of COVID-19 in BC.
On May 13, Dr. Henry indicated that new guidelines are currently being worked on with regulators, including the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, “Direction is going to be provided, and we’re working on that with the regulatory authorities, the colleges for all the regulated health professions, on incremental changes and the guidance they need to move forward over the next couple of weeks.”
“Dental teams are experts at infection control and dentists want to ensure their practices are appropriately set up to comply with physical distancing and other particular requirements to reduce the transmission of COVID-19”, says BCDA spokesperson, Dr. Alastair Nicoll.
Dr. Nicoll continued, “Dental offices have been limited to tele-dentistry and emergency care since March 23. When the public health orders change, and patients begin returning to dental offices, the dental visit will look different. For example, chairs, magazines and toys will be removed from waiting rooms, and the receptionist may be sitting behind a plexiglass screen. Patients will also be asked different health screening questions when making their appointment and on the day of their appointment; and asked to clean their hands before and after their appointment. These and other changes will be communicated by your dental office once the new guidelines are published.”
“By all means, dental patients should contact their dentist to schedule an appointment, but please understand that until further direction is provided by the Provincial Health Officer and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, dentists are only permitted to provide emergency and urgent services.”, said Dr. Nicoll.
BCDA encourages patients to contact their dentist for any dental emergency or dental concern. If you’re looking for a dentist, visit BCDA’s YourDentalHealth.ca website.
Cary Chan, Manager, Communications & Public Affairs
BCDA
May 3, 2020
Hi Everyone,
We miss you!
It has now been a month and a half since we closed our office for routine dental care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that this finds you all healthy and hopefully finding a few moments of peace and joy during this unprecedented time. I know that I am trying to make the most of it by enjoying some sunshine in my yard and tackling some projects around our house.
I thought I would touch base with you all regarding where we go from here. I am not sure if you are aware that Premier Horgan announced last week that dentistry will be one of the first sectors to open back up. We are anxiously awaiting more guidance from the provincial health authority and our dental college as to what extra precautions we will be putting in place to protect both our lovely patients and our amazing team. Our biggest concern is how to keep both our patients and our team healthy and safe during this all. As soon as we know more, we will be getting ready to welcome you back to our office. I know that many of you have dental concerns that need to be taken care of very soon before they become problematic.
As always, if you do have a dental emergency or just need some advice on how to proceed until you can be seen, please do not hesitate to call the office. My cell phone number is on the voicemail message so that you can reach me.
Dr. Robyn Moreau
March 18, 2020
We are sure that you have heard in the media that there was a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Pacific Dental Conference that was recently held in Vancouver on March 5-7th. We wanted to reach out to you to keep you informed of up to date information that has been given to us by our governing bodies and the Provincial Health Team.
While our dentists were present at the Pacific Dental Conference and did return to work the following week (March 09th), we did so as it had not been announced that there was a possible case. We were informed by the Pacific Dental Conference on March 12th of the confirmed case and they advised us to monitor for symptoms but take no other measures. As our team was feeling healthy, we continued as usual treating our patients. As of yesterday afternoon, the province, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC and BC Health Services has instructed us to cease treating non-emergent patients, which we have done in closing our office.
Please take comfort in knowing that none of our team has any symptoms and has been back in Kelowna since March 8th. In all steps of this unprecedented situation we have followed all recommendations from our Dental College, and the Provincial Health Services. The risks of exposure to our dentists at the Conference are still considered low and the recommendation to self-isolate is a precaution we are taking seriously.
As a Dental Office, on a daily basis we go above and beyond in exercising the highest levels of cleanliness and sterilization. We are proud to have always adopted the highest standards in our practice and practice them daily.
If you have any concerns or are unsure about symptoms, please contact the provincial health link at 811 or 1-888-COVID19 or complete the online assessment. We will continue to follow the recommendations of the BC Provincial Health and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC.
The College of Dental Surgeons of BC has advised us to cancel all elective and non-essential dental services immediately until further notice. We have closed the office as of last night and Dr. Moreau and Dr. Martin are self-isolating until Sunday, March 22nd as recommended. After March 22nd, Dr. Moreau will be handling patients who require immediate treatment due to infection, acute pain and/or trauma. Please call the office if you are having a dental emergency to receive the emergency number.
Thank you for reaching out with your questions, we will be in contact with any updates that we may have.
We hope that everyone stays healthy out there and that our society can return to normal as soon as possible once this pandemic has passed.
Dr. Robyn Moreau, Dr. Tom Martin and the team at Kelowna Family Dental
May 4, 2020 | Blog, Children
As the kids are home during this time of COVID-19, we want to encourage them to stay active and busy. To make it fun, we will be having a coloring contest! 🎨🎨🎨
Participants will have a chance to win 🎁 a $25 gift card to Mosaic Books!🎁
All children living in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country are welcome to participate. Simply grab a colouring sheet here and post a picture of the artist with their final masterpiece to our Facebook page under the contest post. Feel free to share this with friends and family in the area so that they can participate too!
The winner will be announced on June 1st, 2020!🏆🏆🏆
Happy colouring!🙌 We can’t wait to see your masterpieces!
